Bruce Hickman 3 Chapter 3

"It is I, your brother Hawk, who challenges you to such a battle." Nightwing turned around and hovered for a minute staring at Hawk, as though he were trying to get a full measure of his brother and for no apparent reason started laughing a humorous joke that only he understood.

"You are no more than a boy and would surely die, but if you wish to, then I accept your challenge although killing you would bring me no pleasure" Nightwing responded. Hawk knew that Nightwing was more than able to kill him without breaking a sweat. That is why he would have to use all that the Traveler had taught him as well as a few tricks of his own to defeat, or even just survive this encounter with Nightwing. The two called upon the mystical weapons of battle, which seemed to appear out of thin air and prepared for a fight to the death.

Suddenly a being of immense size and strength soared down on the two as the battle ensued and interrupted the caltamara, preventing the two warriors from continuing the battle.

"Who dares to interrupt caltamara?" Nightwing calls out.

"I dare to interrupt your battle, and if you think you are strong enough to do anything about it then be my guest and try" the stranger called.

Hawk looked up and saw a familiar face. He cried out "No! Jovan stop, he will rip you to shreds. He has the caltamara saber. There is no way you could defeat him."

"That may be true boy, but at least he will not kill you" Jovan said.

"But we have already engaged in caltamara. We must fight to the death" Hawk called out.

"You may have already engaged in caltamara, but I have challenged Nightwing to a test as well as caltamara. You know as well as I that one can only kill in the name of caltamara once in their entire life. If he kills me then he cannot finish his battle with you for we are not allowed to kill each other in cold blood, only in battle. With his right to caltamara extinguished, he will not be able to kill you when next you meet in caltamara. He must either be killed or surrender on his own life into your hands at which point you could kill him easily" Jovan explained to Hawk.

"Now go boy and find the one who is destined to stand by your side in battle and be your equal on the throne. When you recover the book from our mother, she is to be your queen and you are to be her king but you will both rule equally, in the end of all that is to be in this life and this world of ours." Hawk flew off to find his queen and fulfill his destiny as the controller of The Book of Vampirics. Once the book was in his hand, he would have to fight to keep is safe from those who would seek to steal the book for their own evil ends. He knew that he would not be alone in this fight, his queen would stand by his side in his times of battle. Together, they would defeat any foe that might try to steal the book.

Far off to the east, a new evil was at work. A lady Vampiric that was more powerful and even more evil and vile than the dreaded Nightwing himself. She was not as the lady Vampiress nor was she as the male Vampiric, she was as two in one. She had the beauty of the female and the blood l.u.s.t of the male. She had a need for blood everyday but the ability to consume human foods as well. She need not sleep like all Vampirics though if she choose to, she had the ability to do something that none of the Vampirics had ever been able to do. Her wings were black and leathery. Her hair was jet black. Her skin was tan rather than the gold of the female or the black of the male.

Her skin, though different than the others, was still tough as leather but as soft as silk to the touch. She had talons as strong as any one of the males and reflexes faster than any creature alive. She felt no remorse and has no care about anyone or anything. She was a pure and total killer. The perfect hunter, a creature that need not think, only react. She could defeat anything on land or in the air. With a little thought to her action, she would be unstoppable.

Nightwing was concerned about Hawk teaming up with another Vampiric to stop him, for it was true that he killed Jovan and now he could not kill Hawk if he was challenged to caltamara again. Even though Hawk was a basically kind person, if he had to kill Nightwing, then he would not hesitate to do so. If Nightwing could catch him off guard and kill him that way, then he would not have to worry about the restraints of the rules of caltamara, where if he was lucky he might escape with his own life. His only hope could be that Hawk chooses to spare his life but he knows that even if his brother lets him live, he would never be able to reach his goal and rule the world. His only choice was to destroy Hawk and complete his plans.

