Keshi: Keep in mind that I own nothing used in this story, except for a few characters and other things.
Master and Servant - I, All the King's Men
'The living shall join the dead.'
That was a phrase Remilia Scarlet knew well. It was from her past –another time, another place–yet she remembered as well as if she had just heard it.
The Scarlet Devil sat on the balcony of her mansion, looking out into the dark night sky. She closed her eyes and uttered the words that had once filled her mind so long ago. Gensokyo was safer, she had decided long ago. Safer from him. Safer from herself.
Remilia gave a small smile and opened her eyes. The face of an adult human male filled her view. Looking, she also saw Flandre and herself.
"Remi!" a human Flandre called. She was dressed in what seemed to be a worn linen dress, hand-sewn, bright blonde hair tied to one side of her head in a ponytail by a deeply red bow that had been given to her by one of the women in the city.
No longer was Remilia in the Scarlet Devil Mansion in Gensokyo, but on a farm in a land with a name she couldn't quite remember at this time.
Remilia Tenedril looked up from the book she was reading to see her sister waving to her from the empty field laying directly in front of the house. It was remarkably warm and sunny that day, and Remilia was happy to stay in the shade of the house. A slight breeze blew across the property, rustling the short grass by the risen wooden porch. Birds and small animals called from all around, a good many from the thick forest that lay on the other side of the field.
"Remi, come play with me!" the younger sister called, still waving, insistent on Remilia coming out to play.
Remilia sighed and put a bookmark on her page in the book, which she had gotten from a sale in Andorhal. As much as she would have loved to continue reading about heroes of the Second War, Flandre wouldn't be content to leave her alone. In fact, she gave out a cheer as Remilia set the book down and stood.
The young girl stepped down onto the dirt path, causing some dust to stir. She covered her eyes to the bright sun in the cloudless sky. Her dark brown hair shimmered in the light. Sighing again and lowing her hand, Remilia called out, "I won't stay out for long!" She walked to the broadly smiling Flandre.
Flandre giggled and ran out into the empty field. Remilia followed her out, thinking about the status of the field. Their grain had all died recently due to an fungal infection that spread quickly through the field, so the man (who Remilia was starting to recall was her father) had to make a trip to the nearby city of Andorhal to buy some to eat.
Flandre suddenly stopped and turned to Remilia, who stopped. "Let's play a game," the younger girl suggested, still smiling.
"And what would that be?" Remilia asked blandly, a bored expression sitting on her face. She knew that she would enjoy whatever game they played, but she still missed her book.
Flandre smiled and suddenly tapped her older sister on the shoulder and yelled, "Tag!" Laughing, she turned and ran farther into the barren field.
Remilia couldn't help but laugh as well (her childish instincts had set in) and set chase around the field. The two dashed back and forth on the dry grass that crunched with every step. Up and over a small hill they ran, by the small stream running near the house, by the gravestone by an old tree.
"I've got you!" Remilia yelled as she came closer to Flandre near the road. She stretched forward in hopes to catch her young sister, but there was a rock sitting in just the right place to throw her off balance and cause her to fly forward. Both she and Flandre went tumbling into the main road with surprised cries.
"Ow..." Remilia mumbled as she sat up, holding her head. "Hey, Flan, are you okay?" she asked, turning to look at the other, but Flandre was missing. "Flan? Flandre?" Remilia called, now on her feet.
Remilia turned towards the field quickly, hoping that maybe her sister was there, but it wasn't true. "Flandre!" she called once again.
"Remi, over here!" came Flandre's voice, distant.
Remilia spun to face the direction it came from. Her blood went cold when she saw it came from within the forest just on the edge of their property. "Flan!" Remilia yelled, running towards the trees. She slowed in front of the forest, reluctant to enter, but she pressed on to find Flandre(who, Remilia thought looking back, was rather fast at that age).
"Flan!" Remilia called again, hoping to get a general location of the girl. She most desperately hoped that her young sibling was not too far into the wooded area.
"Over here!" Flandre replied, her voice to Remilia's left. Said girl turned and headed in that direction.
'Flan, you know you shouldn't be out here,' Remilia thought worriedly. There were terrible things lurking in the forest. Their father always spoke of horrible beasts that waited for young people to enter. Most children would be terrified simply from their parents talking of it, but Remilia had more reasons than that her father had told her.
She read many books, especially books about knights and monsters, and the forest was were the monsters always lived. Beasts worse than anything their father spoke of. Giant brutish ogres, kidnapping bandits, dog-like gnoll raiders, cannibalistic trolls... many others as well. Flandre, of course, had no fear of most things like these. They were only an interesting adventure to her.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by an overgrown root in her path. The young girl screamed in surprise as she went fell forward again, tumbling into a patch of ground cover ivy.
Remilia moaned as she pushed herself back to her feet. That was the second time today. "Flan!" She should have just stayed on the porch. Pressing ahead, she continued further into the eerie forest.
"Flandre!" she called again, hoping for a response as she stopped by an outcropping of rocks. Taking this time, she noticed exactly how quiet it was in the forest that day.
Suddenly, a hand was on her shoulder. Remilia screamed and spun away from it, but stopped when she saw who it was. A smiling Flandre stood there, holding her hand up. "Re-tag!" she called.
Flandre lowered her hand and changed the subject completely. "Hey, there was this neat guy out here. You just missed him, Remi," Flandre said as Remilia caught her breath. "He was really nice, too. I think you would've liked h-HEY!" Flandre yelled as Remilia grabbed her arm and began leading her out of the forest and away from the thick, dark trees. Flandre protested all the while of their return.
Remilia stopped when they finally reached the path in front of the house. She turned to the complaining Flandre and gave her a stern yet worried look. "You know it's dangerous to go in the forest! What was going on in your head to make you think that it was safe?"
"It's not like there's anything actually-"
"There are a lot of things out there!" Remilia exclaimed, almost screaming. "There's wolves, bears, big cats, bugs, murlocs... orcs..." The last word came out as more of a whisper than anything, but it still carried weight. Both girls quieted at the mention of the green-skinned savages.
