Michael's damn fangs were aching even worse than when in the cavern, before he'd found the goblins. Him and Cat were finally nearing the center of Akan-Var now, at least he hoped, having resupplied at some of the various pods they had found along the way. Hell, he was somehow dragging one behind him right now across the ancient stones of Akan-Var. It was heavy as hell, and pulling it through the ashy ruins of the empty city was a miserable experience. Cat was asleep inside the pod now, but Michael had insisted that she stay inside even when awake and to not come out, not when his fangs ached like this.
If Michael hurt the woman Nate loved, he would remove his helmet and let the sunlight shining down on Akan-Var burn him to ash. She understood though, if he could just smell her, that might be enough to tip him right over the edge with how he was now. With his red-lensed mask on and the thick round filters jutting out of the jaw, he may not be able to smell her at all, but he didn't want to take the risk. While the pod was heavy, Michael was still making good, steady progress, able to pull it along in a light jog.
He was nowhere near as strong as Jas- Michael grit his teeth, as strong as Hoplite, but he had to at least be as strong as a Yugoro now. It would be a while before they reached the bridge though, this damn city never seemed to end. Would he starve to death in that time, he wondered? Could a vampire starve to death? It was hard to say, but there were options available, but the thought of it twisted his guts into knots.
There were dozens of dead Ternans here and there, and while they weren't exactly fresh, he knew there was still blood inside the bodies. The thought of drinking dead blood was both disgusting to him as a Ternan, and as a vampire. His instincts only suggested drinking it out of desperation, not preference. He supposed the human equivalent to this urge would be eating a turd out of a toilet bowl because you were starving to death. He didn't want to, but he might not survive if he didn't.
There were also bodies of the Final Kind laying around, but he didn't want to drink from them either… even though they were in far greater numbers than the Ternan corpses. The Dragon had evacuated more personnel, after all, it had more crewmembers to pump out then the Sparrow did. Hopefully this was an indicator that most of them had crashed into Akan-Var. There'd still be more on the other continents he was sure, but at least on this side of the world it was relatively alien-free.
Still though, if he didn't feed soon, then he would either die or do something he'd kill himself over. He could feel his mind slowly becoming foggier, more animalistic with each passing day he went without feeding. It scared him, but he grit his teeth and pressed on, ignoring the bodies as he went… well, mostly anyhow.
He'd been taking extra ammo where he could… looting the corpses of his fellow soldiers sickened him, but the ammo wasn't gonna do anything just laying there. He piled it outside the pod's door, making sure to stay well away from it when Cat opened the door to drag the ammunition inside, not wanting to catch even a hint of her scent. Hopefully they could get picked up soon, the beacon for this pod was active.
He and Cat had both agreed to leave it on, in case there were Ternans flying around but- ah, who was he kidding, no one was coming. His eyes found the ashy ground in front of him as he continued on, his thoughts straying to what may have happened, had he decided to stay with Hoplite instead of leaving with Cat. Would she stay if he had, or would she have left on her own?
Why was he even entertaining these thoughts? Hoplite was a traitor, there was no way that Michael would have stayed with him. Yet, his mind kept replaying the things that Hoplite had told him, particularly about Lord Jyn, and of him being his son. He wanted to ignore them, to push them to the back of his mind- but frustratingly it was the only subject that kept his mind off his aching fangs.
Jyn mighta had white hair and gold eyes, but that wasn't proof of him being Hoplite's old man. Just the thought of it was ludicrous, Jyn having children? He was an immortal mutant, and the overlord of the Eight Arms of Terna, where would he have even had the time? Not only that, but why only have three-hundred Hoplites, why not a thousand, or fifty-thousand even? Paladins were still being made nowadays, taking less resources to make than a Hoplite no doubt, but Jyn had not produced any more Hoplites aside from the first three-hundred.
If they were his kids, he could have made even more after that first batch, but no other Hoplites were produced. It just didn't make any damn sense, a Hoplite was twice as dangerous as a Paladin, maybe even four times. Yeah, Hoplite's couldn't be Jyn's children, they must have just been far too expensive to produce often, or maybe the resources they used to make them were only enough for three-hundred subjects.
Michael tried to ignore the resemblance shared between Thirty-Seven and Jyn. He'd seen dozens of images of Lord Jyn over the years, learning about him in school, textbooks, documentaries, and other such things… Hoplite was the spitting image of Jyn. When Michael had first seen Hoplite on the Sparrow, he had been shocked. In the movies, Thirty-Seven had dark hair and brown eyes, a pretty-boy face and was handsomely tall, as his sisters always said.
Seeing Hoplite in the flesh though, and he couldn't be more different. He'd been massive, towering over everyone else that had been in the armory, skin a patchwork of scars, face rough and square… with piercing golden eyes, just like Jyn's. Seeing the white hair regrow on Hoplite's head had been another piece of evidence of him and Jyn's relation. Maybe they had been juiced up with some of Jyn's DNA? That wouldn't make them his kids, right?
