“Animals… predators… that was the fate of the vampires native to this time. Having inherited the corruption of Nuraptor through Kain the clans had devolved, adapting to their environments but loosing their rational minds. The Rahabim had overcome the acidic touch of the water but their tolerance to sunlight was now so flimsy they were confined to being almost entire nocturnal.”
.
 “Is this what has become of the vampires in all this time?”

“I.. I never imagined they would revert to this…”

“Its no less than they deserve.”

“Look at them, it’s horrible.”

The buzz of disgusted conversation ran through those watching the Rahabim. Some looked on them with plain disgust, others in macabre fascination. As such, it was only a chance noise from the far side of the deck that alerted the crew to the attack from behind.
Spinning about, one of the guards saw the aquatic vampires surge over the side of the deck attempting to catch them from behind. With an angry shout he whirled, firing back over the heads of the startled scholars to blast a vampire directly in the chest. The Rahabim fell back to the floor of the deck with a high pitched squeal, the shot scorching through his body until it reached the heart. The other continued around it, hardly even noticing the loss of their fellow. 
“They’re coming onboard, quickly kill them!” The guards formed another defensive barrier, whatever could be spared from the first attack going to the aid of those fending off the second.
Raziel watched the fighting, finding himself poised in a crevice of indecision. His dilemma was an absurd one. Did he help one side in the fight? His aid would tip the battle one way or the other.
And if he did decide to interfere, who would he side with? The Hylden or the Rahabim?
He had no love for either side.
The blue wraith felt he should do something in response to this incident. With this his plan to remain hidden would definitely have to be abandoned. He could not remain hidden in this chaos.
But he did not know what to do until he looked over to see more Hylden coming out from below decks to rush to the aid of their fellows.
It was possible that if he helped cause enough carnage on deck then Marduk would eventually be forced to come out of his sealed cabin to defend his ship. Once he did Raziel could have him down in a moment.
It was a crude plan but promised results and results were what counted.
His mind made up, Raziel leapt forward from the bow of the ship and came down into the back of one of the Hylden guards. His talons bit down deep into the flesh but instead of cutting he flowed down into the body, using the gift he had taken from Shamash to merge with the body and usurp it for his own.
The Hylden body jerked left and right in resistance but soon he had it under his control. Once he did Raziel whirled around and began firing into the other guards with the rifle the hijacked body still held.
Two went down, struck in the head with their skulls exploding into bloody fragments with pieces of brain flying off in all directions.
Using this opening, the Ruhabim charged past the defences to attack the startled Hylden crew behind.
Some of the vampires had even climbed up to high positions on the railing. From those vantage points they reared back their heads, their frills vibrating before their vomited forth water they were holding inside their throats. Water, projected at a high pressure, has just as much force behind it as a cannon ball.
Several Hylden were knocked from the side of the side, falling over the rail and into the waves. Even as they struck the waves, slimy arms with webbed hands reached out to drag them struggling under the surface.
“Cousin, what are you doing?!” One of the guards asked, reaching and grasping the body Raziel was operating by the arm.
At that joint Raziel abandoned the body, surging up out of the corpse and lashing out with his talons. They sliced through the flesh of the neck and sent the head flying off.
The two bodies dropped down to the ground, one with a neck stump pumping blood over the deck and the other turning to dust.
Seeing him as simply another potential meal, a vampire to one side disengaged from the fight with the Hylden and lunged at Raziel. He side stepped, arching backwards and catching the Rahabim across the chin with his foot. The kick knocked the creature backwards and as it stumbled, Raziel sent a projectile of telekinetic force into its head. The impact was enough to cause the head to explode.
Raziel went into the melee, killing indiscriminately. He wanted as much bloodshed on either side as possible.  He brought down Vampires and Hylden alike, sparing neither side until blood began to drip off the sides of the deck to fall into the ocean. More Rahabim swam along in its wake like a school of sharks.
Eventually he was rewarded for his efforts. Marduk did indeed come out on deck, squeezing up out from below followed by two scholars at either side.
Fighting him coming, Raziel broke the neck of the Hylden he was fighting and spun about to face him.
Marduk’s gaze was on the general carnage and so he did not see Raziel, who dropped the corpse and quickly began making his way across the deck.
Two vampires stood between them also making for Marduk as their intended prey. The guards who surrounded Marduk blocked their path, ready to fend them off.
Raziel attacked from behind, plunging his talons in the unsuspecting back of the first and reaching through to stab its heart.
As the second turned around to face the new threat, Raziel lashed out with a kick that connected with its chest. There was a loud sound of snapping bones and the Ruhabim fell backwards, squirming and crying out in pain.
Now Marduk had seen him.
“You!” he began in genuine surprise as Raziel finished off the floored vampire, crushing its skull with a stamp. “Here?!”
His bodyguards were just as alarmed and drew in close, as if to seek safety in numbers. Raziel turned to face them, his narrowed eyes glowing intimidatingly.
Marduk’s expression was one of mixed awe and amazement, but strangely no fear. He looked as if he were merely studying a new type of unique animal he had discovered.
“I had almost not believed Ishtar…. Remarkable...” He breathed, his eyes wandering over the ruined blue body noting every detail.
