Author's Note: When I read classic books, especially the really good ones, I tend to find myself emulating the writing style of the period that book was written in. This chapter is a prime example of that phenomenon – after recently reading the original Dracula, I decided to craft a classically-styled yarn of bloody vengeance.

This version of Remnant is notable due to the abundance of supernatural elements (I'm not talking about Grimm) and I'm using standard month names to keep track of time. Be warned: this chapter contains just a few scenes of horror.

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Designation: [Remnant-6671]

Status: High levels of unknown energy type detected throughout, unknown effect. Full scan impossible due to massive frequency interference.

Condition: Red

Recommendation: Continue attempts to scan, identify source of interference.

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September 4th,
Dearest Corsac,

I hope this letter finds you well, brother. I have just arrived in the small town of Mountain Glen this morning, and was delighted to find it as small and quaint as I'd imagined on the train. There may be much to see and do in larger cities, but it is difficult to find any charming spots amidst their towering apartments and squalid sewers. If you ever manage to make it out here, I know you will come to love it as well.

Tis a shame that I am here on business. A town like this practically begs to be explored and enjoyed slowly.

As you know, the reports about Haddock Hall are as numerous as they are fantastical – ghostly echoes, lights in the windows, smoke from blocked chimneys, and the like. I passed by the old place on route to my room, and brother – it is a marvelous building. The arches and doorways are clearly Mistralian by design, but the framing appears to be of Vacuan construction, a combination you must see to believe. The home itself sits on a massive lot that appears choked with weeds and vines the likes of which would send Father's gardener into shock.

The locals are all warm and inviting, eager to fill both my belly and my mind with everything the little town has to offer. I do hope you can come soon, brother. You would surely love this place.

Forgive me, I do not wish to ramble. I will keep in touch and keep you ever in my thoughts.

Yours,
Fennec

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September 7th,
My Dear Fennec,

I am sure by now you are all but a full member of that wonderful little town of yours, but please do not lose your head. Finish your task first, then take all the time you wish to relax – Father does not need us back home until next Spring, so you will have plenty of time to explore to your heart's content.

Regrettably, I cannot so quickly join you, as my own task has detained me for longer than I wished. Our family honor demands that I see my job through to the end, but that includes visiting all of the towns around the city of Haven. All 21 of them. I may not see you before the first snow of the season.

If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask. I know I am out in the sticks at times, but I have quick transport to the city and every resource available to a son of the Albain family.

Be well,
Corsac

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September 10th,
Dearest Corsac,

It turns out I have need of your resources after all.

My investigation into the strange goings-on at Haddock Hall has uncovered a darker mystery: 50 years ago, a young girl vanished without a trace at that very house. No body was ever found.

Upon venturing into the building, I was met with total ruins – molding carpet and wood siding, rotted out walls, and mushrooms in every corner made it clear that no mortal had made their home here in quite some time. The basement was cleaner, and in it I found all manner of curiosities. Of particular interest to me was a large glass bottle, larger than the bottles in Father's wine cellar, but solidly corked and filled with what appeared to be a dark… fog of some sort. I could hear no slosh of liquid, but… brother, something about that bottle deeply disturbed me, else I would have removed it from the premises for study. My instincts were telling me to leave it alone at all costs.

Despite their previous warmth, the locals all fell into a cold silence at the mention of Haddock Hall. It seemed as though they thought the place haunted, as most of my contacts back home had said. What I could hear, however, involved some terminology I was unfamiliar with – that is where you come in, brother.

At your earliest convenience, I would ask for information regarding a creature called a Vampire, a being known as a Jinn (or Djinn, I am unsure how it is written), and anything regarding the following fellows: Arthur Watts, Hazel Rainart, and Tyrian Callows. I need this as soon as humanly possible.

I do not know what sort of situation I have come into, but I pray it will not be too dangerous. I think of you always, brother.

