When they arrived at Castle Gaspard, it was in a shoddy state, to say the least. Abandoned by it's people, who were under the control of the Church, the castle had overgrown grass, untrimmed bushes, and the few visible windows were all filthy, covered in splattered insects and fingerprints. The surrounding houses were barely in better condition.
Ashe frowned, feeling incredibly sad at how the castle looked. He had spent a number of his years here, where it was a proud thing. He looked about, wondering what he should do first. Cetanu turned to Samyaza's men, who were all landing as Ashe contemplated.
"Samyaza, have the Grigoi clean up the smaller surrounding houses. We'll have to get the castle and surrounding buildings into good enough conditions for the men and their wyverns to live in." he said, and Samyaza nodded, turning to his men and beginning to bark out orders.
Ashe was snapped out of his trance by this, watching the serpentine man and his angelic dragon command men with a sense of determination, a sense of confidence. "How did he get the name 'Sloth'?" he asked, almost absentmindedly. Cetanu sighed. "Walk with me through the castle. I'll teach you more about us as I go." he said, and Ashe nodded.
When they began walking the halls, it was incredibly saddening, the castle looking almost ransacked. "What happened here?" he asked, and Cetanu frowned. "It seems that the Church officials put in charge of it either didn't do their job or took advantage of the fact that their bosses were hundreds of miles away." he mused, looking to his student. "Look for some small artifact of some kind that you can wear on you, so that we can make it your 'anchor'." he said, and Ashe nodded, his eyes scanning the walls and floors as Cetanu spoke.
"All of us are infamous, and Samyaza is no exception. His name, the 'Demon Lord of Sloth' and it's Kingdom and Alliances counterparts, all come from the fact that he sits on a dragon's back and does his job. He doesn't stand when he takes lives." he said, and Ashe realized that made sense.
"Beelzebub's is self explanatory. He's arrogant, almost criminally so, hence the association with 'Pride', same for Asmodeus and his 'Lust'. Lillith gets 'Gluttony' from the fact that she seems to always be around people who are injured, and references the term 'glutton for punishment'." He said, and they turned a corner, heading towards another hall, one that looked more designed for residence.
"Abaddon's comes from rich folk who believe he kills the rich out of jealousy, hence the 'Envy'. My father's stems from the fact that no matter how many jobs we completed, we always had room for a few more, hence his 'Greed'." he said, and Ashe looked to Cetanu as they entered a large room that the older demon surmised was Lonato's.
"What about you? Why do they call you 'Wrath'?" he asked, and Cetanu sighed. "Because I lacked mercy and empathy. They say that those that I killed were destroyed, victimized beyond recognition. It was as if an angry monster struck them down, hence my 'Wrath'." he said, and Ashe frowned as he looked through random drawers in the room.
"That makes everything sound so sad. I know it was hard for you to feel, but weren't you ever content? Enjoying yourself?" he asked, and Cetanu thought about it. He didn't often ponder himself before he awoke his emotions, but now he knew that he could put words on the odd nagging instincts and desires he had.
"Sadly, the only time I felt what I can now call 'enjoyment' or 'happiness', it was in combat. Since changing, I have found enjoyment in many things, but beforehand, it was primarily the thrill of battle that stirred me." he said, and Ashe frowned.
"Have you ever… been with anyone? Didn't that bring you any… enjoyment?" he asked, and Cetanu shrugged. "Before I awoke my emotions, I merely partook in the act of fornication as a carnal urge. It wasn't the odd, sacred act of 'lovers' that many I knew spoke of it as. It was a form of stress relief that I assumed would be more pleasant if I could emote and feel." he said, and Ashe felt himself frown.
The more he heard about his sire, the more he felt sorry for him. He was a tortured soul, a man that was so imprisoned in his own flesh that he couldn't enjoy anything, or feel that same sense of being human that many could. That was when Ashe remembered that his sire was never human in the first place. This made him rather sad. Cetanu must have picked up on this, because he placed a hand on Ashe's shoulder.
"You don't need to look so glum. I'm different, and I'm better now. You and the Lions have helped me grow as a person and learn to understand my own emotions. I now understand human activities and actions such as seduction, academic study, the Crests and even mere conversation better. I am eternally grateful to you all for that."
"You know, by 'do as you please', this wasn't what I meant." Abaddon said, sitting at the Dining Hall with the Blue Lions, who were busy staring at their large guest. "Mr. Abaddon, who is this guy?" Annette asked, and he rolled his eye. "This is…." he trailed off, trying to find an appropriate answer.
