The Beast
Side Story to "The Ostiary"
Kochou-hime
This is set to begin immediately after the fifth installment of "The Ostiary" (Part 2 of "A Map to Nowhere")
WARNING: Mature content. Violence, bad language, and sexual themes. This is a side story and is not integral to the plot of "The Ostiary" so if this sort of thing isn't your cup of tea don't feel obligated to read!
All characters belong to their respective owners.
"Please, don't kill me! I'll do anything!" A terrified voice begged. Amethyst eyes sparkled in amusement as a wicked chuckle escaped the tall woman's lips.
"Don't fight it," she whispered menacingly as she loomed over her small prey standing defensively with his back to the wall. "It'll only hurt a little." Just as the black haired dwarf's lips trembled open, his body suddenly slammed into the stone wall with a sickening crack. Pained screams flooded the darkness as a pair of pearly white fangs sunk into the flesh of the victim's neck. The dwarf flailed in vain as the blonde vampire pinned him to the wall with her superior strength. His screams quickly became quieter and were replaced with a low gurgling sound. After several moments and with a pleased sigh, the striking vampiress named Mai tossed the limp and drained body to the ground alongside another being of similar size.
"Still out cold," The sultry woman spoke quietly as she eyed the second dwarf, one with aquamarine hair, curled in a fetal position upon the stone floor. Gently sweeping her fingertips across her mouth to wipe away a stray droplet of blood she turned her attention behind her. "Should I wake him?" She asked almost suggestively.
Silence befell her inquiry as the sole other in the barely lit room stood rigidly with his back toward her. His ruby red eyes bore obsessively into the fire of the only lit torch upon the wall as if the burning flames were a product of his wrathful gaze. With his jaw firmly clenched, the lean figure retrieved the fiery item from its confines and fluidly moved to pass its light amongst the others attached to the gray stone walls.
Truth be told, neither the proclaimed Vampire King nor Mai needed the light to see in the underground dwelling, but he lit the torches anyway for the benefit of his guest Weevil, a dwarf he had made a promise to and one he fully intended upon keeping. While the ancient vampire understood well that true darkness, home to monsters and the unknown, was terrifying to the creatures who lived beneath the sun, Weevil would need to see in order to complete the little game he had in mind for him. Moving to the next torch, his black leather boot came in contact with a few rattling objects. His glittering red eyes filled with the vision of several pale bones next to a humanoid skull and he paused.
It was very unlike Yami to be untidy and although he racked his brain he had a hard time remembering the last time he had maintained residence in the Castle of Atrum let alone visited its dungeons. A castle's windowless basement was an ideal place for a vampire seeking sanctuary during the daylight hours, but Yami often preferred an interior room of any one of his many estates where he would read in attempt to escape from boredom…that is if he hadn't acquired some unfortunate soul to entertain himself while the sun took its turn bathing the Earth. An absolutely sinful smile spread across his features as the sight of bones reminded him of their long dead owner's once paralyzing terror.
"Well?" Mai sounded again expecting an answer from her elder counterpart. Yami made no effort to conceal his irritation with the blonde as he regarded her with his hardened gaze and a displeased frown. A low rumbling escaped his chest as Yami asked himself yet again why he continued to associate with the violet eyed vampire who had achieved new heights of annoying him on this particular night.
"No," he spoke harshly whilst stalking toward a chair wedged before a small table in a darkened corner of the massive room. Mai crossed her arms indignantly.
"You seemed pretty eager to slaughter him earlier," she reminded, "I guess I've forgotten how frightening of a reputation you have, the little twerp fainted on sight of you."
Yami couldn't help but smirk at her observation as he slid into the vacant seat. His bronzed face was suddenly illuminated as he quickly lit a half dwindled candle before him.
"Patience Mai," he regarded her with a wicked and fang-filled grin, "blood as delicious as his is well worth waiting for." The female vampire curled her upper lip in distaste.
"Dwarves don't taste that good." She replied. Yami merely chuckled as he extended his legs to fall heavily on the table drawing the flickering candlelight across his supreme and black-clothed form as he did so. Folding his arms across his chest he allowed his brilliant red eyes to flutter shut as he reclined into his seat.
