Mature: Desert Moon

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad supported Atul close against him, his arms cradling the king before he could collapse. He could smell every wound on the demigod's body. "You will not touch him. Leash your monster, Talon," Vlad snarled at his ward, fury licking at his words. He lifted Atul as carefully as possible and kicked over the chalice. The blood spread across the floor, useless for whatever purpose they might have had in mind. "Atul," Vlad lifted the man's chin so he could see him closely. "Gods... You're alright, Atul. I've got you. You'll be alright," he cooed.

[Emora Deen]

Atul forced a smile, despite the pain in his body. He was too weak for his powers to work and start healing his body. He'd slow them down.

"You shouldn't have come," he whispered. "Its a trap you idiot, why did you come?" He wanted to look at Vlad, to see his face. But, he couldn't. The King lifted a hand, his palm bumping the vampires nose, over his eyes, until he found the side of his face and cupped it in his palm.

Talon stayed alert, but the blood across the floor made it hard for him to focus. It was everywhere now, and the source was crying out to him. But, his master had ordered him to leash his monster. And that was the only thing keeping Talon from ripping into Atul.

"We should hurry, this doesn't feel right. Its been too long since we saw someone..."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad glanced over his shoulder. He thought he'd just heard something. His need to free the man from his blindfold suddenly took second place to a powerful instinct to get them out of there. He wanted to Teleport, but it would be draining for Atul. He tried to gauge how weak the man was, and his most optimistic guess was still at least five times too weak for teleportation. "We're going," he whispered. "Endure it just a bit longer." You too, he encouraged Talon. Turning the way they'd come, he began running down the hall. His graceful sprint was fairly gentle, but not gentle enough to avoid hurting the man in his arms. Vlad held him tight, overwhelmed with protective ferocity.

[Emora Deen]

The walls groaned and iron bars dropped from the ceiling to the floor before they could reach the exit to the desert. Atul jumped. He couldn't see, and the sound startled him. "What's happening?" he asked.

Talon turned quickly to search the hall over nd determine a better course. "They're cornering us in," he growled. "Atul was just bait to get us in here!"

He took several steps back down the hall and another gate dropped. Talon slid into it, shaking the bars.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad scowled at the lowered gates. "Bars will not hold us. Fools," he muttered. But, if they were to be trapped in here, then it gave him some time to see to Atul. Nothing in, nothing out. He turned from the gate and brought his wounded friend to a space on the wall that gave him a thorough vantage point of the rest of the scene. "We're stopping for a minute, he said quietly to the man in his arms. Kneeling, he set the king down, resting his back against the wall. "He reached for the blindfold covering his face, but paused when he found it wet to the touch. Vlad slowly untied the back. His fears were confirmed when the cloth wanted to stick to his skin. "Atul," he breathed. His fingertips brushed the side of his face, hesitating. "Will this hurt you?" he could barely believe his own question. This couldn't be what it looked like.

[Emora Deen]

Atul swallowed dryly, lifting his own hands to the cloth. "No more than when they did it," he muttered, curling his fingers around the stained rag. He drew the fabric downward, clutching it tightly in his grasp. Across each eye a jagged X had been cut into his skin, from the top of his brow to the bottom of his eye. It was ghastly, bloody, bruised, and swollen.

The king shook as he clutched the cloth in his hand so tightly that the blood seeped out to drip across the stone. "I may heal... I don't know," he whispered. "If I don't..."

He sighed, lifting the rag. "Would you tie it back?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad breathed slowly. Talon would be able to feel his disgust and fury, his sudden panic that he was too late. None of it showed on his face. His voice we reassuring and practical. "Try not to think too far ahead. We'll keep it clean for now. I'll get you something that's dry." His own hands trembled as he moved to rip his shirt. They'll die. Every single one of them will suffer for doing this to him, he raged, swearing it to himself and Talon.

[Emora Deen]

Talon nodded in the darkness, appraising Atul with a pitying look. He peered through the bars towards there exit goal, and then glanced back at his master. Before he could open his mouth steps echoed back towards the large room they'd fled from.

"Welcome," Harod greeted, stepping up to the bars. His face twisted with a smile as he watched Vlad tend to Atul. "I'm pleased that you came so quickly. I didn't even have to wait. A pity that your wife couldn't make it, but I understand. Human women are very delicate creatures... I hope you don't mind, we took some liberties with the King while he was here. All in good fun of course. He was our Father's favorite son..."

