Death walks within the darkness

For someone that called himself  The Lord of Shadows, he didn’t expect to find himself walking into a dilapidated carnival ground. Attractions worn down by time greeted Michael as he stepped through the front gate, eaten by dust and rust. It was the hour after sunset, with the skyline painted with various strokes of purples, yellows and pinks. A world reaching the cusp of what one would call the domain of a lord of darkness. Normally he would have avoided even stepping foot in a place like this, but he had reasons for being her beyond blessing them with his presence.

Dressing up somewhat for the occasion, he chose one of the leather jackets his dad had hanging around in his closet, a pair of khaki cargo pants and a clean white polo shirt under said jacket. ”This place looks a little weird for a vampire to hang out.” He muttered to himself, eyeing what looked to be a worn down merry go round, with the head of one of those horses bent, seemingly nearly ripped off. Either signs of a fight, or someones frustrations with mechanical horses, likely one of the two. Approaching the metallic horse, he grabbed a hold of the broken head and wrenched it from the body with a casual motion.

”Alright, that shit was starting to piss me off.” He said, casually tossing the horse head aside with a flick of the wrist. Jumping off of the merry go round, he continued to walk through the empty streets of the abandoned amusement park, silver eyes faintly glowing within the night, mingling with moonlight. Would Cain be the only one within this park, or would he have a few of those  vampires under him prowling like the rats he imagined them to be. Faintly, trees and plant life dotting the parks began to wilt with green leaves turning an ugly black like pitch.

He whistled, hoping that would draw someone out.

The old amusement park that once held a cadre of the world’s most dangerous villains. A shade of its old self. No longer did it house the varying super powered beings of magic and otherwise. Instead it was now ruled over by a singular being and home to a multitude of different individuals. The park was generally overrun by creatures of the night, Vampires, Shadow Monsters, and Werewolves. Oh my. There were more of course like banshees, ghosts, blackshucks, ghouls, a gremlin or two. All that owed allegiance to the Lord of Shadows and knew that for them this was a safe haven. For whatever reason, he had claimed this area as his own and protected those who needed it. Who sought sanctuary in his domain. For a price, of course.

A certain individual who named himself after an old pagan deity would soon find that the park was anything but abandoned, they had no reason to hide here, though they generally kept to the shadows, scurried in the dark or stalked their prey without being seen. Here though? Here they walked freely, they had no reason to hide. This was after all their Lord’s place. A being who smelt of death and had an aura of darkness surrounding them but at the same time was not connected to their King. Most were intrigued by this alone, while others were also fascinated by the few live plants and leaves slowly starting to decay as the being walked by. A few however who had been a round a while were able to understand just who, or rather what, the individual before them truly was.

A being they hadn’t seen on this plane in quite some time. A Ti’taen. Not one any had ever met, despite the oldest Vampire here being close to 500 years old, an Elder in their own right. No, they knew not who this being was but they could feel the nether radiating off of them. Motioning for a Shadow Monster lurking nearby it took off to return to the King of Darkness as said Elder approached the Ti’taen with caution but not one of fear. He had lived this long not because of his brute strength or rash decisions, and had no intention of doing so now. A slight bow was given in greeting, not one as low as he’d give to his Lord but one of respect nonetheless, “Your presence here is troubling. The Lord awaits you in the theater.” He straightened and stepped backwards letting the Ti’taen pass as the rest of the creatures of the night all seemed to stop in their tracks and watch, certainly interested.

Michael hadn’t expected to really cause any distress within this den of shadows, and  infact he banked upon the more ancient of vampires to recognize what he was. Well, what  the msot obvious traits of his signaled what he was. He stopped, turning to a figure rising from the shadows in the form of a vampire finally approaching him. ”Causing trouble is a skill of mine.” Michael said with a smirk, burying his hands into his pockets and considering the vampire that had walked up to him. He hadn’t dealt much with their kind, though Michael preferred not to make enemies when he didn’t need to and this Lord of Shadows was no exception.

”Normally doesn’t get me the attention of lords, but I guess i’m just lucky tonight.” He straightened out a few wrinkles within his jacket. Still, it appeared he was being let further into the domain of the night, so Michael moved onwards with the vague sensation of being watched. Not that it was an off feeling to have, considering that this place was indeed likely filled to the brim with creatures of that nature. Still, his eyes focused upon the theater that the lord made his home with a certain resolve burning in them.

