The homunculi shield wall parted just wide enough for their spears to jab forward; stabbing directly towards Kain’s chest. Their points neared the skin but past not through flesh but through mist, the vampire’s body dissolving into vapour that past harmlessly through their weapons.
Swiftly the mist slide past them, filtering through the gaps in their defence. Behind their backs it condensed once more; Kain emerging out of his unique dark gift and slammed his talons into the backs of two homunculi.
The stinking liquid that filled up the terracotta soldiers burst out from the wounds, splattering down over Kain’s arms. He drew his hands back and let the two puppets collapse to the tram roof with a clatter.
Another came at him from behind with a sword but he dodged the swing easily and with a backhanding jab he knocked the weapon out of the homunculus’ hand. Unarmed, the puppet tried to attack him with mere fists. Kain contemptuously punched the homunculus in the face, caving its head in.
“Mors Morturbirus indeed.” He declared almost jubilantly. “For death is mere entertainment for the dead!” 
Unfazed by the words the remaining homunculi closed in to flank him, one on the left armed with more spears and another with an axe. Dimly Kain realised he hadn’t fought a homunculus with an axe before. Those to the right had short swords all held in perfect unison, the movements identical.
They came at him all at once. Kain struck them first though, quickly tackling a homunculus with a sword and crushing its head in his grip. As its grip on its blade slackened he grabbed the weapon and spun, lashing out at a homunculus stabbing at him from behind.
Its head was sent spinning away from its body in a smooth arc, trailing its liquid insides. Kain grabbed the body and swung it around, smashing it with all his strength into three homunculi with shields held protectively together.
The four of them went flying over the edge of the tram with a tremendous crash and vanished from sight.
Kain called those of the homunculi who had more elaborate armour ‘officers’ because they stood apart from the battle and seemed to be directing it more then participating. He did not know whether this was so as homunculi had nothing inside their heads but liquid but the one who had arrived with the others had refrained from entering the fight so far.
It was standing off to one side beside the metal hook that kept the ram upon which they all stood attached to the rail above.
By now Kain had cut their force in half. Only six regular homunculi were left now. Quickly reduced to five as Kain sliced one across the belly with the sword he had acquired, cutting it in half.
The officer seemed to come to a decision as another of its soldiers fell to Kain as he ran it through the chest, cleaving upwards until it rent it apart at the shoulder.
It turned and then became climbing the metal claw, grasping onto the rivets as handholds to pull itself up. Kain kicked a homunculus down at it tried to run at him and looked up, seeing the officer climb higher and higher until it reached the top.
One there and secure of its footing it took out its own blade.
Kain recognised the very real danger he was in immediately.
Desperately he leapt up, catching a homunculus on the shoulders and using it as a stepping stone he vaulted up onto the metal protrusion. The vampire began to climb as fast as he could, struggling to get to the officer and kill it.
The officer ignored him and began to slash and saw at the cable above with the blade. The cable itself was made of twisted metal and the swords the homunculi used were probably made of the same material.
It only took the thing about three sharp tugs for its blade to severe through the moving cable. The line snapped, whipping like a struck snake back upon itself. The tram began to fall.
Kain reacted on the only instinct that came to mind in that frozen moment of panic. He leapt as high as he could go, reaching out until his hand connected with the retracting cable.
His talons tightened around the cable and he was torn away, flying through the air. He shut his eyes and clung to the cable with all his strength.
He must have flown for some distance at some speed for when he connected to the stone wall it seemed to jar every bone in his body. He felt at least two ribs fracture and another break completely.
If he had been human the impact would have killed him. Dazed from the crash, Kain struggled to maintain his grip on the now thankfully slack cable. Reaching up painfully with his free hand he clasped onto it, slowly pulling himself up.
The vampire had fed well upon leaving the slave level and his surplus of energy began to mend some of the damage. His head cleared enough so that he could look back.
The tram was still falling, tumbling down with the homunculus falling with it.Down they tumbled, down and down until…
.
“Few events in my time have left me as shaken as this, watching the void consume the homunculi. They fell through not into a chasm but into oblivion, passing into the darkness and ceasing to exist.”
.