After a few seconds, Remilia looked at her sister and asked, "What was that you said about there being a man in the forest?"
Flandre brightened up and replied cheerfully, "He was a really nice man! He helped me up after I tripped and told me that he hoped I had a good supper tonight. Then he left and you showed up. Pretty weird, huh?! He looked very kindhearted, though."
Remilia stared back into the woods fearfully. If there was someone lurking around their property, she would have to fulfill her duty as the older sibling and keep a close eye on her sister. "You need to stay out of the forest today. No more games," she said, which brought a pout from Flandre.
"You're no fun!" the blonde girl whined. She would stay out of the forest, anyway. What Remilia had said earlier struck a soft spot for both of the girls.
Remilia nodded thankfully and said, "Anyway, we need to go wait for dad. He'll be home soon." It was their duty as the children to be there when the father returned.
Flandre nodded quietly and followed her sister to the end of the path, where it connected with the main road. The two of them stood there silently for some time as the sun burned overhead, watching the direction to Andorhal. They knew that it shouldn't be too much longer before their father returned, and they wanted to be here waiting when he did. After a few minutes, however, Flandre flopped to her rear on the ground, bored from staying in one place for so long. Remilia sighed and joined her sister, agreeing that her father wouldn't be riding from the horizon for a several minutes yet. It was like that that they noticed a group of riders approaching on horseback from the opposite direction.
The girls stood to meet this approaching group. "If they stop, let me speak with them," Remilia whispered to Flandre, who responded with a "'Kay."
Sure enough, the riders came to a halt in front of them. The one in front was a man, wearing plate armor with a blue tabard, his long blonde hair messy from a long ride. At his side was a woman holding a staff, face covered by a purple hood. Behind both of them rode a royal soldier, fully armored in the elite plate of an Alliance captain.
Remilia's eyes widened at the sight of the blonde man. She had never seen him for herself, but she knew from the descriptions given to her by her father who he was. "Your Highness," she said nervously, bowing, attempting to draw out the meager length that her worn clothing allowed. Flandre imitated her, though she was a little reluctant.
Prince Arthas Menethil smiled and said, "There's no need for that, you two. I'm here as a knight, not a prince."
Remilia slowly straightened, but she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes, much less speak to him again. Flandre, however, had no such problem.
"You're a knight?" the younger sister exclaimed in surprise, eyes burning with excitement.
Arthas couldn't help but laugh at the young girl's energy. "I am. Of the Silver Hand."
Flandre's mouth widened. "Just like in the stories Remi always reads! Going around, slaying dragons, saving nobles, going places where no one's ever been!" she said.
The woman pushed the hood back, revealing Jaina Proudmoore, who laughed and said, "You have a fan, Arthas."
Arthas smiled and said, "I can't say I've slain too many dragons," Arthas said, glancing at the small red orb tied to his hammer, "But I am here to help people."
Flandre squeed (Remilia couldn't think of a better way to describe the noise she made) and jumped up and down. Remilia decided that she would have to interrupt Flandre before things got too out of hand. "Y... Sir Menethil. What brings you out to the east?" she asked.
"We're heading to Andorhal. There's someone there that we really need to see," Arthas explained.
"Ah!" Flandre exclaimed. "Our dad went there to visit the market! He should be back soon."
"Really?" Jaina asked. "That's a strange coincidence."
The captain coughed to gain attention before stating, "We need to move. We've wasted enough time talking."
"There's no reason to be rude, Falric," Arthas said, but he turned to the sisters and said, "We do have to keep moving. Light keep you safe, girls." With that he and captain Falric began moving again, towards the city of Andorhal further along the road.
Jaina smiled and said, "It's been nice talking to you two," before she joined her companions.
"Bye!" Flandre called after the receding forms. "Wow, a real knight, Remi! I didn't think I'd ever get to meet one," she said. After a few more seconds of silence, she added, "Who was he, anyway?"
Remilia turned her head and stared at her sister in disbelief. "Who is he?" She turned to face Flandre fully. "That was Prince Arthas Menethil of Lordaeron!"
"He's a prince, too?" Flandre exclaimed with excitement once again. It was obvious that she had a new idol of worship.
Remilia put her hand on her face in disbelief. "Do you ever pay attention to what dad says when he talks about the government?" she asked.
"Nope!"
"I figured." Remilia sighed and looked up, dropping her arm to her side. The two stood there waiting for a few more minutes, Flandre swooning over having met Arthas all the while. Remilia kept her attention focused on the road, however, waiting for their father to appear. Soon, she saw that down the road the three had gone down earlier was now a wagon drawn by a pair of oxen, bouncing on the rough stones.
"Look, Flan," Remilia said, pointing to the wagon.
Flandre turned to see, immediately yelling, "Daddy!" upon seeing the vehicle. She began running towards it, waving her arms in the air, a huge smile dominating her face.
Remilia followed close behind, just as happy to see her father returning, though a little more restrained.
"Woah!" Called a voice from the wagon, the reigns on the oxen pulling back to slow them. The wagon came to a stop as the girls approached it. Both of them hopped on the side and climbed to the front, where their father awaited them.
"Daddy!" Flandre repeated, latching herself onto the man. Remilia sat down on the opposite side and leaned against his shoulder.
"I wasn't gone too long, was I?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes, you were! I thought you weren't coming back at all, for a while!" Flandre exclaimed, burying her face into her father's arm, causing the latter to laugh and say that he would never leave the two of them all alone.
Remilia sat quietly until the wagon came to a halt. "Up and at 'em, Remi. I need to get all the grain into storage and serve dinner," her father said. The young girl sat up and looked out of the wagon into the orange-tinted grass. Flandre was already running inside the house.
"Prince Arthas rode by today," she reported, hopping down from the wagon.
"Ah, really? I saw him on the road here and wondered what he could be doing here," her father called as he led the oxen to the barn.
"He said he and his companions were heading to Andorhal," Remilia explained.
