Fan Fiction ❯ The Soul Reaver and The Spirit Shield ❯ Confession: Part Two ( Chapter 20 )

Chapter Twenty

As Jenise replaced her armor and shield, Raziel asked Malia, "Do you think you can take us to Mobius?"

Before Malia could answer, Jenise filled the reaver of souls in on the information she had attained. "Mobius has locked himself up in his chambers. He retreated there shortly after the Sarafan Lord left for Meridian." Then she turned to Malia, "Do you think you could take us to his chambers?"

"I suppose so. It's only a corridor down from the sorcery guild. But I don't know that it'll do you any good. No one's been able to even get Mobius to utter a word since he locked himself up," Malia replied.

The trio quickly exited the main sorcery corridor and into one of the main corridors of the stronghold. Avoiding guards and staying in the shadow, they arrived outside Mobius's chamber without incident. Raziel immediately recognized the doorway as the entrance to the time streaming chamber within the stronghold.

He gazed upward at the dormant stone embedded in the stone above the doorway. Raziel called forth the wraith blade, invoking it with light energy. He took aim at the stone and released a projectile at it. Nothing happened. He released a second, and still nothing.

"It seems that it has been deactivated somehow," Raziel commented out loud to himself. "Mobius is probably no longer in there."

"But what do you mean? He hasn't left!" Malia disagreed.

"Mobius is the guardian of time. And thus, he has the ability to travel through time," he explained to the teen.

"So now what do we do?" asked the sorceress.

"We aren't going to do anything," Jenise retorted. "You are going to stay here."

"Why do I have to stay here? Why can't I come with you?" the child-like side of Malia exposed itself.

"It's too dangerous," replied Raziel before Jenise could give her argument. "You are not fully trained as of yet. There are bloodthirsty vampires out there that would be more than willing to feed upon a Sarafan sorceress."

"But I'll be with you. What vampire is going to dare try to kill me when I'm with you? Besides, Jenise, you allied yourself with Vorador, remember? He's the lord of the vampires. They wouldn't attack an ally!" she pouted.

"Even if that were true, a Sarafan knight would kill you if they suspected you were helping us. Or they could capture you and use you as bait for which to trap us. It is much safer for you to remain here, and you'll be much more important to us if you stay here. You can gather information for us. It's good to have an ally behind enemy lines," Jenise insisted. Malia gave up.

"Okay, fine. I'll stay. But as soon as I've mastered all my techniques you can bet your ass I'll come looking for you!"

Jenise grinned at her enthusiasm. "You know Malia, if I was still a member of the Sarafan, I would have given you three demerits for your language!" she joked. Malia grinned in return.

"Jenise, you mentioned to me before that you had sought out Vorador's assistance. You were able to ally yourself with him, correct?" asked Raziel.

"Yes. That's correct, though not for very long. I allied myself with him only a few months before I heard the news of the Sarafan army approaching my village."

"Does he still reside in the poison swamp?"

"Yes, last I knew. The last place I had seen Vorador was in his mansion deep within the swamps," confirmed the priestess.

"Malia, do you think you can escort us out of the stronghold without attracting the guards' attention?" Raziel inquired.

"Of course! There's an underground passage that only the highest-ranking sorceresses know of. I can lead you there," the teen sorceress replied. They exited the large chamber outside of Mobius's private chamber. Malia led her friends through the stronghold. After traveling through many long corridors, and avoiding many tired guards waiting for shift's end, Malia led them to the chamber that Raziel knew all too well to be the chamber where the body of Willaim the Just lay.

"Are you sure there is a secret tunnel here?" Jenise asked aloud. She had never been told of a passageway hidden in this room.

"Yes, I'm sure!" assured Malia. After they passed through the gate, the sorceress ran right up to the tomb of the fallen ruler. "Push this out of the way. The tunnel is beneath the coffin."

Raziel, though skeptical, braced himself against the marble. With a few giant heaves, he was able to push the coffin out of the way. The opening was small, but wide enough to fit through. It went straight down, a ladder the only means in and out of the tunnel. After a few feet, the tunnel was engulfed in darkness and nothing else could be ascertained without a source of light.

"Just follow the tunnel to the end. It should lead you to the other side of the lake, northwest of the entrance to the stronghold," informed Malia.

"How are you going to replace the tomb over the tunnel?" Jenise wondered.

"I'm not. There's a lever at the bottom of the ladder. Pull it, and it will reseal the tunnel," said the priestess. Raziel began to climb down the ladder. Once he was down far enough, Jenise began to descend after him. Malia ran over to a nearby wall and took a torch from it.

"Here, take this," she instructed, as she handed it to Jenise. The priestess accepted the offer. "Good luck," Malia bid farewell as Jenise descended to darkness. The sorceress watched from a few feet away, watching the glow of the torch diminish as it gained depth below the surface. After a few minutes, the tomb of William the Just slid back into its original location. Just as the tomb ceased moving, a voice from behind startled Malia.

"What are you doing here, girl?" It was the voice of Stephin, having just recovered from his injuries. Malia quickly spun on her heals to face Stephin.

