Team of Seven Heroes Short Tales 4 Chapter 2

2.

Senior

The streets in the night at Cairo was quiet after the call of prayers from the mosques, and most people have retired to their homes for their supper or their beds for the dawn of the next day. It was not so the young man then named Abraham Van Helsing. He was putting on his dark jacket over his tunic and pants of the same shades, with the waist belt holding the seven wooden stakes there. He had on both his forearms the leather cover to protect him from the slashes and on his both his hands he held the gauntlet with the build in metal three pronged hooks for scaling the walls that was once used by his father. The metal hook is spring activated with a length of twenty feet of wire. His face was uncovered but the thick beard there lent him the needed camouflage for the darkness.

Abraham looked to the skyline and make out the Citadel as his landmark. It was to his left with the moon on the right. He needed that to navigate his way in the city. He then stepped to the window and looked out into the street. It was deserted and the time to act was then.

“Travel safe, hunter.” Abraham heard the older man who was dressed in the thick robe and walked with the cane to support his weakening legs. He was the High Priest of the Guild and they have a problem which only a person like Abraham could help.

“He will be, Tarik. I know him well.” The other answered for Abraham. His name is
Ali Mina Osis. In Cairo, he was named the Master of the Arts. The master there looked at the man he had brought in from the cold northern continent to his homeland. He knew that despite his skills and with the Guild strength, the Devil still roamed the streets of Cairo then. He knew Abraham Van Helsing then as an adversary for both had mistaken each other for their hunts, and later became good friends.

“The Zhaitan of my lands are no different from yours. They sneaked out in the dark and hunt their prey. They drink the blood and discard the lifeless body.” The master recalled one of their many discussions but that one augmented their relationship to a deeper bond. They were seated in the tavern overlooking the river of Seine at Paris. The other was feasting on the stew with bread but the master had declined the food. He was careful of his meals to ensure that they are suitable for his faith.

“I have studied your demons form the archive of our records. The Van Helsing have not travelled far south but we have entertained brothers of the hunt from there. We have also entertained the ones from the Far East where the ships voyaged to now. Nothing is foreign to us in the records.”

“And you must come then, my good hunter. I have a hunt for you. We have a Shaitan that had evaded our traps and killed two of our best. We called it ‘Apep’ the Lord of Chaos. As we speak now, the Lord of Chaos have found followers that will do chaos in its name.”

“I am a demon killer and not a …. cult leader killer. I vanquished the demons for they are not of our being.” Abraham replied then. “I hunt the Vampires the Werewolves, the Banshees and even the Harpies but another human who believed himself as the demon is not my preference.”

“Apep or the Lord of Chaos may sound like another of us but its powers are not. It had defied our magics and even those we use of Man have denied its death. We think that the one we hunt may be of your kind; the blood drinker Lord. He may be here and not heard of at your land.”

That was enough to bring Abraham to Cairo. He jumped off the window and landed on the street below. He then took off for the nearby towers. For him to find the demon, he needed a vantage high point. He climbed the walls using the metal hooks. Soon he was perched above at the tower top looking at the city roofs. He knew that the night was early but there was no set schedule for the demon to appear but it did. It was the late hours when the night air was colder and the alert of the watchers was getting weaker. The demon was seen when the dens of bats were disturbed from their restful hunt of the night. He then spied the movement of a figure running across the flat roofing of Cairo’s huts. The figure was agile and swift in the movements. He noticed the figure was in pursuit and not fleeing. He moved his sight the front and saw the pursuer figure. It was too far to make out the shape but the later was as agile and swift but there was a difference. It had not the flight of wings but appeared to slither on the surfaces. Its frame crooked to the bends and lengthen for the walls height.

Abraham knew that was no blood drinker but still a demon. He leapt off the high tower with his arms spread out widely, and then with a pull of his thumbs, he released the canopy build into his shirt and he was able to swoop like the eagles. He moved his flight towards the prey and then swooped downwards. The arrow released by the pursuer almost hit Abraham on the chest but he avoided it when he turned his body. The turn made him lose height and he went crashing down. He pressed the switch to release the canopy and the used it like a floating carpet for the descent. He jumped at the last few feet and landed on the street to face the one who had shot him with an arrow.

“State your intention or faced my wrath.”

Abraham found himself facing a figure dressed in dark shades covered from the head to the feet with the narrow slit for the eyes. The figure was armed with the scimitar on the belt, the bow with the quiver of arrows, with the various smaller weapons attached to the belt that was slung across the chest. The figure had notched the arrow there on the bow aimed at him.

“Only to hunt demons and your wrath is not of my concern as yet. Its your life I am concerned on.”

Abraham rushed forward with his sight on the demon slithering down the wall behind the dark figure. He saw the figure too but it was to turn and then from the half-crouched posture, the bow was aimed at the slithering demon on the wall. The arrow released with force impacted on the demon in the midriff which was protected by scales. The demon fell to the ground and then it stood up. The demon stood at over six feet held a gaunt frame making it looked like a tree trunk than a human figure. The arrow was in the trunk of the demon.

Abraham had then jumped over the dark figure and landed with the metal hooks on his hands slashing at the demon from the neck to the lower part of the trunk for a body. The demon screamed and then slithered upwards with such swift moves. Abraham reached out once more to sink the hooks onto the demon back with the right hand. He then pulled hard at the demon to bring it down.

“The Demon’s army.” The dark figure called out to Abraham. “Run!”

The dark figure notched in the arrows and fired in succession three arrows at the approaching army of the demon. There were six of them and were armed with scimitars and spears. It was a crude army but the terror of that army was those were not living beings but of scales covered bodies. The three arrows found their marks but the remaining three had reached the dark figure. The dark figure slung the bow and pulled out the sword. The figure held the scimitar with both hands drawn across the chest. The scimitar swung out and with the blade smeared with blood that was not of red in shade but green. The figure then moved forth and with the scimitar thrust at the second attacker in the throat and then the right leg went out to kick the dead attacker to pull the blade out.

“You are slow.” Abraham had slashed the last attacker with the hooks with both hands doing the crisscrossed attack stance. That move slashed the throat on both sides and tore the veins there.

“And our demon fleeing here.” It appeared so but then the demon fell back onto the ground writhing in pain. It had landed at Abraham’s feet.

“The black adder venom will paralyse the body.” Abraham then thrust the hook on his right hand into the face of the demon. The hooks cut in deep and the demon stopped writhing.

“And who may you be?” Abraham Van Helsing was asked then.

“Abraham Van Helsing.”

“Hasnah Isis, the daughter of the trader ….”

“Master of the dark arts, Ali Mina Osis, I am fully acquainted.” Abraham replied. “I am glad to meet you.”

“Glad and not honoured? I am amused.” The figure pulled back the hood and lowered the mask. It displayed her beauty.

“I apologies. I am indeed honoured.”