A sense of dread filled him, stepping through the entryway as the stale air washed over him in a faint wave. ”Quite the reception.” He smirked, a fragment of the spiraling runes if his kind glowing light purple peeking from the collar of his shirt. ”I wonder how much they say is true.” He spoke out loud, knowing that he would be heard to some degree.

It had been a rather normal night for Cain. If one could seven consider anything the Lord of Shadows did normal. He had woken up around seven or eight, had a glass of his favorite brand of ‘wine’, showered and then got dressed before moving onto more pressing matters. Such as what to do with this situation, or how to handle that one. Things that a year ago he honestly would have never bothered with. Back then he was in it all for the power and glory, admittedly he still very much was, but he had ‘matured’ into the roll as King of Darkness. He ‘respected’ his underlings, somewhat at least, and listened to what they had to say. He settled disputes, carried out sentences, and all of the traditional stuff that came with the title. Or at least as much as he could stomach.

After a few hours of this he called it a night and let them all out to do whatever it is they wanted while he himself chose to relax. Admittedly Cain Vulsore’s version of relaxing was quite different from everyone else’s. He took to the city and enjoyed himself. A bite to eat here, a bit of torture there, battled an unknown metahuman and thoroughly thrashed the poor girl in more ways than one before drinking her dry and leaving her head for the cops. Something he hadn’t gotten to do in quite some time. In fact, he had just gotten finished with his little mouse when a shadow monster arrived and informed him of something happening at his ‘base’ that required his attention. Apparently, someone had dared to simply walk in as if they owned the place.

Very interested to find out who had the audacity to enter his domain the Lord of Shadows returned home and changed attire. Couldn’t meet the guest while walking around in torn, battered, and bloody clothes. That just wouldn’t do. Walking out onto the stage wearing instead clean black pants and shoes, a purple shirt and his favorite leather jacket, and his Kilij resting in its sheath on his hip, the Lord of Shadows created a throne out of the shadows and sat down while he waited for the individual to arrive. A wait that did not take all that long as they made themselves known walking into the dimly lit interior of the theater. The dark room filled with spikes sharp enough to pierce any man lined the floor rising ten feet. A wooden plank that was four inches wide spread out from the entrance of the theater to where Cain himself resided, as the only means of reaching the main stage where the lunatic resided. All around in the shattered and battered rafters resided the creatures of the night; and if you looked close enough one could swear the shadows themselves were moving.

The voice reached his ears and a low chuckle escaped the lips of the Black King. “That depends on what you’ve heard. But it’s probably safe to assume it’s all true.” Leaning forward in his throne to get a better view of the man, he arched an eyebrow. This was not anyone he had ever seen before and they thought it smart to enter into his domain? They interested him, for now. Whether or not that interest stayed or Cain had them killed was solely dependent on them and how they acted in these next few minutes. “It seems you have me at a loss, you know who I am but I know not who you are. Or why you’re here. Entering the domain of the Lord of Shadows. You’re either very brave, foolish, or both.” Probably both.

The theaters interior was dim, forcing Michael to squint as he entered the place and looked around. Not having any manner of ability to see within the darkness was an uneasy feeling, though nothing that he let show. Showing anything, even if it wasn’t fear was something that was crucial when dealing with the monsters of the night. Death did not fear, that was something that he worked out long ago. Entering the room, he did take note of the spikes that took the place of the floor, bridged only by a long board four feet wide. The fact someone took the time to make this room like this, well they had plenty of time.

Within the dim light he looked to the figure sitting within their throne, reclining much like a bored monarch looking down upon him. Well, that fit the look of a lord at any rate of nothing else did. Offering a confident smile, he  approached regardless, standing on the long plank that extended towards him without a care in this world. The air was filled with tension, and he did expect some kind of conflict to arise at some point, if even half of their tendencies were true. Well, luckily information was on his side, and curiosity tended to stay the hands of psychopaths.

”It’s hard not to hear of the renown Lord of Shadows. You’re kind of a celebrity in the underworld.” He shrugged, letting his attention flit over the other creatures occupying the room itself. ”I’d thought it would be better if I came to you personally, rather than speak through some mouth piece. I don’t want to hazard having someone give misinformation.” He kept the smile up, letting the possible slight towards the lesser vampires spread itself out. Keeping interest upon himself, well that was important for now.

”I had been hoping I could ask a favor of you, something worthy of a powerful vampire like yourself.”

