Vanja Story Part 3

            The sound of an alarm clock woke me up. My eye’s fluttered open as I reached over and blindly tried to swat the thing off. As soon as it stopped beeping I rose up and stretched out. That was a really good night’s sleep I had. Best I’ve had in a while. I then looked at the calendar and saw it was a Saturday. Cursing myself for setting my alarm on a Saturday I threw the calendar across the room. I yawned again before getting up and stripping off my nightie and going to take a shower. Hopefully that will wake me up.

            Back in the dreamscape Archane continued his investigation of the strange disturbance he sensed in the fabric of the dreamscape. Originally he believed it was just damage by the demons during the last battle. However… this was different. Something was off and he couldn’t pin point it this time. He had already looked at every conventional problem that could cause this.

“What do you plan to do now sir?” Tolatem asked me as I studied all the reports I had in front of me.

“I’ve looked at everything and yet nothing seems to be wrong. Yet I can sense it.”

“Perhaps you are overworked sir? Perhaps your senses betray you.”

“Hmm?” I analyzed that possibility in my mind for a bit no that isn’t. “No, the problem is I’ve been looking at what’s in front of me, what I can see.”

“Sir?”

“I have to look for what I don’t see. Perhaps the portals in and out of the dreamscape have been damaged. That would be odd, but not impossible. I’m going to take a look.” I tell Tolatem as I grab my sword and attach it to my back as I walk out the door.

            Vanja just finished her shower and was busy blow-drying her long hair while she silently hummed to herself. Oh what to do, what to do on my day off. I could finish my comic… Sigh, but I couldn’t decide which one to do. I then heard my phone ringing. I put down the hair dryer and picked up the phone.

“Hello Vanja speaking.”

“Hey Vanja. It’s Jeanette how are you doing today?”

“Oh hi Jeanette. I’m fine, you?”

“Well, I was thinking about hitting the mall today. Want to came?”

Hmm, I had nothing better to do.. “Sure, sounds fun.” I answer her.

“Great. I’ll stop by your house in an hour. Bye. CLICK” With that the conversation ended. Now Jeanette was an avid shopper and could sniff out deal miles away. That’s why it was fortunate to go with her on a shopping trip. I told myself as I smile. I put the phone back down and started to get ready.

            An hour later Jeanette and I hit the mall hard. I picked up a lot of nice stuff and some so not nice. I might put some more pictures on my site with some of this stuff. Jeanette is suddenly thrown out of her usually ability to find deals by a news report on the TV. A lot of people were gathered around watching. The bald anchorman was giving an emergency announcement.

“Recently a rash of disappearances of young women in the area have been reported. No clues as to who is responsible, but the police had this to say.” The picture then turned over to an earlier police conference.

“First off the perpetuators seem to be working only at night or in dark places and I say perpetuators because with the evidence collected we can only confirm one fact. There is more then one. How many were not sure, but we want to caution everybody to be carefully. We have our best people on it.”

We looked at each a little worried and decided to head home before it got dark. Better then talking any chances right now.

* * *

            Meanwhile Archane had finished his investigation and even though it was slight, he figured it out. Demons had somehow used the personal portal he used for Vanja as a doorway. When I told Tolatem he was most disturbed.

“Master the Mistress could be in danger and worse if the council finds out it could mean…”

“I know what it could mean. However I’m still one of the oldest members I won’t bend backwards. I have to help her, she could be in grave danger.”

“MASTER ARCHANE!!! You said yourself that your presence in the real world…”

“Don’t remind me. It was my theory, thus I can break it. I’m going.”

“What do I tell them if they come?” He asked me.

“Tell them I stepped out.” I respond as I start to walk away and disappear from sight.

            I appeared much the same way I left. I seemed to fade into the backround of th real world. This was the first time I appeared in the real world in several Millennium. I took a look around. It was already dusk, the trip had taken longer then I thought. The demons would be coming out soon. I wore a long coat in order to hide my appearance and other equipment from the people in this age. I then sniffed the air. I could detect the demons aura by smell. I followed it. I needed to end this now.

            After an hour of searching I found them. A mile outside the city they had set up there camp and it disgusted me. Several demons had already amassed quite a collection of women. I counted at least two-dozen women being raped continually. Some must have been there a while because they looked totally out of it as if they were mere dolls. I had seen this before and knew they could be helped. I drew my sword and leaped into their den and slashed two of them into nothing.

            “Now when you invade my own territory in the dream realm I’m annoyed. However, what you’ve done has really pissed me off!” I yell at them as I hold out my hand to blast a group only to find my magic puffed out. I was shocked, but had long ago learned to control my facial expressions. I tried not to let on how shocked I was. As I pulled my hand back and gripped my sword taking a more defensive stance.

“What’s the matter? Weren’t you going to blast them, blast my minions?” A familiar voice came from the center of this Demon Den.

“Grugal, I thought I sealed you in a hole when you first tried to take over my realm.” I told him as I turned towards him.

Grugal, he was my very first challenge when I was but a young man of eighteen. We fought over a magical shield, a story for another time. He also reappeared some centuries later and I banished him from this world, only to found that he had made a strong foothold in the dream world. That was quick to change when I took over. The question was how did he get free?

