A/N: Little late on typing this up but… meh, it's audit week, shit's crazy.

Disclaimer: I don't even own this computer

You're Better Off Dead

"What is this place?" Nero asked her as they panted after the fight. There'd been two hunters in the altar room and several prior to that, some caged behind bars, only to strike out when they opened the doors. He stood up, the wings behind him vanishing and the blood that had been decorating the claws splatted to the ground behind him. Katherine sighed, shaking off as much of the bloodlust as she could before answering him.

"I am uncertain." she said, looking around and then up at the altar ahead of them. "Perhaps they locked away those who became blood drunk in the past, the nightmare warps the truth of what was but the core always remains the same."

"Hmm…" Nero looked around a corner, checking that there were no more enemies before relaxing long enough to reload his gun and check his pockets. "How do you know all of this?" he asked, snapping the gun closed again; Katherine couldn't help but be impressed with its design, it seemed sleeker and more refined than the firearms she carried.

"There are many, many books within the Dream. Time is… strange and I have paused to read when the hunt becomes a bit… much." She explained. She found that reading helped her come down from the bloodlust and the speed with which she devoured the contents led her to believe that she must've read much in her past. Her past… she hadn't found herself thinking back on what it may have contained in a long time. She wandered up to the altar absently, pausing at the stone scene before her, a blood ministration, far more elaborate than the dirty room and crippled minister that had been her own fate. Nero looked it up and down

"Is this… the ministration?" he asked, running a hand absently over the stonework.

"Yes, though this is much more… ritualistic than what I recieved." she noticed the chains bolted into the corners of the altar and followed them up to the ceiling. "I think this goes up." she pointed and Nero followed her gaze.

"I think you're right," he glanced down and around the statue once more "but how do we get it to move?" Katherine didn't answer him right away, instead looking at the altar, eyes catching on the head of the body receiving the ministration. The skull was split open but the crack didn't appear to be caused by damage…

"Eyes on the inside…" she mumbled, remembering Master Willem's words at the lake and reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out the pendant. "I believe it was worth it." she said to Nero, reaching forward with the eye-like pendant and placing it within the hollow skull of the patient. It clicked into the groove within and there was a low, mechanical 'thud'. The entire platform began to rise slowly, the chains giving off loud 'clanks' as it did. Nero gave a soft laugh, shaking his head

"Alright I take back what I said before." he said as the ornate elevator came to a loud halt. Katherine noticed the lantern off to the side and knelt before it, lighting the small purple light within, messengers springing forth from the ground their hands grasping at their knee. Katherine smiled at them before rising and looking up the stairs. Nero stood behind her watching intently, the Hunter raised an eyebrow, curious as to his thoughts.

"Does the lantern only take you when you want it to?" he asked.

"Yes, does it not take you where you wish to go?" she said simply, head tilted to one side.

"More like it took me when I didn't want it to." he said, beginning to follow her up the stairs.

"That is strange, the messengers guide the transfer between realms, I do not think it is in their nature to deceive." she looked back at the lantern, now lit, gently lighting the room around it. Nero shrugged

"Maybe they were told to." they had reached the top of the stairs now and looked into a vast room that the spiralling staircase ascended, leading their eyes up, up, up into the rafters. "This place is huge." Nero said beside the Hunter. They nodded and made notice of a person kneeling next a large pool of liquid. Katherine stepped forward, trying not to make any noise on the chance that the person decided that they were a threat. The person… made no motion that they'd noticed them though and simply kept pawing through the liquid, mumbling to themselves. Katherine remained quiet, trying to listen.

"Has anyone… has anyone seen my eyes…?" the person said, their hands splashing through the water. Katherine paused and simply started to back away. Nero pointed at them curiously but Katherine simply shook her head.

"Have you seen their eyes?" she asked. Nero's puzzled expression was answer enough. They started into the first room that they could see, only to come upon more of these strange people, their heads swollen and misshapen. Nero glanced at one of them

"What're you looking for?" he asked them, the person only shrieked and began clawing at the partial devil. Nero backed up rapidly, pulling out his firearm. "Alright, maybe you're better off dead." he said, taking aim and launching a single, deadly bullet into the oversized head. The person collapsed, clear fluid leaking out of their head onto the floor, crashing into a rack of equipment on the way down. As they crashed through glass all the other people in the room turned in their direction, the ones tied to beds thrashing in their bonds to get free. Katherine swore, pulling out her saw cleaver as Nero did the same with his massive sword.

"Shit, oops." he said, preparing for the fight.

A/N: Oh my god this week was horrendous, it was an audit at work and I got stuck doing a process revalidation until 2 am… I get into work around 7… it was awful. I'm going to ask my boss if I earn any extra vacation for this shit… *grumble* I'm about to drink with some gal friends so there's that…

Till next time,

-Winged Element