Series: World of Fusion||Title: War of the Undead
Characters: Ryou, Theron, Assassin, Noble D'Noir||Ship: N/A
Chapters: 14-50||Chapter Words: 3,009||Total Words: 43,022
Genre: Drama, Supernatural||Rated: PG
Challenges: Diversity Writing, GX: Fused World, L2, 2000-6000 wpc; One Character Boot Camp, Marufuji Ryou, #19, rebel; Include The Word, #47, multipy; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #24, 50 chaptrs; Advent 2015-2016, GX, bonus #1: roll for fic length: between 100,000-200,000 words; Christmas Advent 2017, New Year's Special, start a new fic and update it once a week; Epic Masterclass, YGO GX, #4, AU Space
Notes: Same universe as Raised To His Word but featuring other characters. A little backstory will appear as well. Also, the character notes up top here will change depending on who is involved in each chapter.
Summary: The first strike in war involves doing as much damage as you possibly can – such as taking one of your enemy's strongest warriors and using him to get the strongest weapons. Ryou never thought he'd enjoy being a vampire but this is a whole new level. Perhaps it's a good thing he has a teacher and some new friends to help him out.
Theron rose to his feet. "Well, that was a very fascinating story and I can't wait to hear how your parents were burned alive because you were a vampire and killed someone in your hometown instead of staking yourself like a sensible person would." The smirk across his lips could not have been more smug if he'd been responsible for all of that himself. "Not to mention how you persuaded – or brainwashed – your brother into becoming your servant."
Ryou stood on his own feet a breath later, cold rage radiating outward. "I never brainwashed my brother." His fingers flexed; if it weren't for Noble D'Noir's orders he would have taken them both out right then and there and gotten out of this annoying situation. But the commands remained in tight bondage around his limbs.
"That's not what I've heard. But we can finish this another time." Theron glanced towards Assassin. "I'm going now. Remember, he's to stay here and if that warrior shows up, keep them here until I get back." His gaze flickered back to Ryou. "I quite look forward to seeing you wearing what I have planned. Something nice to negate every ability you have."
He raised one hand in an even worse mockery of a proper farewell. "Until tomorrow night."
He was out of the cave a few breaths later. Ryou glared after him, fighting the urge to strangle whatever he could get his hands on. He tried to ignore Assassin, until what he'd heard sank in a bit more.
"A warrior?" Whatever was going to happen, he wanted information on this.
For a few seconds he expected Assassin not to say anything at all. They'd been hired to guard him, after all, not for conversation.
But Assassin spoke. "Theron's superiors have sent someone to inspect his successes." There was something that might have hinted at humor in the mostly bland tone. "They want not only the Guardian of the Sangenma, but you as well, spawn of Camula."
Ryou snorted at that. If it came to it, he could defend himself on that score. Noble D'Noir's orders kept him bound to Theron's orders, not to anyone else.
"Theron doesn't intend to hand you ever. He does intend to keep you – for whatever reasons of his own that he has."
That got another snort. "Of course he does." At the moment, he thought he would have been perfectly happy if he saw Noble D'Noir and Theron going down together, D'Noir with his fangs buried in Theron's neck while Theron stabbed D'Noir in the heart with a stake. Such a sight would please hi for centuries to come.
But for now he settled back on the rock he'd chosen for his own. His gaze strayed to the door and he wondered once again if it would be possible to slip by Assassin's guard. Or if he could persuade the other to let him go, even if it were just long enough to send a message.
Shou should know that there were threats in the area, threats that he should take care of as soon as possible. Shou would be capable of taking care of himself against quite a few attackers, especially with the defenses available at the mansion. But he needed to know what he was up against before that could happen.
And if Theron really wanted to be cruel – which in fairness he likely did – then it would be twistedly easy for the mansion to fall. His control over Ryou would make that possible. Shou would trust him. Shou always trusted him. So Ryou had to do something so that Shou wouldn't, at least not until he could get away from Theron.
He tugged his thoughts back to the present. He needed to stay focused there now. He'd done more than enough dreaming of the past lately. Now he had to think about how to get out of this.
Where would Teacher Samejima go? He needed to find that out, for his own reasons, not for Theron's sake. He had to believe that Samejima still lived, mostly because if he didn't, he fully expected Theron would have mocked him for it by now. The only thing holding him back would be if he didn't know about it yet. If that were so, then once he did know… well, he'd figure out what to do then.
But now he walked on that mental road. Samejima remained alive. Samejima was somewhere that the zombies couldn't yet find him. Their ability to hunt and track relentlessly meant that the old man wouldn't be able to keep away from them forever. Not unless he had help of some kind.
So he has help. The question then is what kind of help and what else can they do for him?
All that moved into subjects that he not only had no way of knowing but couldn't do anything about if he did know. His ability to affect anything right now remained almost nil.
Don't move.
Oh. Noble D'Noir again. Ryou kept himself still, not betraying D'Noir's presence by so much as a raised eyebrow or curled lip. Where was the other?