"That'd be why they asked me what was happening there. There wasn't anything, really. Just a loading of new crops," the man said as he walked back out of the barn and to the wagon. "Hey, go help Flandre get ready for us to start eating. I'll be right in with the grain."
Remilia nodded and went into the house, picking up her book on her way in. Flandre stood by the table, setting out three wooden bowls with spoons. Remilia set the book on a small table by the window that looked out into the field. Her younger sister was humming a tune that Remilia hadn't heard before, but she thought that it was a rather catchy one despite its unusual opening.
The father entered the house with a small bag of grain. "Alright," he said. "Let's get to eating." He dumped the grain into the bowls and placed some bread, meat, and water he had bought next to them.
"Yay!" Flandre called, taking her spot at the table. Remilia sat down quietly and began eating her bread. She was a little tired after the day's events. Flandre immediately started on the grain.
The father smiled as he sat down at the lantern-lit table. "So, how was your day while I w-" he suddenly cut off, coughing violently.
Both Flandre and Remilia shot up and went to him. He managed to smile and say, "It's okay, girls. I'm-*coughhackweeze*-fine." His voice was starting to crack.
Remilia grabbed some of the water on the table and said, "This might help." She handed it to her father, who smiled and took it gladly, despite his earlier protest.
"I'm fine, really," he said, but he still downed a lot of the water. "Thanks, " he said before handing the empty container back to Remilia with a smile. "I feel much better no-." The father suddenly yelled in pain, arching his back with an expression of pure agony. He through himself down with a heavy force and slammed his head against the table, causing a sickening crack to resound. The table splintered slightly around the impact point.
"Dad!" Flandre exclaimed. The father began thrashing side to side and spasming, knocking over the lantern in the process.
Remilia reached for a full glass of water to douse the flames, but her father reached out and grabbed her arm. With a force she had never believed her father would use, he threw her against the wall. The air in her lungs was suddenly forced out, leaving her breathless for several seconds. "Remi! Daddy, stop!" Flandre screamed, but her words fell on unhearing ears.
The father stood, throwing the table across the room, causing it to break apart. He swung his arm sharply to strike Flandre to the ground. The once fatherly creature rose its rapidly changing arm to deliver the killing stroke, but a large book suddenly struck its head and caused it to stumble.
Remilia picked up another one of her books and threw it at the monstrosity that her father had become, still trying to catch her breath. She ran forward to Flandre while her father was distracted and grabbed her arm. "Flan! Flan, get up!" she yelled hoarsely.
The younger girl only moaned in response. "Flandre!" Remilia screamed as the father regained its balance. It kicked Remilia, knocking her away.
Flandre regained consciousness and pushed herself up slowly, shaking her head. The raging creature roared and laughed at the same time. "This fast infection serves well, despite its drawbacks!" it yelled in a voice much different from the one the father had once spoken with, and then in a slightly more familiar voice, deeper and more rough, "The living shall join the dead!"
Flandre scrambled away from it in fear. Remilia was back on her feet. She grabbed her sister's arms and yelled, "We need to leave!" The younger sister stood and grabbed her older sister in shock. Remilia shook her as the once-father walked towards them, skin falling from his body in rapidly rotting chunks, revealing the expanding muscle and bone underneath.
Remilia gave up her pleas with Flandre as the monster approached. She forcibly pulled Flandre to her feet and started running towards the door. The fire had caught on strong, burning all around them.
Suddenly, Flandre caught her leg on a piece of the broken table, tripping her out of Remilia's grasp. "Flan!" Remilia yelled in surprise as her sister fell. She turned to go back for her, but the fire decided otherwise. Its flames had engulfed the ceiling and burned out the supports. A large pile of burning wood fell in between Flandre and Remilia, completely cutting them off from each other.
"Flandre! Flandre, are you okay?" Remilia screamed worriedly. She covered her face as the fire flared at her. She peeked over her arm into the blaze, hoping to catch some glimpse of her younger sister. There was no such luck. "Flandre, you need to get out of there!" she yelled before turning to run out of the burning house.
Remilia stopped once she was outside and turned back to the house. "Flan!" she yelled again, hoping that her sister could hear her. 'I will not leave you in there!' she thought, preparing to go back in to see if she could get to Flandre somehow.
Remilia had time to take a single step before arms wrapped around her and pulled her screaming back. A robed hand grabbed the girl's chin and pulled it up, forcing her mouth open with the thumb. The other dumped a vial of liquid down her throat.
Remilia gagged as the warm liquid ran down. Within a few seconds, her eyes had rolled into the back of her head and she was unconscious in front of a burning farm house.
A few days passed. The fires of the farm had been quelled by the rain some time ago. A damp fog lay heavily in the air, obscuring any sight from a distance.
In back of the house lay the motionless corpse of a young girl. It stirred suddenly, rising to its feet. The world was quiet around it.
Sniffing the air, it smelled the blood of four humans approaching the house. It ran inside.
Sergeant Marsher led his footmen nearer to the burned house. All four of them wore light armor; buff coats modified for ground troops with chain mail shirts covering them, leather boots, gloves for their hands and helmets. Their objective was to discover what had exactly befallen the area, and this farm was conveniently nearby. "Harkel, gajn tin hüszejden. Ward majne ancejge efter."
Private Harkel nodded and headed around to the side of the farm house, stepping across a small stream that ran next to the house. The waiting creature watched him do this. It could smell their blood, it could see it. One thought flowed into its mind- 'The living shall join the dead'.
Marsher and the other two footmen approached the front of the burned house with swords and shields at the ready. "Berejte selb for. Et mag zejn tat in undejden zejd an tern hüs," the Sergeant said in warning. The two footmen nodded, prepared in case something should be found. He then stepped inside the destroyed building, the other two soldiers following behind. They were only allowed access to half of the house due to a large pile of burned rubble that blocked easy movement between the two sides.
The creature continued to wait as they searched around the house, watching from its post in a flame-darkened corner above the door.
"Majnhajr! Seke disen!" one of the soldiers called to Marsher.
