Post by deathshade99 on Jul 10, 2017 3:06:15 GMT
~Rune
‘Everything I have lived for… was to forget about those men. And yet, even so, I am going to pull those horrible, painful memories to the surface… Because of one boy. Because of Nyx.’ So many words are running through my head… But those are the only ones I can string together. ‘Nyx… there is something about him… I can't put my finger on it. He means so much to me… And I can't figure out why.’ Nyx slides up behind me, as if summoned by my thoughts. “You ready, Ru . . .?” He whispers into my ear. “I’m ready for anything if you’re with me.” Nyx slyly smiles, before handing me two ornate knives. My two knives. “You’re going to need these tonight.” I merely nod, too absorbed with my own thoughts to be able to form an answer. Nyx guides me through the labyrinth that is the sewer system, and we pop up near the Bragaossi Stables. Nyx takes one of the horses, calling it by name, and soothes it. “Come on then.” He says, gesturing for me to hop on with him. I climb up, feeling him move around to accommodate me.”Show me the way.” He whispers in my ear. I begin pointing him in the right direction, but the details get blurry as we disappear into the night.
~Nyx
‘We made good time getting here.’ I thought to myself. This camp had obviously been abandoned for quite some time, but even though the decay was evident, there were still many secrets that could be unearthed in this decaying camp. Weapons and armor were littered all over the place, rusting through as nature reclaimed them. The slave pens are massive, so this is a large organization.’ Judging from the amount of gear they left behind, they were in a hurry when they left.’ Just then I heard it. A heart beat. Faint, but something was still alive in the area. Dropping to a crouch, I stalked through the darkness, looking for the source of life. I heard Rune gasp behind me, so I spun around, seeing what made her exclaim.
What had made her gasp was a message left by the slavers. Three men had been staked to the wall, left dangling alive while the slavers had left. Only one of them remained alive. I approached him out of the darkness. “Who did this to you?” I asked. He gasped, and managed to croak. “Partners. . . we . . . we wanted to leave, they . . . they wouldn’t let . . . let us.” He was talking so quietly that even my vampiric senses could barely hear him. “Do you know where they might be?” I asked. He barely managed to gasp. “Place. . . ten . . . clicks west.” “Thank you.” I smashed my claws through his throat, ending his misery. I turned to Rune. “We can make that before daybreak, Ru.” Her face was expressionless, and she merely nodded. “Let’s go.”
~Rune
We found the camp a few hours later. It appeared to be an old ruined fort that had been patched up. There was an outer wall and a central keep. The slave pens were outdoors, but inside the wall. We had about two hours before the sun rose, so there was no way we were going to be able to get back before dawn. “You ready?” We asked each other at almost the same time. Nyx cracks a smile before covering his mouth with the mask he almost always wears. There was so much determination welling up inside of both of us, we were ready to go all out at any moment. We started forward, and Nyx went to kill the guards before I~Rune~ Found the slaves and freed them. “I know what you have gone through. I know how scared you are. But you have to run, while you still have the chance!” After that, I watched, awaiting the next stage in our journey.
~Nyx
The thrill of the hunt threatened to take me over. I loved the dance, stalking through the shadows waiting for the right moment to strike. Slashing through the air, stifling the beating heart that dared break the sound of silence. It was a morphine to my system, and I greedily devoured every single drop. Most never even knew their death was mere seconds away as I stalked them. One by one they fell, their bodies discarded as their souls fled from this living hell. As soon as my task was completed, I returned to see Rune freeing the captives that these bastards had taken. I smiled to myself, slinking towards Rune in the darkness.
~Rune
I see them running… I recognize one… “L-Lilac?” I called softly. She keeps running. “LILAC?!” I watch as she turns towards me. ‘It’s really her….’ I run towards her, dropping to my knees when I reach her, and she does the same. “Tay… Is that you..?” *I nod, releasing a small sob. “Li…. You.. You’ve been here… All these years…?” She simply buries her head into my shoulder. “Hey… You’re okay… You’re safe now…” I whisper into her ear. “I knew you would find me….” I hold her close, crying with a mix of joy and sorrow. “I’m.. I'm so sorry… I didn't get here sooner…Sister…...”
