Do They Know It's Christmas Time At All? [Part I]

[drake]

Drake was ecstatic when Mavrik, Gavner’s friend began to tell stories. He had always loved listening to people and what they had to say.

“So this one time,” Mavrik was saying, “Gavner and I were sitting at the Clan Hall meeting, and naturally we were sitting together. Gavner couldn’t stop talking to me about that cute dane that he saw back in Raiaera. She was a blonde,” He said, “Gavner has a thing for blondes.”

“Then he would love my friend Seraphina!” Drake said, “She is so beautiful.”

“Well what race?” Mavrik asked, “Because he only likes elves and humanoids.”

“She is an angel,” Drake said, “One of the Seraphim actually.”

“Ooh, you hear that buddy?” Mavrik jested at Gavner, “Drake can hook you up with an angel!”

“Naaah,” Drake said with a smirk, “You aren’t her type.”

“Well that’s not going to stop him!” Mavrik laughed.

“Oh! Like that one time in Dheathain, when he made an advance on that girl in Davensport who shut you down! Remember that, Gavner?” Drake said. Gavner’s face turned deep red and he grunted in compliance.

“Gavner never really has many failures in that category,” Mavrik said, “But he is so used to being able to swoon any woman that he wants, that he becomes such a sore loser. One time, he followed a girl back to her house and continued to persist. She actually called the Corone Guard on him.”

“Woah,” Drake marveled, “What happened?”

“I took them all on, six on one,” Gavner said with a smirk.

“And boy he whipped them all,” Mavrik marveled as well, “He didn’t even need any help from me.”

“And did that scare her, or did she fall into his arms knowing that he could kill her if he wanted to?” Drake mused.

“Well let’s just say that after six guards, still being a cub, he was too tired to persist with her, so he admitted defeat on that one.” Mavrik said.

“I still wonder if she would have been a good kisser,” Gavner said with a whimsical smile before taking a big swig of his ale. “But that was back in my young, and wild years. I have a very narrow taste in women now.”

“Yeah, only queens,” Mavrik said. “Only royalty will suffice.”

“Oh, be quiet,” Gavner said with a smirk. “That is a story for another time.”

“Yeah,” Said Drake, “Since we will be together for- hey, how long will we be together?”

“I have not the slightest clue how long this journey will take,” Said Gavner, “But I know that it is going to be a lot longer than we are used to.”

“But it couldn’t be longer than that time we were held up in that mineshaft in Alerar,” Mavrik said.

“Yes,” Gavner replied, “If it were not for your quick thinking, and that dwarf in the cell next to us, perhaps we would still be prisoners there.”

“And we made some good relations with the dwarves,” Mavrik said. “Those could come in handy eventually.”

[Koli]

Koli sipped his wine as he listened to everybody laughing and having a good time. Even in spite of all the problems and hardship in the world, smiles and laughter always got to him. He loved to see people smile, he loved to hear people laugh. Young, old, male, female, friend, foe, laughter just made him happy. Perhaps in a world where problems prevail, in a world that oppresses people so much that they lose the will to try, laughter and smiles were the telltale sign of joy; and wherever there was joy, hope followed.

Hope that people would carry on. Hope that people would find it in themselves to continue; hope that people would stay strong and never give up.

Koli slowly sipped his wine as he enjoyed the others’ company. They were becoming intoxicated, which was amusing, but Koli was always sober- he made sure of that. In all of his years he had never once been inebriated, and he intended to keep it that way. He stayed sober so that his friends could enjoy themselves in whatever way they liked, including being intoxicated. The priest smiled as he observed and found their conversations amusing, but he was always ready to fight. Always ready to protect those whom he loved.

“Koli,” Mavrik said, “It’s very nice to meet you! A friend of Gavner’s is a friend of mine!”

Koli looked at Gavner’s friend, observing him for a moment, and then he nodded.

“He doesn’t talk much, does he?” Mavrik asked.

“No,” Gavner said, “In all of the time that we have been with him he has not spoken or written a word to us. He communicates through other means.”

“It’s true,” Drake added, “I try to reach out to him telepathically, but he refuses to send any messages in return.”

“Wait, you’re a telepath?” Mavrik asked in shock.

“Yes,” Drake said with a laugh.

“So you can like, talk to me through my mind?” Mavrik asked astonished

“I could, yes,” Drake replied.