The Sergeant approached, asking, "Wat?"
The soldier raised what he was holding to show to Marsher. It was a slightly burned painting of a family. Marsher frowned and said, "Sten tat, Goltmalm. Wic zejd to spajtem." Private Goltmalm nodded sadly and sat the picture on a nearby table. The trio proceeded to search the rest of the small house, finding nothing conclusive in their search. Marsher, seeing that there was nothing of use was to be found in this house gathered the two footmen and led them out.
The creature watched as Marsher gathered the other footmen together to lead away. It watched in stillness and silence as Marsher and Goltmalm passed under the door, waiting for the last of the trio to approach before dropping, mouth open in a blood-curdling screech.
He yelled as the creature dropped onto his shoulders. It sank its fangs into his neck and began draining the blood from his body.
"En bloteser! En undaud!" Goltmalm yelled as his fellow soldier collapsed, blood pouring out onto the ground.
The creature raised its head from the now dead soldier to look at Goltmalm, who had drawn his sword. Goltmalm was paralyzed at the sight of its face. Crimson eyes, razor teeth, a hideous snarl... the features of a young girl. "Ter Lüt waerde..." he whispered.
A low growl rose in the throat of the creature. It leaped from the corpse, screeching with a trail of blood flying out behind it like a line of rain.
Goltmalm raised his shield to stop it from knocking him over and pushed back. The creature's strength surprised him as it stood strong against his pushes. Goltmalm watched as the creature's hands wrapped around the rim of his shield and pulled, completely overcoming his grasp and pulling the shield away from him.
The undead turn threw the shield at Marsher, who had been attempting to flank it. Goltmalm took this chance and slashed down, embedding his sword in the creature's neck, but it did little. The creature grabbed the blade and pulled Goltmalm closer, turning around as it did so. The blade came free from Goltmalm's hands as the undead threw one of its hands to meet him.
Goltmalm screamed in pain as the creature's claws dug into his eyes. His scream was short-lived, as it followed up this by tearing into his throat with its fangs. Goltmalm sputtered as the last breaths of air he would take came. Blood covered the creature's face as it turned to face Marsher.
It hissed, drawing back its lips to show the reddened fangs. Marsher was unimpressed by this, however, and yelled, "Harkel! Ruk tern leger to! Ik skul füten tis tiris!"
"M-majnhajr! Ik skul net geben dik üp!" Harkel responded, not wanting to leave his leader behind.
"Ruk to!" the Sergeant repeated before letting out a battle cry. He raised his sword and shield and charged at the creature. His opponent leaped from the dying Goltmalm.
The two met in sudden flurry of sword and claw, neither gaining the upper hand. Marsher smashed the creature with the shield, but it grabbed the sword that he followed the bash up with. Its claws scratched his face, but he countered to slash the creature across the chest with his sword.
Marsher drew his sword back again for another strike, but the creature was ready this time. It immediately drew close to him, stabbing its claws into his underarms, piercing straight through Marsher's armor.
The sergeant dropped his sword, letting out a pained yell. The creature grabbed the muscles underneath his arms and ripped, pulling handfuls of muscle from Marsher's body. It then kicked one of his knees back to break it. Marsher collapsed to his good knee as the other broke backwards.
The human's sight began blurring from pain. Now that he was at its level, the creature dug its fangs into his neck and began drinking. Blood ran freely across the slightly burned clothes, staining them red.
Harkel yelled in fear and began to flee, unable to contend with such a monstrosity. With the intent to let none leave alive, the creature stopped drinking long enough to grab Marsher's sword and throw it after the retreating form.
Harkel panted heavily as he ran, his fear making him hyperventilate. That monster had slain three trained soldiers as if they were simple pigs. He needed to get back to their camp and warn the others. He needed-.
A sharp pain hit him from behind. He felt the blade tear straight through his chain mail and his leather, piercing through his flesh. Harkel fell forward, suddenly very tired. He needed...
The creature drank more after Harkel fell dead. Marsher barely could make any noise as his blood left his body in large amounts. It wasn't long until he too was just another drained corpse.
The creature threw its head back and screamed in victory, covered almost completely in blood.
It was a sound that could chill the blood in the veins of a dragon.
'My servant...' a voice whispered into the creature's mind. It was the only voice it understood. A tug pulled at it mentally, directing the creature west. Without a second of hesitation, it opened into a tireless sprint west, moving faster than any Human could. Hours passed to bring the world into night, and the creature arrived at the walls of a grand city.
Guards patrolled every wall, stood at every gate. Even a creature as fearsome as it couldn't come out a victor against all of them.
It followed the wall around until it came to two robed figures. They recognized the creature. "In here, fellow servant," one said, stepping aside to reveal a sewer grate. The creature pulled the covering off quietly and slipped into the city sewers.
For some time it stayed there, living off the blood of rats. The living passed overhead daily without the knowledge of such a monster lurking beneath them.
The creature took a large bite out of a dying rat, spilling blood everywhere. It had waited for weeks, eagerly awaiting the call of its master. It cast the dead rat aside into a pile of the animal corpses.
Suddenly, the creature's head shot up. 'The living...' an echo called distantly in its mind. It was immediately on its feet and sprinting for the exit. Screams and battle cries could be heard from the city above, mixed with the beautiful sounds of undeath.
The creature leaped, knocking the sewer covering away. A nearby young human male jumped back in surprise. "Undaud!" he yelled in fear. He turned to flee, but the creature was not to allow that. It grabbed his shirt and pulled back.
The human stumbled at the sudden force and screamed as he realized that he couldn't flee. The creature sank its fangs into his back, getting a gush of fresh human blood in response.
Content with tasting human blood again after so long, the creature tore out the young man's throat threw the him to the ground. The man gurgled and clapped his hands to the wound. The blood spilled out too fast for him to contain, however, and he was dead almost instantly.
It turned to the right as a house door opened. A man ushered out a woman and young boy through the door, looking around with worried eyes. When those eyes fell upon the creature and corpse, both covered in blood, he grabbed the other two and pulled them behind him.
