Livin' on a Prayer --Part II

Livin’ on a Prayer --Part II

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The vampires watched in silence as their prey approached the Planar Sphere.

The Drow is alone. Excellent. Bodhi smiled. The Bhaalspawn was perhaps the most challenging prey she had ever hunted. Already he had bested her in battle once and escaped her maze. The latter had vexed her to no degree, and she now had something special in mind for him. Beside her, Lassal shifted. For an elder vampire, he had remarkably little patience.

“I have always enjoyed tragedies. Tell, me, when does our hero arrive?” Lassal was sarcastic, bringing a smile to Bodhi’s pale face. It had taken Lassal weeks to recover from his first encounter with the young sorcerer.

As if on cue, Soris rounded a distant corner and increased his pace to intercept the Drow before she reached the sphere. The vampires sprung into action. Lassal seized Viconia, stripping away her gear and cruelly twisting her arms behind her back. She bore the pain with a grunt.

“I suppose this is child’s play to you, isn’t it?” He leered at her. She spat. He laughed at her. “We’ll see how your lover handles this. The drama should prove to be quite exciting”.

Bodhi, flanked by two more vampires, moved to confront Soris, speaking with a casual, almost flippant tone. Some might have found the voice appealing, even attractive, but it only irritated Soris.

“You are becoming an impressive pest, one that I am finding difficult to ignore.”

Soris said nothing. He saw three other vampires besides Bodhi. One of the vampires held Viconia, but Soris knew he was no match for the others. Fighting was out of the question. He stopped moving.

Bodhi followed his gaze. “Don’t bother with her. She is insignificant. It is you I wish to discuss. I have never met such prey as you, so strong, so resourceful. Honestly, Soris, I simply do not know what to do with you. I grow tired of seeing you in my shadow.” Despite her playful tone of voice, her words carried a sharp, biting edge. The two opponents circled each other warily.

Soris gave her a dangerous look and shifted his grip on the Staff. “I was not the one that fled our last encounter, Bodhi. Sorry if I…scared you.”

The vampire’s features darkened for a moment before she spoke. “Hardly. It was simply more important that I report your condition to my dear brother. It proved to be of little significance even if it is interesting. I’ve never hunted a godling before.” She turned to Viconia with a wicked grin that revealed her pointed fangs. “Tell me, does the godchild taste any different than a normal man?” She laughed and spun back to face Soris before Viconia could respond. Lassal twisted her arms, the pain choking off her response.

“What do you want Bodhi? I have little time for this.”

“Little time, you say? Little time for the one you love? That is a very serious problem. It destroys many relationships…” With a rustle of leather armor, Bodhi traced a finger down the side of Viconia’s face, only to be rewarded by a pained look from both the Drow and the sorcerer. “What do I want? Quite simply, I want a challenge, something new and dangerous.”

“What is it that you propose?”

“You will challenge me, hunt me down. I have been the hunter for some time now, but I have never been the prey. It will be a unique experience. If you succeed, your sister will regain what she has lost, and you will have a chance to stop my brother.”

“And if I fail, it won’t matter.”

“Aptly put.”

“What if I refuse to play your game?”

“You would be very foolish, but perhaps I should raise the stakes, to insure your participation. You will play, in the hopes of retrieving something dear to you. The longer you delay, the more you will lose.”

Soris narrowed his eyes, mind uncomprehending the meaning behind the vampire’s words.

“Consider the brutish Viconia here. How difficult is it to lose someone when you have only just discovered such feelings?”

Viconia’s voice was barely audible, but her eyes spoke volumes. “I have no fear of losing Soris to the likes of you.”

“But does he fear your loss? I think its quite clear that he does. Fail to play the game, Soris, and you will lose more than you can fathom. We begin, now!”

Lassal jerked Viconia’s head back and Bodhi sunk her teeth into the exposed flesh of the woman’s throat. Soris saw a shudder pass through his lover’s body as two thin streams of blood trickled down her throat. She dissolved into mist leaving Soris alone in the darkness.