"The taste of fulfilled vengeance is one in which few others compare." His quiet voice rang richly. With a smirk Mai approached the table and relaxingly sat upon its outside edge.
"I'll keep that in mind, oh wise one." She spoke smoothly and crossed her arms in preparation to wait.
As the cold dungeon receded into deadened silence, the vision of a pair of perfect and crystalline blue eyes sailed into the ancient King's brooding thoughts. While memories of the enchanting Fae Queen were not a strange occurrence within Yami's mind the happenings of the past few days had made Serenity the sole star of his concerns. Seeing her true and petite form within his eyes, luxuriating in her intoxicating scent and hearing the almost musical sound of her voice for the first time in a thousand years was more than enough to reignite his maddened attraction to the fascinating creature. It took a level of self control he hadn't been aware existed to stop himself from carrying off the fair haired royal, kicking and screaming if required, to a location free of prying eyes and otherwise annoying company.
A sly smirk graced his features as he imagined trapping the small Queen within his unyielding embrace; how then would she run off to her precious kingdom on the Moon? His smirk quickly faded as the sour memory of her leaving him for the Fae's celestial home resurfaced.
In theory, dealing with her abandonment should have been simple. In his approximately five thousand years of Earth dwelling he had enjoyed the company of countless attractive women who were equally delicious once he was through with them. Vampires, such as he, had a unique appeal to their human prey so achieving whatever had fit his tastes at the time had never been a problem, that is until a certain fairy had changed everything.
He had never in his experiences encountered an equal to Serenity. She radiated with a beauty so pure and unadulterated that it drowned out his perception of how any other woman should appeal to him. Regardless of this, associating with her had altered him on a level he probably would never admit to another. Sex, while an enjoyable pastime of his past encounters, had never been among his preferred activities. As a true creature of the night he craved the source of life that flowed within his victim's veins more than anything. The taste of salty tears brimming with despair, evoking screams of terror, and bringing the utter and complete destruction of hope after he defeated each and every opponent filled him with an unmatchable satisfaction.
It wasn't until he cultivated a bond with Serenity that his former enjoyments quickly waned in their importance. His urge to tear into living flesh was simply overpowered with his desire to place kisses upon hers. Wishing to deny the pleads and cries of the conquered beg for their pitiful lives was replaced with entertaining the pleasant fairy's conversation or otherwise simple company. The impact of her absence had wrecked havoc on any and every one of his past amusements, even the taste of blood, the ultimate prize, sometimes seemed bland and missing substance. Perhaps if he had known he'd feel such a level of malcontent even after a thousand years he would have made more of an effort to convince her to stay.
But even so, the unrelenting pride of the King of Games was a force to be reckoned with.
Suddenly, a soft rustling interrupted Yami's wavering thoughts and his ruby red orbs snapped open. Castle Atrum's unluckiest guest slowly sat up from where he once slumbered on the icy cold floor. Weevil gasped in horror when upon adjusting his glasses he spotted the liquidated corpse of his companion.
"Rex!" He cried aloud.
"Hello, Weevil," a leathery voice spoke, "so we meet again." The teal haired dwarf looked to the shadowy figure that stood just before him and howled in terror upon recognizing the Vampire King. Rushing to the wall behind him, he clawed at the solid stone helplessly and rattled the chains that were attached to one of his wrists. Yami's eyes lit up in feral delight as he could almost taste the little dwarf's absolute fear. His body tensed with anticipation as his eyes transfixed upon the much weaker creature; oh how he would pay for dishonoring sweet Serenity.
"Good," Yami spoke once more earning a chuckle from Mai as she glided just behind him. "You haven't forgotten me." Weevil spun around, hot tears trailing his face as he quickly fell to his knees.
"Please!" Weevil managed to stutter aloud while trembling on the ground. A catty smile played across the ancient blood drinker's face as he casually drew upon the chain attached to Weevil's shackles effectively lifting the dwarf off the ground and to his eye level. Weevil's eyes quickly closed in fright.