As they struck the black abyss below they vanished, crumbling to utter dust the moment they made contact. Then even the dust shrivelled and vanished so that within the space of a single instant nothing was left.
Kain was left slightly shaken by the fact that he had narrowly avoided sharing their fate.
Grimly the vampire set himself to his task, pulling himself up along the wall with the dangling cable as his lifeline. He had to hurry.
.
“With the loss of my watchers whomever Othiel answered to would know I had escaped. If I wanted to enjoy my new found freedom I had to press on.”
.
It was a long climb up and Kain was sweating hard by the end of it. Eventually however he pulled himself up and into the tunnel through which the tram would have once travelled. The wide passage led on for some distance, curving to the right.
With not other recourse Kain followed it, stopping at another precipice.
There he stopped, simply to stare his fill.
. 
“Churning gears of an alien clockwork greeted me as I entered, spinning slowly to turn the great machine of arcane construction.”
.
“What manner of place is this?” Kain asked himself in a mixture of axe and revolution.
In vast rows all the way up to the high ceiling were stone moulds, their indentations the size and shape of a man. Between them ran metal gulley’s that had adjoining nozzles poised over each and every one.
Behind the rows of moulds were perhaps a dozen large cylindrical containers, each one as large as a manor house. They moved ponderously from left to right, pausing at intervals, thick steam rising from their open tops. With each pause a small round porthole was opened in their base.
Out from the doorway poured a yellowish liquid that Kain recognised as the same stinking ichors that filled the homunculi. It flowed down the metal gullies, trailing thick white smoke as it ran. It fed into the nozzles and began to fill the man shaped moulds. Once one layer was done the stone pressed down with a loud kiss, more steam issuing forth in a cloud.
Kain walked down a series of twisting stone steps to the floor of the factory, for what was what he guessed it had to be, and walked amongst this strange equipment as the process of pouring and filling moulds was repeated over and over.
.
.
 “As I watched I came to realise what this place was. This was a forge, a production facility built to create the foul homunculi. Magic and science were combined in this machine to bind them together; a factory to build the soldiers of heaven.”
.
.
This facility seemed able to mass produce homunculi at a phenomenal rate and there was no guarantee there were not more such places elsewhere in Fanum-Divus. With such industry at his command Raziel-Divus could have quite literally millions of the terracotta dolls to summon at a moment’s notice.
“My my my, you got this far already?” A smooth and cultured voice asked from behind him.
Kain spun, talons arched apart and ready for an ambush. He saw nobody and the voice had stopped before the echo could pinpoint the speaker.
“You certainly live up to your reputation.”  The voice continued and Kain looked around again trying to find his observer. “I hadn’t intended for you to escape the slave pens until much later. Othiel let you have too much freedom.”
Kain looked up to see a shape perched on the highest level of moulders directly above him, a vaguely humanoid shape at this distance. “No matter though.”
“If you have something to say to me don’t liner in the shadows.” Kain called up with a scowl. “Come forward and speak.”
The lingering stranger chuckled in amusement.
“Direct and to the point.” It observed dryly. “Very well.”
The shadow vaulted over the side and dropped down towards him, large raven black wings wafting out to slow its fall. Kain started at the sight of them and several steps backwards.
The being that landed before him was undeniably an ancient vampire like Janos and Raziel-Divus. He was not quite as tall as Kain and far leaner, wearing an elaborate white robe with an open chest. Silver bracers were strapped to his wrists.
What really grabbed Kain’s attention was the tattoo covering the right hand side of his face, an elaborating decoration that spread out from around the eye.
The stranger paused to tidy his hair and smiled the kind of smile Kain always had contempt for, the slick smile of someone who wants to hide something from you. It had been Moebius’ natural expression.
“My name is Asmoedous-Divus.” He said by way of introduction with a dramatic flare of one hand.
Kain’s scowl deepened.
“Othiel has mentioned you.” He said grimly. Asmoedous looked at him and then sighed.
“The child must really learn to control her loose tongue.” He mused in resignation and then shrugged. “Well then that means we don’t have to waste time on needless introductions and can get straight down to business.”
