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When the sun was highest in the sky and beat down upon the badlands like a great unceasing deluge of heat, the [i]kayhin[/i] hovered above the small oasis townof Miha-Rad and began a song that wove the sunrays into blistering sunlight ink. The liquid gleamed as it was sung into little, fist-sized pots of clay that were then stoppered shut, and the thirty or so inkpots were placed into a reed basket which the old [i]kayhin[/i] put over his shoulder as he and Rima-Tinur left the town to search for the [abbr=vampire; lit. cursed thing][i]kiwbur[/i][/abbr].

The heat hammered down on them and Rima was glad that old woman Huna had given her one of those wig-headdresses. “It will do you until I can sit you down and show you how to make your own.” She had assured her, “no self-respecting woman would keep wearing just any old [abbr=wig-headdress][i]yeh-to[/i][/abbr],” she had added with an almost-offended scowl. Somehow Rima suspected that it was not so much the idea of wearing an ill-fitting headdress that inspired her irritation. It was surely taxing on the heart to watch a [i]kayhin[/i] making preparations for the... [i]exorcising[/i] of her son. Rima needed no explanations to understand what that meant.

“Is there no way to fix this without doing that, [i]idda-ta[/i]?” She asked as they left the town and its people behind them and wandered out into the desert. Jur-Boh and several other patrolmen had told them that Minir-Huda dwelled in cave system to the north, seeking shelter there during the day, and so that was where they were headed.

“If the dead can be returned to life, perhaps then a [i]kiwbur[/i] can be made back into a humenak being.” The [i]kayhin[/i] hummed lowly.

“Does that mean... you’re going to kill him?” Silence followed her words as they continued walking at speed.

“Did he not kill his brother?” The [i]kayhin[/i] asked her, at which Rima frowned and nodded, thumbing at her bone staff. “Does he not yet prey upon the people here?” Rima released a tense breath and nodded again. “Is it not so that he can only endure by hunting down those who not so long ago were his blood and kin?”

“Y- yes.” The witch whispered sullenly.

“Then what other way is there of ridding these people of their plight?”

“Maybe we can reason with him. Maybe... I don’t know. There must be some way to show him that what he is doing is wrong. There must be some way of showing him that this kind of thing — this violence and killing and all this... this pain — is unnecessary and meaningless.”

“And do you believe one who slays his kin can be reasoned with?” The [i]kayhin[/i] questioned her. The witch looked ahead and thought back to old Huna’s words on greed.

“Can greed not be reasoned with? Can it not be shown that it is a terrible thing? Terrible for the one who bears it and terrible for all others too? Surely he sees it as it is now — now that he has lost everything.” She glanced at the [i]kayhin[/i].

“Perhaps it can be reasoned with.” The [i]kayhin[/i] intoned simply. “We will not know until we try.” Rima eyes brightened and a smile lit up her face. She came up by his side, locking an arm into his as Huna had shown her the night before, and was in all ways pleased. “But do not be sad if things do not happen as you like, my dear. It is the way of the world.” She pursed her lips regretfully and nodded in but said no more. 

Soon enough the crimson sands and cacti gave way to blood-red rock. Rocky hills and buttes emerged from the red sands. The bare feet of any other peoples would have blistered and cooked on the scorching ground, but the soles of their feet were made thick by the gods just so they could walk the deserts and climb the mountains without fear of harm. Why, had a bed of thorny cacti laid itself out before them as far as the eye could see their hardened feet would carry them safely across.

Amongst the buttes and rocky outcroppings small cave entrances could be seen and the song that rang out from them was neither warm nor comforting but whispered of endless miles and worlds entire beneath the surface of the earth. Rima was not unfamiliar with such caves — for she had grown climbing mountains and navigating their dark, endless interiors. “The caves are as great as the deserts,” the [i]kayhin[/i] had told her, “and if you go wandering you may lose yourself and find you are worlds away. Have patience; you will wander plenty when you are ready.” And though she was a curious child, she had been tempered well by her guardian.

The [i]kayhin[/i] paused now and again as they wove their way over the exposed bedrock and buttes, turning his head here and there as though listening to something before changing direction ever so slightly and continuing. An hour or so of this passed until they came before a gaping crevice at the base of a great butte, and the [i]kayhin[/i] stood listening for a few moments. Here and there the red rock betrayed a red stain, little trails, marks where claws had been dragged through stone. “He is in there?” Rima asked, and her [i]idda-ta[/i] nodded. “Are we going in?” She questioned, and the [i]kayhin[/i] nodded again. He reached into the basket of clay inkpots and picked one out, and the inks emerged with a whisper and he laced it on her face and neck and hands before doing the same to himself, smearing some across his naked chest, back, and legs also.

