AN: The first couple of chapters should be up quite quickly, but due to the sheer length this is starting to become, other updates will be longer in coming.
Warnings: Blood, gore, child trauma.
Prologue
Falling into the dark clutches of the horror filled memory turned nightmare, the man once again became a little boy, and remembered…
Screaming.
It always began with his mother screaming.
But then, who wouldn't, seeing their husband butchered in front of them, his life blood draining away, coating skin and staining clothes, while inhuman eyes revelled in all the pain and fear, glowing with unholy glee.
Hidden under the floorboards of their small three room house, all the child could do was sit and shake, little body trembling as he listened to his family dying, bare inches above his head.
Hugging himself, he bit his lip to stop his own fearful cries, tears streaming down his face as he listened to sounds no child should hear, as the monstrosity turned it's attention to his sister. When the blood began to seep through the cracks between the floorboards, and drip on the boys tousled hair, it took all his willpower to contain his own cries of horror.
Shuffling from above, as sharply pointed feet dug into the wooden floor, moving away from the boy's hiding place, followed shortly by fresh screams, and the sound of tearing flesh.
After what seemed an eternity, the screaming died down into heart wrenching pleas for mercy, quickly becoming garbled, the words slurring together as they petered off into laboured, rattling breaths which lingered in the air, until the sounds from above stopped all together. Breathing suddenly seeming so much louder in the silence, the little boy couldn't stop the tiny whimper that escaped his lips, bloody as they were from being bitten so hard.
The stillness was broken, suddenly, by a sinister shhhiiink sound, like blades being sharpened against one another, slow and repetitive, as pointed feet carried the creature that made it back towards the boy, until the feeble light from above was blocked out, the thick black shadow seeming to seep through the floor, bringing with it a terrifying chill.
Feeling his hysteria bubbling back to the surface, the boy let out an ear piercing shriek as sharp serrated claws tore through the wood above him, ripping it apart like paper.
Covering his head with his arms, the little boy screamed again as he felt those claws snatch at him, grabbing any part of him they could, sharp edges easily tearing through flimsy cloth and hooking into vulnerable skin to haul him into the light. Dropped carelessly onto the blood-slick floorboards, the boy scrabbled blindly, trying to get to his feet with shaking legs.
Half mad with fear, the young boy couldn't hold back a desperate sob when his knees gave out just as he made it to his feet, body making a wet slap as he landed in another puddle of blood. Feeling the red substance sticking to his skin, he shuddered, flesh crawling with instinctive distaste, bile creeping up his throat at the thick, cloying scent of blood and death that saturated the air.
Giving up his attempt to stand, strength deserting him, the boy just curled into a little ball, tears turning his vision into a messy blur of red, brown and… blue? Scrubbing away the tears, the little boy took in the scene again, a new spike of terror shooting up his spine as he stared at the murderer that took away his family.
Eight lidless red eyes looked right into his, filled with bloodlust and set in a narrow, pointed face. It had no visible nose, just a slight bump where one would go, and it's lipless mouth was a gaping, fang filled maw below. Flicking between those razor sharp points was a thin black tongue, tasting the air in a manner similar to a snake.
The monster looked almost like a giant spider, eight thin chitinous legs attached to a slender, rounded abdomen, a narrow thorax curving upwards in the parody of a human torso, it's comparatively small head perched on top of a short, stick-like neck.
Its two thin 'arms' were each tipped with three curved and serrated blade-like claws, stained bright red with drying blood. Oddly, it had shackles hanging from it's limbs and neck, short lengths of broken chain swinging freely when it moved.
It was smaller than he expected, barely five feet tall, but still bigger than the seven year old boy, its gleaming carapace a deep, navy blue. Tracing through the blue were red glowing lines, which looped and curled along its sides and down its legs.
Interspaced between those glowing lines were strange symbols that seemed to pulse with light, spelling out meanings that were totally beyond the boy's ability to ever understand, even if he were able to read them.
Scattered around it were the remains of the boy's family, almost unrecognisable aside from the scraps of clothing still clinging to the bloody lumps.
