Book Two Chapter Twelve: Showdown At Tigiti's Tomb

Nick and the Vampire Council battle Saja and the Black Reqrium. After subduing the Vampire Council, Saja wants the pleasure of killing Nick herself. Just like that, the battle for humanity is on.

Chapter Twelve Showdown At Tigiti’s Tomb: We jumped through, I saw the familiar colours from last time. It was impossible to tell how fast we were going. We then shot out of the other end. We were going about sixty five kilometers per hour, not that it mattered. The odd clouds were here too, leading off into the horizon, but they were quickly dispersing into the sky. We followed the pulsing clouds.

We were running for half an hour at vampire speed when I saw a familiar sight on the horizon: The town of Memberg. We had arrived at the entrance to Tigiti's Tomb. As soon as I came near, the land peeled back, revealing a staircase. We walked down. We were met by Saja and another girl that looked younger than Saja. She looked around fourteen. This, presumably, was the Black Reqrium. The Black Reqrium was wearing a dark robe with a hood. The robe was not quite red and not quite black, it had a symbol on it that have me a terrible feeling. I couldn’t describe the symbol, it was sort of like an X shape, but more elaborate. Her face was hidden. The Essence of Life was behind them on a pedestal.

"Stop!" shouted Hans.

The Black Reqrium laughed from beneath her hood.

"The council." She said in a higher pitched voice than Saja.

The Black Reqrium was definitely younger than Saja. Her tone wasn't mocking, or arrogant. It was simply making a statement.

"Is that the best you could come up with, Chosen One? You shouldn't have dabbled in the affairs of the past." The black Reqrium told me.

Just then, Saja grabbed Sangiria. It glowed with dark light. She swung it forward, and we were whipped back against the wall.

"Not a step closer." Said Saja, who still had my sword in front of her.

“Sangiria! It’s been infused with the power of the Essence of Life!” Paul shouted.

Saja had created a wall of wind from the sword! How did she do that? Was it the energy from the Essence of Life? Esmaralda, who didn't seem to care what Saja had said, unleashed a short barrage of automatic machine gun fire. Saja swiped the sword again and the bullets came rushing back, and ricochet off the wall beside her. This didn't seem real. It all felt so… Surreal.

"Irene! Are you really going to do this again? Even after what happened all those centuries ago?" asked Beth.

"This very experiment made you this way, and this experiment will fail again!” Beth continued.

Irene scoffed.

"It is hardly an experiment anymore, Beth." She sneered.

"We were missing the Blade of Faith all along, but now that we have it, we will succeed." She went on.

Beth took a step closer, Saja raised the sword, and Beth abruptly stepped back. Hans then did something I did not expect. Instead of attacking, he reached into his robe and pulled out something familiar. The subspace corruptor! He touched one of the many markings on it, then he vanished! What did he do? Esmaralda saw my puzzled look.

"With the subspace corruptor, one can enter the subspace, an alternate dimension, in which the actions of an individual can affect this dimension." Esmaralda explained.

Saja looked worried. She searched frantically for him. Irene looked worried. She through back her hood. I now saw what she looked like;

Irene had on her oddly colored robe. I’ll just say it’s black, because it’s more black than red. She had short burgundy hair and deep purple eyes. She had a thin build, like Luna. She also had fangs, but they were smaller than Saja’s.

"Savior! Reveal Hans!" Saja ordered.

Hans then reappeared behind Saja. He reached for the Essence of Life...

"Where is he?" asked Irene.

Saja then whipped around and swiped the Blade of Faith through the air. Hans was blown backwards to the opposite end of the room, Irene and Saja looked over at Hans, about to finish him off. I thought of going for the Essence of Life, but I owed Hans and the others my life! I made up my mind, this choice, however, I regretted later. By saving Hans' life, I gave up a chance to swipe the Essence of Life. I launched myself at Irene, knowing that Saja would overpower me. Paul, Beth and Esmaralda took on Saja. Irene and I started in a fist fight. I was beyond caring about hitting a girl. This girl was an element of dark power; The Black Reqrium. She swung left, I blocked it with my forearm and pivoted on my right foot so that I was behind her. I then gave her a heavy blow to the base of the skull, and she stumbled, only to get right back up and continue our brawl.

“Chosen One, you’re stronger than you look.” Irene said, her violet eyes flashed.

Her voice had some kind of calm to it. She wasn’t freaking out, she was in control. Her voice was so calm that it made my guard slip for a moment. Irene took advantage of this and she punched me in the nose. I cried out in pain and held my aching nose. Irene didn’t back away. She kept coming, not giving me time to recover.