I point the victims to a nearby town. “Tay… I can't leave you…” Lilac says quietly. “I want you to stay… I want you to stay with me forever and ever…. But you can’t, Li. I can’t let you get hurt again.. And that’s all that will happen if you stay with me.” I force my voice to be strong and unwavering, but inside I want to hold onto her and never let go. “I don’t care about tha--” I cut her off quickly. “Sis… You have to. Please. For me…” And so she nods, crying as she turns and walks away. A curt voice cuts out my thoughts. “Rune.” I turn to face Nyx, seeing his cold expression. “Time for the keep. Remember how I always say create an advantage?” I nod. “This is what I mean.” With that he takes one of the burning torches that one of the guards carried, and lights some of the wooden barricades of the keep on fire.
~Nyx
The alarm sounded once the building started burning. I could care less. The men never thought they would be attacked within this keep, and the defense they tried to create was pathetic at best. Four men, armed haphazardly with a combination of swords, axes and daggers rushed us, trying to stop us. From my crouched position, it was easy to dodge the first blade, slipping past his sword, up his arm, and grabbing him in a triangle hold. Another tried to smash his axe into the base of my skull. Spinning around my volunteered shield, he smashed his axe into the man’s temple, killing him instantly. The man cursed, struggling to release his blade, but he never got a chance to before my claws released him from life’s cruel grip. I turned to look at the other two combatants, but saw to my pleasure that Rune had already dispatched of them. It was unfortunate, however, that one of the burning wooden pillars failed, and created a burning boundary between us. “Ru!” I shouted. She turned to look at me. “Don’t die on me, Okay?” I said, hearing her “Same for you!” as I disappeared into the darkness of the keep.
~Rune
I watch Nyx leave from the other side of the pillar, before turning into the opposite end of the keep. I turned through hallways and rooms, before hearing a rough breathing in the next room up. I walk in, blade in hand. But the man heard me coming. A couple of guards swarm me, and I make quick work of them with my knives. But the last man, standing at the wall, has a smirk on his face. “Ah, Taylor. I’ve missed you, my dear.” I charge towards him, anger coursing through my veins. I bring up my hand to stab him, but he grabs my wrist so tightly it’s painful, and he forces me to drop the knives before pinning me to the wall. “Tut tut, little Taylor. You should know to be cautious when fighting the undead.” He says, an evil smirk on his face. I remembered something Al had said to me earlier that day: ‘You may be fast, but if you are fighting one of your own kind, you need to be faster.’ I should have known he was a … But I didn’t. He bares his fangs, mocking me by kicking my blades away. “I always loved the way you tasted, my dear. Mind if I have a little bite?” He sank his teeth into me, causing a searing pain in my neck. I screamed, choking on a sob. Memories came rushing back, of the abuse, of the endless work we would be forced to do, only to be drained of blood at the end of the day. I struggled against him, to no avail. My vision began to fade to black. . .
~Nyx
Corpses littered the passage behind me. Some of these men might of been warriors, but after years of oppressing untrained opponents, they had grown lax and weak. A swordsman screamed vengeance and charged at me. He swung down at my body, but I easily leaped away, then used the wall as a springboard to smash into him and plunge my fangs into his neck. His sanguine gift was delicious, and he didn’t deserve it anyway. Lost in my feeding, I almost didn’t hear the soft footsteps behind me. Almost. The corpse in my claws found a final use as a shield to block the other swordsman's blow, and my claws made short work of my other attacker, slashing through his ribcage while he was trying to withdraw his blade from his friend’s deceased body.
