Dawn of Disaster Part 1

Malice raised a wickedly clawed finger. Dark volts of energy gathered around it.

Jason's head was screaming for him to move away, but his body just wouldn't budge. He was scared and mesmerised by the figure before him all at the same time.

The collected energy was released, flying off Malice's finger and zooming off towards Jason.

The dragon slayer couldn't move.

*** *** ***

Malice watched as his Dark Chaos spell was released. The target couldn't move, for the vampire didn't allow him to. The ball of energy was about to collide.

Closer. Closer.

There was a huge explosion, kicking up the desert sand, and Malice waited for it to clear.

What he saw next gave him a shock. There was his target, the slayer named Jason Pendragon, standing tall, sword in hand. The sword was glowing red.

"But...my spell..." muttered Malice, taken aback. It took a few minutes for the fact to sink in, the fact that someone had eluded his perfected Mind Grasp spell. "No matter...you'll still die under my hands!"

*** *** ***

Jason shook his head violently. A familiar voice in his head--his dad's voice--told him, "Do not let dark magic consume you." It was something old Arthur Pendragon would say whenever his son became too in awe with the dark arts. The words gave Jason the strength to fight off the Mind Grasp.

He looked at his attacker. The vampire seemed to be speaking to himself. Growling, Jason raised his sword high, and lunged.

The glowing blade descended, hitting...nothing.

"Wha--ARGH!"

A stinging pain erupted in the back of Jason's head as he tried to process what had happened. He could hear the vampire's laughter.

"No one escapes Malice Jowls!" he barked.

Fighting off the pain, Jason gripped his sword harder. "Maybe I won't escape you, but I will defeat you!" He took a swipe at Malice's legs, but somehow, he missed.

"Friggin' vampire!"

Another pain shot through his body, this time in his stomach. The air was sucked out from Jason's parted lips. His sword dropped in the sand soundlessly.

Malice allowed the young man to fall back onto the earth.

"Defeat me? You can barely touch me!" he laughed sadistically. His red eyes contracted into slits.

"Oh yes I can!" shouted Jason, shooting backwards with a back-kick. He thought he felt his leg collide with something solid, but the feeling didn't last. Turning about, he saw that Malice was gone yet again.

I need you guys, Elfin and Nep! willed the slayer desperately.

Malice reappeared, this time face to face with Jason, but before Jason could react the vampire launched two swift kicks, one at Jason's stomach, the other to his jaw. Both hurt just as much.

Doubling over, Jason cursed, one hand clutching his throbbing stomach, the other searching for his weapon. His fingers touched the heated metal, and moved towards the handle. He struggled to stand, trying his best to keep steady and in battlestance.

Tired of waiting for his opponent to make the first move, Malice grabbed Jason's neck, his claws digging into the warm flesh.

"I will suck your blood dry!"

With a simple motion, Malice threw the slayer far out into the desert. His screams faded into the starless night.

Griephon would be so glad, thought the vampire.

*** *** ***

"My little gremlin, you'll be feeding soon."

Spinning about, Malice took a few steps, then decided to glide. He got tired of gliding and whipped his cape around. Soon he was at the far end of the desert. Jason Pendragon lay beaten on a rock.

He landed, and placed his foot on the dragon slayer's chest. He had heard that the armour was made of Dragomite, a material so tough that only diamond could pierce it, yet it was so incredibly light.

"Let's see if we can crush it," hissed Malice to himself. He stepped hard, applying as much force as possible.

The metal wasn't even scratched.

As Malice swore oaths, applying more pressure to the armour, Jason grabbed his leg swiftly, holding him in place.

"I've heard about teleportation," he wheezed, "and if you teleport with someone holding you that person goes with you." He tightened his grip.

Scowling, Malice kicked his right foot, trying to break free of Jason's hold. But the slayer's grip was tight.

Jason pulled, and Malice fell on his back cursing. Hoisting himself up, the man jumped atop the vampire, sword drawn. He stared down at the pale face.

"Do it! But remember...I'm already dead!" Malice laughed insanely. Jason knew he was right. But he also knew that a stake to the heart could kill a vampire.

And any sharp object could be used as a stake.

*** *** ***

The gremlin waited. It gained more energy and more life with every bit of sadistic glee Malice felt.

It waited. It wouldn't be long.