“Minir-Huda, we have come to make peace with you.” The [i]kayhin[/i] chanted aloud, “so come forth into the mountain-shade and let us speak.” Rima gripped her staff tightly and watched the great crevice for what felt like long minutes. She glanced at her [i]idda-ta[/i], but he was not moving. Then something stirred in the darkness and tenebrous tendrils sloughed from Minir-Huda as he emerged into the semi-darkness of the cave entrance, revealing unnaturally toned muscle, shadowed eyes, and angular features.

[centre][img]https://i.imgur.com/wz0LvPe.jpeg[/img]

[sub][i]Like darkness come into the world
With eyes of night and claws unfurled[/i][/sub][/centre]
“I have no quarrel with you, [i]kayhin[/i]. Take your peace and go elsewhere.” Minir-Huda growled, his lips barely moving.

“And does this all please you, my son? The blood of your kinsmen is on your hands.” The [i]kayhin[/i] chanted.

“Of course it doesn’t please me!” The [i]kiwbur[/i] growled, the darkness beneath his brows deepening. “But it is done. And I only prey on those whose hubris matches the mountains. I am the punishment of the gods — upon myself, first and foremost.”

“Why did you kill your own brother?” Rima suddenly blurted, causing the vampire to turn his head towards her. “Why would you break your mother’s heart like that?” Minir-Huda clenched his fists and smashed the stone-headed hammer he held against the rock wall to his side.

“My brother was arrogant, gloating, cruel. He was not worthy of succeeding my father — may his years be many and joyous. None were safe from his scheming, no woman secure from his roaming hands and eyes. Such as he do not belong among the living, let alone in positions of authority. I saved my people and would have been worthy of leading them. But the justice of the gods is blind, and I accept my punishment with a contented, if heavy, heart.”

“Have you made yourself a god, slaying whom you please and sparing whom you please?” The [i]kayhin[/i] asked. “Have you opened up the hearts of men and peered within to know who is good and to know who is not?”

“Spare me your moralising, [i]kayhin[/i], for I have accepted my punishment and have no need for you to drive a spear into the open wound.”

“You were punished for the killing of your brother, but you have not wearied of killing or repented yet. Will you not cease this?”

“So long as vultures prey upon Miha-Rad, I shall not cease.” Minir-Huda’s nostrils flared as he made his unfaltering declaration.

“Will you not do it for your father? Will you not do it for your mother? You have brought difficulty and shame to your near of kin and they suffer even now.” The [i]kayhin[/i] intoned. Minir-Huda ground his teeth and snarled, throwing something he had kept hidden away in the darkness towards them. Rima watched it roll to the [i]kayhin’s[/i] feet and her eyes widened in horror when what it was dawned on her. The eyes were gored, the skin bloody, the mouth contorted and neck torn and abused, but there was no doubting that it was a humenaki head, perhaps his latest victim.

“I will not grow weary of death until death, at last, grows weary and comes for me.” The vampire hissed.

“You’re... you’re evil!” Rima cried, tears in her eyes. “You have left all the good that life affords and turned to killing and causing conflict and birthing pain!” The world around her shook, the earth trembled. “And you’re not even remorseful!” She screamed, sending a great shockwave towards the vampire, who ducked away and gripped his hammer. The voice of the [i]kayhin[/i] tore through Rima-Tinrur’s anger.

“Calm yourself, my dear, and remember the rule of companionship.” She clenched her fists and knitted her brows, and with difficulty brought calmness to herself. The vampire rose, his dark eyes shifting from them to the distant setting sun as it disappeared at last beyond the horizon.

“You come to my home and throw falsehoods and lies at me, and you attack me at my door. You have torn the peace you professed.” He stood tall, flexing his muscles and revealing the fangs kept hidden behind his lips. “I have no quarrel with those who profess to commune with the gods, but you have now quarrelled with me!” And with that, he exploded from his place and was suddenly above them, hammer drawn back over his head. With a monumental heave and roar, he brought it crashing down upon the [i]kayhin[/i], who raised his arms above his head protectively. Just before the stone hammer landed, however, it came to a sudden halt — as though crashing against a boulder. 

The vampire landed just as Rima shoved him in the stomach with the butt of her spear. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, before grabbing the spear from her hands with unnatural speed and power and skewering her right through the stomach. Her eyes widened in shock and a gasp spurted from her lips as she stumbled back in pain and confusion. With that dealt with, Minir-Huda turned back to the [i]kayhin[/i], whose usually deadpan face was marred by knotted brows. He reached into the basket at his side and drew two inkpots, launching them both at the vampire in one motion. With a scoff, Minir-Huda smashed them both with a swing of his hammer, and his eyes widened as sun ink splayed out. He dropped the hammer and immediately disappeared, distancing himself from the lethal substance.

