Chapter 3: Zylien Puts the Fun In Funeral

Everything started to focus as the ice surrounding the boy melted. His limbs, now free were able to swing his sword down, completing the last motion he had started before he froze. His breathing was heavy. He stared at the two people in front of him. He already knew one of them, Lucien- that bastard.
"You!" he growled and raised his sword again.
"Woah, slow down there" a girl with beautiful grey eyes and long dark brown hair stepped between him and Lucien. "Zylien? I'm Amara." She held out her hand. He didn't take it- whoever this girl was; she was standing between him and the man who had frozen him. He tried to push past her, not using his full strength. He didn't think he needed to. This girl was smaller than him and no weapons were drawn. That was his first mistake of the day. As he shoved her she grabbed his wrist and twisted it back on itself. He let out a cry of pain.
"Try me Dunmer" she said holding him in place. She wasn't even straining.

He didn't squirm.
"Alright, alright, p-please let me go" he whimpered. She did and as he looked up, he saw Lucien's smiling face. The way his eyes stared straight through Zylien made him feel diminutive. It made him angry too, but he knew, standing next to Amara, he was going to be overpowered if he tried anything.
"Now, how about we start again?" Amara addressed Zylien. He had to look down to look into her eyes. His mother always told him it was polite to look someone in the eye when they were speaking. "Lucien, if you wouldn't mind waiting in the other room…" she looked back.
"You may need protection, are you sure you're comfortable being alone with him" he still held that same sinister smile. Zylien was paying attention to what was being said, but he thought he heard Amara say,
"Don't get cute, especially when you've done something wrong" and his reply was no better than what he said first,
"I guess I couldn't help it, just in my nature." At those words Zylien watched her face scrunch up. She turned back to him.
"Start talking Dunmer" she said. He really hated when people called him Dunmer. It was his race not his name.
"I h-have a name" he tried to sound brave, but no matter how pissed off he was at Lucien he could not bring himself to make it through an entire conversation without stuttering. That pissed him off more.
"Right, forgive me. Zylien isn't it?" she said blank faced. She didn't look him in the eyes when she spoke. Instead she studied his face, like she was from another planet and he was a strange species.
"Y-yes, um, Zylien from Tamriel." He stuttered. Suddenly, her eyes began to sparkle and her face lit up slightly.
"Tamriel?" she asked, containing her excitement.
"B-born and raised… just came here for, um…" he studied her face. "The money", he watched a smile creep onto her face.
"You don't seem like a killer, Zylien" she said. Her gaze was softer now. He could finally relax. He glanced at the ground and then to his left.
"I'm not, n-no, absolutely not" he was still stuttering, but the rest of him was at ease.
"We all have something that we don't like talking about, but right now, Zylien, I don't trust you enough for you to keep secrets" Amara was always ready to fight. He watched the way she stood, the way she faced him. Her hand was resting by her dagger, which was strapped to her right side. He was taller than her and built larger than her, but he knew she could take him down as easily as he could swing a sword.
"I grew up with my dad and my brother. W-we worked as smiths and u-u-used to practice with the swords we made" he looked down at his sword handle. He lifted the sword so it lay in his hands. He watched Amara's grey eyes focus on the hilt.
"What does it say?" she had noticed the words. Gods, he had hoped she wouldn't asked, but no, nothing ever did go his way did it.
"Lyle, m-my brother's name. It's s-sort of a failed p-promise. I told him I wouldn't leave him and I d-d-did" he was on the verge of tears now. Great, just what he needed; to show Amara he was just another weakling who couldn't survive on their own for a day. He choked back tears. He stared into her piercing grey eyes. They were empty, unresponsive, and distant.
"Continue" was all she said. He took a deep breath and let it out. It was nice to know she didn't scowl or roll her eyes at him.
