#ive also been wanting to draw him haloed by the dark sun for a while now

[dmitriyuriev]

She did not like the sun, because she always believed that it mocked and ridiculed her.

[jaz-xedarix]

Merry Christmas!!!

Hey guys!!!! I am sooo bloody busy! (mexicans goes crazy when you have to cook for many people...)

I am done with the translation of the introduction, but I will post it here because the coloring I did was a surprise I wanted to give you with this translation. I didn’t have time to finish it and give it to someone who can check it, even if there are just few pages... 

I decided to take the risk and post it as I did it, because this time I didn’t use a bloody translator to do it (no internet conection at home. Here it is, as terrible as me, and with this coloring I made with all my love. 

  ROM IV

Prologue The Winter Visitor

  …and in the name of our God we will put up our flags. Psalms, 20-5

—We request permission to enter into combat, excellence.

The first snow storm of the winter had turned the snowy road into a mud puddle. The mist. that was floating from the river that cross the plain was covering the terrain in a cold embrace.

It was six in the morning and the sun hadn't rise yet, which was normal in that time of the year. Typically, the darkness and the silence should have dominated the scene, but that day was different. The peace of the dawn disappeared with the clatter of the hoofs of the horses that were ridden by six figures and many lights were pursuing them. Turning to those lights that shine between the lush trees, an old man called out again:

—If we continue like this will be a matter of time to be captured. We will entertain them here so your excellence can scape.

— Silence, Ahmed!

 Even with the fur of her horse all wet in sweat, the Countess of Babylon hit it again with the whip, while she asked her loyal servant to shut up. In the frozen air of the  dawn, her screams turned into a pale steam.

 —I will not left behind any of you. Instead of loose the time saying foolish things, you should run faster!

—   I... I am so... sorry, exellence... It's my fault, we were discovered because of me.

The shaking voice was from Selim, that was riding beside his mistress. The youngest of the servants of the Countess of Babylon was holding the reins with a worried face.

 — If only they hadn't saw me...

—   Now it doesn't matter, stop blaming yourself — the Countess sighed trying to calm down the young terran

 There had been three days since they escaped from Timisoara through those savage lands. At first they had traveled without being recognized, being careful they don't look suspicious when they got provisions in the Terran villages. But an inconvenient scream of the young Terran provoked that the barbarians discovered them. When they found a patrol, Selim. thought that the tobacco that the soldiers were smoking was a fire.

 Anyway, the Countess of Babylon did not have the intention to scold the inexperienced guy. At the end, the fact that they were in that situation was her fault. If she hadn't been implicated without knowing in the complot organized by her uncle, the Duke of Tigris, she hadn't had to abandon her country taking her servants along, and they hadn't been persecuted by those barbarians of foreign lands.

 Everything was because of her new condition as a rebel.

 — We are lost, your excellence, the sun will rise soon! — Ahmed shrieked as he saw the outline on the mountains beyond the river.

 The snow filled clouds had made them to take a long time to realize the bluish color that had begun to take over the sky. The original plan had been to hide in the thick woods and wait there for the sunset. The next day, they would continue their way to Albion through those barbarian lands. That was what they had planned, but everything had changed at once. As the situation was, even if they managed to escape the barbarians, they would not have time to find refuge in the city before sunrise.

 — Stop everyone! ordered the countess, raising her arm.

 In the distance were the domes and pinnacles of the strange city, surrounded by the course of the river.

  It seemed like a lively city, but she knew her body would not last long enough. After making a decision, the Countess turned to her vassals.

 — I want to thank you for following me until here. The house of the Counts of Babylon will always be grateful to you for the fidelity and dedication you have shown

— But ... what are you doing, Your Grace? — Ahmed cried urgently.

 How could her mistress allow herself to talk so calmly in such a desperate moment? With the face of wanting to grab her from the lapels and run away, she continued in an urgent tone:

 — We must hurry or they will overtake us!

 — Indeed. Anyway, reaching us is only a matter of time ... That's why I've decided that I'll stay behind.

 The faces of the vassals looks like if they were electrified. They were so astonished that they even forgot to answer, while the countess of Babylon spoke to them with serenity, but in a tone that could not allow a negative.

 — I'll stay here. Thus, while I gain some time, you can flee. Then you can go back to the Empire and look for a new lord, or stay abroad ... From now on you are free.