"Perhaps you should relax, dwarf. Besides, I have some good news for you." He suggested, his voice brimming with malevolent intent. Slowly, Weevil opened eyes and shuttered in terror at his close proximity to the precarious being. "Mai ever so generously healed your hand for you with her own blood, wasn't that kind of her?"
Weevil quickly shifted his gaze to the unshackled hand which had been shattered by the tormenting vampire earlier that evening. Appearing amazed upon wiggling his fingers, he yelped when he suddenly fell to his bottom upon Yami releasing the chain.
"She did so, so that you may play a little game with me. Do you like games, Weevil?" Yami asked mirthfully. Before Weevil could attempt an answer the vampire raptly ripped the chain from the wall with ease and began dragging the dwarf quickly behind him into the darkness.
"No!" Weevil wailed as he fruitlessly dug his fingernails into the unyielding ground. Coming to a stop just below two crackling fire-lit torches, Weevil slowly sat up to stare into a large wooden door. The dwarf released a frightened yelp as Yami roughly brought him to his feet by the scruff of his collared jacket. Brandishing a villainous grin down toward the trembling man, Yami carefully removed a slim, rectangular object from within his jacket and crouched down to meet the other's eyes.
"The object I'm holding is a very unique puzzle," the vampire explained quietly as he dangled the item before his prisoner. The puzzle was made completely of wood, with two rotating pieces engraved with a unique symbol on each of the four sides. At the object's center was a glass window where within lie a long stemmed, ornately crafted and golden key. "If you should succeed in solving the correct combination of symbols, the key which opens this door will fall out here." Yami indicated toward the base of the puzzle and offered it to Weevil who timidly accepted.
"This is the game? Am I competing with you?" The dwarf gulped in his nasally voice. The infamous King of Games chuckled as he stood to his full stature.
"No, my role is to keep track of the time." He responded as he revealed a golden pocket watch from within his coat. "If you liberate the key within fifteen minutes you're free to leave here and I will not go after you." The scarlet-eyed vampire explained as a glimmer of hope flickered within Weevil's eyes. "However, if you should fail…" he trailed as a wicked smirk flew across his face, "I'm afraid you won't be so lucky." Yami finished in a low growl. The King could barely contain his thrill as he looked into the little dwarf's mind and observed how petrifying he truly was to him.
"One more thing," he spoke again, "if you should try to break the glass there will be a very unfortunate penalty for you. Solving the puzzle is the only way to obtain the key." Yami wagged his finger and flipped open the pocket watch with his other hand. "Time starts now."
Returning to his seat the tormenting man grinned to himself as his gleaming gaze surveyed the small dwarf who feverishly made his attempt upon the puzzle in panic.
"You'll never solve it," Mai hissed as she hovered just behind Weevil. He yelped and attempted run away from her as she stomped onto the chain sending him plummeting to the ground and clutching the precious object to his chest. "You better hurry up little imp," Mai chortled, "not that it's any use. I can't wait to watch Yami tear you to shreds!" Whimpering loudly, Weevil quickly returned to frantically trying to uncover the correct combination.
Moving a hand into his wild spikes of tri-colored hair, Yami rested his elbow onto the table and relished upon the sensation that tingled across his golden skin. His thoughts wandered away from the darkened dungeons once more as his mind's eye swelled with an image of the great white moon. The sole beacon of the night and the Fae Queen's chosen home held nothing but torment for the mighty Vampire King over the past millennia. Despite his incredible power and skill he was powerless in seeking what he truly desired above anything else. Loving Serenity was like a vampire loving the sun; a tragic and unrequited affair. But now…
A low and pleased rumble escaped the base of his chest as the silken haired beauty danced across the front of his memories. Serenity had returned to her old world once more and the opportunity that lay out before him was one he was absolutely unwilling to resist.