Ah. There. Behind Assassin, moving in the way that only the deadliest of predators could. If Assassin noticed, he did nothing at all. Not even a flicker of a muscle tensing.
At least not until he whirled around, a sharp blade in his hands that sliced to where Noble D'Noir stood. Or had stood. The vampire wasn't there anymore, and even Ryou couldn't be certain where he was at first. Assassin whirled back around, moving to stand closer to Ryou. There wasn't a hint of protection in his moves, but definite threat.
"Make another move, vampire, and this one will suffer for it."
Noble D'Noir laughed softly. "Do you really think that I care? He's more my tool than he is Theron's toy. As you are going to become."
Assassin made no further moves, though his stance didn't relax for a heartbeat. Ryou could feel the pressure of D'Noir's mind on his own and knew exactly what he was to do. His own muscles tensed in readiness as D'Noir dropped down in front of them, his lips curled back from his fangs.
His eyes glowed a dark, rich red, centering on Assassin's own eyes. Assassin snorted.
"As if something like that would work on me." He started to move forward again, at a speed that would be blinding – to anyone who wasn't a vampire. Ryou caught his arms and held them with little effort, before reaching up to remove the hood that covered Assassin's head.
The cover that also glowed to magic to the eyes of a vampire, concealing not only Assassin's features but blocking any manner of mind control from working on him.
Now Noble D'Noir caught Assassin's chin between his fingers and stared down at him. "A strong mind. It would take me far longer to break you than it did this one here. Perhaps another time, though. I don't need to break you. I only need to use you."
Assassin kept his head up and shoulders tight, refusing to bow down for a moment. If he hadn't been the one keeping Ryou in here, then he might well have felt a bit sorry for him. As it was, Ryou would happily have drained him dry, even having fed so well already.
Noble D'Noir's head flashed forward, and his fangs buried themselves into Assassin's throat. Assassin hissed between his teeth, straining in Ryou's grip, but Ryou didn't ease up for so much as a second. Instead, he waited. Noble D'Noir didn't take much – only about four mouthfuls. But that was enough to do what he wanted to do next.
Once again his eyes burned into Assassin's, and this time the warrior could do nothing to resist. Being fed from, as Ryou knew far too well, weakened both the mind and the soul. Remove his other defenses and Assassin would be as vulnerable as Ryou himself had been.
"You will guard the vampire here, as Theron commanded. But you guard him for me now. You will do as Theron has said – for now. There will come a time when I command you to slay Theron and you will do so without hesitation or relenting. I will pay you for that – and I will not ask you to do this until you can do it without breaking your contract with him."
Ryou let out a light snort. Noble D'Noir knew people and he'd heard himself of the order that Assassin belonged to. They would never break a contract under any circumstances and by offering payment and assuring him that he wouldn't be asked to do this until he was free of the one he was bound to now meant he wouldn't resist as much.
He could feel Assassin relaxing as Noble D'Noir's will overwhelmed his. Then, slowly, at Noble D'Noir's unspoken command, he released his captive. Assassin sagged down to the ground, his eyes glazed. Without the hood, he looked like any common human. Ryou glanced at the thing he held, then put it aside, where it couldn't be easily reached.
Noble D'Noir carefully licked his lips. "Very good blood. Almost as good as yours used to be."
Ryou said nothing to that. The other vampire chuckled. "You could say thank you. I've freed you, to an extent. Theron won't know that you're free, and as long as you return here to continue spying on him, he won't know at all." He kicked Assassin with one booted foot. "He won't say anything. He'll take your orders as well as mine now."
Ryou pressed his lips together. "You set this up." That alone made sense to him.
"My dear Marufuji." Noble D'Noir smirked at him. "Whatever makes you say that?" Before Ryou could answer, he laughed. "Not that I didn't. But what makes you believe it?"
"Because all of this would only make sense to you, and you already told me a lot of it. You're attempting to use this war to take over from Camula and Ruthven." Ryou bit the words off. "You're going to use the zombies to get the Sangenma and then use them to destroy those two."
Noble D'Noir patted him on the shoulder. "Oh, you're better than I thought you were. No matter how it works out, I win. And if you are a very good boy and serve me faithfully, then I will see to it that you sit at my feet afterwards. You won't be a good blood slave anymore, and I really don't think you're qualified to be the ruler of a realm of any size, but I will need someone who can kill for me when I don't feel like doing it for myself." He tapped one finger against his lips for a few seconds. "i think executioner sounds like a fine title. What do you think?"
"You don't want to know."
The vampire laughed again, a sound that reflected an utter lack of not caring. "You're probably right that I don't. Not that it matters. You're going to do exactly what I tell you to do, because that's your role in this game. Camula and Ruthven might've turned you but I put you into position so they could." He leaned forward, tongue flashing across where the pulse of Ryou's blood had been years earlier. "And I fed from you. I taught you how to obey. I will always have first claim on you."
