Shaytan Allayl, or Shay, woke up in a literal bathtub of blood. He had been severely burnt while escaping from The Order. The Shoggoth had grabbed him and smothered the flames in its tarry folds. The Shoggoth hated fire and he was shocked that he was still alive but The Dark Pope had given the Shoggoth strict instructions to bring him back alive at all cost. The Dark Pope had groomed him for many many years and had even given him his name. Shaytan Allayl was Arabic for Night Demon and it was his pet name when he discovered him. The truth was, that had simply been what The Dark Pope had called all vampires but Shay didn't know that and thought it was an honorific title. He had been submerged in the tub for the last 6 days and 6 nights breathing through a tube. The blood would heal him and feed him as well as recover his strength for what was to come next. By the time he was ready, he would take his rightful place at the side of The Dark Pope. They would be the new kings, Gods among men. The world would be theirs and they would rule at last. Then he found out that things did not at all go as planned. The Order had stopped The Master’s plan. The large marking of The Master’s symbol, embedded on his chest, had rotted and sloughed off completely. Even the plague that he personally worked so hard to obtain had almost fizzled out entirely. Lost without his master he knew only vengeance would bring him peace. The Baba Yaga had come to him. Late one night as he was hunting by a wooded area, a small house suddenly appeared. The crone had called to him from the porch and when he went inside, she had told him exactly where to start. They had been scorned by The Order *long, long* before, by members who were no longer alive, but they held a long memory. “You must seek out The Eater of souls, He is older than time. When the earth was cooling he was there. In his cave he has stayed, Worshiped by long forgotten people on and off throughout the ages. He could grant strength and power and most important of all, kill The Order.” The crone had told him in a voice like sand paper over glass, as harsh and as old as time.
Shay had then left on a pilgrimage of his own, and searched out The Eater of Souls. He found it, deep in a cavern in the middle of the Arizona badlands. It had NOT been an easy journey, the sun was relentless and he would travel only at night. An hour or so before sunrise he would dig a hole and wrap up in a tarp, bury himself completely before the sun could hit him. Setting a timer and taking no chances with the sun, not after finally healing from the last time the sun had bitten him. When he arrived, it was amazing. The power coming off of The Eater Of Souls was palpable. He had one follower, a Lich named Sĕigo. He had been the priest of the tribe and was the last of his people. They had been an offshoot of the Navajo that had long been excommunicated for their bizarre practices. Shay fell to his knees and prostrated himself before The Eater of Souls, begging for aid. A few weeks after his arrival the third member of the group had shown up, also given the quest from the Baba Yaga. She was absolutely gorgeous beyond all words, she practically glowed. She was a truly rare species indeed, an Enchantress. She had been on earth for decades, occasionally being worshiped as a minor deity. She wandered around Rome and Greece and many cities no longer around. The Mayans had sacrificed virgins to her to hope for better fertility. However, like the old saying goes, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Tobias. Somewhere in Russia.
Walking back from the meeting with The Baba Yaga, I was thinking about the only other visitor I had since getting here. It was mid February, about six weeks after getting here and after I got set up in the camper. One night I was sitting in a lawn chair by a small fire outside the RV, Mouse happily sitting in my lap. It was a frigid but clear night, all the windows and doors open on the RV hoping to air some of the smells out. I had cooked a few rabbits, caught by Mouse, over the fire and we had just finished dinner. An absolutely stunning woman walked up by the fire. She seemed to come out of nowhere at all, I hadn't seen her with the rest of the caravan and she wasn't at all dressed like a gypsy. She had long black hair past her shoulders and was wearing a slinky blood red dress. Her bare feet walked up to the fire and she leaned in, warming her hands by the flames. She was painfully underdressed for the weather, it was freezing outside and had been snowing all week. She looked up at me, sparkling green eyes catching the fire light. Her body was absolute perfection, and her pale skin almost glowed in the moonlight. I could tell she wasn't human but... My mind raced to try and figure out exactly what she was. “Hello Tobias, I'm Lillith.” The unearthly beauty spoke with a melodious and seductive voice. I knew she wasn't a succubus, even when they are in human form they don't look this good. “Hello Lillith. What brings you out my way?” I asked flatly. Not because I felt the need to hide any emotion, but I just couldn't summon the energy to give a shit. She smiled and walked around to me, bending over and overflowing from her tight dress. She paused to give Mouse a pat or two on his head. “Hello Mouse, you are quite the hunter I see.” It was hard to describe but it honestly seemed like Mouse was proud of himself. Lillith, whatever she was, sat down on the arm of the lawn chair and leaned her body back against me. When her body touched mine, a feeling of electric passion flooded throughout my entire body. “I knew you were another lonely immortal, handsome and heartbroken. You seem to be retired now, so I figured we should meet.” I put my right arm around her and scooted Mouse out of my lap with my left hand. I pulled her into my lap and kissed her deeply and passionately. I paused a moment when I realized that I hadn't done so consciously. Then figured it truly didn't matter and I gave in completely.
