SWORD OF THE VAMPIRE (1/?)

The Elders tell the story of the Vampire Prince who united the undead
and most of the demon world into a powerful confederation to retake the
earth from the tainted ones.  They still whisper how the Prince even
brought the fabled Slayer into his army, taming her, as he marched
across the old world to end the rule of the tainted ones in what has
become known as the Great War.  Not many outside the vampire and
immortal clans remember what the old world was like before the tainted
ones came, when the "humans" were the dominant species... or so they
thought.  Now it is the Children of the Night who walk the earth as its
undisputed masters, not that the Prince allowed the humans to die off,
they still served a purpose, they are just as much a part of the great
circle as the other races are and deceive the right to live.  After all
isn't that what the Great War was all about?  The rights of humans and
demons to exist... or so the elders say in their ancient tales of the
true Prince of the vampires and his chosen followers, no one but those
select few know for sure.

To the rest of the new order, the Prince is a hero... a king... a god
among the undead who demanded that the stain of the tainted ones be
removed from the earth.  That this was their world long before mankind
every walked and would
be long after man took its last breath.  Then came the other war, the
war that split the Confederation, history had been forgotten and the
Slayer captured by beings calling themselves "The Council of Watchers"
who spoke of a holy war between humans and demons, rewriting thousands
of years of history to serve their own purposes.

Now the Elders speak of the forgotten tales, how the Prince had been
betrayed by the Slayer who the Watcher had so carefully brainwashed,
forever destroying the new order and ushering in the age of Man, with
all other races cast into the shadows to live in fear of the Chosen One
and the Council.  However there are those who still remember the truth,
keeping alive the ancient confederation founded on the steps of the
Temple of Kybele at Ephesus so long ago as the last of the tainted ones
were driven from Mother Earth.  It is the Elders who still believe in
the Confederation, pointing to the prophecy that tells of the Prince's
rebirth and rise to power once more, righting the ancient wrong that
took the Slayer from his side and scattered his trusted warriors to the
four corners of the world.

Me... I'm not sure about the old stories or how true they are, I'm only
concerned with a dying Confederation and the growing threat of these
creatures that have been preying upon our people, claiming an ancient
blood feud.  Can they really be the tainted ones the Elders speak of,
returning to enslave the people of earth once more?  Or are they
something else that threatens both man and demon?  Either way I have
responsibilities to my ragged Confederation and even the humans that
lost their faith in the old ways.  Can I ignore the words of the Elders
placing all my trust in my Advisors who preach caution and the need to
gather our warriors once more?  The immortal clans are little help, not
wanting to enter a long drawn out war that could bring unwanted
attention to us all, not without hope of a better future for us all.

There has to be someway to protect all of our people without sacrificing
countless innocents in the process... maybe it is time to look up
Anyanka, she is close to the Slayer and would be the best among us to
judge if the Chosen One will be an asset or a threat to us in the war I
know is coming.   As for the Prince and his rumoured rebirth, that too
will be looked into... I cannot afford to allow this opportune to slip
away without at least trying to find him.  My continued rule over the
Confederation is unimportant, it is hard to be a king without subjects.

A. Harrington Creed
Proconsul of the Confederation -

******************************

Los Angeles, California -
Office of Wolfram and Hart

"This Angel... he is a vampire with a soul?"  the tall well-dressed man
asked the senior partner seated opposite him.  There was something about
lawyers that the cultured demon didn't like, especially ones that would
sell out their own kind all for money and power.  Maybe he was too old,
but he still believed that one's honour and self-respect were more
important then anything else.  'Humans, their always were a confusing
lot,' he thought with distaste, 'and that is one ugly tie... wonder how
he would look hanging by it?'

"Yes... he's a do-gooder working on redeeming himself for his past
crimes... has proven to be quite bothersome to some of our clients and
to our own business," the human replied almost tasting the promotion he
knew he would get by taking out the vampire in question.