This beautiful carnage, caused by my own hands. ‘Is this what it means to be a ?’ I thought to myself, looking at my hands. They were covered in blood, and the urge to lick them clean was almost unbearable. The bandits never thought that any force would be able to penetrate their defenses to this point, and they were ill prepared for any force within the heart of their fortress. ‘There’s more work to do. You don’t have time for this.’ I thought, focusing my mind to the task at hand. Just then, I heard a familiar voice. Screaming.
“Ru?!” I shouted, but all I heard in return was my voice echoing through the burning keep. Ignoring the fires greedily licking at the walls and floors, I smashed my way through the fortress, and anyone who got in my way was brutally disposed off. I went deeper into their base, until I found a set of locked doors. Rune being in danger had triggered my ruthless abandon, and I felt my body begin to change, surrendering to the monster under my skin. My scars began to burn in agony, and I felt something snap inside of me. Using the unholy strength my condition gave me, I smashed through the doors. A figure had Rune pinned to a wall. My momentum carried me forward, and I covered the room in the time my heart would of taken to beat once, if it still beat. The man turned, but it was too late for him. I slammed into him, knocking him and myself down away from Rune.
~Rune
I drop to my knees, my heart pounding. I look up at Nyx. ‘Something’s wrong…’ I think to myself, staring at him in both relief and utter horror. I watch the change from within his soul to even his physical appearance. “Nyx…. What’s.. What's happening..?” I whisper between panting breaths. I then switch my attention to the man. I push Nyx off of him before putting my hand to my neck weakly, covering two fang marks. “I can’t believe I didn't remember you sooner… The guard that beat my sister every night… Fed off her.. Every. Damn. NIGHT!” I almost screamed the last word, lunging forward and plunging my claw-like nails into his skin. “It's time for you to know how it feels to have your blood drained to the point of near death, then to be tortured and left. But this time, I WILL kill you.”
I sink my teeth into his neck, dragging my claws through his skin all the while. I gulp down mouthful after mouthful, not bothering to pace myself. I bite harder and harder until he screams in pain. I rip away the chunk of flesh I had bitten, licking away the blood before moving to bite down right on his throat. Blood pours into my mouth as I tear him to shreds with my sharpened nails, screaming in an animal-like manner. “I WILL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER, YOU HEAR??”
I finally pull away, watching him beg for his life, though he can not speak. Blood is dripping down my chin and chest, and I lick it away hungrily. I use my nail to slice down his chest until I make it do his abdomen, where I switch to using my blade to slice and dice his flesh. “Still alive?” He nods weakly. “Good.” I say, taking the blade and stabbing it through his hand, then standing and watching the blood drain from his body, and the life bleed from his eyes.
“Finish him, Ru.” When I turned to look at Nyx, the boy I had seen before was a completely different person. His scars were burning black and his eyes were darker than the night, reflecting the fire and primal carnage all around him. I'm scared, but at the same time it fills me with power and courage. I nod, turning toward the man with one of the two ornate knives in my hand. I grip it tight with both hands, before plunging it with all of my strength into his heart. He makes a choking noise, before going completely limp before my eyes. “I… I killed him…” I breathe, both proud and terrified of my own actions. “I.. I killed a man….” But then I look up at Nyx, and I seem to become entranced with the darkness in his eyes. It has an alien beauty to it… Evil and terrifying, yet hypnotic and alluring all the same.
“You killed a monster who did not deserve his life.” I merely nod in agreement. Only half listening, I seem to lose myself inside of those entrancing eyes. ‘He is so.. beautiful…. His eyes are like darkness itself…. I could stare into them for hours…’ I think to myself, before shaking my head and looking around at the flames and blood. There is so much blood. The nature inside of me screams with the smell of it, the taste of it in the air. I smile. “ It's beautiful… This scene around us.” “It won’t be the last time you see it, Ru. Our nature is to destroy. “ He smiles, revealing the true nature of his undeath. “We are artists, Rune. Our paint is blood.” He holds out his hand, the metallic claws drenched in the remnants of the slavers. “It’s time to go.” I merely nodded, taking his hand and fleeing with him into the night, leaving the keep and memories locked within to burn.