“No way!” Mavrik said in disbelief, the effects of the ale weighing upon his mind more than he would have liked to admit. “Say something to me.”

He looked at Drake who smirked and stared back. Then after the next few moments, Mavrik’s hand shot up to his temple and a look of shock was on his face.

“Wow,” Mavrik marveled, “That was kind of unique! Now stay out of my head unless you absolutely have to speak to me.”

“Hey, you asked for it,” Drake said with a shrug.

Koli would have been content continuing to fellowship with his friends for the rest of the night, but he knew that they were here for a purpose, and they would soon have to depart. Using his foot, Koli tapped Gavner under the table. Gavner looked at Koli, and the rest followed suit. Koli was the most respected member of the group, and when he wanted to communicate, everybody gave their attention.

Taking out the folded invitation from his pocket, Koli placed it on the table and tapped it before looking back at Gavner. “Oh yes,” he said, “Enough nonsense. On to business, shall we?”

[Gavner_Nahs]

Gavner had meant to explain the reason for everybody’s convergence as soon as they arrived, but he got distracted when seeing friends for the first time in a while, and after a few drinks, well, the night got away from him.

“As I said, we are here in the spirit of Christmas,” Gavner said.

“Yes, but what of this Christmas that you speak of are we here for?” Mavrik asked, “And what is this adventure that you speak of?”

“All in good time, my friend,” Gavner said, “I have called you together because we are going to get a gift for our dear friend, Black Shadow.”

“Well it’s going to be hard to top the present we got him two years ago,” Drake said, “That bow was what you call quality.”

Koli nodded silently in compliance.

“Hear me out,” Gavner said, “Do you know of Black Shadow’s past?”

The other three looked at each other. “No,” Drake said.

“I’m not even sure that I know who this Black Shadow you speak of is,” Mavrik said.

“I introduced him to you a few times before,” Gavner said, “He is a dear friend of mine. But I digressed. Black Shadow actually came from royalty.”

“No wonder he is your best friend,” Mavrik said.

Gavner shot Mavrik a sideways look, and shook his head. "No, Black Shadow was originally the son of a king in a kingdom in Raiaera. Then his brother, Malrik, blamed the assassination of his father on Black Shadow and had him exiled. Now he has to wear a mask over his face wherever he goes because there is a large bounty on his head."


"So he only has to wear a mask in Raiaera, why does he wear it all the time?" Mavrik asked.


"Because of his brother's extensive reach, he has connections all over the world. Black Shadow is not safe anywhere," Gavner replied. "And we are going to fix that."


"Yes!" Drake celebrated.


"Now you're talking," said Mavrik.


Koli gave a smirk.


"Why the sudden celebration?" Gavner asked the group with a puzzled look.


"We've been waiting for good news like this all night," Mavrik said, "you can't expect to invite us on an adventure and have us not be excited!"


"Well then," Gavner said, "I suppose that the night simply got ahead of me. But never mind that, onto the details I suppose."


"Wait, before you start," Drake said, "What do the requirements of this quest entail?"


"Well," Gavner said, "As always, I can not assure your return. You must do that yourself."


"Ahh of course," Mavrik said, "And I suppose you're ducking out of our funeral arrangements as well?"


"Should the need arise, I will do everything in my powe-"


Drake and Mavrik burst out laughing. Koli held a smile.


"We're just kidding, Gavner," Mavrik said.


"Right," Gavner said with a smirk, "I knew that. Now, here is the plan..."

[drake]

Drake looked around the empty pub hotel room, courtesy of Gavner. The vampire had insisted on paying for everybody’s drinks and lodging, and they were said to set out at dusk’s first darkness. Every bit of him was teeming with anticipation. Drake had a feeling that something great was going to happen on this journey and he was very excited.

Drake had a very unique past. After wandering, and having no home for all of his life, he encountered a demon who nearly killed him. Just as Drake was about to be killed, he was saved at the last moment by an arcangel, and taken to heaven where he was healed. It was there that he met his soon to be best friends, Gavriel, who was a messenger, and Seraphina, who was a healer. There, they told him that he was an angel, and charged him on a mission to claim his birthright as being a member of the Ninefold Celestial Heirarchy, and become an arcangel.

In order to become worthy of the Heirarchy, The Creator, or The Boss as all of the angels called Him, set fourth criteria to Drake that he had to defeat varying ranks of demons, including the second in command to the devil himself.