 — Have you lost your reason, Your Grace? — Ahmed cried when he recovered from the surprise. The old servant, who had accompanied his mistress since childhood in the house of the Duke of Tigris,  shed tears of pain.

 —No matter how many nobles there are in the Empire, we have no other mistress than you! Be it on the outside or in the Badlands, we will never abandon you! Please allow us to follow you.

— No way!

 The whip banged hard.

 With her eyes glittering, the imperial noble looked upon her vassals.

 — Even if it was against my will, to have betrayed Augusta is my responsibility. If I also drag my vassals with me into disgrace, the name of my family will be dishonored for all eternity ... I have thought long and hard to make this decision. The next one who answers me I will slap him!

— But, mylady ...

 Under the glare of amethyst of their mistress, the vassals bowed their heads.

 If they had stretched out the arm, they could already have touched the halo of light of the lamps that pursued them. The gigantic silhouettes covered with iron plates would have them within reach of their automatic weapons in a few minutes.

Under normal circumstances, the fighting power of an imperial aristocrat would have been sufficient to disperse a patrol of armored cars like that. However, they were in hostile territory, and their final destination, Albion, was still more than a thousand miles away. To leave her mistress in such a situation was for the vassals as ripping off half of the body, and more considering that it would be for them alone to be safe.

 —Then we'll take our own lives right here — Ahmed muttered, his head drawn, drawing his sword and wrapping it around his neck. — if our lady asks us to leave her behind. It is not for a loyal vassal to live more than his master. Even less to abandon his master in enemy territory, when every option is unloyality, there’s no other way than death!

— Dobitoc! What kind of nonesense are you saying! — shout the Countess with a nervous stare when she look at the first drops of blood running on the blade — you only have a short life and you want to waste it like this?

  — Excuse my daring to said this but, isn’t your excelency the one who is going to waste her life? —answered Ahmed, without quiting the blade off his neck—. In this Badlands there’s not a wall of lapislazuli that can protect a methuselah. Staying here, alone is equal to suicide, you are smart to understand it!

The old man was screaming while his tears run through his cheeks, He wasn’t the only one who was sobbing. Selim, who was beside her and the rest of the vassels, all of them have the face full of tears. Looking at the Countess who was silent, ashamed, Ahmed tried hard to convince her.

— We are weak, but we have enough strenght to protect you from those barbarians… I beg you, let us stay with you until the end!

 — You fools…

 For an Aristocrat of the Empire, crying in front of Terrans was a big shame. The Countess rised her face to look to the sky, that was taking the color of the dove’s wings and said firmly

—The truth is, you don’t have remedy, well then, if you insist, I don’t have anything else to said. Do as you pleased.

— Tha… Thank you!

 The five of them lower their heads at the same time. Looking at the wet but smiling faces of her vassals, the Countess of Babylon sigh to herself with a hint of hapiness.

Until when they will continue following a master so irresponsible as her? Any other noble would be happy to have so loyal vassals. They could have turned into vassals of the State or serving another aristocrat family. They could do whatever they wanted, instead of following her to a defeat and abandon the land where they had always lived in. They could…

 “I have to protect them at any price”

“The noblest blood is the first to run” The Countess of Babylon took with decision two large silvery gloves that were hid on the saddle. She put them and extend them to the elbow and make the horse turn to face the armored vehicles that were chasing them.

— Well, the priority is to disperse the enemy, follow me! — she shout while whiping the horse.

 As if it was possesed by the warrior spirit of its rider, it run like a bullet to the armored vehicle. When the machinegun on the vehicle of the right turn to shoot her, the methuselah wasn’t on the saddle anymore.

 The Countess appeared like a mirage on the turret marked with the emblem of the double cross and aim in middle force one of her arms dressed in silver to the armor of the vehicle.

With a dull noise, the turret began to burn, the protection didn’t show any visible damage, but the engine of the of the iron monster was all destroyed and with a squeak of the brakes, the vehicle fall into a gutter and stopped.

 —Now, Ahmed! Take advantage and cross their lines! — shout the countess when she was aiming to the next vehicle.

 After she check that her vassals listened her orders, she tense her body again to enter into haste mode. The precious gems on the silver gloves began to shine with a blue light and the air surrounded her tremble like a flame under the effect of the vibration of the artefacts.