‘Everything I have lived for… was to forget about those men. And yet, even so, I am going to pull those horrible, painful memories to the surface… Because of one boy. Because of Nyx.’ So many words are running through my head… But those are the only ones I can string together. ‘Nyx… there is something about him… I can't put my finger on it. He means so much to me… And I can't figure out why.’ Nyx slides up behind me, as if summoned by my thoughts. “You ready, Ru . . .?” He whispers into my ear. “I’m ready for anything if you’re with me.” Nyx slyly smiles, before handing me two ornate knives. My two knives. “You’re going to need these tonight.” I merely nod, too absorbed with my own thoughts to be able to form an answer. Nyx guides me through the labyrinth that is the sewer system, and we pop up near the Bragaossi Stables. Nyx takes one of the horses, calling it by name, and soothes it. “Come on then.” He says, gesturing for me to hop on with him. I climb up, feeling him move around to accommodate me.”Show me the way.” He whispers in my ear. I begin pointing him in the right direction, but the details get blurry as we disappear into the night.
~Nyx
‘We made good time getting here.’ I thought to myself. This camp had obviously been abandoned for quite some time, but even though the decay was evident, there were still many secrets that could be unearthed in this decaying camp. Weapons and armor were littered all over the place, rusting through as nature reclaimed them. The slave pens are massive, so this is a large organization.’ Judging from the amount of gear they left behind, they were in a hurry when they left.’ Just then I heard it. A heart beat. Faint, but something was still alive in the area. Dropping to a crouch, I stalked through the darkness, looking for the source of life. I heard Rune gasp behind me, so I spun around, seeing what made her exclaim.
What had made her gasp was a message left by the slavers. Three men had been staked to the wall, left dangling alive while the slavers had left. Only one of them remained alive. I approached him out of the darkness. “Who did this to you?” I asked. He gasped, and managed to croak. “Partners. . . we . . . we wanted to leave, they . . . they wouldn’t let . . . let us.” He was talking so quietly that even my vampiric senses could barely hear him. “Do you know where they might be?” I asked. He barely managed to gasp. “Place. . . ten . . . clicks west.” “Thank you.” I smashed my claws through his throat, ending his misery. I turned to Rune. “We can make that before daybreak, Ru.” Her face was expressionless, and she merely nodded. “Let’s go.”
~Rune
We found the camp a few hours later. It appeared to be an old ruined fort that had been patched up. There was an outer wall and a central keep. The slave pens were outdoors, but inside the wall. We had about two hours before the sun rose, so there was no way we were going to be able to get back before dawn. “You ready?” We asked each other at almost the same time. Nyx cracks a smile before covering his mouth with the mask he almost always wears. There was so much determination welling up inside of both of us, we were ready to go all out at any moment. We started forward, and Nyx went to kill the guards before I~Rune~ Found the slaves and freed them. “I know what you have gone through. I know how scared you are. But you have to run, while you still have the chance!” After that, I watched, awaiting the next stage in our journey.
~Nyx
The thrill of the hunt threatened to take me over. I loved the dance, stalking through the shadows waiting for the right moment to strike. Slashing through the air, stifling the beating heart that dared break the sound of silence. It was a morphine to my system, and I greedily devoured every single drop. Most never even knew their death was mere seconds away as I stalked them. One by one they fell, their bodies discarded as their souls fled from this living hell. As soon as my task was completed, I returned to see Rune freeing the captives that these bastards had taken. I smiled to myself, slinking towards Rune in the darkness.
~Rune
I see them running… I recognize one… “L-Lilac?” I called softly. She keeps running. “LILAC?!” I watch as she turns towards me. ‘It’s really her….’ I run towards her, dropping to my knees when I reach her, and she does the same. “Tay… Is that you..?” *I nod, releasing a small sob. “Li…. You.. You’ve been here… All these years…?” She simply buries her head into my shoulder. “Hey… You’re okay… You’re safe now…” I whisper into her ear. “I knew you would find me….” I hold her close, crying with a mix of joy and sorrow. “I’m.. I'm so sorry… I didn't get here sooner…Sister…...”