“Oh, did I hurt you? My apologies...” Irene said with mock sorrow.

Irene blocked my next blow to her face, then counter attacked and punched me in the gut, pain spread in my stomach. Irene then kicked me away, but I dove right back in to the fight. I punched her in the gut and she doubled over, but grabbed my fist and jumped behind me, pinning my one arm behind my back. I was a vampire, this girl was… well, I don’t quite know.

“For a vampire, you’re very weak. Haven’t you had any blood?” Irene mocked.

Her comment made me think of Fenton. I killed him. If I can kill my friend for sustenance, I can throw this girl off of me! With a mighty roar of anger, I spun around and struck Irene in the side of the head with my free hand. She collapsed to the ground, but before I could close in, she got back up.

"Oh, did I make the wittle vampire mad?” Irene mocked.

I stared into her unnatural violet eyes. I was panting in anger.

“Good, for it is all part of the game." Irene giggled.

She couldn't have been more than fourteen. Unbelievable.

"A game?" I asked angrily, remembering all of the suffering people went through during this war with Saja. Both Sajas.

Irene nodded, smirking.

"Well yes, we have done it before, and it is quite fun. Saja and I strive to end the existence of humanity, and the council tries to stop us. The only part of the game that isn't fun is that I was once human, now I am not quite human, and not quite vampire, thanks to that bloody experiment." She said.

We talked while we fought. It was almost comical. Irene's playful, calm voice seemed to sap all of the anger from my mind, almost as though it truly was a game, a twisted, deadly game.

Irene faked left, I went for her, but she already had her left foot ready to spring onto the right, and that is where she went.

“Oh, come now. Surely you can be quicker?” Irene taunted.

She smiled, showing her small fangs. She pivoted behind me, much like I had done to her earlier, and she punched me in the back. I cried out in pain and turned around just after her punch connected, and was prepared to block her next blow, which is exactly what I did. I blocked her punch to the side of my head with my forearm. Irene then kicked me and forced me backward a few feet. I then heard a few gunshots, five or six, but I did not dare turn around. Instead, I instinctively jumped left, away from where the bullets would have gone if they had been fired at me.

Confusingly, they weren't. Irene came up to me at my front and jumped at me. I leaned back on my left foot, and delivered a kick to Irene's chest with my right, knocking her in the opposite direction. When my foot connected, she let out a pained oof! She flew back a few feet and landed on her feet. Irene then changed her tactic. Instead of coming right at me, she just stood there, with her eyes closed. What was she doing?

“What are you doing?” I asked her.

There was no answer. Was she baiting me? Did she want me to come at her, just so she could lash out at me when I got close? She seemed smarter than that. I approached carefully...

When I was within a foot of her, she smiled, and her violet eyes opened. Her smile did not fade, and she raised her hands to me, and twin lightning bolts shot out of them.

"Woah!" I yelled.

Irene giggled. Both of the lightning bolts hit me in my two shoulders, I fell to the floor, a very unpleasant, prickling sensation pulsated threw my body and I occasionally spasmed from the energy coursing through me. This only lasted a few seconds, not long enough for Irene to get close.

“Don’t try to exploit a weakness that isn’t there.” Irene scolded.

Fear hyper charged me. I got up as soon as I was able and ran across the room. Irene fired lightning bolts at me time after time, I wondered why Saja didn’t join the fight, but like when I heard the gunshots, I did not dare look over at her. I had to stay focused on Irene. I ducked and weaved, and her lightning bolts struck the cavern walls, slightly damaging the walls where the bolt of lightning connected. I hoped that she wouldn't cause the tomb to collapse. I dove behind a pillar to avoid an oncoming lightning bolt. No sooner did I reach the safety of the pillar's backside did the lightning bolt hit it, causing it to crack a little bit.

“You can’t hide forever!” Irene called playfully, firing another lightning bolt at the pillar.

What is wrong with this girl? Did she really think this was all just a game? Did she even know how many deaths were cause at Saja’s hand? Did she know how much people suffered during this war?

The pillar cracked when the lighting hit it. I threw myself out of cover, so as to avoid Irene bringing the tomb down on us.

“There you are!” Irene exclaimed.