So here Drake lay, staring up at the ceiling, teeming with anticipation.

Well, Drake thought, to himself, Maybe seeing Gabriel and Seraphina will help take my mind off of it.

The only way that Drake could visit any of his angelic friends was through astral projection. Astral projection was the process of sending one’s spiritual body away from his physical body, and into the realm of angels. Drake closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing every time he exhaled. Soon, he felt a foglike wave distancing him from the physical world. He became lighter, and lighter, until he floated away from the bed. He opened his eyes and found himself in the familiar astral realm. The whole astral realm was a reflefction of the physical world. It had mostly the same exact landscape, except in the astral world, things would often be missing, or out of place.

The astral plane, and interactions in it were all based on vibrations, or intentions; bad intentions attracted other low vibration frequencies, and good intentions attracted high vibrations.

[Gabriel, Seraphina,] Drake sent telepathically, [come here if you have the time.]

[Koli]

Koli stood in the shadows of the main street with his back against a wall of one of the buildings in the main square. People-watching was a rare phenomenon for Koli, ; he had always lived in secluded areas and places where not many people were. Just observing the world pass him by, completely unaware of him, mde Koli feel very humble, which brought comfort to the priest. Whenever Koli felt upset, conflicted, or troubled, he reminded himself of how humble he ought to be, and he would feel better. That was why he was so calm, and unphased by anything that happened, no matter how big or small. Koli especially loved watching the smiles and the joy that those passing by had on their faces at times.

The priest could tell who enjoyed life, and who was truly happy; it was those people who Koli knew were not caught at the rat race. It was those people who restored Koli from his weariness in society. It was those people from whom Koli’s faith in the world was restored. And yet, at the same time each and every one of them were still absorbed entirely in his own world. All of them were bustling through the main square, and yet none of them noticed the priest in the shadows during the late afternoon. Koli had yet to be noticed by any passerbys; everybody was too busy trying to get home.

Koli started down the main square, keeping to the shadows; it was still awhile until sundown, and he wanted to see more about the city. Koli walked around the marketplace, and by the city hall instead. A large rather than tall building, city hall loomed over all who passed by, gloomy and powerless.

[Gavner_Nahs]

Gavner woke up to see the faint evening light trying to shine through the thick black curtain on his room’s window. The entire room was made of wood, save for the thin, barely cushioned mattress. Mavrik was sleeping in a bed of the same make, across the room by the dresser. Gavner sat up yawning, and began to stretch. Already, he was thinking of what presents he could get Drake, Mavrik, and Koli. Gavner had shared with everybody that they were going on a mission to get Black Shadow a present, but they did not realize that Gavner was secretly trying to find out what they wanted most for the Christmas season as well.

Gavner looked over at the sleeping Mavrik, and an idea crossed his mind. The young vampire remembered Matthew, the person from whom he first learned about Christmas, telling him that in the Christmas season people went out “Caroling,” or singing to people about Christmas to bring them joy and put them in the “Christmas Spirit.” Gavner knew that not many people in the world celebrated, or even knew about Christmas, so caroling would be a great way to spread the news about Christmas. Gavner got up, pulled on his boots, buttoned his shirt before shuffling out his room and down the steps. He ordered a quick breakfast of two steaks and tall glasses of water as he almost ran back upstairs to his room. He burst in the door to find Mavrik fully dressed, shaven, and showered.

“How on earth did you bathe? The nearest bath house is two minutes away?” Gavner marveled.

Mavrik just smirked. “Ahh,” he said, “Two minutes away for a human, or two minutes away for our kind?”

Gavner turned around and smiled as he set the plates and drinks on the end table in the corner of the room. Mavrik was over one hundred fifty years old, and he had undergone special forces training, the most intensive vampire training in existence, which teaches the individual to let go of every aspect of humanity and truly become a vampire in every sense. They learn the absolute extent of their abilities, and how to incorporate unbelievable feats of strength, speed, and all of their supernatural senses in everyday life, and how to rely on them. This was truly a feat, which took many years of intense mental training, and only could be completed by the most intelligent of their kind.

“So Mavrik,” Gavner said while motioning his friend to his breakfast, “Have you ever heard of ‘Christmas Caroling?’”