"My father wasn't the most stable m-man. He liked his mead. He would always yell at us, b-b-but one night he turned on L-Lyle. I couldn't just stand there. I had to l-l-look out for him" he explained. He took a shaky breath and was prepared to continue; until Amara cut in.
"You killed him" her eyes dropped to the floor momentarily, but came back up almost immediately. He wondered how she came to the conclusion he killed his father. Of course, the only way into the Dark Brotherhood was to kill someone. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Who had she killed to get to him? He didn't want to ask, but something told him that if he didn't, he would regret it.
"I had to; he came at Lyle w-with a knife. I-it was an accident. Lucien…" he scowled at the man in the shadows in the next room, "… offered me m-money to join the b-b-Brotherhood, I had to help my family, but it meant leaving my b-brother." Amara's expression didn't change. Did she not understand what he had to give up?
"I know what you want to ask Zylien, spit it out" she said as if she had read his mind. He knew if he tried to pretend he had no idea what she was saying, she would see right through it.
"H-how did you get in?" he managed to get out. Her face softened. He watched as, for the first time in the conversation, she shifted her feet and looked genuinely uncomfortable.
"I was asked to do a quest for Azura" was all she said. Zylien may not understand everything, but he wasn't an idiot.
"Y-you said n-no lies" he tried to stand straighter and put confidence into his words but it just didn't work with his stutter.
"I didn't lie. I merely left out details." Zylien didn't push it. He understood why she had pressed him for answers. It was her quest and she needed to make sure she could trust him. He was a gentleman. His mother had always told him that it wasn't polite to ask someone something if they obviously didn't want to talk. He had killed his father is self-defence, but somehow he got the feeling that Amara wasn't the type to be rattled over something like that.
"Y-you said you were o-on a quest?" he changed the subject. Amara relaxed and pushed the dark brown strands of hair out of her eyes. He didn't know how she could fight with her hair hanging around her face. That was why he always kept his short. That and the fact his mother never liked it long. She said he should be proud of his features and shouldn't want to hide them. He disagreed. He constantly felt that people were staring at his dark skin and bright blue eyes. The fact he had pointed ears and he was taller than the average Dunmer. He had always been built that way, strong, muscled, and only just bigger than a typical sized Orc.
"The Daedric Princes have a problem, one that obviously has to be fixed by a couple of mortals. The Oblivion Gate is open and we, and another three heroes, need to close it" he could hear the distain for the Princes in her voice, though she spoke quietly. He looked around quickly as if waiting for the Princes to retaliate, but they didn't. He saw her smile out of the corner of his eye. It was genuine. "Anyway, I need to go and collect heroes. Once I found you, I would help you and you would join me in finding the others and destroying Mehrunes Dagon." Zylien had heard of the rogue Prince, but he had never come face to face with him. To be fair, he hadn't actually met any of the Daedric Princes in person.
"M-Mehrunes Dagon?" he was afraid of the name. It sounded like a vulgar word, something that shouldn't be spoken in polite conversations, or to Zylien, at all.
"Yes, anyway, are you ready to go?" she said raising her eyebrows. He swallowed his fear.

Lucien had suddenly appeared in front of them. "I cannot let him go" he said calmly. Gods, Zylien wished Lucien was a mute like the previous Listener of the Dark Brotherhood. Then he would be so much easier to deal with.
"Why not, Lachance?" Amara's gaze shot to Lucien and boy it was hostile. Zylien gulped loudly and watched her prepare to draw her knife. Yep - definitely an unfriendly reaction.
"Well, you see, Amara, our young Dunmer here hasn't finished his quest for the Brotherhood yet, so you see, he still belongs to me. Cheese?" His voice was soft, but authoritative. She frowned at him.
"Cheese?" Zylien couldn't help thinking that she had had this particular cheese conversation before and that it wasn't exactly Amara's topic of interest.
Even though Amara was about a half a head shorter than Lucien, Zylien had no doubts that she wouldn't lose a fight if one started. She sighed, annoyed at the shadowy man. Zylien put his sword away; he didn't want to get into the fight with her just because she was upset with the Listener. She stared up at him.