Atul laughed despite himself. "He thinks he can control night now that he has us," Atul told Vlad. "That's why he was collecting the blood..."

"I'll be needing yours too, Vladimir Dracul," Harod smirked.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad cackled, dark and menacing. "Your aim is to control Knight? Do you realize that every injury you inflict on the king passes on to the God? What good does it do to control the blind?" he demanded. It was a good lie, told well. That didn't necessarily mean they'd buy it.

[Emora Deen]

Harod smiled. "The King is a demi-god. He could heal. And I saw Knight... if that is his name. He had one red eye. That means, that half of him is you. As long as you can see, I'm sure he can. And will take you blood. I will bind you both to my words. You will do as I say. You will change when I ask you too. You will kill when I desire it. It won't be so bad. It is in your natures to kill. What I can't figure out... is why you won't change now. That's the purpose of this, to bring you together. To force you to change... What am I missing?"

He turned to a demon next to him. "Collect the weapons from the field, bring me the one with the Dead King's scent."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad smirked, holding Atul close. "Yes, find it. And memorize the scent of the creature that will end you." Atul didn't seem strong enough to walk, let alone heal. How long could he stay like this before the mutilation was permanent? At the same time, he hardly wanted to advertise the king's limits to their current audience. In fact, the idea of them even seeing Atul's wounds provoked rage in the vampire, like they were seeing him naked. He folded the clean strip of fabric to the appropriate size. "I'm going to tie it," he whispered, warning him. He knew it was going to hurt his friend. He laid the cloth very lightly across the front of Atul's face, and reached around to tie it.

[Emora Deen]

Atul flinched, but forced himself to be still. Flinching would only make it worst. But, the relief he felt at knowing they didn't know the source of Knight's power was enough for him to focus on. He thought for sure, because they'd requested Tenele's presence along with Vlad's, that they knew she was the one that could dictate whether Knight came into being or not. But, now it was clear. They had no idea. They thought that he and Vlad controlled it.

She was safe.

"Is Tenele being careful?" Atul asked curiously, as if there weren't twenty people watching them. "Its been so long, at least it feels that way. Weeks... The child will be here soon." He smiled, leaning his head back after Vlad finished.

[Soran Nightblade]

"About the same," Vlad said, wishing so badly that they had more privacy to explain, to touch, to heal. He didn't want these men to know about his child. He wanted to share that moment with Atul alone, not in front of their enemies. And the less they knew about Tenele, the better. His voice dropped below a whisper. "Is there anything at all I can do to help you? Tell me what you need." If he were just a bit stronger, there were any number of ways he could break them free. But he was in no shape to teleport, or fight their way out. The demigod looked terribly hurt, worse than he'd ever seen him. For all he knew, Atul could be one rough treatment away from ruin.

[Emora Deen]

Atul shook his head. "The chains are off... I'm not healing because I'm too weak," he whispered. "It will take some time... but if I don't heal efficiently and fast enough the damage in some places could be permanent." Atul rested his head on Vlad's shoulder, giving a heavy sigh. "I want to go home..."

Talon looked around the room hall for some sort of exit. He tapped on the walls.

"What are you doing little vampire?" the demon laughed. "You are too young to be strong enough to break these walls."

"That may be true," Talon mused with a grin. "But, I wasn't always a vampire. I was a scholar, an alchemist, and a knight... I know that this is sandstone. It is porous and soft. I also know that a ten ton dragon won't fit in a space this small, and that I've seen granit bolders crushed in their wake. His size alone will splinter your cavernous hideout into pieces. The sand will pour in and bury you all. You won't die, but it will slow you down. In the end, he'll be picking his teeth with your bones and I'll be gnawing on the leftovers."

He stepped up to the bars. "So open the gate, let us go, and live. You don't need Knight to make you God of this world. He won't fight for you, no matter what amount of spell you put on him. You can't control him. This venture has been a waste of your time."

Harod glanced passed Talon to Vlad, and then around him at the rock. He mulled over the fledglings words, just as a demon came running back with a sample of Vlad's blood.

"Watch them," Harod muttered. He took the weapon and turned back towards the main chamber.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad pressed his cheek to the top of the king's head. "I will get you home. Please bear with it a little longer," he whispered lovingly.

He turned his attention to Talon. I like where you're going, my Blood, he said. In my largest beast form, I can tear this place apart. However, you and Atul must both be shielded. I...possess the ability to cast a blood shield that will protect you. However, to sustain that form and the blood shield at once will be a strain, even for me. I may need to tap into your strength in order to succeed.