On the evening he had laid eyes upon the Queen for the first time in a thousand years he caught a brief glimpse of her stirring thoughts. The provoking image revealed all that he was to her in a moment where she hadn't been prepared to guard her mind. In some faction she hated him for all that he was: a monster that embodied and behaved in a way she couldn't help but abhor. He had deciphered fear from her shocked oceanic blues, and for good reason as history had proven a vampire to be a fairy's deadliest foe and he was without a doubt a formidable opponent. These feelings were nothing rare to the ancient vampire. In the millions of minds he had peered into in his past, fear and hate were common in those he had tortured and intended to destroy.
It was the third feeling swarming within her that played over again and again within his head, a tiny spark escaping from a tame and even burning fire. He saw himself in her perception in a way no other had ever looked upon him before. Even if it could only be measured on a miniscule level, the message rang loud and clear; Serenity had missed and longed for him during all the time that had passed. Perhaps her tiny affection was merely leftover feelings from their past affair, but either way, a spark he could work with.
And why shouldn't she desire him for her lover once more? He had attended to her every need whether she had realized it or not. Countless times he had defended her from harm, aptly destroying any creature that posed to her even the slightest threat. Hadn't he indulged her every desire? Yami had gone out of his way to alleviate the Queen's adorable to addiction to sweets and not to mention…
A crooked and fang filled grin snaked across his face as he revisited a very different realm of their relationship. He imagined Serenity pinned beneath him, his little prey, with a form so petite yet so perfect in every way. The vampire had taken his time and great care in satiating her every satisfaction. Yami hissed quietly to himself as he felt an overwhelming heat and pressure beckon him from his pelvis.
"Damn it," he grumbled to himself as he cursed his inopportune arousal. His thoughts became distracted from all other current events. Yami could care less if Weevil solved the puzzle or if Zorc was sneaking around and plotting to destroy him. All he wanted in this moment was Serenity; to torture her with endless pleasures beneath his talented hands and mouth. The King wished for nothing more than to make her completely his by joining their two bodies together in ecstasy beneath her precious moon. He mused upon the incredible excitement she ignited within him, even when her self-righteousness was infuriating the Vampire King could feel nothing more but the desire to please the royal fairy.
"I'm not a prize and this isn't a game," he recalled Serenity's angry words from earlier this evening and revealed a wry smile.
"No, Serenity," he spoke softly aloud, "You are the prize and bringing you back to me is the only game that is important." The normally vicious man finished genuinely.
"Hey, your majesty," Mai announced sarcastically and effectively shaking the vampire away from his private thoughts. "How much time does this little whelp have left to live?" She grinned malevolently as a terrified squeal escaped their prisoner as his quivering hands continued to attempt the puzzle. His blazing crimson orbs fell upon the desperate dwarf and an unpleasant feeling washed over him.
Serenity would hate this. Even though the putrescent little creature had unquestionably insulted the beautiful Moon Queen her peaceful and loving nature would never wish even an ounce of harm upon the offender. Yami sighed deeply and shifted his eyes to where the pocket watch sat open on the desk's surface. Five minutes left. Looking back to the struggling dwarf he lifted his lip in distaste. The puzzle he had given him was actually mind numbingly simple. Even a small child could solve it if given fifteen minutes to do. The trick to ensuring his victims failure was by inducing fear. Fear was the ultimate tool in defeating an opponent. Terror induced Weevil's fumbling hands and his clouded thoughts from seeing the solution.
Maybe he should just let the pathetic creature go. If he refrained from taunting and gave the little dwarf more time he would eventually finish it and count his lucky stars for the rest of his life. Honestly, Yami's desire to punish Weevil for his transgression had completely flown from him. Fully considering how Serenity would react if she ever found out about what he had done left a bad taste in his mouth. When Yami failed to answer her, Mai looked down upon the dwarf and smirked.
"There's not much time left for you, dwarf. I wish I could say your death will be quick and painless but that wouldn't be true at all because I can guarantee in a few minutes all your worst nightmares are going to come true!" She cackled as Weevil, openly crying, quickly wrung out one of his exhausted hands. Focusing on the gesture, Yami's red eyed gaze fell squarely on the appendage for a moment as the dwarf quickly returned to turning the puzzle pieces.