I point the victims to a nearby town. “Tay… I can't leave you…” Lilac says quietly. “I want you to stay… I want you to stay with me forever and ever…. But you can’t, Li. I can’t let you get hurt again.. And that’s all that will happen if you stay with me.” I force my voice to be strong and unwavering, but inside I want to hold onto her and never let go. “I don’t care about tha--” I cut her off quickly. “Sis… You have to. Please. For me…” And so she nods, crying as she turns and walks away. A curt voice cuts out my thoughts. “Rune.” I turn to face Nyx, seeing his cold expression. “Time for the keep. Remember how I always say create an advantage?” I nod. “This is what I mean.” With that he takes one of the burning torches that one of the guards carried, and lights some of the wooden barricades of the keep on fire.
~Nyx
The alarm sounded once the building started burning. I could care less. The men never thought they would be attacked within this keep, and the defense they tried to create was pathetic at best. Four men, armed haphazardly with a combination of swords, axes and daggers rushed us, trying to stop us. From my crouched position, it was easy to dodge the first blade, slipping past his sword, up his arm, and grabbing him in a triangle hold. Another tried to smash his axe into the base of my skull. Spinning around my volunteered shield, he smashed his axe into the man’s temple, killing him instantly. The man cursed, struggling to release his blade, but he never got a chance to before my claws released him from life’s cruel grip. I turned to look at the other two combatants, but saw to my pleasure that Rune had already dispatched of them. It was unfortunate, however, that one of the burning wooden pillars failed, and created a burning boundary between us. “Ru!” I shouted. She turned to look at me. “Don’t die on me, Okay?” I said, hearing her “Same for you!” as I disappeared into the darkness of the keep.
~Rune
I watch Nyx leave from the other side of the pillar, before turning into the opposite end of the keep. I turned through hallways and rooms, before hearing a rough breathing in the next room up. I walk in, blade in hand. But the man heard me coming. A couple of guards swarm me, and I make quick work of them with my knives. But the last man, standing at the wall, has a smirk on his face. “Ah, Taylor. I’ve missed you, my dear.” I charge towards him, anger coursing through my veins. I bring up my hand to stab him, but he grabs my wrist so tightly it’s painful, and he forces me to drop the knives before pinning me to the wall. “Tut tut, little Taylor. You should know to be cautious when fighting the undead.” He says, an evil smirk on his face. I remembered something Al had said to me earlier that day: ‘You may be fast, but if you are fighting one of your own kind, you need to be faster.’ I should have known he was a … But I didn’t. He bares his fangs, mocking me by kicking my blades away. “I always loved the way you tasted, my dear. Mind if I have a little bite?” He sank his teeth into me, causing a searing pain in my neck. I screamed, choking on a sob. Memories came rushing back, of the abuse, of the endless work we would be forced to do, only to be drained of blood at the end of the day. I struggled against him, to no avail. My vision began to fade to black. . .
~Nyx
Corpses littered the passage behind me. Some of these men might of been warriors, but after years of oppressing untrained opponents, they had grown lax and weak. A swordsman screamed vengeance and charged at me. He swung down at my body, but I easily leaped away, then used the wall as a springboard to smash into him and plunge my fangs into his neck. His sanguine gift was delicious, and he didn’t deserve it anyway. Lost in my feeding, I almost didn’t hear the soft footsteps behind me. Almost. The corpse in my claws found a final use as a shield to block the other swordsman's blow, and my claws made short work of my other attacker, slashing through his ribcage while he was trying to withdraw his blade from his friend’s deceased body.