Hawk traveled for many days first heading east, then southeast and finally in a southern direction, not stopping to rest. Feeding was something he could not go without but he was careful to only feed at night. He would drop his victims in wooded areas, while in flight, where they would hopefully not be found for many days. On the one day he did finally rest, he felt a strange sensation come over him. He suddenly heard a voice from behind call out to him.

"Hey you, what do you think you are doing here?"

"Who me?"

"No, your fairy G.o.dmother, yeah you."

"Well, I was looking for someone?"

"Yeah, well you found some one, didn't ya?"

"Ah, yeah, I guess I did."

"So are you just going to stand there or is there something I can help you with?"

"Well, I don't know. You see I'm looking for a very special person, a Vampiric to be exact. Perhaps you can help me find her?"

"I could if I knew what she looked like."

"Well, lets see now. She's about your height, has the wings of a male and the ferocity of a mountain lion about to make a kill. Have you seen anyone like that lately?"

"Yes and no, for you see, you are talking about me. I have the ferocity of a pack of mountain lions about ready to kill. You see it doesn't bother me to kill whoever gets in my way or just bothers me to d.a.m.ned much like your doing right now. So you better get real interesting, real fast or your going to get real dead, real soon, get the picture?"

"Yeah, I got ya."

"Good, now what's this all about?"

"It's about you and me being soul mates and destined to be king and queen of the New World. Now how does that peak your interest my dear?"

"Let's get one thing straight right now, I ain't no ones dear and second, if I were going to rule the world with anybody, why would it go with you and not one of the other Vampirics?"

"Simple, none of the other Vampirics could stand to be around you and besides that, I told you we are destined to rule together. Now what do you have to say to that?"

"I should kill you for that but I won't, not yet. I mean, after all you tell some good tales. Now why don't you start at the beginning and tell me everything. Then maybe I'll let you live." So Hawk told her the whole story starting with Nightwing's plans of killing their mother and stealing the book for his own evil desires. "And now you know the whole story and how I came to be here. So what do you say, will you join me in my battle against Nightwing?" Hawk asked.

"Sure, why not. I am not doing anything special. So where do we go from here?"

"We need to find Nightwing and fast, but to do that, we are going to have to turn four days travel into two so that we aren't too late."

"And just how do you plan to do that?"

"Simple, I'm going to teach you the basics of inter-dimensional travel, the fastest way to get where you're going."

"Inter-dimensional travel? What are you talking about? That's impossible. We can't do that."

"Oh yes we can, watch" Hawk closed his eyes and concentrated for a second, allowing himself to s.h.i.+ft to another plane of existence where he could travel at speeds faster than light. He came out of the planer s.h.i.+ft behind her and startled her when he s.h.i.+fted back.

"How did you, what did you do?"

"I s.h.i.+fted out of this plane and into another allowing me to travel at a higher rate of speed. So rather than having to go around objects, I merely pa.s.s through them. Now do you believe me?"

"OK, sure, why not. How do you do it?" Hawk explained to her how to s.h.i.+ft back and forth between the places and with a little practice, she was able to s.h.i.+ft in and out and hold it for extended periods of time. With the s.h.i.+fting, they were able to make up for lost time and managed to get within hours of Nightwing's position.

"Why are we stopping, why not face him now?"

"Because he would surely kill the both of us if we were to confront him now and challenge him to any sort of battle. We must prepare for the battle to come so that we can defeat him without any problems."

"You know I really don't like you and I'm planning on killing you the first chance I get after we have defeated Nightwing!"

"If you're going to kill me, than why tell me about it?"

"Simple, I merely want to give you the same chance that I give everyone else. The chance to escape when the moment is right. Of course, none have ever gotten away and I don't intend to let you be the first."

"Well then, if I am going to die anyway then at least let me have the pleasure of knowing my killers' name."

"Yes, I suppose you do deserve that much. They call me Alexandra, but you can call me Alex."

"Well Alex, they call me Hawk, nice to have finally gotten to know your name."

"Well Hawk, shall we prepare for battle so that we can finish our business as soon as possible?"