The large man smiled, showing off a pair of massive canines that seemed to surprise the Kingdom students. "My name's Victor Szlachta. I'm a friend of Cetanu's." he said, and they all seemed rather unsure that he was telling the truth.
"The Professor never mentioned a friend such as you." Dimitri said, almost nervously. Victor chuckled, his attitude rather unusual for one who looked like he did. "He didn't have much of a reason to mention a little cat like me." he said, and they all found that statement rather odd.
However, they were interrupted by Edelgard and Hubert, who were rather adamant about something. They stopped by the table, Victor leaning over to look at them, being on the far end of where they approached from. "Bernadetta, Professor Manuela would like to see you." Edelgard said, and the large man pursed his lips.
"I know you! You're that Hubert guy that Samyaza told me about." he said, and Abaddon cast a glance to him. What was he thinking? He knew that Victor wasn't accustomed to being 'human', but surely the idea of keeping things to yourself extended to small animals as well. Hubert narrowed his eye. "I don't believe we've ever met. Are you a new student here?" he asked, and Victor hummed.
"You could say that. I kind of need a tutor since I haven't been… here in Fodlan very long. My good pal Abaddon is filling that roll right now." he said, and Hubert narrowed his eyes. He was going to say something different, wasn't he?
"Regardless of your prattling on, we need Bernadetta to accompany us back to the classroom. Professor Manuela has a few questions about her absences." he said, and Bernadetta shrunk down from her seat next to Dimitri. It was true that since being 'betrothed' to the Prince that she'd skipped class a few times, but she didn't think it was that bad.
Victor however, didn't take too kindly to being brushed aside like that. He leaned forward, his cheek resting on his large, muscular, clawed hand. "Not curious to hear what Samyaza had to say about you?" he asked, raising a brow with a smirk on his face.
Abaddon understood exactly what Victor was getting at. He wasn't exposing Samyaza's desires and intentions, he was merely trying to deter the duo from pressing into the issue of Cetanu's awakening further. Hubert looked to him, frowning at the fact that the small archer hadn't moved.
"I assume it was something negative. No man that would bring two hundred Wyvern Riders to Gaspard territory can be a nice man." he said, and Victor blinked, as if surprised. "Two hundred? You think that's it?" he asked, and Hubert seemed to hesitate, a cheshire grin spreading across the man's oddly cat like face.
"So your snitch saw the two hundred Grigoi flying through the skies, but did they see the chariot filled with three hundred eggs ride out of the gate?" he asked, and Hubert seemed to shiver ever so slightly. There it was. Victor got the reaction he wanted, and he bet that Hubert was processing those words.
The Sabertoothed Angel threw his hands up. "My apologies. Bernadetta, you should go with them. Although, I think you should accompany her as her fiancee, Your Highness." he said, and Dimitri blinked before picking up on Victor's real intentions. He watched both of them rise and begin to walk off.
"That was close. Watch your words, Victor." Abaddon said. "Did Mr. Samyaza really have a total of five hundred Wyvern and eggs?" Mercedes asked, and Abaddon nodded. "Despite his appearance, House Crowley is said to be the distant descendants of a vicious wyvern rider named Valter the Moonstone. Samyaza takes his position as Fodlan's 'Lord of the Sky' rather seriously. He might say something different, but this 'mission' he has is what he's been waiting for." he said, and they found this rather interesting.
"Why would he enjoy being sent out to a run down castle?" Annette asked, and Victor rose a brow. He looked to Abaddon, almost curious himself. "His mission is be a fill in. Don't you think it a bit odd that Ashe, Lonato's adopted son, would ride out to his father's lands with hundreds of Wyverns? I don't know the details too well, but Samyaza is taking over Castle Gaspard for a while."
Despite all of their efforts not only cleaning, but searching the castle as well, there was no lone artifact that Ashe could identify with, or that had much value to him. However, Cetanu had found something. They currently browsed a library within the castle, and while Ashe sat in a small chair reading books form his childhood, Cetanu was reading something far worse.
He had found a volume, a book with no title, no author or even a design on the front. It was plain and gray, and it felt horrible. Like an ancient leather that was worn and beaten down, ready to fall apart. However, as he flipped the pages, reading an odd tale about Lonato's son and Ashe's adoptive older brother, Christophe Gaspard, he noted one thing.
The pages were some kind of leather. They weren't the kind of thing you'd find on a scroll, or an old paper. These pages were like glorified belts in themselves, and only when Cetanu got to the climax of the tale did he finally, finally understand. Because the villain in this book, this odd tale of Cristophe's strength and cunning, was a monster.
