“With the covering blanket of night, the Hylden occupation was loud in celebration. For the first time I was permitted to see their culture first hand rather than relying on the biased records left in the murals of the ancient vampires.”
-
Raziel knew better than to simply blunder his way through a hostile city in search of one person. As much as the delay pained him, he waited in the shadows and watched. The Hylden paid no attention to the body of the man he had left on the battlements and he had disposed of the other Hylden two by hiding the remains down a pipe.
Contending himself with observation he saw that the Hylden were divided into houses, factions that operated a great deal like the clans of Kain’s empire, each with their own emblem on the front of the Hylden’s uniforms.
Family seemed to be a very significant part of their society as well. Every Hylden Raziel overheard referred to his fellows as either cousin or brother and sister, depending one whom he was addressing. Only elders of great respect were given the titles father and grandfather.
Their time spent in their confinement within the demon dimension was portrayed loudly in the way the more sensitive Hylden seemed to nearly jump at any unexpected noise. Even the most steadfast soldier in their ranks seemed perpetually wild eyed. Their insecurity translated itself into brutality and they whipped their demon servants with vigour.
Eventually night came and only the faintest hint of stars could be seen through the smog like clouds above.
And then Raziel saw his opportunity. A large group of Hylden were gathering near the centre of the Citadel, many of them warriors and from his safe and shadowed perch he could see that one of them was dressed in armour far more elaborate in design than the others.
Before them were several humans in rich clothing, mostly brocade doublets and capes. They were all genuflecting towards the Hylden in the elaborate armour, pressing their faces to the flow in a contemptible grovelling gesture. By their attire Raziel guessed them to be the ruling council of the citadel and as such, their submission to this one Hylden meant only one thing.  
This had to be the one he sought.
Approaching this leader required tact. He was surrounded by dozens of bodyguards and Raziel did not want to have to cut through them all to get to him.
Instead he waited just a bit more for it to get so dark that the various patrols began carrying lanterns. By then the Hylden command were entertaining themselves by pitting two demons of relative size against one another, whipping them into combat. One was a medium sized demon with large muscles and short red fur, the bone spurs along the outside of his arms protruding only a half foot. The opponent was a thinner, lightning type with a far leaner frame but superior agility.
Sparks of lightning and fire shot from their claws and months in unpredictable directions as their otherworldly dog fight got underway. The two beasts, driven forward unwillingly, slashed and bite and clawed at the other in a reluctant battle.
With the Hylden forces watching all cheered and with their attention distracted, Raziel drew closer and closer to the enclosed pavilion where the leader had retired along with the subdued human elite.
The pavilion was surrounded by Hylden guards, but their attention was on the fighting demons and now on the pipes stretching over them. Along these Raziel climbed, silently with his attention kept on them for the slightest sign of movement the guards.
From here he could see the panorama of the spectacle. On the far side of the ring where the two demons were fighting was a large set of construction equipment that was evidentially being used to improve or replace human works with the more advanced Hylden constructions. One such piece of machinery was a large, grinding device like a large drum that cut up building stone by a complex row of long and white hot blades.
One of the guards just happened to glance up and upon him Raziel dropped, silently and swiftly. His talons sank into the being’s neck, severing his wind pipe and silencing the alarmed call before it could emerge.
Grabbing the trashing body, Raziel dragged it back into the shadows and there quickly drew down his cowl and drank the emerging soul down.
Too enwrapped by the spectacle of the demon dog fight, no one had noticed the absence of the guard nor his elimination. That was all to the good. Now there was an opening in the pavilions protection and Raziel slipped inside.
There were tables and chairs, obviously taken from the houses of the wealthy of the citadel, situated here and there and in these lounged the Hylden leader and his elite.
The human council, if that was what they were, were kneeling down by the side of the chairs like chained dogs with their heads bowed low in submission. Their blank expressions gave testament to their state of detachment.
The Hylden leader was quite stout and his armour made him look quite fat too, although his face like all those of the others were hollow cheeks and bony. There were many scars over his hands and head, some clearly gained in battle but others had the look of being self inflicted.
Then he turned to look at where Raziel had entered, the first one to notice the intrusion. His green eyes burned with the same kind of fire that Ishtar’s had, more bright than that of the other Hylden.  His face expressed recognition but not alarm at the sight of the blue figure moving towards him.
Slowly he raised the goblet he was holding in a toast.
“Welcome, my saviour.” He said but without much warmth. “Welcome indeed.”
Looking over the other Hylden started from their seats in alarm, reaching for their weapons. There were only three of them and they were generals and strategists, not warriors. Raziel dove into them without mercy, his speed and agility greatly surpassing theirs.