"Really?  Redemption is a powerful thing... especially you have done the
unspeakable," the demon replied wondering how mad the Proconsul would be
if he ripped out the human's heart.  'The things I do in the service of
my leader,' he groaned to himself, wondering how much longer he would
have to stand the company of this lawyer before he could get back to
more pleasurable things.  "Tell me... where can I find this Angel?"

"Ahh... he's recently had to move his offices, his former place of
residence went up in a huge fireball," the human began eager to help out
the demon and, more importantly, get that new corner office he could see
in his very near future.

"No bother... I will find him," the demon replied having grown bored
with the conversation, "our business is at an end... your firm is to
leave the vampire and his people alone... we will deal with him." He
directed dismissing the mortal almost immediately as he headed for the
door.  'Even if he isn't the one we seek, he deserves to find his
redemption,' the demon decided leaving the office without second
thought.

******************************
Hyperion Hotel
Same time -

Cordelia Chase gripped her head as a massive pain shot through her skull
followed closely by one of the visions TPTB had decided to thrust upon
her in order to help Angel in his quest for redemption.  Slowly sinking
to the floor, mentally cursing the sorry s.o.b of a higher power that
decided that she really needed to be a seer, she waited for the vision
to pass so she could break into her stash of painkillers.

"Cordelia!" the small redhead called out in alarm as she stepped off the
staircase and ran to the taller dark-haired woman.  Sliding to her knees
beside her one time nemesis and current... friend? No that wasn't it,
over the years Delia had become so much more to her, but she really
didn't want to think about that now.  First she had to get some Tylenol
into the seer and get the details of her vision... then she could worry
about her confusing feelings for the indomitable Cordelia Chase later,
after they saved the world.

Behind her she could hear running feet as the rest of the hotel's
occupants came into the room alerted by Willow's cry.  "Delia... what
did you see?" Angel said in a low voice crouching down beside the two.
It had been much too quiet lately he told himself, absently wondering if
Wesley's paranoia was rubbing off on him.

After swallowing two extra strength tabs dry, Cordelia took a steadying
breath, "We got big trouble... real big trouble and we are going to need
lots and lots of help."  She said in a shaky voice leaning against the
redhead for support.

******************************
Sunnydale, California
A few hours later -

"Dear god," Rupert Giles said more to himself then anyone else as he
felt his heart drop to his stomach and his blood run cold.  'This can't
possible be right,' he told himself re-reading the prophecy a third and
fourth time, but the words refused to change.  "Anya," he called out,
finally glancing up from the book to find his employee deep in a
whispered conversation with a tall well-dressed man with dark features
and graying hair.

Looking up from his conversation with the former vengeance demon,
Harrington Creed calmly regarded the ex-watcher standing before him book
in hand and a pained expression in his eyes.  "Ah... you've discovered
the prophecy... good that will save me the trouble of having to explain
things to you," the Proconsul said taking a little peek into the human's
mind.

"P-prophecy," Giles stuttered, completely thrown at the stranger's
words.

"About the rebirth of the Vampire Prince and coming of a great evil... I
am here to stop it and want you're help."

"It's okay Giles... he knows all about the Watchers and the Slayer...
doesn't like the Council very much but he's here to help," Anya offered
helpfully, her mind still on Creed's offer to get her powers back in
exchange for her help.  If Harrington Creed was asking for favours
something big was about to happen and she would be insane not to help,
not to mention wind up died if she didn't do everything with her power
to keep the prophecy he was so worried about happening from actually
occurring.  'I can't have orgasms with Xander if we are both dead,' she
reasoned.

"Yes... well we do have a lot to talk about, perhaps we should get to it
and you can judge for yourself," Creed said after a moment, shaking his
head at Anya's thoughts of naked orgasming Xanders.  'Will wonders never
cease?  The former man hating vengeance demon has discovered sex.' He
thought pushing aside the almost absurd thoughts.

End Part One.
 

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