            “Right now your probably wondering how I’m here. Well that doesn’t matter since you won’t leave this place alive.”

I smile at him. “What makes you so sure?” I ask him.

“Because, this den only allows demonic magic. Look at the runes around you! Underneath your feet!” He yelled at me.

I looked down briefly and now understood. The runes led to the center where stones were piled up. The formation was that of a portal. I did not notice it in my haste to finish this. These runes were weak and I could overcame them, but my powers would need at least 20 minutes to adapt!

            I took a step back only to sense two shadow demons. I quickly slashed them to pieces only to find my sword caught in a net from an imp. I was then hit by a lighting spell. It incinerated my robe and sent me skidding across the ground. I quickly bound to my feet and took stock of my situation. If I had full access to all my powers these demons would be easy, however without a weapon or my powers this would became a war of attrition. One I would lose. They quickly attacked and I was just as quick to attack back! I swatted away at least one hundred of them yet my endurance was dropping and they were getting their fair share in. They suddenly backed off as Grugal came forward.

            “Your doing better then I thought human.”

“Ha, I could smack pathetic vermin like you away all day.” I tell him with a smirk.

“I believe you could, but you deal with me now.” He told me, as he stood ready.

I tried not to show it, but I couldn’t take much more, hopefully if I smacked this joker down I could halt their plains for a bit. I made the first move only to found that his speed had increased dramatically from the last time we fought. He easily took my back and hit me with his trademark move. Shadow Punch. Its dark aura flowed through my very soul and attacked it there. I coughed up blood as I feel to the ground.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you have what it takes anymore?” He asked me as he came up and kicked me several times.

I cough several times from the kicks and stare back at him.

“Your eyes, they still hold that firm strength, that same look that you first looked at me with.” He then kicked me in the face. “I hate that look! Before you die I will let you know how I became more powerful. I have absorbed the energy from the girls in this area and the ones back in the dream realm. I find the flesh and blood ones provide much more power. If my information is correct then I’m sure you wife will provide the most energy of all.” He told me as he bent down and picked me up by my hair.

Damn it! I won’t let it end here; even though this will tip of the council I have no choice. The weapon I swore I would set aside must be picked up again. “Ha you’ll never touch her. Phoenix Sword.” I could see Grugal’s red eyes glow bright red in panic as his hand grew claws and slashed me. He didn’t get a full hit as my sword cut off his arm. It just appeared in my hand, the blade I had left behind in this world. The phoenix sword was a light orange tint along with the sword guard made up into a Phoenix for simple decoration. I held it up but clenched my chest in pain as I felt my blood coming out. He had cut through my armor!?

            “Surprised? You’ll be more surprised by this, I’ve injected you with poison. You won’t survive the night!”

I smiled back at him. “I’ve heard that before, will meet again, count on it.

“You’re not going anywhere!” He yelled at me as him and his minions attempted to dog pile me, however I was teleported away since the sword gave me the boast I needed to overcome the runes for a brief second.

Grugal was not happy as he threw several of his minions into the air in anger. “FIND HIM! Bring me more sacrifices while you’re at it!” He ordered them as he grabbed a nearby woman and stared at her with great interest as he introduced her to a new horror.

* * *

            Vanja got out of her car grabbing most of her bags and heading to her house. She was belittling herself for taking the wrong turn and getting back to her house when it was dark. With a quick twist her door was unlocked and swung open. As she was about to enter she heard something crunch behind her. She quickly reached into her house and turned on her patio light and grabbed a whip out of one of her sack and faced the sound. It was a tall man with a sword in his hand.

            “Who are you!?” I yelled at him. I was afraid yet I found something about him… familiar. He was holding his chest and his red hair was covering his face as he held it down. “ANSWER ME!” I yell at him knowing that my whip would do little good against his sword. He then looked up at me. My heart nearly stopped when I saw his face.

“Vanja… help.” He told me as he collapsed in front of me. I poked him with the whip at first to see if he was faking. After confirming that he wasn’t I turned him over and saw the blood on his chest. He needed medical attention. I took him inside, he was amazingly light for some reason and put him on my couch. I then reached for the phone to call the hospital, his hand then shot up and grabbed mine as I started to dial. He then pulled my hand over and placed it on his bloody chest.

“What… What are you doing?” I asked slightly afraid.

“No, don’t call them. Just repeat after me. Lehaign Mapridcs Vole.”

“Umm, I…”

“Just do it!” He told me forcefully.

I then repeated the words in unison with him and my hand glowed briefly. I pulled it back in surprise as I found his chest was no longer bleeding. “Thank you.” He told me as he feel unconscious.

            I took a step back and went to my drawing room I grabbed the picture I wanted and rushed back out and compared the two. They were identical! I had drawn a picture of this man right down to every detail and here he was lying on my couch. How was this possible?

            Outside several shadow demons surrounded Vanja’s house.

“See I told you he would head here. He may be powerful but predictable.” The demon sniffed the air. “Oh I can smell his blood! Let’s do this.”

“Yes, the master will be most pleased when we bring him Archane and his wife.”

“He’ll be more pleased then you think. Remember she is after all the heir to Mistress of Inovacan.” A smaller shadow demon added. They all smiled in response to this realization as they closed in on the house.

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To be continued…