Fathomless: Feral Divinity, Chapter 10
10. The Living Ink
Mauna Temple, 8:25 AM
A'menokai cannot help but smile as she once again feels the familiar stone beneath her feet. The serene, lantern-lit streets of Kali-Pathara gently guide the exhausted group toward Mauna Temple, an immense cave carved into a mountainside which the priestess has considered home for most of her life. As if the perils of Palacio Legado and the Selva Colmillo jungle were not enough, the weary travelers were also subjected to a ten-hour drive hosted by an irritable and very lead-footed elf.
"Mom, I feel sick! Are we finally done driving for the day?" asks a very cranky Chiinah.
"Hey!" Vic cuts in. "It's your fault anyway, you fuzzy little shit. I could have kept both hands on the wheel if I wasn't constantly plugging my nose."
"Vic..." Lacy says.
"Shut up!" Chiinah retorts.
"Try and make me!" Vic bares his fangs.
"Shh." Gabriel holds his hand up as he spots the other members of A'menokai's order.
Despite having no visible lighting source, the stone temple is very well-lit. Upon entering the main chamber, the priestess runs her hand along the smooth wall, allowing its warmth to sink into her pours. A'menokai cannot recall a time when the cave's temperature was not perfect. She'd spent many humid afternoons here as a child, the cool stone floor providing salvation after hours of chasing her little brother throughout the city. Likewise, on Winter days the air itself seemed to act as a blanket, instantly removing the outside wind's bite. The priestess's nostalgia only increases upon seeing her old friend, Raizel, approach. Instinctively, Katie Valamer pulls her hood over her ears.
"Don't worry about that." Raizel says, tenderly pulling the masseuse's hood back.
"It's great to see you." A'menokai says.
"Your face, it's plain!" Chiinah says.
Raizel laughs. "Only one from the order carries the ink." she explains. "How did things go?"
"Fuckin' awesome!" Vic bursts out.
"Vic..." Lacy says, covering Chiinah's ears.
"The immediate threat is removed." A'menokai says. "However we have one who was changed against his will."
"I see, come with us." Raizel says, gesturing to Vic.
As the group is led further into the mountain, Katie finds herself looking at the various wood carvings lining the main chamber. With simultaneously simple and ornate craftsmanship, many of the carvings depict what seems to be a very tall Verra-Iddeo man, his long ears and fangs heavily emphasized.
"I thought you were vampire hunters." Vic tactfully says, addressing exactly what Katie was curious about.
"Such a term can be applied." Raizel explains. "However, our true objective is defense, and only in the event of a threat."
"More than anything, we believe in unification." A'menokai says. "Daghan..." she continues, gesturing toward one of the carvings. "...a Verra-Iddeo man, was in fact the first of our order. It is said that he sacrificed himself to a mysterious power. In exchange, his blood became a powerful equalizer, passed to a young and capable priestess each generation. His logic was that if humans could stand a better chance against the Verra-Iddeo, the vampires may stop viewing us simply as prey, and are more likely to try and make peace. Sadly, the only eras of peace we have so far enjoyed are those in which the Verra-Iddeo clans are preoccupied with fighting each other."
"Why is only one priestess privileged enough to hold these powers?" Gabriel asks. "Why would Daghan sacrifice his life? It doesn't seem a worthwhile return."
"Though only one sister holds the blood-ink, it's much more powerful than anything previously seen by either vampire or human. The higher power could have believed that this was the only true balance, however there is no historical evidence to even begin theorizing. The only evidence of this mystical being, or beings, is that of the faces that form in the ink during select spells. We sometimes call them goddesses, but again, these are just theories." Raizel explains.
As Raizel talks, A'menokai begins the chant, starting with a melodic hum. Soon after, Raizel begins to harmonize with her. The blood-ink upon the priestess's face returns to its living, crimson color. Suddenly, Vic finds himself facing a wall at the very end of the temple, with each and every priestess now chanting behind him. The order forms a line, separating Vic from the crew that he entered with. Gabriel blinks rapidly in disbelief, noting that he never saw the rest of the order even approach Vic; it was as if they simply appeared. The inked priestess raises both hands high into the air, and the chant is over as quickly as it began. The irritable elf falls to the floor, feeling sapped of energy.
"Ugh, I feel like I have the worst hangover! Where do you keep your coffee, anyway?" he asks.
"Vic's back to normal? What about the vampire's curse?" Lacy asks, stepping forward.
A'menokai smiles. "I have taken it from him. It is a spell that can only be done once."
Vic stands up, enraged. "What the hell's the matter with you? Why would you do that to yourself?"
"Preserving life is a responsibility I've accepted. This is something I've been prepared to do since first taking the oath." A'menokai explains. "Mathis BlackMoon tried to forcefully change you into his version of perfection, hardly fair for someone who is only here because of a coffee sweepstakes." The priestess jokes.
"What if more than one of us had been turned?" Lacy asks.
"Eeny meeny miny moe?" The priestess jokes.
Vic looks away, not wishing for A'menokai to see his tears.
"Thank you." the irritable elf says.
Epilogue
Gabriel formed the first ever "Vampire Hunter Special Forces Unit", eventually becoming the highest decorated soldier in his country's history.
Vic had a very hard time convincing his roommate that he had fought vampires, become a vampire himself and been cured of vampirism all in the same vacation, especially after the incident with the angels. As a fighter, Victoria "Flex" Luther is now the world-champion kick-boxer.
Frank Austin is still dead.
Lacy became an honorary member of A'menokai's order, hoping to contribute to vampire-human relations. She has vowed to take the full oath after finishing her schooling, rooming with Katie Valamer and Chiinah in the meantime to help ease their transition into human society. The three of them are currently living across the hall from Vic and Rue.