"Hald!" he yelled at the creature in a vain attempt that it would obey him. The creature didn't heed him and charged, claws extended to make the kill. The man pushed forward to meet it, yelling out, "Lofe!" to his family.
The woman grabbed the screaming child and began running down the road with him in her arms, away from the undead.
The man hoped to keep the creature occupied for long enough for his family to get away, but it was much stronger than he. He tried to punch for its face, but the creature simply reached out an arm and batted him away. It brought its other arm forward, tearing through the man's ribcage into his heart. The man's eyes bulged as he felt the claws pierce into his core. He could do nothing as his lifeblood flowed strong from his open chest. The creature withdrew its claws from the man's chest and wasted no time, turning to sprint after the fleeing woman. Behind it, the man fell to his side, silently urging his family to find safety as he witnessed the last of the world.
It didn't take long for it to catch her. It reached out to grab the back of her dress and pull, causing her to trip and fall. The boy rolled a short distance away. He pushed himself up in time to see the undead sink its teeth into his mother's neck.
"L-lof..." she said before she lost consciousness. The boy screamed in terror and anger and charged at the creature, tears running down his face. He grabbed the creature by the shoulders, yelling, "Hald!" However, he only served to annoy the feeding monster. It reached up and scratched him across the face with its claws, causing him to stumble back and scream in pain.
The monster ignored him after that and finished draining the body, blood pouring down onto its torso.
After eating, it looked up to see the tips of the church. A mental tug called it to the place that was ripe for bloodshed. It stood and began sprinting, leaving the child there alone, crying as he crawled to the corpses of his parents, blood streaming from his face.
The creature ran through the chaotic streets, avoiding all conflict in favor of its next kill. It was all well as the other servants were making sure that none left the city alive. A child ran screaming past the creature from a slobbering ghoul. A pair of footmen dueled with a large undead creature which had covered a third in webbing. A gargoyle swooped down from above the grab an archer on a tower by his shoulders and drop him into the city below.
It was not alone when it arrived at the church. Multiple Paladins stood guard outside the church to protect it from the attackers. As the creature approached, a group of other undead swarmed towards the church.
The creature screeched in its terrible way and charged into combat. A Paladin turned to the sudden noise, only to be cut down by its claws. His dying yell attracted the attention of a nearby dwarf Paladin. He roared in anger, proceeded to smash the skeleton he was in combat with, and switched his focus to the killer of his friend.
He threw out his hand, causing a ball of light to fly from it. It struck the creature in the chest. The impact caused a burst of steam to explode outward, burning through the creature's clothes and creating a burn mark on its chest.
The creature hissed in pain and leaped towards him. The Paladin raised his hammer to end the monster, but his reflexes were not enough to stop it. Both went tumbling across the pavement, wrestling unarmed.
The Paladin was at a distinct disadvantage, and he knew it. He pushed back against his opponent, causing it to barrel off of him. Following this up, he grabbed his hammer and swung as he got to his knees. The creature received the end of a warhammer to its head, knocking it to the ground, but this did little to truly affect it.
The creature jumped back to its feet as the dwarf stood. It was much faster than he, closing upon him almost instantly. Its claws dug into his shoulders, cracking the armor he wore. The creature hissed triumphantly and brought its head down to the exposed neck of the dwarf.
The fangs were almost touching the skin when something struck the undead mentally. 'Sleep, child,' a kind voice spoke into the mind of the creature. It collapsed forward and fell from the Paladin. He, thinking a miracle had occurred, scurried to his feet for his hammer to finish the creature for good, but he was set upon by other undead creatures almost immediately.
Amidst the chaos, an old woman walked untouched. She scooped the unconscious creature into her arms and left the turmoil, heading for the sanctuary of an isolated house tucked away in the forests.
It was all foggy. An image of a young blonde girl, a close relative beyond recognition, a burned home, mutilated corpses, the face of a barely remembered woman.
The girl thrashed about with all of the horrors of the past month being replayed in her head. She saw the people she had killed, all screaming in terror as she slaughtered them without remorse. She saw the innocents being hunted and killed like rats in the streets of their own home city. She saw the rage in the eyes of the dwarf as he fought to avenge his fallen friend. The tears in the eyes of the child.
Finally, she stood at the base of a large spire of ice and metal. The air was freezing, causing the hairs on her arms to stand straight up. A wind blew loudly over the vast whiteness all around. Steps and steps she climbed up for a purpose of which she had no idea.
She came to a large open area. A figure appeared at the edge of the area. It sat still in a throne made of ice, silently watching everything she did. Slowly, the girl made her way towards it. A growing fear steadily filled her as she approached, but she continued nonetheless.
Its glowing blue eyes seemed to bore into her very soul as she came to a halt in front of it. The figure was pieces of armor encased in ice. She reached out to touch the ice, to test its coldness.
Suddenly, the girl shot up with a jolt. Her breathing was heavy and frightened. Her eyes searched around her in a sort of panic. Slowly, she calmed. There was no throne, no cold.
She looked around her in a slight daze that quickly wore off. She was on a small bed in a dimly candle-lit room. There were pictures on the walls of the room, depicting a young woman and a girl, both cheerful. The girl swung her feet out of bed and stood. She wore a comfortable sleeping dress.
She hurried to the door and went through it. Outside of the room was just as pleasant. It was warm from a fire that the girl could hear burning downstairs. It was very quiet and organized, just as it was in the room.
Slowly, the girl crept barefoot down the stairs. She came into a very cozy room with a fireplace on one side. A figure say unmoving in a chair near the fire, seemingly asleep.
The girl was as quiet as possible in her movements for the door. She was almost there when the voice of an old woman spoke up. "Go lay back down, girl. You aren't recovered enough to fight through the Scourge."
The girl jumped at the sudden voice. "H-how-"
"I'm old, not deaf," the woman said, standing. "Now, let's get you back upstairs." She walked to the girl and grabbed her gently by the shoulders and led her back to her bed.
"Do you have a name?" the woman asked as the girl was lying down.