Flattery? Well even he could appreciate something like that. It generally got the person everything they wanted. Cain wasn’t above using it himself if the situation called for it. Of course he generally didn’t think to use it and instead acted out a bit. Violence and anger were just so much easier ways of getting what he wanted. Shows of power are what really moved people, fear was man’s greatest motivator he had found. That however didn’t mean he couldn’t see the charm behind well charm. He also understood wanting to come straight to said person and not speaking through someone else. Cain too usually arrived wherever he wanted to talk to whomever he wanted unpronounced. It was a show of power, that he was the one in charge. That he could just waltz in without a care in the world and assume nothing would happen to him.

Which he realized is exactly what this individual was doing right now, and that made him smile a bit.  This guy knew how to play the game exactly the same way that Cain himself enjoyed playing it. Although, now that he thought about it they were probably not  nearly as brash as he himself was. No fancy displays of power and the like. Just an air of confidence that screamed he was the most powerful man in the room. Which was a lie. As that position belonged to the Lord of Shadows. “Right, flatter will definitely get you far and you’ve come all this way just to see little old me. I might as well indulge your interests.” He leaned a little bit more forward in his throne and had the shadows rise up to surround the plank on each side. They were sturdy and eligible to walk upon, giving him more access to get to the stage. “You seem to have me at a disadvantage however. You certainly seem to know my name but I don’t know yours. So, what are you here for Mr?” He let the question hang in the air and waited for the man’s response.

Michael understood the power of charm, and that was something that he preferred to take advantage of. While fighting was cathartic, it was an annoyance that he didn’t like doing when he didn’t need to. Especially when he couldn’t deal with the battle in a few quick blows. Having Cain listen to him was a good thing, a step towards the right direction really. People like these had ways of thinking, because they were just like him in many ways. ”I’m glad the Lord of Shadows would listen to the wants of a small man like myself.” He said with a soft incline of the head, looking up to the vampire leaning towards him. Unknown identities were something that likely would ruin many things, though his name would likely get some buzz.

”Hyperion, not sure if you’ve heard the name before.” His conquest of the ethereals might not have been known, but likely the vampires would have heard of him usurping The Abyss itself for a short time. He had seemed like an impressive person to many, and Michael did like to believe he was still impressive now of all times. Without fear he stepped onto solidified shadows, feeling them press up against him just as solid. ”I had been hoping that I could be granted the aid of The Lord of Shadows and his vast network of darkness to help me track someone down.”

He smirked, looking up to Cain. ”A pretty red head with transdimensional powers. I’m sure you of all people can help me find this woman.”

Hyperion? With a tilt of his head Cain regarded the individual now in front of him. Sure, he had heard the name whispered here and there. He had eyes and ears everywhere. Although none of them truly saw what happened there had been those who heard wind of what transpired, or some version of it. Their own twist on the story. Whatever the case may have been. The lord of shadows was well informed. A Ti’taen and one that had apparently conquered The Abyss. Sadly not Ibis. That monstrosity was probably still out there somewhere. Sleeping off the wounds dealt to it by the giant ass Caveman thing. Cain shuddered inwardly at the thought of those two monstrosities going at it again. “Little man you are not. But I’d be a fool to just kill everyone that walked in here. Plus you caught my attention, and I’ve already had my fill tonight.”

Not that he couldn’t drink more, and he’d never tried Ti’taen blood. He was actually quite curious as to what exactly it would taste like. Or if there would be any side effects. It was all very fascinating and it kind of made his mouth water at the thought. Sadly, it wasn’t on the menu, at least tonight. No, tonight he had to sit there and listen to whatever it was this being wanted when obviously they could do it by themselves. Or so he thought until they mentioned a red head with transdimensional powers. That caught his attention. He only knew one red head like that. “The Crimson Bitch?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. It was quite obvious that Hyperion had his full attention at this moment. “What do you want with her?” Cain hadn’t been keeping tabs on her in a bit admittedly. The last vampire he had had sent to keep an eye on her, from a distance, had come back as ashes in a box.

Well, he had learned quite a bit from a few words, and that bit was more than he thought he would. There was the near imperceptible shudder, though Michael couldn’t guess what would have caused something like that. ”I’m honored you respect me so.” With a small bow, he composed what he would say from there. He did have to sell things from there, despite him likely seeming like he could do everything himself. That was when the mention of The Crimson Bitch came up, though he could determine that his grandmother was being brought up.