 Meanwhile, their enemies hadn’t been with the arms crossed. The vehicle of the center managed to aim to the methuselah with the machinegun and fired.

 The gust of bullets go through the bluish wind stright to where the Countess was.

But there wasn’t any agonic scream or the noise of ripped flesh. With a metallic noise, the bullets were  deflected. It was like if an invisible wall appeared in front of their objective, the methuselah rush upon the origin of the attack. She put her hands under the vehicle and it and turn it around with a savage yell. The armored vehicle roll through the floor and it was now useless.

—Now the last one…

Looking at how their comrades dissapear at that rate, the vehicle of the left had a moment of confusion and it move erratically through the moody terrain. When they notice the confusion of their enemies, the countess smile. She didn’t lnow what was going to happen further, but it seems they can be out of this. Anyway… how weak were those enemies. She didn’t expect that the army of the Vatican…

 Viendo cómo sus compañeros desaparecían a esa velocidad, el vehículo de la izquierda tuvo un momento de desconcierto en el que se movió de manera errática por el lodazal. Al percatarse de la confusión de sus adversarios, la condesa esbozó una sonrisa. No sabía qué les esperaba más adelante, pero de momento parecía que podrían salir de aquélla. De todos modos, vaya enemigos más debiluchos. No esperaba que el ejército del Vaticano…

 —Your excelency!

The tense voice was of one of her vassals.

   Up to the hill, there were more enemies!

—Damn! ¡Ahmed, you give up, I will…!

  The voice of the Countess cut suddenly, she didn’t even know what was going on.

 An horrible pain run all through her body, like if she was in the middle of a fire and a bright white light blind her. When she turn around, tambaleándose, her skin was full of burn wounds.

 Was it the sun?

 She can’t even scream.

 A golden light illuminated the hills that were on the left. Even if the winter sun was weak, that golden disk was the lethal enemy of the methuselah. The bacilum, activated with the ultraviolet rays began to devour the body of her host. The aristocrat fall to the floor, suffering as if she was burning alive.

—No, your excelency!

 Selim rush to her mistress and tried to rescue her. The methuselah was shaking and her mouth was forthing.

 —Excelency, excelency!, hold on!

 —Exceleny, are you ok?!

  If they have keep on riding, maybe some of them could make it in the middle of the confussion. Whatever, the five vassals turn around their horses. As if they weren’t saw by the soldiers that were decending from the vehicle, they all go to see their mistress.

—Excelency, please, answer!

 —   Wh… why didn’t you scaped…? — the countess moaned violently, spitting blood, while she was looking all the worried faces of her vassals and the soldiers that were getting closer with their weapons ready — You must escape, there’s no need to…

—Excelency, please don’t ask us to…

 The blood was filling the mouth of the methuselah turn her words into an incomprenhensable mumble. Anyways, her vassals seem to understand her perfectly.

  —   You are everything for us. — said Ahmed— If we have to left you behind, it’s the same for us to live or to die. Even the first choice is the worst… if we couldn’t survive all together, at least we will die together.

 Kneeling, the five vassals were in circle around their mistress, trying to protect her from the sun with their shadows. At their back, the chief of the soldiers that surrounded them make a sign with his arm.

 — Aim!—said to the soldiers and the machinegun of the armored vehicle, shout with tense voice. — The enemy is a vampire, we cannot fail, it was…!

 —Wait, lieutenant Dobó!

 The voice that interrupted the officer came from the vehicle

  The man, equiped with auriculars, that looks like being a radio operator, shout from the top of vehicle

 — There’s a call from the headquarters for you lieutenant!

 —A call?

 Once he recovered from the impression, the officer nod. He run to the vehicle and took the auriculars.

—   It’s Dobó —said with an annoying formality—. Affirmative. One of the objectives is in fact a vampire. We had captured it and we are going to kill… What!?, no, but… fine, understood. We will do as you instructed.

 The lieuteneant was nodding with an angry expression like if he was taking a nasty medicine. When the red light announcing the end of the connection turns on, he give back the auriculars to the radio operator and turn to face his second officer that was looking at him, waiting for orders.

 — Hit the prisioners until they shut their mouths — said firmly —. And prepare the Holy Water, we are going to act according to the protocol.

I hope you like it, and it don’t have so many mistakes, if so please tell me.  Merry Xmas! <3