"What is your quest?" she tried to be calm, but something harsh took over her voice.
Before he could answer, Lucien started "Purification, might I add that…". He was interrupted when Amara's fist collided with his face. He stumbled back holding his nose. Blood gushed between his fingers and a look of surprise and hurt blanketed his face. Zylien tried not to throw up at the sight of the bright red liquid drenching Lucien's face, but he couldn't. He turned to the side and gagged until everything that had been in his stomach was turning into a puddle on the floor. Amara turned around, cradling her fist. She had obviously broken something. He looked up into Amara's eyes. No tears formed in them, he knew it had caused her pain but she held herself in check. He watched as she lifted her hand into the air, her elbow bent and shaking. White-blue light streamed out of her closed hand, wrapping around it like vines around a tree. She opened her palm and the light filled the room. He thought it was beautiful. He had always liked the glow pure magic seemed to give off. His mother had shown him how to heal minor scratches but nothing this powerful. He stood up, completely forgetting he had just thrown up all over the floor, which didn't do him any good. He swayed and lost his balance. He managed to catch himself on the wall, stepping in his own mess. He wasn't aware Amara was watching him, until he looked up and saw the look of disgust on her face. He smiled shyly, as if to say, 'yeah I know, it's gross, I think so too.' She smiled back. Her hand was healed and perfect once more. Lucien had fixed his nose back in the right position with a crack. Obviously Amara hadn't extended her healing magic to Lucien. The blood had soaked his robe, but was almost indistinguishable from the black material that the robe was made out of. He didn't look angry. He wore an expression that told Zylien he was used to getting punched by heroes who found him annoying. Interestingly enough, there was also something else mixed in there – hurt. Why would Lucien have hurt feelings? Zylien let it go. He wanted to punch Lucien too, but he got the feeling he wasn't a) powerful enough to heal a broken hand and b) he didn't want to throw up in front of Amara again.
"He must complete his quest." Lucien said sounding almost bored now. This confused Zylien. He wasn't accustomed to being punched in the face, but he was pretty sure that people were supposed to be upset when they were attacked. Amara stared Lucien down. He was a head taller but she was very intimidating. He wasn't giving in. Point for Lucien. "Sanguine won't allow him to leave" Amara let out a sigh. She turned back towards Zylien.
"Ready to complete this quest of yours." No, Zylien shook his head but instead words tumbled out of his mouth, "Yes, a-absolutely" he replied. He wasn't going to give Lucien the satisfaction of him denying the quest again, nor would he allow himself to be frozen for a second time. He also desperately want Amara to not hate him like all the other heroes did.
"Then let's go" she smiled and went to step around Lucien but with a flash of white light she was gone. Lucien's blank face was the last thing Zylien saw before he his vision was blocked by another wave of the white light.

His surroundings became clearer as he looked around. Amara held her knife in one hand and a map in the other.
"Lucien…" she grumbled, "Any idea where we are?" she turned her attention on Zylien. He did know where they were. He looked around. Banners hung from the ceiling, decorated black with red hand prints that looked suspiciously like blood. There was writing under the hand, written in the same red that said Hail Sanguine. He shuddered. They were standing in the middle of the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary. He heard the familiar slow shuffle of feet.
"D-don't freak out" he warned Amara. She looked confused until a figure dragged itself around the corner. It was the guardian of the Brotherhood, the only zombie-skeleton hybrid that existed. Half of its face was covered in rotting skin that was going a rather mouldy green-black and the other half showed only bone. It had half of an eyeball sitting loosely in its eye-socket. The curious thing was that it seemed to be still ball-shaped and quite intact. Zylien felt his stomach recoil – he wished he hadn't looked so closely. The rest of its body was poorly covered with rat skin, as if someone had tried to dress it. Bits of rotting skin hung off its body. A thought about the smell started to form in Zylien's mind but he quickly pushed it away. He had managed to look at it for this long – if he vomited now it would be bad. His eyes fell on the monster's feet and that's what did it. One foot were turned the wrong way, leaking a dark red, sticky substance across the ground. He turned away to throw up again, but his stomach was already empty. Dry heaving was worse. He heaved until his nose ran and stars blinded his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Amara never faltered. She turned to look at him.
