Canth had dropped a yard shy with no apparent reason, curling up around herself, Ryk, not pausing in his charge, swept past her with a grim, Shen Wild-Wind close on his heels. The ancient Malkavian, insane, and strangely lucid at this critical moment, didn't seem to take note of the Brujah charging her, nor the sphere of blood that had formed from her luminescent skin and quickly detached itself, to float away from her. The fist sized bubble of bouyant life essence was gliding through the air towards an anxiously waiting Joseph Tudor. His type of magic show was not so pretty.

What happened next would never be followed by the human eye. Ryk arrived at his opponent, his eyes averted, sword drawn and slashing. Although impossible for his companions to follow, Ryk, was fully aware that several sword injuries had been bestowed upon the ancient vampire before it disappeared. Unfortunately it was no longer visible and this made Ryk very nervous. A stake was all too easy to use on an opponent that couldn't see you. She had, in an instant, taken the upper hand and he would exit the scenario immediately.

Shen exploded past him in cronos form, fur and claws bristling, to rend empty air. It was not a satisfying feeling.

Swinging his blade around him as though he were fending off a swarm of bees, Ryk, bolted for the closest window and leapt through it without a sign of hesitation.

The Malkavians looked at eachother.

"He's flanking?"

"Catching the enemy unawares?"

"Must be."

"Yep."

"Devious."

Taking a deep breath, Canth, managed to get to her feet painfully, eyes glazed and weary.

Below the balcony a confused and gradually growing, anger was being noticed from the courtiers. They were crowding the lower steps, in silent protest, and growing violent in their jostling of the Tremere Elder. Rebecca was glaring at some of them balefully, holding them at bay.

Suddenly the lady of the manor house herself, dressed in the clothes that millie had worn into the mansion unfortunately, appeared, although still looking slightly lucid, she immediately began ordering the amassed persons to calm their actions and search out the imposter that had so endangered their gathering on April Fools Day. millie's disquise was confusing the kindred more than anything, yet over half of them had ceased hostilities and were awaiting some sign that things were still in control. Malkavians are very flexible that way. Anything to keep things simple and as far from their shattered perceptions as possible. At the very least, millie, was buying Canth some time to get her senses.

Canth could see blood spilling down the velvet draped stair from where a critically injured, invisible person, might be standing. Second thoughts had no chance of birth within the maddened garous mind. Her breath coming in gasping coughs, she set one foot before the other, moving towards the vampire purposefully.

Rebecca and Jospeph were helping millie and wHo? calm the volatile crowd of gathered Malkavian vampires. Shen was watching Canth intently. Ryk was nowhere to be seen.

It didn't take her long to pick up momentum, stomping across the room, crouched over like a hunch back, swaying back and forth in her gait. Canth was quite intent.

Shen followed, brushing aside kindred in his hurry, eliciting hisses in return that he stifled with a single deep growl.

She raked thin air, blood springing forth to paint the dimness of the gaudy stairway, hitting. An over hand gouge brought forth an unexpected hiss of pain from the obfuscated ancient. Sweeping through with a backhanded raking, Canth was sure she had disemboweled the madwoman, it wouldn't be long now. Following up her slashes, slamming visciously with her bulky form, she put whatever was between her and the stair banister over the edge, to fall to the ground. She had attained a very firm hold on the potentially slippery vampire and was inflicting minor injuries with her savaging maw even as they fell to the dance floor below. Something unseen beneath Canth broke her fall.

Shen didn't waste time going down the stairs, leaping from the balcony into midair, he planned to end this madness once and for all.

Noting Canths struggle, wHo? and millie detached themselves from crowd control and sped to her aid.

Fangs buried deep into her unseen victim, Canths claws worked feverishly at raking the kidneys and any other available vitals of the deteriorating vampire. She wanted as much damage inflicted as possible to keep the vampire distracted in an attempt to heal rather than fighting back. The ancient Malkavian that had tormented her for so many years was vain in the extreme and she was going to use that against her to the fullest. Try and heal all the punishment I'm dishing out, whore, I got plenty more to give yet. She was also draining blood from the vampire with her own, garou gone vampiric, fangs.

Then Shen joined the struggle. If anything can be said for him, a complete lack of hesitation was it, he immediately dug his claws into the area that Canth was struggling with and ripped a great piece of the ancient vampire away from herself. Growling fiercely the whole time. He was looking for its head. By the time the Malkavians, wHo? and millie had arrived to 'help', Shen had attained a tentative grip under the vampires chin and was beginning to pull upward. With a great shudder, Canths injuries to the ancient one had caught up with and overtaken its ability to heal, it abruptly gave up the fight. Shen, tore its head clear from its body, sending it visciously twirling through the air, a savage howl of victory echoing off the vaulted ceiling.