"Yes, that would be best" and with that the two Vampirics began their preparations for the on coming battle.

In another part of the world a different kind of battle was going on, one not of strength or skill but a battle of wits that could change the whole course of things to come. This was, by chance, the most unique of all battles due to the fact that the warriors were not of the flesh but rather of the spirit. Heavenly warriors and demons of the pits of h.e.l.l, battling for the chance to change things to their liking and hopefully change the fate of the world.

"Tell me something Anecetus, why did you take a demon lover in the first place? I mean with your beauty, you could of had any man you wanted" Angel inquired.

"Well, it's quite simple. Like you said, I could of had any man I wanted and so I did, only difference is that the man I chose turned out to be a demon from the ninth level of h.e.l.l. To tell the truth, he was better than any man I had ever met. He at least treated me with dignity and kindness, very uncommon for a demon but who's to say?" She replied.

"So that's why you took a demon for a lover because he was kind to you?"

"Well yes, I suppose that is the reason after all, but why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know. I mean I am protecting you from the demon. After all, if it wasn't for the spell, you wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be your guardian now, then would I?"

"There is truth in what you say and that can not be denied. After all it was my own greed and blood l.u.s.t that got us into this mess in the first place."

"No need to worry about whose to blame now. We have to get moving again. It is going to be dark soon and I want to be as far away from here as we can in the few hours of daylight that we have left."

"Agreed, let us be going." The two of them packed up their few belongings and took to the road before them, a road that would undoubtedly lead them into even more trouble, possibly another band of thieves, maybe even Nightwing himself. They both hoped that that would not be the case. They would not have any trouble if luck was on their side this time but all they could do was hope and pray for the best.

Alexandra and Hawk met up with Jessabelle and the others while looking for Nightwing. They brought each other up to date on the current status of the situation with Nightwing.

"Well, it's good to know that if you challenge him to caltamara, he will not be able to kill you but unfortunately, if he gets the chance to wound you, he could make it serious enough to cause death" Jessabelle pointed out after they updated each other.

"But I thought he couldn't kill another Vampiric in caltamara after he had already vanquished one foe?" Hawk questioned.

Soltaker responded, "That is true. He cannot kill directly but if an enemy dies from his wounds, he cannot be held directly responsible. You see, he can wound you badly enough that the healing powers that come with being a Vampiric, would not be enough to save your life I'm afraid, so you must be careful when you face him again."

"Agreed. Next time I go against my brother, I will be more level headed and try to keep my wits about me rather than going into the battle half c.o.c.ked and bull headed." With Nightwing having already killed one in a battle to the death, Hawk and the others were hopeful that he would try to avoid any further confrontation with his enemies. They hoped he would rather try to avoid them at all costs so that he can complete his mission before it is to late. Yet at the same time, Anecetus and Angel are trying to keep as far away from Nightwing as possible, until the time is right for the two of them to hand over the book and witness the new world as it is recreated in the vision of Hawk. G.o.d only knows what he will change and what he let remain the same in the New World.

Enter a new place. A place of darkness and evil a place where men and women with the darkest intents lie. Where evil lurks like a tiger waiting to pounce on the next poor fool that dare pa.s.ses this way. It is here that we find our newest and fore most deadly allies. They are known as Dragonites. They are not evil nor are they good but with the prospect of money, they will go either way as long as the price is right and the money is good. They know that if they are double-crossed, they can rip the throats out of any who oppose them. Now they have a special mission, one that would bring them more money than they could spend in two lifetimes, which to them meant they wouldn't have to take a job for the next three hundred years. That was music to their ears.

The Dragonites are not like most mercenaries. Not because they are Vampirics but because they have no real morals or convictions about who they kill. That is what makes them the perfect mercenary team.

"Well gentlemen, it would appear that our contact is either running late or has gotten cold feet" one of the mercenaries said to those around him.

"It would seem so and if that is the case then we won't be celebrating tonight but rather out hunting."

