60 AD Ch. 08

"Where am I?" Utta struggled to ask, "What happened? Am I dreaming?"

"Woa!" Vala said gently "One question at a time and not yet, you need rest, plenty of it. After that we'll answer your questions but not yet." Turning to a man who stood beside her Vala asked "Was I like that?"

"O, much worse" came the reply "You wanted to know everything. I suggest you give Utta the mind link and force her into rest. She has to get used to her new life."

Vala knelt beside Utta and brushed her hand through her hair soothing her. Then she placed her forehead against Utta's and shut her eyes. Within seconds the younger girl had fallen into a deep sleep. "You'll need that Sister" Vala said as she stood up "The transformation has only just begun."

Standing next to the man Vala asked "Is there anything we can do for the others? Surely we can save some." The man shook his head and moved away. Vala pursued him "So it's just us then. The sole survivors of a whole unit of warrior women and even we aren't human."

The next few days were critical for Utta and she found herself slipping in and out of consciousness. Finally she awoke to see a smiling Vala looking back at her. "You really gave us a fright young lady" she said with a mocking grin that showed there had been some serious concern. "You need to adjust to your new life, or should we say 'death life'"

"What are you on about?" Utta asked trying to get up "You aren't making any sense." Then feeling weak and very cold she added "I feel terrible, so ... cold."

"You have a lot to learn and adjust to" Vala said as she indicated Utta should not try to stand "But soon you will realise that you are not the old Utta who fought the Romans. She's dead. You are alive because she died and the only thing that links you to her is the memory and personality that she once had. Your body resembles hers, you will act like her, be like her, and in fact you will be her. But you will not be the old Utta."

Again Utta shook her head "Nonsense! You are speaking nonsense. I'm Utta, I remember being in a battle, I remember being ... O God! No!" She reached down to touch herself "That Roman Bastard. He raped me, forced me to ..." Her voice struggled to form the words and tears or something filled her eyes as she raised her hand to her head. Removing her hand she saw not tears but blood. Panicking she said "Wh ... wh ... what the ..."

"Just rest and don't try to speak" Vala said slowly. "It's just part of the transformation that has taken place. Soon you will have the strength of ten stallions, the speed of an eagle, the eyesight of a hawk, the hearing of a bat. The new you will live for many centuries, maybe for ever if you take care of yourself and follow some basic rules". She moved forward and took a knife to Utta's left arm. Piercing the skin she rubbed a little solution in to the wound and the young warrior fell asleep.

Several days later Utta awoke feeling much better and raring to get on with life. Vala came over to her and asked "Better?" then smiling she sat beside her "You look better, but you are still very new to this life. Sit still while I explain what has happened to you. And no interruptions. Agreed?" Utta hesitated before nodding and smiling.

Vala continued "Many hundreds of years ago the gods came to earth and mated with the humans." Utta nodded as Vala continued "What was produced was a new race of creatures, a Master Race, part god and part human. But they could not sustain the physical side of their nature without the human life force found in blood. The only way they could survive was through absorbing human blood into their bodies. For this they had fangs at the top of their mouths that penetrate their victim's veins and drain the blood.

"They sometimes excreted some venom into their victims and the victims would themselves metamorphose into blood sucking creatures themselves, not as powerful as the Master Race but superior to the humans. With time and practice the Master Race learned how to control the venom so they could create servants at will. The servants themselves were able produce other servants in the same way.

"In time the gods again came back down to earth and destroyed the Master Race in what has been called 'the flood' but allowed the servants to live subject to a few weaknesses. Mainly they deigned that the Akkadian, as they called us, must never be exposed to the sun because its rays would destroy our flesh. They also decreed that we can be killed by driving a stake of wood through our hearts. We, like the Master Race before us need blood to survive. By feeding on the blood of the living we retain the strength given us by the gods.

"So, that's who have been attacking the Romans" Utta said slowly. "It makes sense now. But what has that got to do with me?"

"Lots" Vala continued. "Everything ..." She hesitated to allow Utta time to understand but jumped in before she had time to interrupt "... You are now one of them, we all are ... all of us here. We are Akkadian or as the Romans call us 'Vurvurdulakas'!"