His attention was caught there, and that was all that mattered really. ”No, fortunately I know where my grandmother is. I have...someone else with an equal amount of power i’m looking for.” He said, trying to mull over how he would describe the odd woman that had gathered his interest. ”She calls herself The Weaver, has been going around lately ruckus among a few of higher players around.” He shrugged, seeming as if he was one of those put out people.

”However, when I come close to cornering her she manages to escape. It seems one man alone cannot catch someone as slippery as she is.” For a second he did feel ill at ease putting himself in such danger, though the mask was smooth as ever. ”That is where I come to you, hoping I can get help from the mighty Lord of Shadows. I’m sure you’ll require some payment in return, whether that be blood or whatever. I’m sure I can accommodate you just fine in that department..”

Grandmother? Someone else with an equal amount of power? That was a lot of information that Cain didn’t know beforehand and learning now was very interesting. He knew that Elena had a son, but that said son had a child himself? Well now that was all news to the Lord of Shadows. Mostly due to the fact that he honestly hadn’t cared all that much to dig any deeper. What really caught his attention though was the someone of equal power line. He wasn’t aware that there was someone who had about the same level of power as she did. Of course, it immediately made him think of Vexus, or perhaps even Chelle but neither of them fit the given description. At least as far as he was last aware.  

The given name was not one he had heard of before. The Weaver? Was she some sort of spider lady, did she like to knit things, did she model herself after the Fates from Greek Mythology? There were so many questions, so many different possibilities. To be quite honest they all bored Cain immensely. This ‘Weaver’ lady hadn’t messed with him or any of his people. That he was aware of at least. So, the question was why should he care? The praising that came next was expected, and although nice it alone wasn’t going to work this time. “Tell me, what exactly does this Weaver have to do with me? She has yet to mess with my or mine. I’m quite certain I could find her, none truly stay hidden from the creatures of the night, but I’m going to need a bit more than that to devote time and effort into this man hunt.” The offer of payment was noted and he replied as such. “As for the payment, we can deal with that after the woman is found. Depending on how taxing it is we can negotiate fair payment then.” It may have seemed a bit lax, especially coming from one with a record like Cain but was not someone you crossed.

”Has more to do with you and your entire kingdom than you think.” Hyperion noted, templing his fingers and keeping his look to Cain. There were no expectations that the lord of the night would accept his offer at face value, and that was why proof along with whatever arguments he had. ”Her arrival is a sign of something else. A precursor to something that affects everything, and it’ll affect more than just your stomping grounds.” It would affect everything, but he had no idea how to make it something that this person would care about. Still, it didn’t mean he would ignore the fact that manpower would have to be contributed towards this.

Pacing for a few seconds, he let his attention focus upon the male once again. ”But I can offer any information I have upon her. Last known location, people she’s interacted with and what she’s shown to be able to do.” Feeling the eyes of vampires within the darkness, he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising. ”Payment is no object for me. I was just hoping that you of all people would understand, protecting their domain. If you want me to do something for you first, that can be arranged as well.” He took a deep inhale through his nostrils, and let it hiss out.

A precursor to something else? Something bigger that will effect everything? Cain didn’t believe it. He had seen a lot of ‘bigger badder’ things over the course of his lifetime and had even been a part of a couple of them. Most of them never even ended up being half as bad as they were supposed to be and other times nothing even happened at all. Leaning back in his throne, and crossing one leg up over the knee of the other he moved his hand back and forth as the shadows in the abandoned theater swayed with it. He was interested just on pure principle alone, he loved a good challenge and all and he wasn’t saying that this person didn’t exist. He may not be the best judge of character but this Hyperion truly believed the lady existed. It was more of disbelief that she was as bad as he claimed.

When the prospect of information, actual proof and even the talk of payment or even doing something for Cain himself, got the King of Darkness to lean forward towards the Titan once more. “Information is definitely good, tell me what you know and I can take it from there. The creatures of night are more than equipped to deal with your little problem. Finding one person is not above our abilities. Perhaps I could even be persuaded to stopping her myself.” A grin spread across Cain’s face, his pearly white fangs glistening in the dim light as he ran his tongue across them. “I’ll do it. If only to see what this threat really is, and like I said we can discuss payment after this is all over . . . for now I’ve never had Ti’taen blood. Willing to part with a pint or two?” He asked with a laugh, obviously not expecting him too.