"Agreed, but my brother, if we must hunt then I fear that many will not survive this night. So let us hope that he shows." The five mercs agreed to this and vowed to hunt the one who set them up for a meeting that never happened.

A few minutes later, the door to the old tavern opened and a tall cloaked figure walked in with his face hidden, deep within a cowl, hiding his features from those in the common room of the tavern. He walked over to the bar keep and spoke in low hushed tones so that none could hear but the bar keep. The bar keep stood there for a moment and said nothing, just staring at the stranger with discontent. This only seemed to anger him. He reached out and grabbed the bar keep by the front of his tunic. All those around could see the inch long talons that ripped through his tunic and threatened to rip through him if he didn't answer correctly.

After a few seconds the bar keep pointed to the door in the back of the common room and that seemed to please the stranger. He stepped back and tossed two gold coins to the bar keep and headed towards the back of the common room, through the door into a large room that had only one table with five very large and rough looking men. They looked up at the sound of the creaking door.

"Well gentlemen, I think we have some business to attend to, so lets get right down to it, shall we?"

"Yes indeed but you should know something. We don't deal with people we don't know."

"Well then, let me introduce myself. My name is Hawk Draconis. I am the one who hired you and like you, I like to know who I'm dealing with."

"I am known as Shakar Dela, and these are my brothers Panthera, Samara, Teha and Donovan, Now that you know who we are, you should know that if you ever decide to double cross us, we will hunt you down and kill you.

"Fair enough. Now then, let's get down to business, shall we." As they discussed their business, little did they know that they were being spied upon by a very crafty young vampire. He felt if he could stop these men from preventing his father from reaching his goal and ruling the world, his father would be proud of him.

"Well then, it would appear that the only thing left is the discussion of our fee" Shakar off handily mentioned as they finished up their discussion and plans.

"Yes, your fee. Now as I understand, you require at least three hundred gold bars for this little mission. That is no problem but let me make just one thing clear. I will not only pay your fee up front but if you succeed, I will pay you each an additional one thousand gold bars and three hundred pieces of silver. If you should fail, then I will not hesitate in systematically destroying every one of you. Are we clear on this?" Hawk could tell that his point had been made and he knew that he wouldn't have to worry about any of them running off on him or trying to double cross him. The six men finished their business and got up to leave when the door was kicked in by the local guard.

"Halt! Your all under arrest for conspiracy" stated what appeared to be the captain of the men before them.

"What do you think you are trying to arrest us? We have committed no crime." Hawk replied.

"We are the enforcers of the laws of this town and this illegal gathering has been deemed a conspiracy by the local magistrate. He has ordered your arrest" the captain said.

"Well then, since this has been deemed an illegal gathering and your magistrate has deemed that we are in a conspiracy, I suppose there is only one thing left to do" Hawk said to the others with a sly smile. He turned to the captain and his men giving them a toothy smile, making sure to expose his fangs without looking threatening.

"Good, then your going to come quietly and we won't have any trouble" the captain said in tones of joy that sent floods of pure rage through the other Vampirics.

"Actually" Hawk said "we hadn't planned on going anywhere with you."

"What do you mean?" The captain asked with a worried tone as Hawk and the others smiled an almost evil smile. In the next few seconds the captains question was answered as he and the men in his contingent were ripped to pieces. The only two survivors were the youngest men who coward in their tracks. The two men were sent on their way with a message for the local magistrate.

After the men had cleaned up and paid for the damages, they headed off in their separate ways, each with his own plans and missions. They all knew that the time to converge was not far away and even though they could be a thousand miles apart, they would all know when the time was right. Hawk and Jovan flew off to the east in search of more help for the ensuing the battle to come but what they found was more shocking than either of them had ever expected. They came across a Vampiric unlike any Vampiric they had ever seen. She was smaller with a height of only five seven but all the exquisite beauty of the Vampiric race. Even though she was smaller, it gave her an advantage that none of the others has, for her smaller size made others under estimate her. That was their down fall in battle against her, which is what made her such a formidable opponent in a fight.