But then, if a human could get powered up just from injecting some Jyn juice, then again, why not just make more? Michael felt his teeth grind together as he visualized those images of Jyn he'd seen, then compared them with what Hoplite looked like. Same strong chin, same cheekbones, same brow ridge-
No- No! It just wasn't possible! He kept telling himself that, but no matter how many times he repeated the lie to himself, he had to acknowledge the truth. Hoplite… Jason, had to be telling the truth about Jyn. He stopped pulling the pod, just standing there, the tungsteel tow lines slack on his shoulders.
If Jyn wasn't human, then didn't that mean that he had lied to Terna? Didn't that technically mean humankind was being led by a xeno? He shuddered at the thought, he didn't want to think about this anymore. He didn't have any outright proof of this, and neither did Jaso- Hoplite. However, Hoplite's claims had been compelling, and he really did look a lot like Jyn did. Not only that, but Jyn could actually do magic, like the people of this world could. It hadn't ever been called that by the Fifth Arm of course, they always spun it as him using his superior genetics to manipulate reality…
But now that he thought about it, wasn't that magic already? Messing with reality and defying physics? The more he thought about it, the less and less sure he felt about Lord Jyn, and the more confident he felt on Hoplite's claims. It made him feel sick, entertaining these thoughts, but he reminded himself that he was a loyal Ternan, he wouldn't ever betray Lord Jyn. He grit his teeth, crimson eyes wide behind his mask. Damn it all… Damn it!
"Well well." A deep, sultry woman's voice spoke from a nearby rooftop, "Seems you've made it out after all."
Michael immediately drew his Visus, dropping the cables before snapping straight at the speaker, sights aimed directly on her forehead. He was shocked to see that it was a human woman, with a pretty face and a bold nose. Strangely, she wore a dark purple silken gown, her long hair so black that it nearly blended in with the silks. He eased his finger off the trigger as she smiled at him, narrowing violet eyes at him.
Violet, spiralling eyes… but this couldn't be Nolvi. This chick was a few fingers taller, noticeably older and from what he could see through that thin gown, a lot curvier as well. It seemed that vampirism didn't shut down everything that had been human about him after all. Whoever this was, she must have been a Spiral Queen just like Nolvi was, but what was another one doing here in the middle of Akan-Var, and why is she talking like she'd met him before?
"Who are you?" Michael questioned, not lowering his rifle, "Identify."
The woman made a feign look of shock, "Michael, I'm hurt." She told him, sticking out her lower lip, "It wasn't so long ago that we met, in my underground prison."
Michael's brow furrowed for a moment as he thought, before his eyes widened, "You're that piece of jerky!"
Lithia's lower lip retracted, brows knitting together as she glared at him. In that instant, Michael felt like he was in more danger than he ever had been in his life. His Visus may as well have been a squirt gun against this woman. Despite the sudden terror clutching his chest, he kept his gun steady.
"You would do well to watch your tongue." Lithia told him in an icy tone, descending the air toward him as if she were walking down stairs, "Young men are always so impulsive with their words."
"How did you get like that?" Michael asked her, welcoming the distraction from his previous thoughts, "You're uh-" He gulped, "You're looking good."
This seemed to be the right thing to say, for that glare dissipated, replaced with a seductive smirk. He felt like a spider caught in a web as she drew closer to him, those wide hips of hers swaying as she walked. He was thankful he was wearing his mask, both because it concealed his wide, staring eyes, and because he couldn't catch her scent through it. Good to know that it kept those scents from his nose after all. Last thing he needed was to go feral and try to drink the woman, she could probably turn him into dust with just a thought. He didn't know that for sure, but the confidence in which she approached him implied that she was in full control of the situation. He prayed that Cat would stay inside the pod, and not come out to engage Lithia.
Please be asleep, Cat. He thought, please.
"I see that you've found a solution for walking in the light." Lithia told him, looking up at the clear, blue sky, "Concealing your skin is a wonderful idea, bravo." She giggled, now hovering just above the ashy ground, saving her high heeled shoes from being soiled.
Michael didn't know how to react, if he opened fire, it would be a death sentence. Yet he also didn't like the idea of whatever this crazy chick wanted to do with him. For all he knew, she was gonna stick him in a boiling pot of oil before drinking Michael-soup from a bowl made outta his skull.
"I've been exploring the lands, so much has changed since my absence." Lithia smiled, "Much indeed, and with Blackgaze gone I must find a new land to make my domain for the coming Godling War but before I do any of that, I wish to enjoy my free time."
Michael slowly lowered his rifle, "What do ya mean?"
"Just enjoying the little things before I go causing trouble." Lithia giggled mischievously, "I wanted to come back here and see if the Romai had come out yet, but it seems that they're still holed up below." She paused, looking him up and down with those spiralling eyes, "You know, these past weeks, I've not indulged in certain… pleasures, as of yet." She said with emphasis.
"Uh." He answered nervously as she drew closer.
