�Good morning Miss Naomi, we are here by request of Kynoto. We are to serve as your bodyguards until Kynoto returns. Hopefully there won�t be much to guard you from, but Kynoto thought it better safe then sorry.�
�I see. Well then, please, come in and make yourselves at home. Any friend of Kynoto is a friend of mine,� Naomi said warmly. The two Psyclopires found that this place was suitable for them; there were not many windows.
�Oh, sorry, where are our manners. I am Rona and this here is Felto. We are former Psyclopires for Count Costranella. Since we are effectively part vampire, we must sleep during the day. If you need anything, anything at all, come and wake one or the both of us and we will see if we can help,� Rona stated, as she and Felto went to find the darkest part of the house to slumber in.
Elsewhere, evil deeds were at work, creating monstrous creatures. Knifes had, at least, tapped into his inner Ascendant powers and he found that these powers were very useful. This new power allowed him to summon a number of creatures, not unlike Kynotos� summoning technique. Except, these monsters were more powerful. He was creating an army, but it was not for Kynoto; no. This army was for Naomi. Knifes was planning on using her as bait for Kynoto, for he knew that if Kynoto got mad enough that his focus would waver, allowing him the opportunity to rid himself of his presence. This would not be easy tough, as Kynoto had somehow guessed that he might do this and left 2 bodyguards with her. Normally, he himself would deal with mere bodyguards, but these were not normal circumstances; the bodyguards were Psyclopires. Not only that, but they were former servants of one of the eldest vampires in existence, Vladimir Costranella. Knifes knew that these Psyclopires were above ordinary, as they had special powers, but he pressed on and in his research, he found an interesting section of ancient lore. It spoke of an ancient horror, bane of the vampires� it was called, which had been a mortal enemy of the vampires ever since it came into existence. This was, of course, some what of an ironic situation because the vampires had originally created this monster to help them guard their lord, Vladimir Dracula; the �holiest� of vampires. After Richter Belmont killed Dracula, they remaining vampires had not the power to control the abomination and it went on a bloody rampage. That was until the daring Alucard, also a vampire, put a stop to it and sealed it in the zone between the living world and the world of the dead, where it still remains; a well kept and well hidden secret. Knifes could recreate this monster, but he needed some of its DNA. The only clue to the whereabouts of this creature was a riddle of ancient lore that had been long forgotten by mortal men, but well preserved it had been in the travel log of Kynoto.
�If it is I you seek then follow this riddle to where the answers lie. The place where I am hidden is dark and dank, moist yet dry, in a high place but also in a low place. To reach this place you must see the land as if you were up high; follow the winding snake of blue until you lose site of it under the teeth that bite the wool of sheep that rise from the ground. Next you must cross over a sea of sand and dunes; naught but animals preside here. Then off to the east; a spot of green you will see. Over the green you must go, but be careful of what�s below as a great woe. From there, you will see a red mountain; red as fire, and the air will grow hot beneath the moon. The dragons fire, worse then dire; beneath the moon, under the hills. For it is here that you will find me there, behind a door; locked; of riddles. But if you followed my route exact; the door should open before the moonsets. Now I must go and sleep, till the one who comes, comes and upsets the calmness of my lair that presides there.�
Knifes when over and over it in his head to no avail. It was far to complicated, as it should be since it tells the way to the most fearsome creature of the times. �Hmmm, blue snake...blue snake...ahha, a river. Ok then, I will start by following this rivier...but where is one? There aren�t any around these parts, except maybe...I wonder, this riddle was written long ago, and so the river might have dried up of been sent underground. I�ll need to find an old map that would have been from the time that the riddle was written. This is going to take a long time, yes indeed,� Knifes said, shaking his head in forlorn, �Wait! Where did I put that map that Kynoto gave me,� Knifes said, now rummaging around in a cabinet. Then he found what he was looking for. He took the musty old parchment out of the cabinet and untied the lace that kept it rolled up. He spread it out upon his table, using stones for paperweights at the corners. He then took a more current map and placed it beside the old one so he could compare the two. He saw that there was indeed a river, but it was covered up somehow, making it an underground river. Knifes procured a pen out of thin air and began to scribble notes on the two maps. Once he had finished solving the riddle he realized what it meant. He read aloud,
�Follow the Aluind river to the Zheral mountains, then I must cross the Sea of Fire, and after that, to the east, is Hero�s Bane forest, which is filled with monsters that are dreaded by many and feared by all. Hmmm, they might make some good specimens. Then one of the places I will not like the most, Dragon mountain. Evil place that is, dragons of all sorts there and what�s more is that there are certain items to be gained in each of these places in order to open that door in Dragon mountain. Not only that, but I must win this creatures blood and that will be the hardest task of them all, no doubt there.