There was some hesitation while the girl thought, but soon she answered, "Remilia."
"Remilia... that's a pretty name. Do you have a last name?"
Remilia hesitated more to the question, but she had no answer.
The woman considered this and nodded. "Is there anything that you remember?"
Remilia her opened her mouth to say that there wasn't-
A young child, screaming and crying as he shook his parents' corpses. Blood ran from claw marks on his face across his eyes. They were both wounds that would never heal.
"N-nothing," she said quickly.
Her nervousness earned a strange look from the woman, but it was only passing. "Very well," she said. "You were a servant of the Lich King. A mindless, bloodthirsty monster. However, you are also unique. Your power could be far greater than any of the others in Ner'zhul's service, even the Death Knights. This cannot happen if you do not learn what you can and cannot do."
Remilia was silent through the explanation. "So I'm a monster," she said. What a great thing to tell an amnesiac child. This woman was incredibly forward.
"No, no, no. You were a monster. Now you are free. Free to choose to leave once recover, free to stay, free to do what you want instead of what the Lich King wants," the woman explained.
Remilia was silent again. She nodded and closed her eyes, exhaustion suddenly overwhelming.
"Goodnight, Remilia," the woman said as the world faded into sleep.
The next day, Remilia and the woman sat in the main room of the house. Remilia had had a similar dream when she went back to sleep, only it wasn't only the armor occupying the throne. There was someone else with it.
She looked down at the table in front of her. The woman had served sweet wheat bread for their meal. Remilia yawned and grabbed the bread. She was incredibly hungry for some reason. The woman watched closely as Remilia bit off a piece of the bread, focused completely on her.
Remilia was uncomfortable with the gaze and started to say so. Before she could, however, she lurched forward suddenly, her stomach violently emptying its contents on the table. The process repeated itself until every crumb of the bread was gone from her body and in the growing pool on the table.
The woman nodded and went to the now crying Remilia. "It's okay, it's okay," she whispered while rubbing the girl's hair. "Now, let's go get you cleaned up." She helped Remilia stand and led her to the washroom. There were several buckets of water there, one of which was hanging over a fire to keep it warm.
"Wash yourself up. I'll clean up the mess and bring you a fresh change of clothes. Leave yours in that basket," the woman said, leaving to what she had said.
Remilia looked around and rubbed the tears from her eyes. That experience had been quite painful. Now she was confused, tired, even more hungry, and covered in vomit to top it off.
Deciding that it was rather disgusting to just stand there in the messy clothes, she stripped them off and placed them in the basket. She was dipping one of the washcloths from a stack in the corner into the hot water to begin washing when the woman walked in, carrying a batch of fresh clothes.
"How are you feeling?" the woman asked while setting the clothes on a stool.
"Miserable. Tired. Hungry," Remilia answered, making each word audibly a different sentence.
The woman smiled and said, "The first two will have to wait, but I may be able to help with the third. Look at me and show your teeth." Remilia complied.
The woman nodded when she saw the two long fangs in Remilia's mouth. "I had thought so," the woman said.
"Thought what?" Remilia questioned, curious as to her benefactor's thoughts.
"Finish cleaning yourself and I'll explain." She left the washroom to allow Remilia to continue.
The woman was waiting in the main room when Remilia finally emerged, completely clean. The girl was now dressed in a clean white dress instead of her sleeping clothes.
Smiling, the woman told Remilia to stand by her.
"You told me that you would explain what happened with the bread. Well?" Remilia asked, suddenly changing her attitude.
"Watch yourself with me, girl," the woman said hardly. She did say she would, however, so she asked Remilia to sit.
When Remilia was seated, the woman kneeled down beside her and rolled up her own sleeve. She then set a cup down and took picked up the knife sitting on the table. With that, she cut her arm.
Remilia stared at the slowly dripping blood in a sort of trance. Drop by drop it fell, and she watched every one closely.
The woman nodded and said, "It's okay, Remilia. If you're hungry, I will feed you this way." She covered the cut and picked up the glass. Handing the glass to Remilia, the woman continued, "It seems that you can't eat regular food. The fierceness that you had when you fought those few days ago were a clue, but those fangs of yours also helped fortify my belief."
Remilia licked her lips at the close proximity of the blood and asked, "W... what do you mean 'those few days ago'?"
"Drink the blood."
Remilia looked at the small amount of red liquid collected at the bottom of the glass. It smelled sweet, drawing her closer. The sight of it sent her heart racing, her hunger flaring. She raised the glass and let the blood run into her mouth. Every drop was drained, leaving Remilia feeling better.
"A vampire."
"A what?" Remilia asked, confused as she broke out of the trance.
"A vampire," the woman repeated. "I've read about them but I'd never believed them to exist. They drain blood from living bodies and feed off of it. They also gain many physical strengths, but there are weaknesses as well."
Remilia set the glass down. "So I am a monster after all," she said depressedly, a few tears gathering in her eyes.
"No you're not, Remilia," the woman replied. She wiped the tears away. "You're a unique person. Better than the normals. Never let yourself believe that you are anything less than great."
"Better..." Remilia echoed, calming down. It was an interesting idea.
"Exactly. Now, I've done research on vampires and I can teach you how to use this gift to the best of its potential." The woman stood and continued, "The first lesson is hunting. Let's go find you some food."
Remilia followed her to the door. "Where exactly am I supposed to get food?" she asked.
"From animals," the woman answered simply. She grabbed a cloak from a rack by the door and handed it to Remilia. "Take this. Vampires do not fare well in the sunlight," she explained.
Remilia grabbed the cloak and looked up. While doing this, she noticed a strange ornament hanging above the door. It was a small symbol that looked like two snakes wrapping around each other and a small rod. It hung from a small nail above the door, held by a small chain. "What's that?" she asked, curious as to what the strange object may be.
The woman followed Remilia's gaze to the object and smiled. "It's a charm," she said. "It's to protect this house from especially unwanted guests."