Then he noticed the tattered ruins of membrane fluttering out the back and he frowned, a look of sincere pity passing in his eyes.
Only a being who could fly could understand the despair loosing that gift could cause.
“A pity about your own wings really. I would have loved to compare your morphology to mine.”
Raziel started forward.
“Maestro!  Get back!” One of the bodyguards started, stepping forth to block the path of the blue wraith with his pike.
“Out of my way.” Raziel told him in a savage undertone. At the moment he was all bravado. He was unnumbered by enemies on this ship but he hoped that his reputation with the Hylden was sufficient to make them think twice about fighting him.
Unfortunately, Marduk was wise enough to see through his bluff.
“Stand aside, cousin.” The leader of the house of knowledge said, brushing past his guards to confront Raziel directly. His face was lined but set and grim.
For a moment they stared at each other wordlessly, the sounds those of the fighting going on around them.
“I care nothing for your students or your intent.” Raziel began then, gesturing with a nod of his head to the ship and those onboard. “I have come here in pursuit of one thing. Give me that and you can continue on your way.”
Slowly he raised a talon to point directly at Marduk.
“Where is Janos Audron?”
The Hylden stared first at the talon pointed at them and then let his gaze slowly drift up the arm and back to Raziel’s face.
He took in a deep breath and then let it out.
“This is one of the few instances in which Ishtar and I are in agreement.” He said slowly, reaching up to unfasten his blue cloak. “We owe you nothing. If you are so determined to find the Audron…”
The cloak slide off his back down to the deck and as it fell away, the great wings fanned out to either side. The bodyguards all around pulled back, giving their leader room to spread his magnificent limbs. Even Raziel found himself admiring them again despite himself.
Marduk flapped them several times, slowly his body lifting itself up off of the deck.
“…then do it yourself.”
Marduk appeared old and frail, almost decrepit. As such Raziel was not prepared for the sudden rush of wing and bone that came flying at him, a blur of movement that shot forward catching him up and tearing him away.
The blow as Marduk caught him left him so stunned that he had been carried clear of the ship before he even knew what had happened.  
Desperately he clawed at the Hylden and Marduk let him go without resistance. Released, Raziel tumbled down in the air several feet before he caught him and taking hold of his wings began to glide.
The ship was below, far below, those fighting on the deck mere dots from this distance.
Glancing around he could see Marduk. He was flying around in an arch high above, observing Raziel’s only means of keeping himself aloft. Like a hunting bird, waiting to strike.
Marduk was tremendous to behold in the air, every part of him economically rebuilt for the graceful art of flying.
It was in this moment that Raziel perceived, comparing that graceful flight to his clumsy gliding, that he was hopelessly outclassed.
Marduk dived at him again, going so fast he might have been an arrow shot from a bow.  He came down so swiftly all Raziel could do to avoid the strike was to let himself fall.
He was not quick enough to avoid the strike entirely and got hit across the back by a arching kick as Marduk fly overhead.
The Hylden circled, coming back for another approach.
.
“I had not expected such speed and dexterity, such unrivalled acrobatic skilled. Once in the air this Hylden was more than a match for me.”
.
With his arms preoccupied keeping his wings steady the blue wraith could not even defend himself. Marduk struck at him again, and again, each blow only marginally avoided.
Desperately Raziel tried to get back to the deck of the ship, realising that solid ground was the only means of even having a defence. Marduk however did not let him get back. He harried Raziel over and over, striking so often Raziel could actually feel his reserves of energy drop.
He was in real trouble now. The journey on the ship had starved him and now this opponent, who he would have had difficulty with under the best of circumstances, was finishing him off.
He glanced down at the water.
Rahabim infested.
With no other choice left he prepared to drop directly into it but Marduk got to him first. The Hylden swung into him, ploughing through and carrying Raziel several feet as they plunged towards the ocean together.
They struggled as they fell, Marduk’s hands around Raziel’s throat and Raziel with his talon scratching into Marduk’s flesh drawing blood.
Eventually the Hylden let go, spinning up into the air.
The skirmish was more than Raziel could bar. He could feel himself already slipping.
As such the next blow was the last.
Marduk flew in fast with his fist drawn back, gathering tremendous momentum and so when the punch connected with Raziel’s face it was sufficient to break him.
.
“Unable to avoid the attack I was thrown back through the air, broken and beaten, my body screaming out in pain and my weakened reserves of energy were not enough to maintain my physical form.”
.
As he fell, Raziel’s physical body broke apart and he slipped back into the Spectral Realm. The air around him turned green and the water became darker and far more ominous looking.
When he met with it however, Raziel kept on falling, the substance as thin as air in this reality and with no power to slow his decent even a little. He fell for such a long time, unable to stop himself.
When he finally collided the sea floor there was surprisingly little pain, only an intense feeling of impact. Nothing was moved by his landing, not even the silt on the ground. Nothing that belonged in the physical world could be moved here, it was all merely shadows.
Raziel lay there, breathing hard and staring up at the water’s surface high above. Even here he felt the pain of his defeat incapacitate him. He did not try to fight it, but instead he remained still allowing his body to soak up ambient energy it could to repair the damage.
“If only…” He began to himself, closing his eyes as if to sleep. “If only I could have been allowed to have kept my wings…”