"I think we might need to sleep. I do any way" she said. By now Zylien was not even surprised. Obviously Amara knew that this guardian of the Brotherhood, foul as it was, was no danger to them unless they attacked another member of the Brotherhood. He flinched then, remembering that was why they were actually there. He knew she was right, they need needed to rest. They were safe until they initiated their quest – HIS quest in point of fact. Amara said she would help him but if he let her do his dirty work he surely would not escape twice. Amara came to help him up. He accepted the gesture. He was too worn out to try and be manly. Besides, she had seen him throw up, almost twice – there was no hint of manliness now.

He told her the way to the sleeping quarters and she helped him walk there. They were almost to the door when a hissing sound came from behind them. Amara turned around almost immediately as if she expected something to be there. Zylien turned slowly. Two men, with black skin, in Daedric armour stood, with their backs to Amara and Zylien.
"Daedra…" Amara whispered. She let go of Zylien and drew her knife. Smiling, she stalked up to the soldiers of Mehrunes Dagon. She picked up her pace as she got closer. Zylien wasn't going anywhere near them, no matter what Amara said. He watched as she drove her dagger through the crevasse of one of Daedra's armour. He cried out. His cried sounded human. Zylien looked away as the room lit up with the glow of fire. The other man shrieked as Amara set him on fire.
"You will be punished by Mehrunes Dagon, mortal" he said as the flesh melted of his skin. Amara laughed and Zylien flinched.
"Mortal? Says the Daedra burning to death" she said as she walked back over to Zylien. He saw the look of satisfaction in her eyes as she smiled. "Daedra; think they're as powerful as their Prince."
"H-how did they get here?" Zylien asked.
"The bond between the Deadlands and Tamriel is getting stronger. We need to keep moving." Amara said as they wandered into the sleeping quarters. Almost all the beds were empty except for two. A woman with bright blonde hair and pale skin was sleeping and an Orc with dark green skin lay silent, staring at the ceiling. He didn't move when Amara set Zylien on a spare bed and sat down on one next to it. She nodded at Zylien and they both faced opposite directions and lay down. He was asleep in moments. He didn't dream, and he thought that was good. You didn't start getting dreams or 'signs' from the Princes until you've become more powerful. He didn't want or need the responsibility that came with power.

He woke up, completely rejuvenated and ready for his quest. He sat up quickly, experiencing no nausea. Good sign. He looked over to where Amara went to sleep, she looked as though she had been up for hours and was waiting for him. As she stood up, a bright purple light surrounded her and tangled itself in her armour. It made a circle around her. Her head rotated and left her looking to the roof, her eyes closed. Her hands rose up to just above her waist. Her hands clenched into fists. The purple light spelt something out in mid air. He couldn't read it. He sighed. He never learnt how to read Daedric. His mother would be ashamed. She threw her hands further out to the side, palms up. The room exploded with a tangle of green and violet lights. After it died down, she opened her eyes. For a split second they had been the same colour as the colours that had surrounded her.
"Woah" was all she said.
"W-what just happened?" Zylien asked and Amara looked at him like she had forgotten he was there.