Remilia stared at it for a while before nodding. She then wrapped the cloth around her shoulders and pulled the hood up to cover her unprotected head. With that the two left the house in search of suitable food for the young vampire.
Remilia stared out over the Misty Lake in Gensokyo, deep in thought. That old woman had taken her around the forest several times to get her used to the smells and sounds of the plants and animals. She hadn't been allowed to climb a tree after food until she could properly identify the animal that she was hunting. If she happened to be wrong in what type of animal it was, she would be made to leave the animal for dead and hunt another.
There had been one time...
This was found out by Remilia and her caretaker one afternoon while they were hunting. They happened across the corpse of a human, killed by sword.
The woman knelt by the corpse and began praying. Remilia watched with deep interest. Her heart beat faster as she saw the blood from the wound that had soaked the ground. She hadn't had human blood since the woman had cut her arm.
As the woman rose, she noticed Remilia's expression. "He is dead, girl. Have what you wish from him," she said, waving Remilia ahead.
The young girl hesitated but approached the corpse anyway. She knelt down to allow her fangs to reach his neck and bit in. It was such a sweet taste that she didn't want to stop. The blood was slightly cold due to the time the corpse had been laying dead, but it wasn't enough to make it too unenjoyable. Suddenly, a hand grasped her shoulder and shook, bringing her out of her joy. Remilia looked up with a curious look. "What?" she asked.
The woman pointed at Remilia's dress. The girl looked down at her clothes to see them soaked in red. Little of the blood had actually been used. Most of it had simply ended up staining her clothing. She was quite a sight with half of her white dress turned into a crimson.
The woman gently grabbed Remilia's shoulder and pulled a cloth out of her pocket. "You shouldn't try to eat so much," she said, wiping the blood from Remilia's mouth. "You've stained your dress."
The events flashed by into nothing. Remilia sat once again on the balcony of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. She sighed and took a sip from her tea. Many years had passed since then, and she had changed much. She flapped the tips of her wings to remind herself of their existence.
Setting the tea cup down, Remilia looked out into the courtyard. That woman was someone she would always respect, even into the modern day. She was Remilia's teacher, caretaker, trainer... the Devil strongly considered adding "mother" to the list.
Remilia stood from her chair and walked to the railing. Many years...
The woman lay quietly on her bed. Remilia sat next to her with moist eyes. It had been her time, Remilia told herself. Weeks had passed since she had started living with the woman. She had learned much about the world and herself during that time. Now she had learned about death.
The woman had told Remilia her name. The girl found it to be a little strange compared to the names she had read about in the history books.
Letting the last of her tears fall, Remilia decided it was time. She went outside behind the house to where a shovel was stuck in the ground and stared at it. This would finish it.
Remilia grabbed the shovel and pulled it up. "Okay..." she whispered. "Okay..." She stuck the end of the shovel down and began digging. It was a large hole she made.
She let the shovel fall to the ground to the side when she finished and went back inside. Remilia stood next to the woman's corpse. She waited there for several minutes, staring at her former benefactor. Slowly, she began rolling the blankets around the woman, making her into a bundle. Remilia tucked the small charm the woman had given her into the blankets. It was supposed to ensure that she stayed dead instead of being risen as a servant of the Scourge.
She carried the corpse out to the grave and gently lay it inside the hole. Tears welled up as she looked at the unmoving bundle. Shaking her head, Remilia grabbed the shovel and began piling the earth back.
After she finished, she put a large rock that was sitting by the side of the house on top of the pile to mark it.
Remilia stood there, staring at the grave. Suddenly, rain began falling from the night sky. Covering her head, Remilia ignored the pain in order finished her time outside. Satisfied, she retreated indoors.
She stood inside the now empty house listening to the rain on the roof. There was nowhere for her to go. Slowly, Remilia went upstairs to sleep through the rain.
Months had passed since the death of the woman. Remilia had lived alone for that time, learning how her powers worked. If she needed food, she would hunt out at night. She'd also continued teaching herself from the multitude of books that the house's personal library held.
It was early evening one day. Remilia was reading through a book she had found hidden on a shelf. It wasn't her average read, that was certain. Her face grew hot at one point in the story. That's why it had been hidden.
Remilia was reading the book with great interest when she heard the door to the front room suddenly open. She quickly set the book down and hurried out of her room. From downstairs came heavy, labored breathing and quick footsteps.
The vampire ran down the stairs, expecting some sort of monster to have broken in. She stopped when she saw what actually had entered. Instead of some horrendous beast tearing through her house, there was a young woman looking hurriedly through her medicine cabinet.
The woman turned at the sound of Remilia's arrival. She was wearing bright red colored clothing with a tabard with a strange symbol on it. A spear with two hooks on the tip that Remilia believed to belong to the intruder lay against the wall nearby. Her tied-back hair was a strange, silver color. A more noticeable quality was that she was bleeding profusely from multiple cut wounds all over her body.
"What are you doing in my home?" Remilia asked the woman.
"Are you human?" the woman asked in return, ignoring the question asked her.
"I'm a vampire," Remilia answered proudly. The woman froze at the response. "Now, wha-..."
With a cry of anger, the stranger grabbed her spear with one arm and thrust it out towards Remilia.
Kshshk!
The woman tripped over her own feet and crashed into the table separating her and Remilia. The spear flew past Remilia and clattered uselessly to the floor behind her. "Ugh..." the woman moaned as she lay there, bleeding on the broken wood.
Sighing, Remilia grabbed the now unconscious woman and dragged her upstairs to the extra . She set the woman on the bed and headed back downstairs. Her former caretaker had taught Remilia much about first aid, so she knew what to do in this case.
The vampire grabbed a pack of medical supplies from the cabinet that the woman had been searching through earlier and went back to the room. By this time, the woman had recovered from her fall and was attempting to sit up.
At the sight of Remilia, the woman jumped in fear and surprise away from her.
"You won't get any better by jumping around so nervously," Remilia said, slightly annoyed. She was doing her best with this woman. It was the first contact with people other than the old woman that Remilia could remember having.