Pain and Malice

The village soon became a distant memory as the wonderous plains burst forth into desert once more, the sun soon becoming a cursed thing to the trio.

Neptune, who was more used to the coolness of his watery home and shaded forest, hardly had the energy to move on. The number of breaks they took soon doubled, even with the Energy Capsules Elfin provided.

"Curse this heat..." murmured Neptune, his cool voice dropping to a wheeze. The heat was really bad for him.

"Neptune?" Elfin turned to check on his friend. "Neptune? You have to hang in there alright?" The Piscian's body was starting to lose its bluish glow.

"Should we stop?" Jason asked. His lips cracked with each word.

"What do you think?" Elfin asked back.

Jason looked around them. He could see telltale signs of an impending storm. "We can't stop...but..." he trailed off. Neptune was starting to slow down even more.

"How long can you keep up a force field?"

Elfin hesitated, then replied, "Not too long. Half an hour at the most."

It was not enough time for Neptune to recover, Jason knew. Their only hope now was to find an oasis somewhere.

Having spent most of his teenage years travelling in the deserts of the outbacks, Jason knew these places like the back of his palm. Under the guidance of his old mentor, he became an expert in dealing with sand worms, avoiding their nests and foretelling if a storm was approaching. In the outbacks, a sandstorm was normally heralded by incredible temperatures, followed by slight winds that one could hardly feel. The greater those winds were, the more destructive the storm.

"I can't..." Neptune toppled into the heated sand. Jason and Elfin immediately rushed to his side, with Elfin pulling out a Capsule from his Inventi. Jason drew his canteen.

They had to stop. There was no other choice.

"Half an hour," said Jason grimly.

"Half an hour," repeated Elfin as he activated the force field.

*** *** ***

They were called Spires. Tall, dark and menacing structures of black. In the Wastelands, they were the most beautiful things around.

Malice Jowls circled a Spire slowly. Time was at his side. He stopped rather abruptly and with his right hand, reached out to touch the base of the Spire. It was cold.

When Spires were due, they lost their heat completely, leaving their surfaces icy cool, like an ice ball on a white winter morning.

Malice licked his blue lips sadistically. Looking up into the sky, he saw that sunrise was near. He pulled his cape around himself, and tugged harder. He vanished, and in his place was a bat.

A vampire bat.

*** *** ***

Half an hour was almost up.

"Jason! The force field's weakening, we have to leave!" shouted Elfin over the roar of the winds. Jason could hardly see outside the field, for the sand had practically buried them.

"How you feeling Nep?" Jason asked. He had gotten into the habit of calling the Piscian 'Nep' for short.

Neptune replied by nodding. His color seemed to have returned to him.

"The force field's going out!"

A great wave of sand swept Jason onto his back, and the strong winds sent him flying backward. He glimpsed a flash of blue zoom past him like a bullet. The sand cut his cheeks harshly.

More sand. Suddenly, a last huge wave of sand blew over Jason, and the storm stopped abruptly. It was like a fireworks display, except with sand. Seconds later, Jason's vision cleared, and as he rubbed the excess sand out of his eyes, he saw a huge dent in the desert ground. On it was a black figure.

Or rather, floating above it.

A dark cape was draped around the male figure. Blood-red eyes shone, compelling, in the sun. Greasy hair was littered about his ghostly, pale face. As he descended towards the dented earth, the heat of the sun disappeared and immediately ominous clouds blocked out the flaming orb. It became dark as night.

If it weren't for those eyes that drew Jason's attention and refused to let go, the slayer would have noticed that both Elfin and Neptune were gone.

*** *** ***

Malice Jowls' lips curled into a cruel smirk. Fear my wrath, you heavens. Hide from me, sun! he commanded silently.

The clouds immediately took their cue and covered the sun, a hindrance to his limitless armada of spells. Now no longer floating in mid air, Malice whipped his cape away, and it floated eerily in the darkness. The young man before him stared, sitting on the sand, lip trembling.

The vampire's smirk grew wider.

*** *** ***

The Spire started to tremble. A spirit stirred within it, starting to take physical form as the Spire grew colder and colder. The dark surface became transparent, as if the blackness was sucked inwards. An unformed hand pressed against it. Then the face appeared.

It was like a rotting head, with bits of flesh missing here and there. Whatever creature it was, it had pointed ears, like an elf. Not yet ready to hatch, the gremlin waited.

It waited for Malice to feed it.