"I…I couldn't sleep. So I came here. I usually come here when I need time to think," she stammered.

"You do know that this area is off limits after dark," Stephin reprimanded the sorceress.

"Yes. I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"You better get back to your quarters, sorceress. We had an intrusion earlier in the day. We have not deemed the stronghold safe as of yet…especially for those who like to wander off," he eyed Malia suspiciously. She simply nodded at the dismissal and quickly departed for her bedchamber.

When she was gone, Stephin turned his attention to William's tomb. He knew Malia had been friends with Jenise. And he suspected that the girl was not being truthful to him. After gazing at the coffin for a few moments, Stephin turned and left, dismissing the idea that Malia had provided help to Jenise and her demon friend.

There were no eyewitnesses to give proof as to what happened to the duo after the fight. Stephin just rather assumed the demon fled with Jenise's body. What Stephin did not realize, is that if he had bothered to look more carefully at the tomb, he would have noticed the disturbed dust on the ground where the coffin had been pushed out of place.

Jenise and Raziel quickly traveled through the dark, damp tunnel. Jenise carried her torch while Raziel used his wraith blade, enhanced with the light element. The tunnel was surprisingly not as wet as they expected, considering it was below the lake. There were a few places where water dripped from overhead, falling into small puddles of water. Still, the duo pressed on quickly, the lingering, but unspoken, fear in the back of their minds that the tunnel may collapse overhead.

"You still haven't told me yet," Jenise broke the almost silent atmosphere. Raziel glanced at Jenise to his left. "Other than your name, your lost people, some of your…unique…abilities, and your claim to be the `Reaver of Souls', I have no idea who or what you are."

Raziel sighed. "It's a very long and complicated story."

"I've got time."

"I'm not sure where to begin…"

"Just start from the beginning. Your first memory," Jenise coaxed.

"The beginning…" Raziel mused. Where did everything begin for him? "Well, my first memory…would have to be when I awoke. I was in a tomb of some sorts, later I would discover it to be the tomb of the Sarafan. Kain had just given me the gift of vampiric un-life. I was his first-born lieutenant. Shortly after my resurrection, my five brothers, too, rose from their coffins. As fledgelings, Kain taught us the necessary skills required for a vampire to survive. Soon, we began to dominate much of Nosgoth, setting the center of our vampiric empire at the pillars of Nosgoth.

"As our power and influence grew, my brothers and I became more independent from Kain. We each started our own clans, and claimed a section of Nosgoth for ourselves. The vampires thrived. Over the centuries, we began to evolve, but we would never undergo the next evolution before Kain. To do so, would be blasphemy. That is the mistake I made…"

Raziel continued telling Malia his tragic story. The betrayal wrought upon him by Kain; the centuries of pain; his second resurrection as `the Reaver of Souls'; the loss of his clan; the acquisition of the wraith blade; his vengeance upon the deformed monsters that were once his brethren; chasing Kain; traveling through time; his encounter with Janos Audron; and finally, his infiltration and murder of the Sarafan. Jenise had quietly listened, never interrupting Raziel's story.

By the time Raziel had finished his story, he and Jenise were nearing the pillars of Nosgoth. They had long ago emerged from the tunnels and had begun to travel the rocky route towards the poison swamp. In the night they could avoid the few Sarafan the occasionally saw. Rounding the last bend, they emerged in front of the once magnificent pillars, now beginning to decay from the result of Kain's decision.

"…and now I am simply seeking the truth. I still seek vengeance upon Kain. But I want to be certain of the motives of those people who have tried to manipulate me for their own benefits, before I make a decision that could change the course of history…again," Raziel finished his story.

Jenise remained quiet for several moments, letting Raziel's story sink in. Fate has, thus far, played a cruel joke on the poor soul beside her. Quietly, they crossed the stone the served as the base of the pillars. Finally, Jenise spoke, offering a bit of reassurance.

"I'll help you find your answers, Raziel. I may find some answers of my own as well."

Raziel glanced over at Jenise, accepting her offer. If he could smile, he would have. The priestess was finally deserting her impulsive desire for revenge. Instead, she has decided to follow Raziel's lead; learning everything they can so as to prevent themselves from being used as puppets once again.

The duo reached the cliff ledge where the path to the swamp was located. Though too high to climb, Raziel had previously needed to shift to the spectral realm to bypass this obstacle. However, someone had conveniently left behind a ladder for which to climb.

"The Sarafan have been here," Jenise replied, eyeing the ladder, explaining its existence there. They climbed the ladder and trekked onward. Twice they encountered a lone Sarafan guard, which Raziel easily disposed of, feeding on their souls. One had to replenish himself somehow.

Before they knew it, they found themselves deep within the poison swamps. Fortunately, neither warrior was affected by the noxious gasses emitted from the bowels of the swamp. Leaping from rock to rock, Raziel and Jenise were able to avoid having to trudge through the thick muck. Rounding a rock face, Vorador's mansion came into view, illuminated by the lightening of the sky as dawn was quickly approaching. Finally, they had reached their destination.