Eloim approached the priest drawing his second of his pair of sword. The priest grabbed the crucifix around his neck and held it out towards him, the chain that held it snapping.
“Back fiend, back to the hell where you were spawned.” Eloim stopped, a wave of nausea sweeping over him. “Foolish creature, do you think you have the power to face a servant of the Lord?” the priest continued as he approached Eloim, drawing a wooden stake with his other hand.
Eloim’s swords dropped from his hands as he fell to his knees, feeling dizzy and faint. The priest stopped, standing over the helpless vampire. With a smile he pressed the crucifix onto Eloim’s forehead. Pain erupted through his head.
Polly fought, furiously trying to block the blows Alexia rained down on her as she retreated across the crypt. The blows came in an unrelenting wave that gave her no time to counterattack. Suddenly she lost her footing. Going down on one knee she managed to partially block the overhead blow, a cut appearing down her side. Quickly dropping her sword to prevent the return swing of Alexia’s blade she could only watch in horror as her blade snapped with the impact. Without thought she threw herself backwards and avoided a blow that would have decapitated her, but before she could recover, the demon stepped forward and sent a kick into her ribs that sent her flying to land on one of the sarcophagi, the stone lid cracking at her impact. Half unconscious and her body broken, she watched as Alexia advanced and raised her sword to deliver the final blow. With infinite slowness the sword dropped, and then stopped as a second blade came between it and its intended target.
“I think not, you bitch, that’s my daughter.”
Polly looked over to see her mother, eyes blazing. With supernatural speed her mother delivered a stunning punch that lifted the armoured demon off her feet to crash into one of the pillars holding up the vaulted ceiling. Walking forward she stood between the injured Polly and demon Alexia, who struggled to get to her feet.
Eloim screamed in pain as the fire in his head became greater. Memories of his life surfaced to explode in a sheet of flame, engulfed by the blazing crucifix. Then an image appeared that didn’t burn like the others; it grew larger and swamped the burning cross, the image of Polly’s face. The flames of the crucifix grew smaller, and then went out.
Eloim opened his eyes and looked up into the face of the priest and saw the shock there. With deliberate slowness he got to his feet as the priest recoiled, the crucifix falling from his hand. Recovering, the priest moved to stab Eloim with the stake he still held in his other hand, but the vampire grabbed the wrist and began to squeeze. He felt the bones snap and shatter under the pressure and the stake fell to the floor.
“On your knees, priest,” he hissed, and placed his other hand on the priest’s shoulder, forcing him down. He then squeezed and shattered the collar bone, before crouching down in front of him and slipping the Ring of Alexia off his nerveless fingers. “Thank you for the ring. Now don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.”
Eloim walked up behind the demon Alexia as she got back to her feet, his mother standing between her and Polly, who still lay unmoving on a damaged sarcophagus.
“You cannot stand against me vampire, any more than your child could. No vampire can,” Alexia said to his mother, as she again brought her sword to bear.
“Really? Fancy a little wager on that?” replied his mother with a smile to the approaching Eloim.
“Hi Mum, how was Rome?” Eloim asked casually as he placed the ring on a sarcophagus next to him and pulled a small hand axe from his weapons belt. Alexia spun round to face him, a look of hunger on her face at the sight of the ring.
“Give me the ring. Let me take my revenge on this world for the slavery they inflicted on me,” she pleaded.
“Depends. Can you heal Polly?” Eloim asked.
Alexia looked over to the still unmoving vampire. “She has been cut by a demon blade, that wound will not heal,” Alexia began.
“Then I smash the ring.” Eloim raised the axe ready to strike the ring.
“Wait!” Shouted Alexia. “I can heal her, in return for the ring.”
“Eloim, if you give her the ring she will destroy all life on this world,” his mother said, stepping forward.
Alexia turned with a snarl towards Eloim’s mother.
“One word against my Mum and the ring gets it,” Eloim shouted. Alexia stopped, a look of blazing anger on her face. “Now heal my sister,” Eloim said calmly.
“I have your word that you will give me the ring,” Alexia said, throwing a look at Eloim, who nodded.
“Eloim, no,” his mother implored, but it was too late, a purple mist rose from Polly's wound, she then coughed and rolled onto her side.
“Bloody hell, Eloim, you took your time killing the priest. That bitch broke my favourite sword,” Polly said weakly, as she sat up.
“Stop your whining, Polly, can you walk?” Eloim asked, Polly looked over and nodded.
“Now give me the ring, vampire child,” demanded Alexia, taking a step towards Eloim.
“Good, because actually I think we should run,” Eloim shouted. With that Eloim brought the axe down. The blade shattered the gemstone and embedded itself deep within the stone top of the sarcophagus. Alexia screamed as she dived forward, trying to get the ring before the axe hit. A great wind blew up and the crypt began to shake as Eloim ran for the door they had come in through, his mum and Polly a step behind him. Alexia continued to scream as a vortex of wind began to engulf her and great stones were shaken loose from the crypt ceiling.
To be continued.