“Sunlight,” he hissed, giving the [i]kayhin[/i] a wary look. Without response, the naked [i]kayhin[/i] — dripping with ink and paint —  raised his arms. The basket at his side exploded as a great deluge of ink emerged and flared all about him as though they were the tendrils of the sun. One such tendril snaked out towards Minir at speed, but the vampire was quicker and rapidly retreated towards the cave entrance and disappeared beyond. With the monster gone, the [i]kayhin[/i] leapt on a breeze and was immediately by Rima’s side, whispering to the staff and bloody wound.

“Does it hurt?” He hummed. She looked at him, sweat on her brow.

“Th- there is no pain.” She whispered stoically. The knot in the [i]kayhin’s[/i] brow unravelled and he almost smiled.

“That is good.” He murmured. He took a deep breath and paused, and then began to whisper a singing prayer to the wound. “I call on you, Ura ʿAliaa, who is the balm of wounds, to lend my voice a healing word that’s with your will attuned. The blood is surging outwards now, the flesh lies broken by, and if your favour does not fall then watch her spirit fly. She is a girl, great sunlit god, her life beneath the sun... is not yet over nor are her years of wandering done. So bless her heart and kiss her flesh and let her rise anew – I of myself can do nothing; such power comes from you.” And as he sang the flesh began to fold on itself, the blood to wander back, and all that remained to speak of the wound was the hole in the poncho — there were not even bloodstains left.

With that, the [i]kayhin[/i] rose and made his way towards the cave entrance. “It may be better for you to wait out here, my dear.” He said as Rima came up behind him, her staff in hand.

“No, I want to come with you. I will keep calm, I promise. And I won’t use any [i]kawnnisaj[/i].” She insisted.

“Very well.” And placing the sun ink before him to light the way he stepped inside, and Rima followed. Things were always more blurred in the dark, but beyond that it was no more difficult than seeing in the light. The [i]kayhin[/i] seemed to know exactly where he was going as they descended further and further into the earth. The trickle of water could be heard, far off droplets echoing through the winding routes of the caverns. Insects and worms writhed beneath their feet, and their song of darkness rose muffled in this their earthy shelter against the sun. But the sun had come into the darkness, and it was all they could now do to escape.

Eventually the cavern route opened up into a great chamber at the heart of which was a small pool of crystal-clear water. Stalagmites rose from the ground, stalactites hung above, and by one pillar-like stalagmite stood Minir-Huda. He glanced over with a frown, before leaping across the ground towards them. He heaved a rock without pausing and flung it right at Rima, but tendrils of sun ink shot forth and plucked the flying thing out of the air, setting it safely on the ground. The ink itself was no longer quite as bright as it had been outside and was clearly starting to lose some of its heat. The coolness and darkness of the cave were causing it to lose its qualities at speed — for ink was not meant for this kind of usage and usually held its properties for far longer when kept out of adverse environments or set to something.

Inky tendrils whipped out at the vampire, closely followed by swirling orbs that dashed at him. Minir-Huda leapt behind stalagmites or dodged the lethal strikes with inhumenaki speed. His clawed fingers ripped through rock and sent projectiles flying at Rima and the [i]kayhin[/i], who slammed them away in his swiftly decreasing sunlight ink. Minir-Huda seemed to see this, and came out into the open, dodging more of the ink as he swiftly leapt towards the [i]kayhin[/i], the glint of death dancing in his eyes. At the last moment, however, he changed direction unnaturally and his fingers hooked into Rima’s clothing — avoiding her ink-laced neck. She was torn from her feet as the beast of flowing muscle dashed away without stopping and found shelter from the ink behind a rock. The girl struggled in his grip and attempted to tear herself away, but he held her down and remained alert, listening for the whistling of ink towards him.

After a few seconds, he realised that the girl had stopped struggling, and he glanced down just in time to see her bring her spear to bear and strike out towards his face. Twisting his head away with a grunt meant the spear missed it but tore through the right side of his neck. He glared down at her for a few seconds, and with one movement caught the spear in his mouth and tore it apart. He grabbed the useless stalk left in her hand and smacked her across the face with it, eliciting a shocked gasp and causing blood to burst from her cheek, before launching it at the [i]kayhin[/i] and leaping behind another stalagmite, his blood and her blood dripping everywhere and sun ink raining all around.

He nestled himself in a small crevice, his nostrils flared and eyes on her odd iridescent blood. She raised her hand to grab his face, and he immediately detected the sun ink there. With a lazy movement he grabbed her by the wrist and placed it against the bedrock above, then hooked her other hand and settled it alongside the other. Bringing his mouth to her cheek, he noted the ink interlaced with blood there, and roughly wiped the offensive stuff away with the fabric of her poncho. Before he could do more, however, the [i]kayhin’s[/i] whispers reached him from close by. A shadow fell on them and Minir-Huda looked up to find the [i]kayhin[/i] floating above, an arrow of sunlight hanging before him. There were a few silent seconds, and then it tore towards the vampire at near-point blank range. Yet with tremendous agility and strength the beast rolled over and brought the girl between him and the arrow, and it splattered harmlessly against her back.