Utta couldn't stop herself laughing even though she was afraid "Now ... come on Vala, I don't find it funny. It ... it isn't possible. I would have known I would have gone out sucking blood from my birth. Pl ... please, no teasing. What has really happened to me?" She looked intently at her erstwhile leader searching for any sign of humour but finding none. "Y ... you're serious aren't you? You ... you really believe this nonsense don't you?"

"Utta," Vala interrupted "I ... we all know how you feel, none of us believed it when we were told. But it's true, you are not human anymore. You died in battle to be reborn, re-formed as a Vurvurdulakas. Here, drink this." She handed Utta a bowl full of a deep red liquid that looked and smelt like blood. "It's not human, it came from a goat but it will show you what we mean."

Instead of feeling disgusted Utta found herself excited, longing to take the liquid down. Suddenly her canine teeth extended and snatching the bowl from her friend she sucked its contents through her teeth and then licked the inside of the bowl clean. It was only when she finished that she realised what she had done. "O my God ... what did I just do? I sh ... should be disgusted but ... What ... where?"

Vala reached out and calmed her friend down. "It's ok, it's normal."

"NORMAL?" Utta shouted "How the FUCK can that be normal?" I'm a freak, a throwback, a ... a..."

"A Vurvurdulaka" Vala interrupted "and you need a lot of teaching, a lot of adjusting and then you will not only accept your new state. You will embrace it and use it to help destroy our enemies."

"But ... What about Denua? Did you ..?"

"Her wounds were too severe" Vala said grimly "her brain was ripped from her skull; there was nothing we could do. I'm sorry." Utta wept blood.

And so throughout the next few weeks Utta was shown how to use her new strength and speed. She was trained in hunting and compassion. On one occasion she came face to face with a Wolf and was about to end its life by overpowering it and draining the blood from its jugular vein. But as she was about to strike Vala told her that the creature was out hunting to provide for her cubs and that if she killed it the cubs would die too.

Vala explained that the Vurvurdulakas did not reproduce in the biological way that humans did. All that side of their nature was dead and gone. Instead they had the power to recreate their own kind by draining a human of his her blood but then re filling them with the venom that was stored in their old lymph glands that was now linked to the fangs that had replaced their old canine teeth. They could still enjoy sex, in fact the sex act would be intensified but they could never reproduce through sexual union.

Then the day came for an attack on a Roman caravan. The legion had travelled through Cantus burning, killing, raping and had come to a village long deserted yet still with a well. The slaves were ordered to fetch water for the Tribune, the Centurions, the soldiers and the horses. Only then were they permitted to drink themselves.

Waiting for the sun to go down Vala led the Vurvurdulaka into position and they waited until the Romans had moved away from the well. In an instant the Vurvurdulaka struck with enhanced speed, superior strength and a hunger and thirst for human blood. Utta noticed a young centurion who had been shouting obscenities at a young female slave no older than about fourteen. His fate was sealed as soon as she saw him and she jumped in front of him.

"Hello Big Boy! How about a REAL woman?" She mocked him before grabbing his neck and sinking her fangs into his jugular vein. Within less than a minute every drop of his blood was now in Utta's system and she discarded his body as a young girl discards a rag doll. The whole battle was over almost before it began, the Romans were left dead and bloodless, the slaves were free and the Vurvurdulaka back in their cave before anyone really knew what was happening.

For the next fifty years Vala, Utta and the rest of the Vurvurdulaka continued to fight the Roman invaders until news came that the tribes in the North were faced with the prospect of the 'Invincible Ninth Legion' being sent to destroy the 'Painted Warriors' or the Picts as the Romans called them.

"Our people in the North need our help" Utta said "I'd like to try my hand at helping them." At last the time came for her to part company with Vala.

That night she returned to the hill where long ago she met Denua. Still missing her friend she knelt by the rock where many years ago they hid from the Romans. "I don't know if you can hear me old friend" she whispered "but no matter how long I live I will never ever forget you. Whenever a Warrior gives their life for freedom your soul will continue to ride on in battle. Through their courage you will live on"

Struggling to stop the blood filled tears seeping from her eyes she said softly "We'll drive them out; I promise we'll drive them out. And one day, somewhere, somehow in another life, another world we'll be together again. Until then I bid you 'farewell' and thanks for everything."

With those words Utta set off for the North.

*

Will we hear from Utta again? Did she help defeat the Ninth Legion? Is she STILL with us? Did she go over to the 'dark side'? Please let me know if you want to hear more about her.