Yours,
Fennec

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September 13th,
My Dear Fennec,

I was admittedly curious upon receiving your last letter, and even more so upon gathering your requested data. As you wished for a speedy delivery, I have attempted to transcribe the information rather than attempt to send multiple documents at once.

The Vampire, as you called it, is a creature of the night that feeds on blood to survive. There is a lot of legend and folklore about it, especially around Mistral, but from what I've found it is the result of a human who has contracted a rare disease that causes this change. The victim shows signs of violent behavior, a thirst for fluids rich in iron and hemoglobin, and a strong aversion to sunlight. Modern science has found no true cause or cure for the illness, but has deemed it an impossible sickness due to it's rarity. I have little else to share, as there have been few studies conducted on the matter.

The Djinni, to use it's proper name, is a being of ancient legends of the Vacuo region. According to the lore which I found thanks to a local Huntsman, Djinni are like magical spirits that are permanently bound to an artifact of some sort – commonly an oil lamp or piece of jewelry – and are said to grant wishes to those who free them from imprisonment. The gentlemen who provided me this information said he could find more given some time, which I bade him do. Of all the things you've asked about, I would very much like to know how such a word reached your ears, brother.

As for the fellows you listed, this is what I've found:

Hazel Rainart once lived in Mountain Glen, but moved away nearly 50 years ago to a small village in the southern part of Vale. Apparently he took his ailing sister with him, but there were no records of her, nor were there any more records of either of them. It is my belief they lived out their days in peace.

Tyrian Callows also lived in Mountain Glen as a child, but only moved out around 20 years ago with his mother. Oddly, they seemed to have moved to one of the towns I am yet to visit on my travels here, in Mistral, so if I can I shall seek them out and learn more.

As for Arthur Watts, you can ask him for yourself – he still lives in Mountain Glen to this day. He works at the clinic as a doctor. No doubt the locals can point you in the right direction.

Brother, I worry for you. Keep safe and return in good health.

Be well,
Corsac

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September 19th,
Dearest Corsac,

My sincerest apologies for the delay, but I have learned much in the interim.

As I'm sure you recall, almost 50 years ago there was a disappearance – a little girl, vanished without a trace. It is my belief that this case is directly related to the disturbances I have been called out here to investigate, so naturally I began to pursue this lead. The names I gave were children who were frequently seen in the company of the missing child, and the names of the creatures were mentioned often in the stories and news articles dating to that time period.

I have taken your advice and met with the esteemed Doctor Watts a few times now, but the gentleman is rather averse to any discussion regarding the child. He seems to remember the day well, but not fondly. As I was convinced he held the answers I seek, I urged him to consider me a friend and confidant. I do not think he will hold out for much longer.

You mentioned Huntsman in your last letter… those are the soldiers who specialize in hunting demons, are they not? How in blazes do you find one out there? And how would he have had information on something as unusual as a Djinni?

I would write further, but Doctor Watts has summoned me. I shall attach another page and send this to you in the morning.

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Brother, I have uncovered the truth of a decades-old mystery this very night. The good Doctor was, indeed, ready to reveal to me the details of that horrible night 50 years prior, when the little girl disappeared without a trace. He knows exactly what happened, and soon I will know the whole story.

It starts with the girl, named Ruby L. Rose. According to the good Doctor, she was a sickly and frail child with a diminished mind – Father would use the word 'touched' - who followed him and his friends around all hours of the day. He admitted that he found the girl funny to watch, but quite irritating. Due to his father's insistence, however, none of the boys ever shooed her away.

Then one of the boys, young Tyrian, acquired information about a Djinni artifact apparently hidden in the basement of the old Haddock Hall (at the time it was only recently abandoned, yet to fall into ruins), and they hatched a plan to take it for themselves. However, Tyrian was a clever boy and had done some research before going. Apparently, Djinni required a 'human sacrifice' in order to work, or some such nonsense. Without any discussion, they agreed it would be little Ruby.