The [i]kayhin[/i] seemed unfazed however, and a deep chant emanated slowly from his mouth. The cavern shook from its weight, the rocks trembled, and Minir-Huda felt his body stiffen and move against his will. Before he could comprehend what was happening, his body left the ground — the girl was torn from him, his grip on her forcibly relaxed by the [i]kayhin’s[/i] strange magic. He levitated before the [i]kayhin[/i], scowling furiously at the expressionless painted man and striking out at him with audible grunts. But he was simply too far. The [i]kayhin[/i] reached into his basket and emerged with an inkpot. Minir-Huda’s scowl deepened when he saw it, and he ground his teeth in fury. “No!” He barked. “I’ll not die here [i]kayhin[/i]!”

“All things are fated towards termination.” The impassive [i]kayhin[/i] chanted. The vampire’s struggling increased, his screams of frustration echoing through the chamber until his eyes fell upon the girl who was staring at him with pity and anger. His eyes snapped to the fingers of the [i]kayhin[/i] as he removed the stopper and drew the lethal ink out.

“W-wait. I...” he glanced back at the girl. “I will repent. I won’t kill anymore. I will make peace.” The naked [i]kayhin[/i] did not stop drawing the ink from the clay vessel and seemed to pay the words no heed, so the vampire directed his words at the girl. “I only wanted to make the world a better place. I wanted to [i]rid[/i] it of evil, not bring about evil. But I can see that I was wrong. I was blinded by my anger. You must believe me — I will make amends.” He looked desperately at the now approaching ink, and shrunk back. “No, please! Tell him! Tell him to stop! I will make peace like you wanted — tell him!” 

The girl looked to the [i]kayhin[/i] uncertainly. “[i]I- idda-ta[/i],” she whispered hoarsely. He did not look at her, but the sun ink ceased moving towards the vampire.

“His song unveils the lie, my dear. You must listen closely.” The [i]kayhin[/i] crooned. She glanced at the vampire.

“Even so, I [i]want[/i] to change. I don’t want to be a killer — I never wanted to be.” The vampire pleaded, glancing between the two of them.

“You promise to kill people no more?” The girl asked him.

“Of course,” he nodded.

“The gods hear all, Minir-Huda. Those who are to their oaths untrue earn ire over ire.” And with that he was set down and released from the song’s grip. The [i]kayhin[/i] turned away without a word and floated off. The girl looked at Minir-Huda with a slight frown, and the muscled humenaki looked at her. After a few moments, he approached and extended a hand to her face — she stiffened and took a wary step back, but he hushed her calmingly and traced the breakage in skin across her face. He brought her shimmering blood close and inspected it, sniffed at it, then tasted it. He frowned, retched, then spat it out.

“Tastes divine. Reeks of death and [i]kawnnisaj[/i].” He said. “Why didn’t you fight back? You’re no normal girl if that’s what flows through you.” She glanced behind her, where her [i]idda-ta[/i] had disappeared back into the passageway they had emerged from.

“I wish you peace, Minir-Huda.” She said, ignoring his question. With that she turned away and went scrambling after the [i]kayhin[/i].

“Wait. Girl, woman, whatever you are. Tell my father and the other patriarchs that I wish to speak with them and make my peace.” She turned back to him, surprise on her face.

“You weren’t lying?”

“Well, not [i]entirely[/i]. And now... not at all. I do not regret killing Anar-Huda — my brother was evil, not I. But I have no wish to be away from my people and shunned from them. I will make my peace, whatever the cost.”

“Then come,” she smiled and ran back to him, taking him by the hand and pulling him behind her.

“Gods, you’re a weird one.” He muttered but did not resist.

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[indent][list][*][hider=Summary]Rima and the kayhin wander out into the desert to track down the vampire, Minir-Huda. The kayhin prepares small clay (ink)pots filled with sun ink, which function as anti-vampire grenades. When they track down Minir-Huda to his lair and speak with him (as Rima is adverse to killing him) the talks quickly descend into hostilities.
Minir-Huda gores Rima with her own spear and runs back into his cave, and the kayhin hunts him down into a chamber where they fight it out until the kayhin bests him and is about to kill him. But then Minir-Huda agrees to make his peace and so is spared. He accompanies the kayhin back to the Miha-Rad.[/hider]
[*]
[hider=Prestige]+5 Points to Rima-Tinrur (~21,500 chars) - 15 points in total.
+5 points to the Circle of the Turning Away ~21,500) - 20 points in total.[/hider]
[/list][/indent]