I decided to go on the offensive, if I stayed evasive, Irene would kill us all by bringing the tomb down on our heads. I focused on moving forward, towards her. I dove left, but a bolt of lightning met me there, narrowly missing my head! I recoiled away and went right, then I quickly dove forward. I was making my way to Irene slowly. I could see Irene backing up. She doubled her lighting bolt's firing speed, which made it increasingly hard to dodge them. I dodged left, away from where she was firing her lightning, bad move. She fired my way. One hit me, then another, and another. I tried to force myself to keep moving, but it was too much. The electricity paralysed me and a sharp pain appeared every time she hit me with the lightning bolts. Vampirism provided me with a resistance to lightning, but not impunity.

I collapsed to the ground. I couldn't move. I saw Irene in front of me. Where was the vampire council? Why didn't they help me?

"It would be so much easier to just kill them." Saja said, looking down on the vampire council and I.

"Yes, but it would be more fun to keep them alive, to make them whiteness the end of their world, and the birth of a new one." argued Irene.

"No. My other self left the Chosen One alive countless times and he thwarted her plans every time. I cannot allow myself to make the same mistake.” Saja said.

"Very well. Do this quickly Saja. My strength dwindles with the moonlight." Irene said with a sigh.

"Yes, Irene." Saja said.

Saja laid the Blade of Faith upon the pedestal, where I had first found it, and put the Essence of Life on top of it, just like the writing said to do. I saw the vampire council. Paul, Esmaralda, Hans and Beth. They all had one thing in their eyes. Defeat. This couldn't end this way, not without more of a fight! I tried to move, but it was as if I was encased in concrete, I could breathe and move my eyes, but I couldn't move.

Saja stared into the eye of the savior.

“No!” Hans shouted in defiance.

Saja ignored him, proceeding to stare at the Essence of Life.

"Savior, create the Kerulen race and unleash them unto the entire universe!" Saja commanded.

We all casted our glances upwards in dismay as the Savior shot a purple beam of energy into the spiraling clouds above, blasting a hole in the roof of Tigiti's tomb. I remembered the Kerulen. The elite vampire race that is immune to everything except my sword, and now my sword is gone. Well, not exactly. But it may as well be, seeing as it’s in Saja’s hands.

"The downfall of your world has begun." Said Saja.

"There's one flaw in your plan Saja." I said, finally finding my voice.

Saja and Irene looked to me.

"If you end the world, and humanity with it, what will keep you and Irene sustained? If you create the Kerulen, they will kill anyone they see, pretty soon, you won't have any humans to use for sustenance." I said.

I assumed Irene needed blood, because she said that she was not quite human, and not quite vampire. Saja thought for a moment, it was almost as if she had honestly not thought of that before, surely she had?

Saja turned back to the Savior.

"Savior, transform the Chosen One into his original mortal form." She commanded.

What? I began to feel a change, it was small at first, just a subconscious itch, and then it spread, from my heart, then to the rest of my body. I felt my senses become duller. I felt my faint thirst fade, and my fangs retracted. My supernatural strength had gone. Unbelievable. I was mortal again. A familiar fear filled me, it wasn't the aching fear that you feel when fighting someone, anticipating a punch in the face, and it was a deep, dark fear, the kind that only came with the feeling of certain death.

I was surrounded by vampires. Four of which were my friends, but I don't know for how much longer. Would they keep their self-control? Or would they kill their best chance of saving the world, the Chosen One?

“Saja, before you kill him I have a request.” Irene said.

Saja turned to the Black Reqrium.

“Yes?” She asked.

“May I drink his blood? I’ve never tasted the blood of the chosen One before.” Irene said.

Saja nodded.

“By all means.” She said with a fanged grin.

Irene strode over to me. I was still paralyzed and laying on the ground. My unpleasant memories of being bitten by vampires in the past came rushing back in seconds. I was mortal and vulnerable, the world was on the brink of total destruction and I was paralyzed here, unable to do anything about it.

“Awe, is someone going to cry?” Irene taunted.

I managed to growl in anger. Irene arrived at where I lay on the ground. She dragged me into an upright position. She placed he hands on my shoulders to prevent me from falling down. Her deep violet eyes bore into mine. She then pulled me close, as if hugging me. I knew this was no hug. Her fangs were now merely centimeters way from my neck. I heard Irene whisper in my ear.

“In the event that you do survive somehow, I’m going to make your life a living Hell.” She whispered.