"Well," Lithia laughed, floating over until her perfectly symmetrical face was only inches away from his mask, "I've never lain with an Outworlder vampire before, that sounds like good fun to me. What say you?"
"Uh." Michael replied sagely.
"I do appreciate dumb men as well." She told him, tracing a finger across his shoulder, "Open the door to that pod and I'll show you a night you'll never forget."
Michael froze. What the hell was he supposed to do here!? What would Lithia do if she found out Cat was inside the shuttle? He had no idea, but Michael wanted to keep Lithia away from Cat if possible. Wait a second…
"How are you like this all the sudden?" Michael asked her, "How are ya all-" He gestured at her, "Uh, gorgeous?"
Lithia smiled for an instant at the compliment, before her smile faded. She was still looking into his eyes, or at least the lenses of his gas mask, but she didn't seem to be seeing him any longer. She let out a sigh, shaking her head.
"Nevermind." She told him, "I'm no longer interested."
"Uh, alright." Michael told her, "So…"
"I don't wish to discuss how I was restored." Lithia told him firmly, "Now, you do realize how long it will take you to cross this city, yes?"
"Not really." Michael admitted, "Pretty damn far though."
Lithia shook her head, "You will die before you see the gates, little vampire."
"What makes ya say that?" He questioned, not wanting to let it slip that he was starving.
"Come now." Lithia narrowed her eyes, "Unless you've been drinking the bodies around here, then you must be famished."
"...I'm alright." He told her.
"Goodness, you are a terrible liar." Lithia tsked, floating away from him, "Come now, you can trust me."
The way she said that sent a shudder down his spine. His whole being warned him against trusting this woman, yet he also found himself scared of what might happen if he lied to her again.
"I am." He admitted, "...You wouldn't happen to have a cure for this wouldja?"
Lithia shook her head with a small laugh, "Vampirism is not something that can be reversed, you will be like this for all eternity boy, just accept it and move on."
His shoulders slumped.
"Oh come now," She said soothingly, "Being a vampire is not so horrid, at least from what I've heard." She told him, putting her legs up in the air to rest them on nothing, interlocking her fingers over her stomach as she stared down at him.
Don't look up that skirt. Michael told himself, immediately failing to do so as she hovered a few feet overhead. This was a dangerous situation and he still couldn't bring himself to shut off those old instincts! It didn't make any sense, he was a damn vampire now wasn't he? His body was practically dead, so he shouldn't still want to do those things, right?
"One of my oldest friends was a vampire, she got by on drinking cows and other such livestock. She went on to have around… hmm…" Lithia squinted, "I'd say, four-hundred children from the second to the third age? It's been too long-"
"She did what!?" Michael asked, shocked, "That don't make no sense."
Lithia shrugged, "Vampires aren't fully dead. I can feel your eyes on me boy, if you were fully undead, you would not have such thoughts. You're merely in a state between life and death, a part of both worlds."
Michael immediately quit looking up her skirt, "Uh, sorry." He apologized quickly, clearing his throat, "Look, it's been uh, fun? But I need to go-"
"Didn't you just hear me?" Lithia scoffed, shaking her head, "You'll starve before you reach the bridge, so I have an offer for you, if you'll hear me."
"Can you magic me to the Fiendwall?" Michael asked, suddenly excited.
Lithia grinned, "I sure can, but all good things in life don't come for free, love." She told him, wagging a finger.
Michael drew his lips to a line, "You wanna bang after all? I ain't some hooker, ya gotta at least buy me dinner first."
Lithia paused, just staring down at him a moment before she broke into a fit of laughter, "Not something so… carnal, at least not yet." She giggled, before floating down toward him, "An exchange of services, you could say."
"What would you want me to do for ya?" Michael asked, "I ain't gonna hurt no one if that's what yer asking."
Lithia shook her head, "Nothing so barbaric!" She feigned shock, putting a hand to her chest, "But I find myself very curious about vampirism, and finding you here seems to be more than just coincidence."
"Alright." Michael nodded, "I can tell ya what I know."
Lithia shook her head, "No, you misunderstand…"
"Huh?" He asked, "Then what do ya mean-"
"I wish for you to turn me into a vampire, Michael." Lithia stared, face going flat, "I need as much power as I can get for the coming days, for I intend to win this contest."
"Contest? What the hell are you talking about? Being a vampire sucks." He said with emphasis, "Er, no pun intended."
"Escaping to Faenor is no longer an option for me I'm afraid." Lithia told him, not answering his question, "And I've no desire to become Unbound, so I will instead take my vengeance upon the Pillars and shatter them upon my ascension."
Michael shook his head, "I don't think I want to-"
"You don't truly have a choice in the matter, little vampire." Lithia glared, those eyes seeming to clamp around his soul like a vice, "You will either grant me your dark gift and I will take you to the Fiendwall, or I will turn you to ash right here on the spot. My offer is more than fair, really. You get what you want, and I will get what I want." She told him, her voice cold as ice, "So what shall it be, Michael?"