The woman stared at her fearfully. "Why haven't you killed me yet?" she asked shakily.
"I'm not going to just let you die here. If I did that, you'd become part of the Scourge."
"Y-you're not part of the Scourge?" the woman inquired curiously.
"No, I'm not. I'm not going to hurt you either, so sit still so I can help you," Remilia commanded. The two stared at each other for some time before the woman grudgingly lay down. "Good."
Remilia set to work on caring for the injuries, occasionally earning a hiss of pain or cringe in response. It was her first actual application of the skill, after all.
It wasn't long before the young woman was laying on the bed, wounds covered by heavy bandages and herbs applied to help healing. The woman sighed in relief and closed her eyes as Remilia pulled her hands back.
"Well then," Remilia started, "I believe that it is common courtesy for someone to know who they help. What's your name?"
The woman opened a single eye to look at her inquirer. She adjusted her shoulders and answered, "Yana. Yana Bloodspear." With that stated, she continued, "I am a member of the Scarlet Crusade, and I am here to ensure that inhuman trash such as yourself are eradicated from this land so that the rightful people may return to their homes." The woman took a deep breath, preparing for a speech.
"We stand for all that is good and proper in the eyes of the Light. Your kind are abominations of this, and for that we fight you. As long as you exist, the people may not sleep soundly in their beds, knowing that they will wake to the day just as it was before. We fight for these good people, people who were driven out of their land by a horrible plague known as the Scourge, a plague that you are living proof of. We exist to bring the brilliance of the Light back into this darkened land that had once known such peace. Beware the color Scarlet, monster, for it is the color that shall paint our blades."
Remilia cocked an eyebrow to the drawn-out explanation. It sounded as if that was a memorized monologue. "Is that how you repay someone who has just saved your life?" She gave a small laugh. "If I wanted to, I could have made scarlet the color of my walls with you. I'd try and be more careful with beings such as me."
The vampire yawned (she had gotten up rather early to read that day). She looked at the defiantly posed woman on the bed. "Now I give you a choice. One: you leave this house and go back into the arms of whatever sent you here and join the very monsters you claim to hate, or two: you serve me for the rest of your life as an individual instead of a mindless beast."
Yana froze. Both would be a turn against her belief, but it was obvious that those were really her only two choices. The creature was still nearby, and she couldn't fight it in the condition she was in.
Remilia stood, seeing the deep thought on the face of the woman. "Take as long as you want to think about your answer," she said. "I'm not rushing you. After all, I do have an eternity to wait for it." She started for the door on this note, but Yana's voice stopped her by the door.
"You say I will live as an individual, but how I know that you are not lying to me?" the woman asked.
Remilia stopped. Slowly, she turned her head. "You will have to trust me." She left the room and closed the door. Satisfied that she had dealt effectively with the problem, she gave herself a mental cheer and returned to her room to continue reading. The book was getting to a very good part.
Later that night, Remilia stood outside of the house, breathing in the cool night air. She could see the figure of some creature lurking in the shadows of the trees around the house. Remilia guessed it to be some sort of Ghoul from the excited breathing noises it made.
'Come here, you little scourgeling. I've been wanting to try out my combat power,' Remilia thought, smirking. Her vampiric mind was aching for the thrill of killing.
The girl was considering going out to find and kill the beast herself when the door opened. Out into the dark night air walked an injured Yana, dressed in clothes she had found in the deceased woman's room. Those clothes happened to be a long-sleeved dark blue flowered blouse and a pair of gray pants. She had forced herself down the stairs and out the door.
"You shouldn't be up," Remilia stated, immediately moving to block Yana from fully leaving the house.
Yana allowed herself to smile, albeit uncomfortably. It was strange having an undead show at least a little care for her health. "I've come to my decision," she said. With a strained bow, she continued, "I would be more than happy to serve you, my mistress."
Remilia stood, completely taken aback by her quick reply. It was certainly not the one she had expected, either. Coughing and regaining her composure, Remilia said, "Fine then, but let's get you inside. The thing that put you here is still around in the woods over there." She ushered her new servant back indoors and led her back to her bed.
As Yana lay down, Remilia asked, "You said that you were part of the 'Scarlet Crusade', correct?"
Yana nodded and glanced at the pile of red colored clothing piled in the corner of the room.
"Then you will need a new name. That way the other Crusaders cannot track you with it," Remilia explained. She nodded. The name she had decided on was one that had belonged to someone special to her. "Your new name will be..."
Sakuya Izayoi, head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, called from the door leading to the balcony, "My lady, your bath has been run and is waiting."
Remilia shivered and turned around to face the woman. She smiled and said, "I've been waiting for that."
Sakuya nodded and stood aside to allow a path to be made indoors. The Devil took this path and entered her bedroom.
'That was all a long time ago,' thought Remilia as she slipped out of her dress and into the warm water. A lot had happened after that, but Remilia's memory was too strained to continue. Maybe she would continue her trek through her memories later, maybe after her bath and a cup of tea...
Nsh oui knch nsh Czhüpzhüzhsh, ue rno ono ue chncnbta gassh oaü Nssh chnnshooneo. Gas ui asha sbfvnchnk, ono rno chnpüuo gassh olsh Cnseezhf pünvmach. Ue chncnbta ono ouia ui ou pbcpbcbf lp Inzaüuniai pzhüoacbf. Ue pzhüvbshka pbü cnsgash ruüa ibvtczhkaiaüvnchrnskzhü uü, aeo ue oush paccaspoask rnp shao. Ao iebc gassh imnsü, aeo gas vaeo gassh taüasoash.
END
Keshi: Well then. There it is. So... yeah. If you've got anything to point out, help with, or simply comment on, feel free to review! They are welcome!
Note: Keep in mind that the Common spoken here is not official Common nor parsed Common. It is a constructed Germanic language made specifically for use here and should not be taken to be a product of Blizzard. If you pay a bit of attention, you can probably make out the main idea of what the people in the first third of the chapter are saying (especially should you know some German/Dutch/Danish/etc).