I know what you're thinking, dear brother. Hold your outbursts until I finish.

They entered the building in the evening, on the night of October the 31st, and silently found their way in the darkness. According to Doctor Watts, they spent hours hopelessly searching before the artifact was found – a large glass bottle, the very one I picked up on my own visit! And by little Ruby, no less!

His tale only continued after a heavy dose of brandy and some rum, but I promise you it was no drunkard's yarn. He described the sight well; a beautiful blue woman, seemingly made of mist, emerging from the open bottle before their very eyes. She was the Djinni herself, a being of pure magic. While the man could not remember a word he or his friends said that night, the words of the Djinni had burned into his very soul:

'In the dark, I dwell alone…'
'Til mortals call me from my home'
'Speak now, one wish to each I sow…'
'The Balance keep, in high and low'

That was all I could get from him tonight before he passed out. Gods…! To think I held such an item in my hands! I fear to learn what followed on that fateful night, but it is for another time. I hope it will not take so much alcohol on our next meeting.

As always, I keep you in my thoughts. Be safe, brother.

Yours,
Fennec

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September 22nd,
My Dear Fennec,

It may be against your wishes, but I have shared your last letter with my Huntsman friend. He found it most interesting and now wishes to travel with me to meet you as soon as possible, though my own work is not yet complete.

I, too, have learned some of what you described, for the day after receiving your letter I found the home of the fellow Tyrian. He was not home, but his mother was… and she is the very creature your Doctor Watts saw on that night so long ago! As a woman of her apparent age, she appeared no more than 20. And she had an ethereal elegance to her movements. And her eyes… Gods above, I cannot describe them in writing. They are like nothing I've ever seen before.

But I digress. After making my acquaintance, I spoke with the woman about the night you are researching. She introduced herself simply as Jinn, and she told me her tale in full detail.

Brother, get out of that town. Get as far away from Haddock Hall as you can.

Evil dwells in that house. Please, dear brother, get out now!

Corsac

(undelivered due to inclement weather)

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September 25th,
Dearest Corsac,

I expected a reply by now, but I guess you are too occupied with your work. A pity… I wish you were here with me.

Doctor Watts took some time to recover before he was lucid enough to finish his tale, and what a tale it is. Brother, whatever you may have heard of the Djinni, it is true! All of it! The wishes granted came true in full, and no trickery was found.

As each of the boys were granted one wish, Hazel instantly petitioned for the healing of his young sister. The doctors never told him what she was stricken with, but he knew it was bad enough that no modern doctors of the day had any idea what to do about it. His wish was for his sister to be cured and returned to full health.

Next was Doctor Watts himself, whose mind at that time had been filled with anger at a neighbor of his family – apparently the housewife living next to them was constantly peering through the windows, watching everything they did and spreading gossip like water during the dry season. His wish was for that fair housewife to be stricken blind.

I should note that the man spoke of this event with deep regret. He was but a boy at the time, and had no way of knowing the damage he'd done.

Finally, young Tyrian made his wish – apparently he wanted nothing more than a mother, and the beautiful Djinni was his first choice. His wish, quite simply, was for the Djinni to be freed from her imprisonment and become his mother. The innocence of such a request was enough to touch my heart when the good Doctor spoke of it, but what followed sent a chill down my spine.

As the Djinni granted each wish, she spoke:

'Wishes made, my power faced…'
'The Balance, onto Her is placed'

'A child brought back to the light…'
'To Her, I give the curse of night'

'Vision dark, the veil closed…'
'To Her, sight of the world imposed'

'My prison empty, yearning deep…'
'To Her, my chains and endless sleep'

According to Doctor Watts, as the Djinni finished each of her verses, little Ruby L. Rose began to glow with power and light from the Djinni. At first they thought they'd all been tricked, but as they watched… the poor child began to thrash and scream, eyes bulging with fear and terror and pain. The good Doctor admitted that he still hears those terrible cries at night sometimes, usually when the moon is full.