I didn’t need to look at her face to know that she was smirking. Irene then moved her mouth to my neck and bit in with her small fangs. There was a pair of stinging, sharp pains in my neck. I could feel my blood dripping down my shoulder as it flowed out of my neck. I could hear Irene drinking from my neck. I was unable to do anything at all to stop her. If she wanted to, she could have drank me dry. Thankfully she didn’t, although I had a feeling that my fate was going to be much, much worse than that. Irene finished drinking from my neck, leaving me a little light headed. She stepped back, letting me fall to the ground. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

“He does taste good. It certainly is a shame that we’ll have to kill him now.” Irene said.

"Chosen One, you time has come to an end." Saja said.

She had changed me into a vampire to avoid my death, now she wants to kill me? I guess that she learned from her other self’s previous mistakes. Mostly all of them involved leaving me alive.

"But, in the sporting favour of our little game..." Saja trailed off.

She walked behind the pedestal and grabbed my familiar sword. I was starting to get feeling back in my body. After a few seconds, I could move again. She threw Sangiria at me. I caught Sangiria and felt its familiar weight.

"Now, if your little friends decide to tip the balance of fate in our battle, they will meet an untimely... demise. Now, en garde." Saja said, assuming the stereotypical fencing pose.

This was it, the battle to save the world, not to mention the universe. I was right before, Saja's arrogance would be her own demise. That was the one mistake that she didn’t learn from. The battle didn't come in the form that I thought it would, but the only thing that matters now is that it's happening, and there is too much at stake to lose.

We circled each other, sizing each other up, trying to anticipate each other’s next move. Saja understood the cost of losing. She was playing this with caution. She then swiped at me with her sword, the same scimitar/katana style sword that I recalled her using sometime in the past on Ectoclis. The slice had cut me on the arm, drawing blood. Saja lunged at me, going for my arm, I dodged and pivoted around. She lunged too quickly for me to attack her on her lunge. While she was turned around for the brief second it took for her to regain her balance, I took a swing at her, but she feigned her mistake, and was ready for me. I knew she wouldn’t be so blinded by her thirst. Her sword caught me on the shoulder and a gash appeared, it spewed red blood. The wound burned.

"Well, Chosen One, finally, our final battle, feeling up to it?" Saja said while lunging at me.

I blocked her lunge with, but she withdrew her sword from mine and went for another lunge. I sidestepped her and took the opening that I saw in her guard, and stabbed her in the thigh. She cried out in pain.

"Any time, Saja." I said.

Dark purple gas spewed out of the little wound that I had given her. She pulled her leg back into her guard, and stabbed at me, again, I blocked her stab, this time I could return a thrust to her chest. Saja jumped back at the last second. I stepped a little closer to Saja, and she swiped at me with her sword, I was a little too far away for her and she missed, I took advantage of her miscalculated thrust and drove my sword threw her guard! I caught her on the jaw, she yelped and brought her sword up, recovering from her mistake and knocked my sword out of the way, sending sparks everywhere with a metallic clang! This knocked me off balance and Saja slashed me across the side.

“Is that the best you can throw at me?” Saja asked.

I doubled back and swung my sword, striking empty air. I had fallen short just like Saja, but I stopped my sword from going past my chest so as not to leave my guard open. Saja stepped towards me, I placed my right foot forward, ready to pivot if she came at me. She did, but instead of pivoting, I stood my ground and defended. It seemed like the best thing to do. Saja swung at me, I blocked her blow, and sparks flew across the ground next to me. Saja snarled at me. Her sword and my sword were still in contact with each other, our blades locked, and I gazed into her violet eyes.

“Give up now, Saja.” I said.

“In Hell.” She muttered.

She pulled away from our deadly dance of the blades. I came at Saja this time, not giving her time to regain her composure and taking the offensive. Saja swung at me quicker than I expected her to. I ducked and swiped at her knees. She jumped as soon as she saw me duck, avoiding my blade by a few inches.

“Surely you can do better?” Mocked Saja.

I looked up to see her with her sword over her head. I rolled to the side to avoid being sliced in half. I got back up again and assumed a defensive position just in time for Saja's next blow. I stepped back, avoiding her sword, and thrusting at her torso with my own blade. My blade connected with her flesh, creating a wound that spewed that purple gas. Saja jumped back, yelling in pain. I decided to go for her while she was injured, reclaiming the offensive. I noticed that the wounds I had given her were not healing. That was good, but I wondered why. Maybe because I was using Sangiria?

I stabbed at her collarbone. She ducked and stabbed at my stomach in return and I took a painful, but shallow gash to the stomach.

“You’re not going to win.” I said with a slight grin.

The wound became bloody, but I didn't lose too much blood from it. My eyes watered from the pain. Saja came at me again, I blocked her swipe at my head and forced her backwards by pushing on my blade.