"I didn't think I was ready yet. Thank Azura" she said smiling at the ceiling. Now he knew what had happened. The Princes do it often with Heroes. They give out permanent additions of power when their heroes have proved themselves. He sighed again but this time with no sadness. No Prince had ever chosen him. He was a coward. Someone who couldn't even stand up to a mortal like Lucien. Amara deserved it. Zylien stood up. The room was empty now. Everyone was either on an assignment or in the training room. Without another word he and Amara went back through the door they had come through. The Brotherhood's guardian was still shuffling around the halls, making a low growling sound when he passed certain doors. Zylien tried to ignore it. He walked slightly faster than Amara, which wasn't hard with his long legs, guiding her to a long hall-way. He walked down it, looking at the walls. They were light grey stone with red seeping through the cracks. He looked at Amara. It didn't seem to trouble her one bit. He shuddered. The further they went through the hall way the darker it got. He didn't like the dark either, but he didn't say anything. It was the bravest thing he had done in months. Suddenly, he felt a squelching from under his feet. He grimaced, but didn't look down. Amara did. He saw her blink faster, looking at the ground.
"W-what is it?" he regretted asking the moment she bent down and touched the floor. He couldn't see whatever was on the ground, but when she stood back up her hand was wet with a crimson liquid. He looked away quickly, not wanting to throw up again. She shrugged and wiped her hand on the wall. It didn't come off, but she didn't look worried.
"Let's keep moving" she said. There was a door at the end of the hall-way, lit with only on candle that sat above it. It was a strange place for a light source. Why not put two at each side of the door?
"D-don't" he said stopping Amara from opening the door. He was pretty sure it was still light outside, but he couldn't be sure. Only he knew what was on the other side of that door. It was the man in charge. He was scarier than Sanguine, and more powerful than Lucien. He didn't want to face the man inside.
"What? What's behind that door?" Amara asked.
"V-vampire" she blinked twice at him.
"A vampire? Like the whole blood sucking, sun-light hating, pointy teeth demon thing" she said, leaning on the wall, hands crossed over her chest.
"H-he's the boss. S-sanguine won't even deal w-with him" he was concerned now. Concerned that she would rush in with her knife and try to slice the man in two. She started to walk away. "W-where are you going?"
"Start with the other's first then. We take big bad out later" he knew she had no idea where she was going; She just wanted to take lead. She seemed to instinctively understand that his failed quest – the purification meant everyone inside these walls had to die. He tried really hard to not think of the creature that awaited their first blow.
"Next d-door to the l-left" he murmured. She said nothing, but she slowed her pace as they approached the door. She crouched at the door. It became very hard to see where she was. It was like she was phasing into the background. He focused very hard on seeing her. She shimmered into view. It was the shrouded armour that was making her hard to see. He crouched alongside her. She opened the door. A rush of cold air consumed them both. It was only in the threshold that they felt the cold. As they moved inside it got gradually warmer until droplets of sweat ran down Zylien's face. He was careful not to take his eyes off the room. Amara stood up straight and locked the door behind them. He didn't ask how. He already knew she had used magic. He didn't like magic. It wasn't normal.
"W-why are you l-locking the door?" he asked standing up with her. She smiled slightly.
"So no one can get out" she drew her bow. Zylien unsheathed his sword. They walked around a corner to their left. He didn't look anywhere but in front of him, scared that he might catch another glimpse of blood seeping down the walls. Amara stopped and held a hand out in front of him. They waited, listening. Zylien was the first to hear the soft clanging of metal on metal. He moved in front of Amara. She let him lead. He walked at a fast pace down the corridor, stopping every couple of steps to let Amara catch up. If she was bothered by the fact that he was bigger, it didn't show. They turned around the next corner to the right. The smell of sweat and blood wafted away from the Orc standing beside an armoured dummy. Amara had caught up. Zylien didn't want to rush in there and murder what might be his only friend. They had gone on two quests together.
"Why did he have to be first? I should yell out to him… I should yell to him to get out while he still can. I should…" before he could give another thought to the matter the Orc fell to the ground, an arrow piercing through his armour. Zylien spun around to face Amara. Her bow was drawn, still aiming at the place where she had fired the arrow. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was angry. He was angry that someone murdered his friend in cold-blood.