It was said to be a horror of unspeakable appearance, something with too many limbs that were the wrong sizes, multiple faces smashed together sloppily, a creature that looked like a bad fusion of three or four humans, shambling about and committing murder. Cetanu realized exactly what this was, since he wasn't human himself.
This was what was called a 'War Ghoul', a creature spawned through horrific, twisted Fleshcrafting. It was through this realization, that some time during the life of Christophe, there was a Fleshcrafter in the area, that Cetanu realized that this book wasn't leather at all. It was made from skin. Cetanu wanted to make sure and he grabbed one of the pages.
He pulled on it, watching the corner of the page begin to stretch as the material slowly shifted and began to take the shape of a finger. Cetanu closed his eyes, realizing that this might hold the key to not only Ashe's hunger, but his own understand of what he was.
He looked to his progeny, who sighed as he put a book back on the shelf. "Have you checked Christophe's old room? I assume you two were at least a little close." he said, and Ashe blinked, nodding to his sire before the two set off. On the way, Cetanu thought about the fact that the book hinted at the existence of another Fleshcrafter. He had to figure out more, but how?
When they entered the room, Cetanu was rather surprised to see it in pristine condition, something that he noticed made Ashe choke up slightly. "Do you want me to leave you alone? You can just see Samyaza when you're done." he said, and Ashe nodded quietly, Cetanu nodding to him before departing, Ashe walking through the room.
He remembered spending time with his older brother. He was Ashe's idol. A man that symbolized everything looked up to and aspired to. He was strong, kind, honorable, and confident. Christophe would never have gotten injured at Zanado, never been turned into a monster.
Ashe shook his head. He couldn't think like that. He had to grow comfortable in his own skin. He made the decision. It was either this or death, and he'd never be able to do even half of the things his brother accomplished if he was dead. He'd never have been able to see his siblings again, or his friends.
He looked to a small table by Christophe's bed when he saw it. It was Christophe's necklace. He wore it when he was walking around the castle. It was a golden medallion with the coat of arms of Castle Gaspard on it. Ashe walked over to it and slowly picked it up, looking to it.
He remembered thinking that it was one of the coolest pieces of jewelry he'd ever seen, even more interesting than the things he'd seen higher ranking nobles wear. He ran his thumb along it, watching the marking slowly disappear. Ashe blinked before remembering that his foul, inhuman magick manipulated flesh, and gold itself was a natural material. It was like the flesh of the earth itself.
He began to run his fingers over it, the markings vanishing as a thin circle was drawn, each of the Crests Ashe had consumed forming around around it. He inhaled, his fingers slowly crafting the new coat of arms, the symbol of House Formorian. He watched as it began to take shape, rather surprised at his own proficiency.
It was an Oghma Wolverine standing in front of a dragon, as if the dragon was it's father. This was meant to symbolize Ashe, the Wolverine, and Cetanu, the Dragon. And at the sides of the dragon were seven winged lions, to symbolize the Seven Princes of the Eternal Flames, Cetanu closest allies.
He smiled at the elaborate work. He sat on the edge of the bed, throwing the necklace over his head and smiling at how calm it made him feel. He began to realize that his thoughts were much more positive, and he understood that this was his anchor.
Cetanu, despite his previous worries, found finding the cave he walked through in the wee hours of the day rather interesting. He could smell, and sense the other Blood Demon, a creature that was hiding out in this cave for it's life. He found it's existence rather sad, and it found his rather frightening.
It took the shape of a small, misshapen man with huge ears and massive hands, almost like a character you'd see drawn to make small children laugh. It looked at the black garbed blood demon, almost able to tell who he was. "You! You know HER, don't you!?" it shouted, and Cetanu smiled, tilting his head.
"Do you mean our progenitor? The Fiend?" he asked, and the creature shrunk back, it's body increasing in size as if to try and intimidate Cetanu. "Did she make you too!? That monster turned me into this thing and left me to rot!" he screamed, and Cetanu began to laugh.
He couldn't understand, but around another Blood Demon, he felt… different. He rolled his neck, looking to the horror that continued to expand it's body and spawn random mouths and spikes across it's body. "I was born from her womb. She was my mother." he said, and the creature let out a bestial roar, lashing out a spiked tentacle.
Cetanu deflected the appendage with the Sword of the Creator, slamming the blade into the ground as the creature recoiled. This overwhelming evil, this feeling of dominant monstrosity, began to overwhelm Cetanu, who exhaled.
"I've been looking for another one of my kind. I have desperately tried to find someone that I can test my Fleshcrafting against." he said, his back tearing and erupting as a pair of massive black wings took shape, his body slowly being covered in scale after scale.