So this was the one Ophiel served, the one who had ordered him saved from the ether and restored to health. Kain had not known what to expect of his latest benefactor but this fawning pretty boy was definitely not it.
“Politics of your realm aside, your god has ordered my destruction.” The vampire said. “Your king tried to ensure that himself.”
Asmoedous snorted derisively.
“Raziel-Divus is a coward.” He replied with a disgust that was more then sincere. “A fawning religious sycophant doing everything he can to bend fate until it breaks.” Asmoedous flicked some hair out of his hands negligently with a talon.
“His efforts are futile and he knows it but he tries all the same, driven by a fear and anxiety that floods his entire being.”
A sneer parted his lips.
“He disgusts me.”
Kain regarded him for a long silent moment. He didn’t really trust anyone in this game. He had not even been entirely truthful with Raziel on some issues and he would be an utter fool to take anything this Divus said at face value.
“You saved me merely to spite him?” The vampire asked. “You risk your god’s wrath for something so petty?”
Asmoedous spreads his wings wide and then resettled them against his back in response, fluttering them as they settled. Kain recognised the gesture as one of agitation. Ajatar had done something very similar whenever she was vexed. That reminded him. He had to learn the fate of Serioli when he had the opportunity.
“Of course not.” He replied. “I have plans for how to put you to use.” The ancient then spread his hands with a faint smile.
“And ‘god’s wrath’ as you put it, is as subject to politics as the rest of us. He is…” Asmoedous paused, considering. “...busy… and so his wrath falls only on those he is irritated enough to notice.”
“He is your god and yet you say he is not omniscient?” Kain asked. Ophiel had not made a large issue about her devotion to the false god but she had pledged herself to him when asked. Asmoedous appeared to be of higher rank then her and was dismissing the deity with casual disinterest.
“If he were every homunculus in Fanum-Divus would be converging on you this very second.” Asmoedous said still with that amused smile. “He has many eyes and ears but if one avoids them, his notice is not drawn.”
Kain wondered how much of that was true. He had discarded the idea of the false god having true divine powers but obviously its sight extended far.
If the cephalopod’s sight was truly limited why was a Divus telling him so?
 “I find it odd you are a Divus and you belittle the power of your god.” He said out load.
Asmoedous blew air in a snort and rolled his eyes.
“I serve him and pay respect to him not because I am under any illusion to his true nature, but rather because doing so gives me power.”
He raised his talons and began ticking off a list.
“I am immortal and I sit in the high councils of heaven itself. That is something I would bend my knee to anyone for.”  He grinned at Kain. “Surely you can respect a man’s ambition?”
“Not when it’s entirely self serving.” The vampire retorted. Asmoedous looked at him down the barrel of his nose, half closing his eyes.
“Your statement reeks of hypocrisy, Kain.” He said. Kain managed a frown with enough irritation to defend his point.
“My ambition to create a Vampiric empire was not just for myself but for all my kind.” He stated. “If I benefited so did they.”
Asmoedous laughed out load, rolling his head back. It was almost a hysterical cackle.
“Don’t deceive yourself.” He said with mirth, pointing a talon at the vampire almost accusingly. “You weren’t standing up for the oppressed vampires. You weren’t their savour coming to rescue them. Altruism wasn’t that prompted you.”
The grin on his face turned vicious.
“It was greed, pure and simple.” He said. “Just like me.”
.
“I wanted to deny the accusation. I had acted for the good of all vampires hadn’t I? In creating my empire I had delivered them from oppression and persecution, set them forever free from the threat of extinction.”
.
He opened his mouth to do just that. Nothing came out.
.
“The sophistry of such a rationalisation was so palpable it stuck in my mind before it even made it to my tongue. Of course it was not true.”
.
He had always regretted the self serving ambition which had driven him to conquer Nosgoth once he had learned of his true potential but he had justified it in his own mind under the pretence of necessity. But Asmoedous was perfectly correct. That was nothing more then an illusion constructed for his own benefit.
.
“I had desired dominion, control and respect. Any benefit that my people had gained at my success had been entirely coincidental.”
.
Asmoedous’ smile widened, showing off his fangs.
“There, now that we understand one another…” He began and started forward. He offered Kain his hand. “…there is something I’d like to show you.”