"One down, five to go" she didn't smile, but her eyes said she was proud of her kill. Like a hunter who had put down a feral animal. She slithered away down the hall, almost smelling the air for her next prey. Zylien stood up. He walked, shaking slightly, over to the body of his friend. There wasn't any blood coming from the wound as if it had clotted in the time it took him to walk over. The Orc's skin was dark green, like a forest at dusk. Zylien bent over to touch the Orcs face. He never knew his name. They called each other Brother and Sister, depending on gender. It was for security reasons, so if someone went to the guards, they wouldn't be able to tell them who are involved.
"Sanguine save you" he shut his Brother's eyes.
"Zylien?!" Amara screamed out. He got up without a second thought. He ran into the next room where Amara was being held to the wall by two female Altmers. He hated high elves, always too proud of themselves. They looked exactly the same, with long blonde hair tied back into a pony-tale, high cheek bones, and brown eyes. They had Amara by the arms, pushed up against the wall with knives against her throat.
"Back off Brother" they said at the same time without looking back. He hesitated. He couldn't face them. It was a mixture of not wanting to hurt his Sisters and not wanting to die. He stepped back.
"Coward" Amara hissed, her face twisted in rage. She raised her hands as much as she could. They burst into flames and sent the two high elves backwards. Zylien watched the once beautiful high elves burn and scream as their skin melted away. He looked away, back at Amara. She looked angry with him. He couldn't blame her. He'd left her to die at the hands of two Sisters who hadn't even told him their names.
"I-I'm sorry" he managed to get out. He didn't think she would accept it, but her face relaxed. He didn't think she was used to people apologizing for leaving her to die.
"Three down, three to go. If you can't handle this, you won't be able to cope with what we will have to face at the end of these quests" she didn't wait for Zylien to apologize again. She walked away. He would've thought she didn't want to repeat what had just happened. He was wrong. He walked in the same direction as her, towards the alter of Sanguine. It was a room where followers of Sanguine would make blood sacrifices to ensure the success of their quests. Amara stopped at the door, taking a breath before going for the handle. Zylien stopped her. He opened the door himself and walked in without bothering to check if someone was there. He looked back at Amara. She was shocked and confused that he could be so careless. He kept walking. The room was small with a giant statue of Sanguine in the middle of it. Blood gushed out of the walls as if it was coming out of multiple pipes, but as it fell to the ground it disappeared. Two people were kneeling, heads up, facing the roof. Amara froze, thinking they would spring into action any moment. Zylien moved closer. Both members were completely still, eyes wide open but solid black, not showing any white. Their chests remained still, as if they were holding their breath.
"Are they dead?" Amara asked, but as soon as she asked it, the look on her face told him that she felt stupid. He didn't think it was a stupid question. They seemed dead.
"N-no, that's just w-what we look like w-when…" he gestured to the men kneeling. One of them was dark skinned with black hair and a short goatee. He was built big with broad shoulders and shrouded armour covering the rest of his skin. Kneeling he didn't look intimidating, but Zylien knew him as well. He knew that the nameless dark skinned Imperial specialized in torturing his victims before he killed them, no matter who they were. The other one was another Altmer, male, with the usual yellow tinge to the skin and pointed ears. He was much smaller in build than the Imperial, skinny and young. He was new to the Brotherhood. Zylien hadn't spoken to him yet, but he had seen him skulk around, shoulders hunched, as if he was ashamed of being tall. He wasn't as tall as Zylien but definitely taller than Amara.
"You have to kill these ones Zylien." She said staring up at him. He nodded slightly and unsheathed his sword.