That hand. He had shattered it once already this very evening for what the creature had done with it. Yami tensed as he could feel a fiery fury building within his vasculature. The lecherous man's actions were crystal clear within the ruthless vampire's memory. He had placed his pudgy, filthy and disgusting hand upon his Serenity's thigh in a manner that was everything but innocent. Images from Weevil's lascivious intentions riled an inconsolable rage within the Vampire King. How dare he even consider touching her or engaging in activities that only her lover should be permitted to? Yami's eyes lit up an ethereal red as a maddened grin swooped across his features. Yes, that's right. Serenity was his and since he couldn't enjoy her company at the moment he would just have to try to enjoy making those who offend her wish they had never been born.
Flashing his blood-thirsty gaze to the damned dwarf he felt his throat run dry as the sound of the creature's quick and erratic heartbeat teased what his marvelous body had to have. He swallowed hard upon the uncomfortable desiccation and became very aware of his beautifully deadly, long, and polished fangs. Any matter of choice had expired within this moment, the sun had come up and if he didn't delight in slowly peeling the skin from someone's bones as he feasted upon their blood he may just go completely and utterly insane. His grin became ever wider as he tossed a casual glance to his watch. 2 minutes.
"Oh how I wish time would go by faster," the powerful being spoke loudly earning the attention of both Mai and the prisoner. "Because Weevil, I really don't think I can wait to devour you any longer!" Yami rumbled earning a wicked grin of approval from Mai. The dwarf in turn screeched in panic and turned his terror filled eyes to where the key was trapped within the puzzle. Without heeding the vampire's warning he hysterically drew back his fist and slammed it into the glass causing the shards to embed into his fist.
With a loud whoosh all of the fires lighting the dungeon suddenly extinguished. Weevil quickly grabbed the key from the broken glass and rushed to the door trying in vain to feel around for the key hole when suddenly the sound of a torch being lit sounded from behind him. Turning around he shrieked and sent the key clattering to the ground as he his eyes filled with Yami's tall and menacing form. Mai stood just behind him holding the room's sole source of light with a mirthful smirk upon her face.
"Puh-please," Weevil cowered within the taller being's shadow as Yami regarded him with a sparkling and toothy grin.
"I told you, Weevil. There's a penalty for breaking the glass." He reminded sinisterly as horror spread across the bleeding man's face. "Unfortunately the penalty is a time related one. The rest of your time to complete the puzzle expired when you broke the glass. So, you lose." The perspiring man gasped and quickly ran away into the darkness of the dungeon, his chain rattling, as Yami grinned after him.
Slowly following him into the pitch blackness, the vampire's slow and impending steps echoed in the mostly empty and silent dungeon. Mai looked on as her elder amusingly stalked his mentally destroyed prey as there was absolutely nowhere the dwarf could hide or escape.
"It's absolutely imperative I teach you a lesson, Weevil," the murderer announced morbidly as his clicking steps came to a halt.
"P-p-p-please, PLEASE!" Weevil begged in stuttered sobs.
"I fully intend to make your extinguishment so harrowing that you'll take it with you after your death," Yami spoke haughtily, "so perhaps in your next life you'll remember." A savage rumbled ripped from the vampire's chest.
"No one fucks with the King of Games!" Yami's roar was followed by a piercing scream that filled the entire cavern.
Mai winced as she stared into the darkness. Weevil's blood curdling screams nearly shattered her ears as it just overpowered the sounds of breaking bones and tearing flesh.
"Oh my; correction," The vampiress smirked and put a hand on her hips as she blew out the last fiery torch. "No one fucks with Serenity, the precious Fae Queen."
Special thanks to Cosmic-lover for inspiring me to write about "what happened to Weevil" in her review!
I haven't updated in awhile, sorry! I've been super, uber busy. I have tons of half-written chapters to finish for my stories (and other people's stories to read!) so I will get them completed as soon as possible.
This is by far the most "mature" piece of literature I've written and submitted here so if you wouldn't mind sending me feedback in a review/private message on what you thought about it I will be eternally grateful!
I apologize for offending anyone. I don't usually write with such "mature" themes but I'm following the muse of the characters and the story and was sort of experimenting.
Thanks for reading!
~Kochou-hime