He also sees, in his mind's eye, little Rubys final moments before being dragged into the bottle in place of the Djinni – a look of pure hatred, a look that was clearly a knowing look. At the very end, the child knew what they'd done to her.

That very night, Hazel's sister was cured of her disease… which turned out to be Vampirism. Doctor Watts assured me that, looking back on that night with his current understanding of medicine, that Ruby L. Rose had indeed been stricken with Vamprisim as a balance to Hazel's wish. Arthur also informed me that his neighbor was truly struck blind… but whatever effect the Balance had on little Ruby, no one truly knew.

He conjectured, based on everything that happened, that little Ruby was not dead… but trapped in the Djinni artifact.

I believe it likely that she is scared and crying, calling out for someone to release her. I am debating if I am the one to do so.

Please, dear brother, tell me what to do. I am lost on my own. I hope with all my heart to hear from you soon.

Yours,
Fennec

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September 28th,
Fennec,

I do not know how my previous letter failed to reach you, but for the love of all the Gods brother get out of that town! Nothing good can come from staying there.

In my last letter I mentioned that I met the adopted mother of the boy Tyrian, the woman whom I confirmed to be the Djinni you spoke of. She explained, in detail, exactly what transpired on that night. Ruby was not chosen at random; she detected the boys' intent to sacrifice her and acted accordingly, as is the way of the Djinni.

Doctor Watts' conjecture was accurate – young Ruby was, indeed, stricken with Vampirism in return for lifting that very same disease from the sister of young Hazel. In return for putting blindness on the neighbor of his, the Djinni gave little Ruby the power to see everything, without exception, at all times and without control or restraint. And because the final wish freed her from the artifact, the Balance decreed that Ruby should take her place as the new Djinni.

Jinn, as she calls herself, spoke of the child in the bottle with a measure of fear – even freed of it's power, she feels a connection with the artifact even to this day. She knows that the being trapped within it has gone mad with anger, bloodlust, and a powerful desire for vengeance.

If I do not hear from you in three days, my Huntsman friend and I will depart for Mountain Glen together and with all haste. Never before have I feared for you, my brother, as I do now.

Please, for the love of all things holy, please heed my words: DO NOT let that creature escape! ! !

Corsac

(undelivered due to unlawful interference - 'bandits')

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September 30th,
Dearest Corsac,

She calls to me, brother. I can no longer ignore her cries.

She calls to me… I must go.

May the gods have mercy on my soul for what I am about to do.

Yours forever,
Fennec

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October 3rd,
To The Huntsman Office of Vale,

I believe something terrible is about to happen at the small mining town of Mountain Glen, some miles south of Vale City. Unless it has already happened, in which case you will want to alert proper law enforcement officials as well. I am currently traveling with a Huntsman by the name of Branwen, and will arrive at the town in two days. Please have some of your men meet me there as soon as possible – I will arrive on the northbound train #31. Ask for Corsac Albain.

And please have them prepare themselves to face a Djinni. And possibly a Vampire as well. I shall explain further upon arrival.

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October 5th,
Dear Father,

I do not know what the newspapers will say happened at Mountain Glen this day, but what I write here is the truth. Fennec lives, along with my friend Branwen, but everyone else is gone.

The startling part is that there is not one single body in the entire town – only shredded clothing. Not even a single drop of blood stains the soil. I cannot say with any certainty if there was foul play, but the fact remains that the town is now entirely abandoned.

I will be bringing Fennec home once he has recovered enough, and once there I will fill you in on everything we've learned before today. Suffice it to say we are badly shaken, but well. In fact, Fennec appears in better health than when last I saw him, if only exhausted.

I have invited Branwen to join us as my guest, for he saw plenty during our travels and can add much to my narrative. I think you will like the man.

Yours,
Corsac

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October 29th,
My Dear, Dear Corsac,

I am damned. Damned.