He finished them off quick and fast, silencing them efficiently with precise strikes with his talons.
The leader, who had not so much as budged from his chair, watched  the slaughter of his sycophants calmly. He merely cast a disapproving gaze on Raziel and let out a remorseful sigh when the deep was finally done.
“It is a long time since I and my fellows spoke to you through the lips of the warped vampire of Avernus.” He said and with that his voice did seem familiar. Like Ishtar, he had been one of the Hylden remotely influencing the deranged Turel.
“You are Shamash, leader of the Hylden House of war.” Raziel began in a flat tone, kicking aside a carcass.
“Are you asking me or telling me?” The Hylden replied whimsically.  Raziel’s eyebrows levelled at him.
“Telling.” He said. The Hylden shrugged, drained his goblet in one go and then stood up.
“In that case I am Shamash, leader of the Hylden House of war… at your service.” He placed the cub on the arm rest of his chair. Raziel cast a glance at the humans still kneeling there. They had paid absolutely no notice to his entrance nor the carnage he has just caused. One of them was covered in blood from one of the fallen Hylden and did not seem to notice.
“It is you who controls the humans of this city?” He asked, fixing his gaze on Shamash. The Hylden leader grinned and taped one of the humans roughly on the head.
“Impressive it is not?” He strode forward and Raziel looked him over quickly. He had a sword by his side, a one handed bastard sword with a barbed edge. He had plate armour but he seemed not to be encumbered while wearing it and waked with the recognisable precision of a trained swordsman.
“Possession of the minds of lesser creatures such as these is nothing when done on a one to one basis.” Shamash ran a hand over his curved and smooth head his grin widening. “Even the most inept Hylden can control one creature, be it human or demon directly. Expanding control over so large a group however would indeed be quite taxing if I were to directly control them all.”
Shamash turned and gestured. Obediently the humans rose to their feet and stepped back, leaving the two of them enough space.
“All I have done is turn off their perception of alarm and make them obey. Their own minds can direct their bodies well enough after that. Why strain myself?”
Raziel spared the humans only the briefest of glances before he kept his full attention rigidly on the Hylden leader.
“You seem to have amassed quite the work force.” He observed dryly. Shamash nodded.
“While humans are not exactly bright and they tend only to be as collectively intelligence as their most intellectually challenged member, they are the best building species there is.” He gestured around them, emphasis the Citadel itself, a genius work of anti vampire design.
“Only now they serve you?”  Raziel asked.
“Most of the cities of the Ancient vampires were constructed with the use of humans as slave labour. Why should we be any different?”
That particular statement caused Raziel to pause. The wise and benevolent ancients had been a dominating slave owning culture? Janos had never mentioned that. But then again why would he? By now Raziel thought that he really should learn to expect these upsets to his rose tinted world view.
“But I ensured it that humans would never again submit to being workers, or worse allies, of the vampires.” Shamash was saying, smug pride in his voice. That brought Raziel’s attention back fully to the matter at hand.
“I know you helped make the curse.” He started. Shamash raised a finger in contradiction.
“One specific part of it.” He said with a grin. “I contributed to the infection the requirement for vampires to continually need a supply of blood in order to keep their bodies alive.” He broke off into a cackle of insane laughter as if prompted by a joke only he knew. “I turned them into such deranged predators that # they would find no willing allies no matter where they turned!”
Raziel stared at him for a long quiet moment, simply absorbing this knowledge. The origin of the blood thirst itself…
“Of course, that is inconsequential.” Shamash’s tone was suddenly then flat, emotionless and his face mirrored that sentiment. All pretence of the jovial had fallen away and he was rigidly defensive. “I know what you really wish to ask of me.”
Raziel responded with a similar tone.
“Where is Janos Audron?” He asked coldly.
“Ishtar keeps him as his personal toy, something to poke and prod when he gets bored.” The tilt to the hylden’s head suggested brief amusement. “For a priest Ishtar has the most absurd sense of sadistic humour. Personally I would have just killed the ancient and have done.” He made a cutting motion with one hand.
Raziel took several steps forward.
“I asked you where he is.”
“I heard you the first time.” It was only Raziel’s heighted reflexes that saved him from a slice across the mid section. Shamash had moved so fast that he blurred, his sword whistling through the air at him. The blue wraith doubled back out of ranged quickly, determined not to underestimate his opponent this time.
“You think you can simply come here with your demands after you neglected your people for so long?” Shamash asked, reversing the sword so that’s its point was level with him.  “We owe you nothing.”
Raziel knew that battle was now inevitable. He flexes his talons in preparation for a head on assault.
“Then I will have to simply carve the answer out of you.” With that, he lunged forward.