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| Part seven: sacrifice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In the slum apartment - Glitter looked at the vampire that was looking passed her Majesty. Skamms slowly got up and looked out the window. Glitter casually looked over at the door and then at the pretender that had his back to her. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Being - hunted?" she commented. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I may be insane honey - but I'm not stupid. As you so eloquently pointed out - I am not Brujah - I am a Malkavian - I see things - I hear things - I know things. I know that the boy you were arguing with wasn't a former fling. And I know that you were looking for me. Come clean if you want this to continue - otherwise - I'm gone," he warned. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Gone?" she asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "As in I leave here - and start making life miserable for you - your Toreador friend - and that lunatic that thinks he is a god of thunder," he stated. Anger flashed across her face. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "He is Thor you miserable lunatic," she retorted. He looked over his shoulder and could see that she seemed sincerely convinced with what she was saying. "And he isn't afraid of you. He will find you and punish you accordingly," she added seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The line is open. The truth - has come. First off - I never said I was a god - I am a normal average everyday nobody - that just happens to get caught up in fucked up situations. Holding me responsible for what others say," he began. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "So you never started a rumor?" she interrupted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I never said that," he replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "So - you would have me believe the word of a lunatic?" she asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Takes one to know one - as the youthful saying goes. I'm not the one so smitten that I would believe some vampire is a god. This is the new millennium cutie-pie - you might want to step up instead of stepping back," he retorted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I do not know what has scarred you so - I do not care. But I am no fool. I have lived in the streets of New York - for almost ten years before I became Brujah. I have been abused - used and left for dead on more occasions than I can remember - then - he came," she began. Skamms closed his eyes and shook his head. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What do you want?" he asked calmly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Huh?" she asked - startled by calm tone he used. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Why are you looking for me - and not him?" he asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I - I have heard of your exploits here. You - you are no ordinary kindred. The rumors of how you felled that demon lord - how you have mastered the art of the storm - how you walked from the heart of a blazing inferno untouched," she recounted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You - don't think you're god friend will be able to take me down," he stated. Her silence was his answer. He sighed and looked out the window at the Brujah that were still below living it up. "Where is this going?" he asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Please - leave," she muttered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Come again? You want me to run away?" he asked in disbelief. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If it was not for Thor - I would be dead. He may not care if he lives or dies - as long as it is with weapon in hand - but I do. Have you not felt that way about someone?" she asked seriously. His eyes spaced out as he remembered Nenia. He shook his head and forced the emotions back. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "That - isn't important. This place - it is my home now. I can not leave. And if he comes for me - I will not back down," he stated quietly. He closed his eyes and walked by the hurt looking Brujah. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moments later down below - Skamms stopped to collect his thoughts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Little bitch hit a little too close to the mark. He thought. Just then a kid tugged on the sleeve of his coat. He looked down and saw a poor youth extending a note to him. He reached down and snatched it from him. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Meet me at the quarry - come alone - Raven," he read. He crumpled up the note and tossed it aside. "Everyone is vying for my time now," he muttered as he casually walked away. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| At the abandoned quarry - Raven was standing at the top of a fully extended crane. He looked up at the partially covered moon and watched as a small raven flew over and landed on his shoulder. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "He comes?" he asked. The bird cawed. "Thank you," he said calmly. The bird flew away. In a series of hops and flips - he descended from the extended crane and landed gracefully on the ground below. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Nice moves," Skamms said. Raven looked over and saw the Malkavian. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You must be him - Skamms?" he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Very perceptive. You call me here to finish this?" he asked curiously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "In a manner of speaking. This - this place - it is where you did it - wasn't it?" he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Did what?" he replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Battle with that demon - called upon the power of the storm," he replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Deduced all that from the perch?" Skamms asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "No - locals. All of the accounts - are the same. You have fought with demons - the Fay - even an Archon. Either there is no fear in you - or no reason," Raven commented calmly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Never said I was fearless - I just know that there is a time and a place for such things. Not to sound rude - but is there a point to all this?" he asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Do you know what I was - before I hooked up with Thor? A thief. A petty low level art thief. Did a lot of traveling abroad - fell into something - I couldn't get out of. Thor bailed me out. I thought he was a lunatic at first - I mean - a god? But - the things he's done - the thing's he seen and said," Raven began - his voice becoming distant. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Sales pitch the sequel. You want me to leave town?" he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You do not strike me much as a man of honor - bound by oaths - restricted by the binds of loyalty. You are free to be wherever you wish - do whatever you wish - why stay here? After that last mess you were in here - I would have thought you would have moved on," he replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Just made things more interesting. You crazy kids are losing me here. I thought that Thor was a god of storm and war or some garbage like that. If he is - why are you all so unsure of him?" Skamms asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "He is a god of war and storm. But his beliefs - his goals - he will not care if he lives or dies. I have seen him enter situations where he was barely able to limp out of. Gods are not always immortal - and neither are we. If you feel the need to fight - fight me - but leave him," Raven stated seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You calling me out?" Skamms asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If I must," he replied. Skamms looked at the vampire before him and sighed. Normally he wouldn't hesitate - but something about the situation just felt wrong. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Another time perhaps - but for now - I think you should - rest," he replied. Raven struggled against the suggestive powers of the Malkavian - but his eyes spaced out as he fell to the ground. Skamms looked at him and shook his head. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Something about this stinks - and I think I know why," he muttered. he hurried over the unconscious Toreador and hurried back towards the heart of the Warzone. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A few moments later - at a place where Dreven was. The Setite had finished talking with the new batch of kindred that were ready to follow Thor. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Go - spread the word that he is coming," he said suggestively. The group filtered out until he was alone. He was about to move when he heard the sound of a fun arming. "Ho - what is this? Violence in a holy place?" he commented. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Save the games snake. And if you don't want a larger hole in your head - you won't move - turn or anything," Skamms stated as he stepped out of the shadows - aiming a shotgun at him. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If you wanted my attention," Dreven asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Got to thinking as of late - a little hobby of mine actually - some strange shit has been going down. People are throwing themselves at me - to keep me away from your pet lunatic," Skamms stated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Pet? You think he is thrall to me?" Dreven asked coolly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I know you snakes - and I know what you are capable of doing - so help me if you try to do that eye trick on me," he warned. Dreven slowly put his hands up. "When the prince's boy Glare - was asking me to stay clear of this - that could have been the bond between a sire and childer. Then Glitter starts with a sob story - and then the Toreador? Someone is pulling strings in this puppet show - and it isn't the caitiff that thinks he's a god - who does that leave? Hmm?" he asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I wanted no part of coming here. Had I my way - we would have been bound and set for overseas. As for the Brujah and Toreador - both have reasons to be indebted to Thor - as do I - he casts - such a pleasing shadow. To lose him now would undo much of what I have done," he began as he slowly turned - eyes lowered. "So if you are asking if I had a hand in their willingness to sacrifice themselves to protect him - yes - I did. Were our roles reversed - you would have done the same," he added. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I doubt that very much. I have little use for shadows," he retorted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Perhaps. But what you possess - your greatness - your presence - for all that you have - you lack - in vision. A great war is coming. The fathers of your sire and sire's sire all the way to the top - they slumber - and wait. They will awaken - and they will try to turn us against each other so that they may feast on whoever is left standing," he stated seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The Antediluvians? Awakening? You've been too much reading," he retorted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "And when the old ones return - with their hunger for kindred blood - who will be the first to fall? Will it be the caitiff? will it be those of the tenth generation or higher? No - they will hunt for those of power - cull the heads from the leaders - the rest of the cattle remains cattle," he stated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I've heard the story before. What does all of this have to do with anything?" he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Simple - Thor is no ordinary kindred - he is special even by our standards. When that war does come - he will be a most potent weapon - but only if the fool lives until that day," he explained. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I will tell you what I told everyone else you sent at me - this is my city - I run from no one. If he comes - I will be there. He calls me out - I will answer. Try any fool tricks - and I will make sure that you aren't around when that war of wars - goes down," Skamms warned. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If such is," he began - he looked up - the Malkavian was gone. "Blast - I was hoping he would listen to reason," he muttered. His eyes quickly scanned the shadows of the room - but the vampire he sought had already escaped. "This could complicate matters," he concluded as he exited the building. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To be continued... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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