It pained me to watch you tending to me these past weeks. I would have spoken, but the man Branwen was ever in the room, watching. Had I opened my mouth, he would have seen the truth and acted according to his justice. In truth, I want nothing more than to hold you, embrace you as my brother, my flesh and blood, but such a thing is no longer possible for us. I am… unclean.

Instead I wish to ease your mind somewhat by revealing the full events of that night, before you and Branwen arrived to find me on the steps of Haddock Hall, dying even though you did not know it.

That night, in the trance of the creature, I pulled the plug of the bottle, letting the black fog boil out like smoke from the fires of hell. It moved with a mind and will of it's own, quickly fleeing the basement of the home and making it's way to the outside world. The distant screams were what snapped me out of my trance, and I ran outside.

It was dark and overcast, with no moonlight, yet I could still see the hell unfolding all around me. People ran, falling, and the smoke enveloped them all. It tore them apart. It consumed every drop of blood, every scrap of flesh, leaving nothing behind but rags. No one was spared… except for me, the unholy witness.

I hobbled about, unsure of what to do, where to go, or even which way was up. All around me the people of the town fled, fell, and were consumed. I was left untouched. The screams… gods, the screams.

After what felt like hours, everything fell silent. The clouds finally parted, letting a full moon wash over the entire town. And then… she appeared before me. Before my very eyes appeared a girl who looked about 15, but who quickly grew and developed into a woman in her 30's. She was naked at first, but a dress of blood red silk simply appeared around her form. Her hair was long enough to touch the ground, but it, too, wound itself up of it's own accord and became a long braid.

In the pale light of the moon, the woman's eyes shone with a madness like nothing I'd ever imagined.

And in that moment, I knew exactly who I was looking at.

"Are you… Ruby L. Rose?" I asked, unsure if I wanted the answer.

"Maybe," she said with a seductive sway of her hips. "But only if purple is the number you can smell first. I'd always fancied myself a thoroughbred, though only underneath the top of a grubworm."

No, you did not misread those words. She was, and is, utterly mad.

She then held up a man's head, that of the good Doctor Watts, but only the head. "This one," she said a bit more clearly, "This one I savored. Sweet revenge and a bedsheet. All others were just ham hocks; his liver was dessert." Brother, as the gods are my witness, she opened her mouth and detached her jaw like a python, swallowing the entire head in one gulp.

I will not lie to you, brother… the sight aroused me in a terrible way.

The creature started to walk towards me, but then something else happened. At first I believed it to be a demon from hell coming to aide it's own, but as my eyes adjusted, I beheld a small girl in a red hood. She had appeared out of a burst of light with a queer bluish hue. The girl spoke with the creature for several minutes, but I heard nothing that was said.

What followed is an event that may well be a mix of dream and reality, for I know not how it was possible. The child somehow, without leaving the area or moving in the slightest, produced the glass bottle from which the creature had emerged. She somehow moved her hands about and produced a startling amount of light, which engulfed the bottle and shattered it. This seemed to catch the creature totally off guard, for I recall violent exclamations and no small amount of dancing.

I have learned from your findings, brother, that this should have been impossible. A Djinni is bound eternally to it's artifact – the destruction of one should have caused the destruction of the other, yet the creature remained intact. I believe this child may be more dangerous than she first appeared, but that is not important now.

My memory fades here, but I clearly remember two things: the creature once known as Ruby L. Rose leaning down over me, over my neck, and the sight of both her and the child in red walking through an opening filled with that queer light. My last memory before you arrived is of the pair vanishing into the night.

It is my belief that the creature is no longer part of this world. Where she is now, I cannot say. What I will say, however, is that I know exactly what she did to me in that moment. I know the thirst that has taken me. The hunger. My teeth grew long several days ago, which is why I never dared to show them to Branwen – he would know instantly what I have become. Though I wished for death often, I needed to make my peace with you before then. After I am gone, if that man chooses to hunt me down, tell him to look to the South. I will likely not have gone far.