"I-I can't. Not w-with this" he motioned to his sword. She sighed. He stared at his sword. It would be too messy for him. He wasn't ready yet. Not to slice someone in half with the blade. He looked back up to Amara. She held her dagger out, hilt facing him. He took the weapon and held it in his hand. It was a specialized knife from the look of it. He used to make weapons and armour with his brother and father. This one had been specifically made to be light enough to throw but also just as effective in a fight. He shook from head to toe as he walked towards the Imperial. He grabbed the man's forehead and tilted it forward. He readied the blade an inch above the collar bone. As he went to press down, he heard laughter come from behind him. He turned around and found Amara grinning from ear to ear. "What?" he didn't stutter that time. She was laughing at him and he was getting angry.
"Have you done this before?" she said still smiling.
"No." His words were bitter. She laughed again and walked over to the Altmer. She picked up a sacrificial knife from the floor next to him.
"Find the pulse… the heart beat in the neck." She said putting her index and middle finger on the side of the Altmer's neck. Zylien mirrored her movements, but on the Imperial. He felt the thumping of the man's heart in his neck. What magic was this? How could someone feel another man's life force in his neck? He didn't ask. Now was not the time. She put the blade just behind where she had found the heart beat and drew a curved line from the left side of his neck to the right. His eyes fluttered, but didn't get their normal colour back. Blood spilt from the wound and out onto his clothes and the floor. Amara nodded at Zylien, telling him it was his turn now. He swallowed and pressed the knife where Amara had started. A line of blood ran down the Imperial's neck. His chest began to move. He was waking up. Zylien couldn't afford to wait any longer. If he did he would have to deal with the man in hand to hand combat. He liked that idea even less. He ran the knife to the other side of the neck, creating a jagged curve. It did the job. The man crumpled forward and blood leaked out onto the floor. He grimaced at the bodies. Amara gave him a nod and walked towards the door. He had done what she had asked. What Sanguine had asked. Why was he feeling like he had destroyed part of his soul? He walked behind her, checking his hands for blood. They were clean. Amara had gotten ahead of him. He knew where she was going, back to the vampire's den. He sighed. He continued along, ignoring the walls and the bloody hand prints on black flags. He wanted out, but before he could get all philosophical on why he wasn't really a murderer, he heard screams. He thought for a minute they were Amara's, but the screams were unnatural. They sounded like someone had grated someone else's skin and bone on a stone wall while they were still alive. Not a pretty picture, but accurate. He ran around the corners trying to find the source of the noise. He came face to face with the Guardian of the Brotherhood. It was writhing on the floor covered in black and red flames. Flesh was melting off its bones and the smell of rotting corpses filled the room. He gasped as the monster's screams became louder. He covered his ears and looked around. He saw Amara standing, ears covered as well. The screams died down and eventually stopped.
"W-was that n-necessary?" he asked horrified.
"He attacked first" was all she said before she continued walking. He looked back at the creature, which had been reduced to a pile of melted rotting gloop. He quickly turned away. He had probably been just doing his job and attacked Amara because dead bodies were showing up. She wasn't a Sister of the Brotherhood. He… It didn't deserve this. He had to call the monster it. Some things were too disturbing to imagine them as another being that can think or breathe. He ran after Amara, after getting the feeling that she had gone in without him. He was right. He got to the door that lead to the vampire's 'room'. The door wasn't latched shut. Probably Amara creating an escape if she needed one, it was either that or the walking dead had grabbed her at the door. He pushed it open with one hand. He looked to his left. A stone platform in the shape of a coffin was sitting in the corner. To the right was a wooden table with one chair. It was a pretty bland room, but Zylien had other things to worry about other than the fact that the vampire wasn't very good at decorating. Amara was pinned to the wall again, eyes glazed over and blood running out her ear. A man with brown hair tied back into a low pony-tail stood facing Zylien. His skin was pale, whiter than fresh snow, and his eyes were blood red. They had a hunger to them, as if Zylien was a deer and he, a mountain lion. He wore a purple long sleeved shirt under a green silk over-coat and tight pants that matched his shirt. His boots were grey and did nothing good for the outfit. It didn't really matter what the un-dead man was wearing, Zylien was going to die either way.