[drake]

Drake looked around the room that he was in, in the astral plane. Everything was grey and dreary, and the dresser was out of place. The astral plane always seemed to have a melancholy aspect to it, as a thick fog always occupied the realm. Nobody could see more than fifteen feet in front of them in the astral realm, which was why understanding vibrations was key. In the astral plane, Drake couldn’t necessarily see his environment, but he could “feel,” and “sense” the presence of things and entities.
Suddenly, the vibration in the room went through the roof, and a gold light filled the room. Drake looked to his left to see a handsome, young looking man who had short brown hair and blazing green eyes. He was garbed in a white toga with a golden bangle headband, which was adorned with flowers and laurel that kept his hair up. Two beautiful golden wings rose from behind him, radiating the visual essence into the astral plane.

“Drake!” The angel said with a smile.

“Gabriel!” Drake shouted excitedly, as he ran up to his best friend and threw his arms around him. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything!”

“Oh no you-“

Suddenly, on the other side of Drake, in a flash of white light, another angel appeared. This one was the essence of true beauty. She had a longer face with perfectly round eyes, in line with her small ears. She had very prominent cheekbones, a littler nose, and perfect lips. Her chin was perfectly in proportion with her face, as it did not protrude beyond her lips or her nose. Her face was longer, and long, curly blonde hair fell to her shoulders. She too was garbed in a white toga, and on her head, was a single golden bangle headband with silver trim. Feathery, glowing white wings came from her back. Drake found her the most gorgeous being that he had ever lain eyes upon, and he thought everything about her was perfect.

“Seraphina!” Drake said, as Gabriel had stopped talking.

“Drake!” She exclaimed in her higher pitched voice, while giving him a big hug.

“I’m so happy to see you guys,” Drake said happily. “It has been far too long.”

“That it has,” Gabriel said, “What affairs are happening recently?”

“Gavner has recruited me for another Christmas mission again,” Drake said, “He had us meet in Radasanth.”

“Ooh,” Seraphina said with a smile, “That is great. It is not good in the aspect that they do not fully understand the meaning of Christmas, but I know it will come in time.”

“They don’t understand?” Drake asked.

“You will realize in time,” Gabriel said, “Now come on, let us descend to the physical realm. I feel you are being called there.”

“Aw,” Drake said with a small frown, “But I just got to see you guys.”

“Go, we will be close behind.” Gabriel said while placing his hand on Drake’s head and returning the half angel to his body. Drake sat up suddenly, and found himself in his bed. The sun was nearly setting.

“I guess it is time to go,” Drake said, sad that he couldn’t spend more time with his friends.

[Koli]

Koli frantically ran from the kitchen, down the corridor, and out the door of the monastery as fast as his little legs could take him. His breathing was fast, and tears were streaming down his face. The juvenile found himself on top of the steps leading from the stronghold, and he frantically looked left and right, searching for a place to hide. He saw some bushes to his right, and began climbing down the stairs carefully, one at a time. If he fell, he would hurt himself and get in a lot of trouble. His bare feet ran through the grass, and onto the dirt of the freshly weeded garden in front of the Monastery. The boy crouched down and hid behind the bush, still breathing heavily. Suddenly, the door to the building opened and an angry man stepped outside. Koli flinched in fear.

“Koli,” The man said in a dangerous tone, “I know you are out there. If you don’t come out this moment, you will go to bed without dinner.”

Koli stared back through the bush, his vision blurry as new tears flushed his eyes. This was going to be the end, he thought. What he had done was so terrible. Nobody would ever forgive him. The toddler knew what he had to do now; he had to run away. He could no longer stay here, everybody would hate him now. The young boy stood up and turned the other direction before beginning to run away. He ran to the corner of the monastery and turned, breaking for the back yard. His little legs brought him choppily through the garden, putting his little footprints in the soft, brown dirt. Koli knew from this point, that he would have to run forever.

---

Koli looked down at the ground, as he walked through the square in the light of the setting sun, still keeping under the radar of the world. The square was now scarcely populated, with few people left out. The bell was soon going to chime for the final hour before curfew, and people were making it to their houses and leaving the city to make sure all of their errands were done before going home, but most people were just trying to get home. The marketplace had packed up, and nobody was in that square anymore.

The priest looked up and saw a mansion in the distance. He figured he would go look at it before returning to The Rusty Wheel to start on the journey.