He regarded Ryou thoughtfully. "But I think I need to do something so that you'll remember that."
He held up one slender hand and jerked his head in a motion Ryou remembered all too vividly from the night Ruthven and Camula held a party in his honor – the night that he'd become a vampire. Blood welled up from the slash on Noble D'Noir's hand and he pressed it against Ryou's mouth.
"Drink. Drink until I tell you not to."
When a vampire drinks the blood of another vampire, the one who drinks must obey for the turning of one moon.
Oh, he remembered that so very well. One of the first lessons that he'd learned. It was different from being turned; it was considered more of a punishment than anything else. But now Noble D'Noir's blood flowed hot down his throat and Ryou hated every drop of it. Noble D'Noir kept his other unwounded hand behind his head, until Ryou couldn't take another drop, and staggered back, taking in breaths that he needed more to steady himself than anything else.
He'd been free from Camula and Ruthven's control for years now. He enjoyed not having to take their orders without question, though he still acknowledged them as his lieges. But now another sensation overlaid his mind – a focus on Noble D'Noir.
The elder vampire smiled at him. "I think I want to see you on your knees, little one."
With nothing more than that to command him, Ryou slid down to his knees, holding himself back from shaking from rage only by sheer force of will. He' always hated this – being utterly subservient to someone else. And it could happen again, if Noble D'Noir's war didn't resolve in the next moon. He would be fed again and again.
"How lovely a sight," Noble D'Noir purred. "If only I could stay here forever to admire it. But I fear that I have matters of my own to take care of. I don't think that you'll object, though. One of those matters involves seeing to your little brother's safety. That's what you want, isn't it?"
Before Ryou could answer, Noble D'Noir shook his head. "No need. But before I go: you'll speak to no one about my visit here or what I've done, no matter what. You may choose to go hunting but if you do, return here before sunrise. Do nothing that might arose anyone's suspicions as to the true nature and cause of these events. Assassin: you will continue to guard him as you were ordered. If he goes to hunt, then go with him, in order to keep your word to your employer. Under no circumstances is Theron to know what's happened here tonight. Do you both understand?"
Assassin nodded as he started to sit back up. So did Ryou, who remained where he was. Noble D'Noir eyed him for another few moments before a deep sigh.
"You may both stand once I've gone. But when I return – and I will – I expect you both on your knees. It's quite a good look for both of you."
Then between one moment and the next, he was gone. Assassin dragged himself up and looked for his hood, which Ryou gave to him as he stood as well. For a few moments neither of them said anything else. Assassin broke the silence.
"Are you going to go out?"
"I need to. I can't stop him from going to the mansion for my brother, but I can at least try to find my old teacher and warn him of what's going on." Ryou pressed his lips together. "If they're going to get the Sangenma, I'm going to at least make it difficult for them."
He couldn't see Assassin's face now that the hood settled back over his features. But he had a very strong suspicion that those thin lips quirked into a bit of a smile.
"I think I know a place you can start. There isn't much around in this area but I've been around here before. There's a fountain a fair distance from Sunsdown. It has a guardian there, Izumi. I knew her before I became an Assassin. If anyone knows anything about what's going on, I would believe she and her sister do. It's close enough that we could get there and back before the sun comes up. As long as we don't waste too much time."
Ryou started to nod before his eyes narrowed. "Why are you helping me? Because of Noble D'Noir?" At least he could still use the other's name. He was grateful for that much. He wouldn't put it past D'Noir to demand to be addressed only as "master".
"No. I guard you because of Theron's money, the contract with him, and D'Noir's orders. I'm helping you because I don't like to see people used unwillingly." He raised one hand to his neck and rubbed where D'Noir's fangs entered. "And I don't like being used unwillingly myself. My superiors are going to be very unhappy about this."
That was good enough for Ryou. "Then let's go. The sooner we get to this fountain, the better." He wasn't going to hold too tightly to the thought that his teacher could be there. He had no idea of how far they'd made it before losing Cyber Phoenix or what sort of condition that Samejima might have been in after the fall he most assuredly had taken. Not to mention that he'd already been hurt before that. It didn't bode well no matter what.
He hesitated before taking another step towards the exit. The sight of a little splashed blood from when he'd fed on the false priest reminded him of something. "Theron took my deck. I want it back."
Assassin glanced away, his shoulders tightening the faintest of bits. "Haven't seen it."
Somehow, with that brief hesitation, Ryou suspected that wasn't entirely true. Unfortunately, now wasn't the right time to start shaking down the only ally that he had for something that he couldn't be certain he'd get back. But he would find his deck – he was bonded to it as surely as he was to Camula and Ruthven or even to Noble D'Noir himself. He would find it no matter what.
"Let's go." With no more, he headed out of the cave, partly eager to track down his mentor and partly eager to see what remained of Sunsdown and add it to his mental list of everything that Theron would eventually need to pay for.
To Be Continued
Notes: And things are moving forward!