Guardian(Part IV): Revelation

Chapter 37: John

I went below the basement of Haera's castle, finding a huge dynamo with three giant electric coils surrounding it, and several thick cables going from the top of the dynamo to the ceiling. This must have been either the weapon that Haera was talking about, or its power supply, capable of wiping out every living thing in Western Euradon. I had to destroy it, in case another vampire somehow managed to get his hands on Petruchio and Bianca to use their blood to fuel it. I armed my fists with lightning, and blasted it at the power generator. Sparks began to fly from the generator's dome, and the ground began to shake. Rubble began to fall from the ceiling, and one of the electric coils collapsed. It was time for me to leave this place. I rushed back up the stairs to the surface as fast as I could, until I was back in the throne hall of the castle. The ground had stopped shaking by the time I was there, which gave me at least some relief. The weapon was disabled. I sat in front of Haera's throne to wait for Kazimir. I didn't feel his aura of darkness for a while, so I sat here waiting to. While I was waiting, though, my holo device suddenly vibrated, and there was a new recorded message for me to listen to. I couldn't believe who it was from.

"Morgan?" I whispered. I played the message, and a hologram of Morgan appeared projected above the device.

"John, I know we aren't supposed to have contact with each other, but I wouldn't be sending you this message if it wasn't important," she began. "We've found a possible lead on the Archdemon of Gluttony, Grimeus, and we're going after him. This is an Archdemon we're talking about, which is why I'm contacting Penny and Zephyr, as well. I miss all of you, but I'm bringing us together for a reason bigger than that. We're up against a true, and serious threat to Zenartha. I'm in Cordinshire if you're coming. I hope you do."

The recording ended, and the hologram disappeared. It was so good to hear Morgan's voice again, but the fact that she was hunting down Grimeus, the Archdemon of Gluttony himself, scared me to death. I would go to Cordinshire to help her, but it would have to wait. I felt Kazimir's aura of darkness closing in on me. The huge doors to the throne hall suddenly flew open, and Kazimir walked through them, his feet hidden by his dark cloak, making it seem as though he was gliding just above the floor.

"Must you interfere with my plans, Guardian?" he growled.

"Yes, I must," I answered. "I destroyed your weapon."

"I noticed," Kazimir observed. "Where is my family?"

"Far away from you," I snapped. "I stayed behind to kill you."

"So, you saved three vampires to kill one?" Kazimir understood. "How would your peers react to such a deed?"

"I don't care who thinks I'm right," I dismissed, forming my aura blade. "And I have enough of a reason to kill you."

"Then let us pick up where we left off," Kazimir challenged, dropping his cloak. His entire body began to glow red, and when it dimmed, he had changed his form completely. Instead of looking at least a little human, he was twice his original height, and was covered in gray fur. Claws were in place of his fingers and toes, and his head had a wolf's snout, ears, and teeth. He was a howler!

"I shall enjoy every drop of your blood!" Kazimir roared, stomping forward. He then bent down on his arms and charged forward, reaching me in seconds. He jumped into the air to pounce on me, and I warped away before he could tear me to shreds. Once he was upright again, I rushed forward and blasted lightning at him, which seemed to only make him angry. Kazimir roared, then swung one of his hands, trying to rip me open with his claws. I stepped backward to dodge, then swung my schiavona upward, landing a slash right to Kazimir's eye. A roar of pain echoed through the castle's throne hall, then the vampire swung its other arm at me, too quickly for me to respond to it. The claws hit me right in the face, with my aura shield keeping my face from getting scratched. I rolled across the floor, and when I stood back up, Kazimir was gone. I looked around the throne hall, at every dark space and area in front of me. Kazimir wasn't afraid of the sunlight, but if he were to step into it, I would see him immediately. There weren't many places for him to hide, no matter what form he chose to attack me with. Suddenly, there was a growl from behind me, and I quickly turned around to throw an aura blast. It didn't hit a howler, though. Instead, it was the kind of vampire with a body covered in placoid scales, like a shark's, and had the head of a shark, along with webbed feet and hands. A chomper! Could Kazimir turn into every kind of vampire? If he could, there were three more kinds I had yet to see from him.

"To think that a Guardian would allow himself to sink so low," he growled, from between his serrated teeth. He lunged forward, gnashing his teeth at me. I warped backward, and reminded myself that I had to be careful with a chomper. I had to be careful with every kind of vampire, but chompers had the same kind of bite forces as a fifty-foot megashark. A single bite could shatter my aura shield, and kill me if I was bitten in the wrong place. I couldn't allow him to even touch me. When he charged at me, trying to land a bite, I warped away, then blasted icy mist at him. His feet became encased with ice, freezing him in place. He didn't stay frozen for long. A red light surrounded him again, and he changed. His head, arms, and torso looked human, but his entire lower half was the abdomen and legs of an enormous spider. Kazimir had turned into a tangler. He immediately shot something at me from his palm that wrapped around me, and kept my arms and legs from moving. It was spider webs. I ignited flames in my hands to burn them away, then unleashed an aura blast all around myself when Kazimir came close to attack, sending him into the shadows. I formed my aura blade again and looked around for him. I didn't find him anywhere, until I felt something suddenly grab the back of my neck, and lift me off the ground. I felt claws sinking into my flesh, and heard a menacing growl right by my ear. Then, I felt a cold, dry tongue brush across the back of my neck. I had no doubt of what Kazimir turned into this time. A glider, a vampire that had the wings, nose, and pointed ears of a bat, but still had a person's body.

"Any last words, Guardian?" Kazimir wondered.

"Yeah," I growled, igniting a flame in my hand. "Dear gods, don't let the vampire's ashes stain my robes!"

I slammed my flaming hand against Kazimir's face, sending radiant fire throughout his darkened body. It filled every vein, and charred every bone under Kazimir's flesh, until his entire body turned to ash. I dropped to the ground, then laid a healing hand on the back of my neck. I felt the blood his claws bled returning to my wounds, and the pain recede.

"Damn it," I cursed. I looked to where Kazimir's body was, and didn't find a body. Only a smoldering pile of ash. I also felt his aura of darkness fade. He was dead, permanently. My way of killing him was an unusual way to kill a vampire, but it sure was effective. I only hoped no one he turned would try and pick off where he left off. That wasn't my problem now, though. I was needed in Cordinshire, with unstained robes.