I leave this letter to you, my brother, so you may know what I've done… and what I've become. I am sorry, but I can never see you again. I can never see anyone again, so long as the sun shines in the sky.

I will miss you terribly, Corsac. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, as the gods refuse to do so.

Your brother forever,
Fennec

(PS. - I could no longer control myself. You will find the gardener buried behind the servant's quarters. I made sure it was painless.)

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Chapter 27:
The Betrayed

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Remnant-0382

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Thorn was actually enjoying her missions from the Kid up until now. They allowed her a level of freedom she never expected from such tightwads. It also allowed her to fill out her collection nicely – her rooms currently held no less than 5 different Yangs from multiple worlds, 6 once the smaller one grew up a bit, a lovely bunch that was just waiting for her to enjoy them. Every… last… inch of them.

And then… she called for her. Damn it to hell.

"So you're saying the Anomaly is here? On this world?" Thorn swept her dull gray eyes across the distant city, a humble grouping of wooden huts and cottages surrounding an impressive stone castle at the center. It would make sense for their target to hide in a place like that – she'd be nearly impossible to find.

The over-endowed woman beside her chuckled, letting her chest bounce with enough momentum that Thorn imagined the ocean tides of this world were affected by the shifting mass. "Of course not, you silly mongrel. If you were paying any attention, you would know that she is not here yet, but will arrive before long."

Thorn's neck flared with pain, but she was used to it by now and simply ignored it.

"As our Goddess dictated, the Anomaly has eluded us for the last time – upon her arrival here, we are to find and kill her. That is where you come in, my pet." The woman known only as Soulberry started slowly walking around Thorn, never more than an arm's length away. "You are ready to take the final step… to break my leash and become a true creature of the night. To become your own master."

Thorn grimaced; she knew what the woman was talking about. Those waves of pain and intense hunger had not diminished with time. She was right on the brink of giving in, but…

"You are to kill… and consume… 42 of the 43 people within that castle. Leave one alive to tell the story, but no others."

"I don't… I can't…"

"You are worried about your collection, yes?"

Thorn blinked in shock, then remembered who she was dealing with. Soulberry could see goddamn everything. "I wanted to enjoy them before ripping them apart, not after…"

"Fret not, my pet – when you give in to your desires, the bloodlust will only last for a short time. 40 humans is all you shall require to sate your thirst. And maybe some Kool-Aid, that always helps."

"And the other 2?"

"Merely for the fun of it. As I said… only one is needed to tell the tale."

Thorn's head swam with thoughts of the impending relief of her hunger, as well as hope for her future – if she no longer had to answer to this bitch, Thorn would be free at last. Free to do as she pleased. Free to collect all the Yangs and have a giant, blonde orgy. Oooh… it would be glorious.

"Fine," she muttered after letting her excitement die down (and wiping the drool). "Anything else?"

"I'd love to sample some of the local ale – I hear it's to die for – and maybe a little souvenir mug or a keychain or something, those are always, like, super cute. And while you're at it…"

Soulberry's grin spread much too far, making her look like she was made of clay dug from the depths of hell.

"Bring me one or two of the guards in town on your way back, would you? At least one of the fat ones, I'm hungry."

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A/N: None of the voices in my head told me it had to make sense. :)

When I first created Soulberry for that one scene at the end chapter 22 of the main story, I really didn't have much of a plan for her (aside from Crazy Bitch). With each of her appearances, I ended up fleshing her out a bit more until I reached the point where the Vampire-Genie idea was the only one that could encompass all the nonsense I'd already stuck her with (the other option would have been retconning her into oblivion, and no one wants that).

Other than all that, for both looks and mannerisms, I think I ended up unintentionally copying Albedo from Overlord just a bit (for her giga-boob form, that is).

Next time: Along came a spider…

=^..^=