Several hours later we were in my bed, completely spent. “So I'm guessing you're an Enchantress, that's pretty rare. Why on earth did you come to me?” I still didn't have the energy to care at all, but I was almost puzzled at this point. It had taken me a moment, but once I was able to think straight again, the realization of what she was hit me like a brick. She giggled and arched her back, the sheets around her hips and her breasts were pointing straight to the heavens, jiggling in a very distracting manner as she stretched languidly before rolling onto her side to face me. “Yeah, I'm an Enchantress. I know things didn't go too well for you, even with you saving the world and all... I really enjoy earth as it is. Think of this as my way of saying thank you if you like… If you want more... That's an option for you now.” She kissed me and slowly ran her nails down my chest stopping just below my belly button, hard enough to leave welts but not draw blood. “We could have this forever if you like. Forever gets lonely and I really do like you.” She said as she laid her head onto my bare chest. I really needed a distraction and she was right about forever being lonely. She wasn't Angiola but... Angiola was dead. Life continued in much the same way they had started and for a few weeks, things were pretty nice. I was content, possibly even starting to be happy again, and Lillith seemed to be really happy. Even if she wasn’t too thrilled with the surroundings. Then the dreams returned... I could see Angiola again, she looked so sad. It was like she was searching for something, on and on and every moment that passed without discovery was breaking her heart over and over again. Waking up screaming her name, eyes blurry with tears and my heartbeat pounding in my temples. Needless to say the 4th or 6th night in a row, Lillith wasn't so understanding. Finally one night or early morning it was too much. I woke up screaming and she got up too. She grabbed her bag and kissed my forehead before walking to the door. I tried to apologize, to explain it was just a bad dream. Lillith took it personally, like she wasn't her and would never be good enough. I guess the dreams may have been real, If the Baba Yaga wasn't lying to me.
Angiola probably was desperately searching for me, just like in my dreams. Once I got back to the RV I cleaned up a bit. After a hot shower and putting on the cleanest outfit I owned I went and said my goodbyes to the leader of the Roma, thanking them for the hospitality. I wouldn't be returning, regardless of the outcome, so I made sure to give my RV to a newlywed couple expecting their first child. It was the least I could do and I knew the caravan leader would approve. I went back into the bathroom of the RV and sat down on the toilet. It was a small windowless room and that was really all I needed. I wasn't sure if I would even need that, or if all my random bouncing around and traveling without thought was over. I put a towel on the floor against the door, blocking out what little light was coming in. Picking up Mouse and turning off the lights, I thought about home. It was time... Past time likely to get back to the real world. I needed answers. Even if she was dead, God wasn’t done with me. In time, who knows, perhaps I'll have someone else. Or I can just take the vow of celibacy and continue my mission with The Order, live out a more monastic lifestyle like the rest of The Order. I just feel like I have to still be a part of the world that I fight so hard to keep safe. Having people in my life who I can get to know and care about, even if only for a few hours helps keep me connected. Obviously I am still needed to battle evil, and if what the Baba Yaga had said about the Vamp being alive and knowing how to kill us… Either way, no matter what I was facing next, it was time to get back to work.