This beautiful carnage, caused by my own hands. ‘Is this what it means to be a ?’ I thought to myself, looking at my hands. They were covered in blood, and the urge to lick them clean was almost unbearable. The bandits never thought that any force would be able to penetrate their defenses to this point, and they were ill prepared for any force within the heart of their fortress. ‘There’s more work to do. You don’t have time for this.’ I thought, focusing my mind to the task at hand. Just then, I heard a familiar voice. Screaming.
“Ru?!” I shouted, but all I heard in return was my voice echoing through the burning keep. Ignoring the fires greedily licking at the walls and floors, I smashed my way through the fortress, and anyone who got in my way was brutally disposed off. I went deeper into their base, until I found a set of locked doors. Rune being in danger had triggered my ruthless abandon, and I felt my body begin to change, surrendering to the monster under my skin. My scars began to burn in agony, and I felt something snap inside of me. Using the unholy strength my condition gave me, I smashed through the doors. A figure had Rune pinned to a wall. My momentum carried me forward, and I covered the room in the time my heart would of taken to beat once, if it still beat. The man turned, but it was too late for him. I slammed into him, knocking him and myself down away from Rune.
~Rune
I drop to my knees, my heart pounding. I look up at Nyx. ‘Something’s wrong…’ I think to myself, staring at him in both relief and utter horror. I watch the change from within his soul to even his physical appearance. “Nyx…. What’s.. What's happening..?” I whisper between panting breaths. I then switch my attention to the man. I push Nyx off of him before putting my hand to my neck weakly, covering two fang marks. “I can’t believe I didn't remember you sooner… The guard that beat my sister every night… Fed off her.. Every. Damn. NIGHT!” I almost screamed the last word, lunging forward and plunging my claw-like nails into his skin. “It's time for you to know how it feels to have your blood drained to the point of near death, then to be tortured and left. But this time, I WILL kill you.”
I sink my teeth into his neck, dragging my claws through his skin all the while. I gulp down mouthful after mouthful, not bothering to pace myself. I bite harder and harder until he screams in pain. I rip away the chunk of flesh I had bitten, licking away the blood before moving to bite down right on his throat. Blood pours into my mouth as I tear him to shreds with my sharpened nails, screaming in an animal-like manner. “I WILL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER, YOU HEAR??”
I finally pull away, watching him beg for his life, though he can not speak. Blood is dripping down my chin and chest, and I lick it away hungrily. I use my nail to slice down his chest until I make it do his abdomen, where I switch to using my blade to slice and dice his flesh. “Still alive?” He nods weakly. “Good.” I say, taking the blade and stabbing it through his hand, then standing and watching the blood drain from his body, and the life bleed from his eyes.
“Finish him, Ru.” When I turned to look at Nyx, the boy I had seen before was a completely different person. His scars were burning black and his eyes were darker than the night, reflecting the fire and primal carnage all around him. I'm scared, but at the same time it fills me with power and courage. I nod, turning toward the man with one of the two ornate knives in my hand. I grip it tight with both hands, before plunging it with all of my strength into his heart. He makes a choking noise, before going completely limp before my eyes. “I… I killed him…” I breathe, both proud and terrified of my own actions. “I.. I killed a man….” But then I look up at Nyx, and I seem to become entranced with the darkness in his eyes. It has an alien beauty to it… Evil and terrifying, yet hypnotic and alluring all the same.
“You killed a monster who did not deserve his life.” I merely nod in agreement. Only half listening, I seem to lose myself inside of those entrancing eyes. ‘He is so.. beautiful…. His eyes are like darkness itself…. I could stare into them for hours…’ I think to myself, before shaking my head and looking around at the flames and blood. There is so much blood. The nature inside of me screams with the smell of it, the taste of it in the air. I smile. “ It's beautiful… This scene around us.” “It won’t be the last time you see it, Ru. Our nature is to destroy. “ He smiles, revealing the true nature of his undeath. “We are artists, Rune. Our paint is blood.” He holds out his hand, the metallic claws drenched in the remnants of the slavers. “It’s time to go.” I merely nodded, taking his hand and fleeing with him into the night, leaving the keep and memories locked within to burn.