With the master finished, Canth, then went to each of the remaining courtiers and tore them limb from limb. It didn't take her very long with the grim help of a determined Shen Wild-Wind.

 

"I left, because only an idiot fights a blind battle." Ryk drawled cooly.

"You are a coward, wyrm." spat, Shen, vehemently.

A hush fell over everyone. They had been waiting for Canth to open the moon gate that would take them back to Dallas, yet now it seemed a new confrontation had arisen.

"Care to back up those words, pup?"

"Anytime." Shens words hissed from him like the promise of death.

Ryk smiled.

do they have to wake up now? have ta sometime ... after the fight then? Ok!

 

Gathered near a bridge, that spanned a river dividing the wilds from the sprawling city, they awaited the Brujahs arrival. Shen was moving through kata's in homid form, his hands sifting through the air before him, cutting across his body with quick strokes. Stepping lightly in a circle, kicks slashing quickly and calmly, he was warming up for the confrontation. There was no doubt in his movements, each motion flowed into the next, everything about him spoke of grace and perfection. Almost beauty.

Canth watched quietly in respect.

wHo? and millie were playing jacks.

A car was approaching. The brujah elder was here.

Silver was the answer, he had decided, that would win this battle for him. Werewolves couldn't stand it, was what Christopher had said, the Nosferatu. Ryk had no reason to call him a liar. This would be short and sweet, he had fed already though he hardly thought he'd need the extra potency of the blood, that Garou would regret its words. Challenge? Hah! The pup wouldn't know what hit him. The glaring headlights illuminated the four figures that awaited. Two, that were sitting, stood as he came to a halt and killed the engine. He let the lights pierce the night for a few additional moments before turning them off. At least the pup wouldn't be embarassed in front of any friends. He slid over the door of the convertible and landed with a crunch of gravel under his feet. Taking a final drag on his cigarrette before flicking it into the newly formed shadows of the bridge area, he approached the gathering.

"Surprised to see you show, Pup." sneered Ryk, smiling.

Shen nodded calmly, exhaling.

The other three, Canth, wHo? and millie stood off to the side.

 

If there had been a camera man at the site and if he had filmed the battle for later viewing, he would have found it difficult to examine in detail the fight, even if watching the footage from frame to frame. Multiple actions seemed to take place in the span of a milisecond, the fight couldn't have lasted more than a moment. The film would have only really caught the aftermath, blood would be everywhere. Rich red blood mixed with tainted black vampire ichor. Two bodies. Unmoving.

 

"You ready, kid?" Ryk asked.

"Whenever you are."

"Game on."

 

Joseph Tudor stirred in his coffin and opened the lid tentatively, peaked out to find the familiar cloying feel of his library sanctuary. For some reason that he couldn't explain, he felt the need to hurt Malkavians, in particular, their resident Dallas Malkavians, millie and wHo?. He had just experienced the most unsettling dream.

Lifting her head from the desk where she had dozed upon the paper work there, Rebecca, glanced around the room cautiously. Not a soul disturbed her abode. Looking back down upon the lacquered wood top, she noted a document pertaining to the ownership of certain lands in Europe, specifically in France. Hanson must be getting generous in his old age, she thought, and although a nagging dream tugged at her conciousness, Rebecca quickly dismissed it.

Rising with the sun, Shen Wild-Wind, rubbed his side in agitation, odd burns had appeared in his sleep that seemed slow to heal. If he didn't know any better he'd suspect that he'd rolled over on a silver knife in his sleep. Foolish though the thought was he felt somewhat elated this morning. And dispite the minor injuries, he took off at a sprint, chasing the mornings sun to its summit on the blazing horizon. A streaming breeze raced through his hair and the grassy ground beneath his feet was firm and reliable. What more could he need?

Ryk didn't awake that day.

Somewhere within the woods, nestled comfortably in dreams too pleasant to interrupt, Canth was sleeping peacefully, her face reflected the condition of her soul. Lines of grief smoothed, a look serene and calm, gratefully free. The chains would bind no more. The cell had become an open door.

Deep within the arms of a spiralling world, Malkavians, giggled incessantly.

 

 

fini

  Return to Tales of the Garou

This page hosted byGet your ownFree Home Page