“Oh no?” Saja asked.

She prepared to thrust at me. I held my sword out, ready. She started to thrust, but instead brought her foot up, kicking my hands, forcing my arms upward and exposing my chest and stomach. I saw her going for a thrust, and I quickly sidestepped. I brought my sword down in time to block another blow from Saja. She growled in frustration.

"Give up already." I said, more confident than I felt.

Saja laughed.

"Do you really think that will happen?" Asked Saja, stabbing at me with the end of her sword, which I blocked and knocked to the side.

Saja jumped away, avoiding my jab to her ribs. She came back to return a blow to my thigh, I crouched, rotated my body and brought my sword down to block it. I stood back up, Saja's blade still locked with mine. I stepped back when I felt Saja applying force to her sword. When her force got stronger, I withdrew my sword from hers and jumped to the right, causing her to stumble forward, she hadn't been expecting that. I stabbed at her, but she used a backhand stroke of her sword and blocked me. I brought my sword back up in front of me, anticipating her next blow that was sure to come. I was beginning to tire. I couldn't keep going for as long as I have. I had to end this.

She slashed me again on the shoulder, but I got her on the forearm, then jabbed her twice more on the upper chest. Saja screamed out in pain and jumped backwards.

“You’re getting sloppy.” I remarked cockily.

My energy was starting to fade. Everything, my courage, my strength, my skill, and my morale. This couldn't be the end. I couldn't let Saja win. Saja cut me on the calf, causing my leg to burn with pain, it hurt to put pressure on that leg, but I couldn't give up. I readied my sword, shifting my weight to my good leg. She came at me, I could no longer pivot, I was forced to stand and deliver, and stand and deliver I did. Saja came at me, she went for a stab, but I knocked her blade aside and slashed her across the face. She cried out in pain. She reeled back but was not put off as easily as I thought. She jumped back a couple of feet.

“This is where it ends, Chosen One.” Saja said.

Just then, I heard a series of gunshots. I didn’t dare look at where they had come from. Saja took a step towards me.

"Come and get it." I said under my breath.

She looked as exhausted as I felt. She took another step towards me, and I was close enough to deliver a strong blow, but a jet of flame shot forwards from beneath her feet, I jumped away from the fiery tempest that had appeared on the ground before me.

Now that Saja and I were separated by a god six feet of flames, I risked a look at the council. I was totally shocked. They were all dead. That must have been the purpose of the gunshots! To kill the council. Irene stood, holding Esmeralda's gun. I looked back to Saja. Seeing that this was the final battle, the battle for humanity got me thinking of the old Saja, was she dead? I didn't think so, she was very hard to kill, but this new Saja was truly a force of nature, a force of dark nature.

Saja then extending the flames towards me, completely torching my legs and feet. I tried to hop backwards, but the fire went backwards along with me, and to both my sides for at least ten feet. I screamed out at the flames as they burned my flesh and clothing. Fiery pain followed. I collapsed to the ground, my entire body now engulfed in flames. Is this how it ends?

Just then, the flames receded back towards Saja, as soon as they touched her, they were extinguished. As much as I wanted to finish this fight, I didn't think I could. I couldn't even move, burns covered my lower body, but I couldn't let Saja win. That single thought kept me going. I got up, my burns severely hurting.

“What? You have got to be joking!” Saja exclaimed.

I could barely stand. I tried going to her left, I couldn't move very fast because I had fresh burns on my legs, and they hurt more than being burned with Luna's poison blade back on Ectoclis. Saja met me at her left side. I saw her raise her sword, but I was too weak to block it. I took the sharp blade to the chest, and it sent me sprawling. I fell to the ground. Blood seeped from my wound. I couldn't continue, my entire body ached and burned, I had cuts from all of Saja's sword blows to my body.

"Well, well, well, look who concedes." Saja said.

“I’ll… Kill… You… Saja…!” I gasped in vain.

I knew the words weren’t true. When I fell to the ground, I had dropped my sword, I tried reaching for it, but Saja kicked it out of my reach. I had failed humanity. The vampire council was dead, we were the last hope. I was passing out, just as my vision was going dark, Tigiti appeared in front of me, in my mind's eye.

"No battle is lost until it is over." He told me.

What? What did that mean? This battle was definitely over, and I had lost. I looked up at Saja. I saw her chop her sword down on me. This was it. I had lost, Saja had won. Sadness and fear came over me. I had failed.

Author's Note

Surprised at how the battle for humanity played out? Please tell me what you think!