[Gavner_Nahs]

“Ganver, this is ridiculous,” Mavrik grumbled from under the hood of his thick traveling cloak. “This is not our way!”

“Oh hush, you!” Gavner said back from under his own hood, “We could quite possibly be the only exposure that Radasanth would ever have to Christmas.”

“Then let them go without it!”

“No!” Gavner fired back, “I could never forgive myself if I did not at least try to show them, and bring them joy this season.”

The two vampires were making their way from The Rusty Wheel, to the main square. As of this point, Gavner had no plan other than to hope that people would be out this close to curfew. Last year, Gavner had celebrated Christmas with Black Shadow, Matthew, his friend Tyler, and Espoir, the young girl whom Gavner and Black Shadow found as a baby. They had accidentally killed her parents, and they could not leave a baby to die, so they took her on their mission. Black Shadow got attached and adopted her. She had been his daughter ever since. At the Christmas celebration last year, however, Matthew and Tyler had been singing Christmas carols. Gavner could not remember the exact words, but he could remember the tunes and what they stood for.

Mavrik and Gavner reached the main square, across from where the market was earlier that day. It was now all packed up and everybody had gone home. Gavner and Mavrik’s thick traveling cloaks were the only thing keeping them from being burned from the setting sun.

“Okay,” Gavner said, “I suppose this is the place.”

“Gavner, I don’t even know the words,” Mavrik said.

“You will catch on soon enough!” Gavner said back excitedly, “Now let us begin.”

But as soon as Gavner took a breath to sing, he noticed a figure dressed in white moving in the distance. The person was traveling toward a big mansion in the distance.

“Hey,” Mavrik said, “Isn’t that your friend, Koli?”

“Why,” Gavner said, “Yes. Yes it is.”

“Should we follow him?” Mavrik said.

“Yes,” Gavner replied, “Let us go. We can have him carol with us.”

The two vampires began to tail Gavner’s friend, following him from a distance. After a few minutes of their following him, however, he stopped in his tracks. Koli then turned around and looked directly at the two creatures of the night.

“I guess he caught on,” said Gavner. “Come on, let us go meet with him.”

Meanwhile, Mavrik was grumbling to himself. He could have been sure that they were being so quiet, they were undetectable. Mavrik had to figure out this mysterious Koli, whoever he was.

[drake]

Drake forced himself to his feet and frowned. “Darn,” he said, “I really missed them.”

He turned toward the door, and to his shock, saw his friends standing by the door smiling at him. Drake’s eyes grew wide, and a grin spread across his face.

“Hey,” he exclaimed, “What are you guys doing here? You never come to the physical realm with me!”

Gabriel and Seraphina looked at each other and smiled. “We saw how much you needed us,” Seraphina said.

“So we asked The Boss if we could take a small hiatus from angel work, and come here with you for a time.” Gabe finished.

“Really?” Drake asked excitedly, “He would let you do that?”

“He can do anything He wants,” Gabe replied with a smirk, “He is The Boss.”

Drake was happier now than he had been in years. “Will you go on the adventure with us?”

“If you would like us to,” Seraphina said, “We are here for you right now.”

Drake happily looked at his friends. They looked just as they did on the astral plane, except both of them were dressed similarly to Drake. Both had a white strung shirt, Seraphina wore a leather corset, and Gabe had a satchel, and shoulder plates. A longsword hung in a sheath from his belt. Seraphina had a hip pouch, and wore trousers and boots. Neither of their wings were showing, but Drake knew that they were more than likely folded behind them, just as Drake always folded his when he was indoors. In fact, he hadn’t stretched his wings in over two years; he couldn’t actually use them- he wasn’t strong enough yet. The half angel ran to his friends and gave them both a big hug, as they wrapped him up in a group hug. They all were smiling and laughing, three friends, finally all together once again. They were finally here, they were finally real. In his arms. Drake could feel them here with him!

“I forgot what it feels like to be in a physical body,” Gabe said, “It has been centuries!”

Drake just smiled back at his friends. “Come on,” he said, “Let’s go find Gavner, Mavrik, and Koli.”

Gavner had booked them all adjacent rooms, so Drake checked them all. Koli’s bed looked as it had not even been slept in, and Gavner and Mavrik were gone.

“Well, I guess they must be waiting for us in the square!” Drake said.