Looking back up into its face, the boy found himself frozen, those crimson eyes piercing straight through him. Sitting there, unable to move, the boy could hardly think straight, helpless and at the mercy of this monster. The animalistic bloodlust in those red eyes seemed to fade slightly, replaced by an almost human intelligence.
Looking from the boy to the corpses, the monster sniggered, a low, chittering laugh filled with malicious amusement, before speaking in a horribly distorted voice, each word clearly heard despite it's lack of lips. The sound it made was like a host of snarling demons, multiple demented voices speaking as one, sibilant, terrifying and utterly inhuman.
"Poor little boy, all alone now. Sister gone, mother gone, big strong father gone too. All eaten up by the red eyed monster. No one left to dry your tears and tuck you into bed, just bloody rain and broken bonesss. No one to turn to, nowhere to hide."
As it spoke, the monster started to circle him slowly, moving behind him and out of sight, the boy curled up as small as he could go, little sticky hands pressed against his ears to try and block out those horrible words. Though the words it spoke made fresh tears pool in his eyes and his heart spasm, it's actual voice physically hurt his ears, a thousand times worse than nails on a chalkboard.
"I know you heard them screaming, yesss, you were right there under their feet as they bled out. Such delicious fear they felt. You know, fear makes the soul so much more palatable when it's eaten, sweet and succulent like honeyed wine and seasoned lamb…"
Even though he didn't fully understand what it said, he could grasp that it was boasting about what it had done. Knowing this, the boy couldn't stay quiet any longer, grief and anger propelling him to his feet as he rounded on the sick creature, hands curled into small fists as he swung at it, shrieking denials through his tears.
He didn't even hit it once, for it swiftly sidestepped his clumsy charge and grabbed him by the throat, it's claws scoring deep lines that oozed blood as he choked, lashing out with his feet wildly.
"Ah, sso much anger for such a little thing. But you don't hate, you don't even know what true hate iss."
Drawing the boy close, the monster stared him dead in the eyes, as though studying his very soul. The thin black tongue flicked out and touched his face, once, twice, three times before withdrawing back into the jagged maw it called a mouth.
"Yesss, I see. Be glad child, I think you'll be of more use to me alive, than as a paltry snack, despite the weak wretch that you are now. Ssay goodbye to the life that you knew, for you are mine now…"
Staring up at the creature, the boy could only whimper as the symbols on it's body pulsed brightly, filling the small house with a bloody light. As the child's vision was consumed by red, he screamed as the light burned it's way into him, mind going blank as it all became too much for him to stand… and then the dream began to fade, everything becoming insubstantial as the man clawed his way desperately towards wakefulness.
Finally waking with a ragged gasp, he pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, ignoring the bright morning sunshine blazing cheerfully through the floor length windows of his room. Flinging back the covers, the man cursed the lingering pain of the old scars that littered his body, and moved stiffly to the large ebony dresser, washbowl filled with fresh clean water.
After getting washed and dressed, in Balterosan silks for once rather than the more practical cured dragon hide and cotton clothing he usually favoured, the man went to his study to further prepare for the meeting that would see his plans begin to come to fruition.
After all these years, he would finally get the revenge he desired on those accursed beasts, and so much more, if the blind fools who he currently hosted would just agree to his idea, though naturally he wouldn't tell them the entirety of his plan, he would be signing his death warrant if he ever told anyone his true plan.
Lip curling in distaste at the thought of the men whose help he had to garner, he gathered up all the necessary paraphernalia he needed, checked the time, and stalked towards the meeting room, ordering a passing servant to send refreshments up to himself and his guests in an hours time.
Pausing just before he entered the room, he wiped his face clean of any remaining disgust, and prayed he could keep any hostilities between the two notoriously volatile men to a minimum. Had this been but a few years before, one of those men would have given his life in service to the other, but times had changed, and allegiances had shifted. Adopting a more professional air he opened the door and swept into the room, bowing to his guests as he greeted them.
"Welcome, Lord Hermeien, Duke Ghor. It is a privilege to have you as my guests this day…