Speech = ``…..´´
Thoughts = … ...
ºº
...and so she wandered on through the dark perils of those tunnels...
ºº
All was silent around her...
Too quiet in fact.
The dark stone walls and dank corridors she had walked through had disappeared, leaving them behind a while ago now that her footsteps echoed in their new found environment.
Wooden walls that had been carefully carved and blended in a strange and yet somehow only correct way with the style of stone that covered her surroundings appeared to be.
One that she did not like in the slightest with all the skulls and enigmatic yet grim figures that her tired eyes could see.
She didn't know where she was, she didn't know the reason that had led her here….
Every time those questions came up crushed by the clatter of her teeth as they clashed together. Her subconsciousness repeating to herself that there was a reason worth it for this path...
It had nothing to do with those faint voices she heard from time to time at the back of her ear, the strange words of a woman that could not make heads no matter how close she was or it sounded. At first prompting her to turn around, blade in hand to meet who was the one responsible, only to meet the emptiness of the room to welcome her sights time and time again.
At first she had believed it to be nothing but an optic illusion, or that they had moved so fast that she had not even heard them coming and hide from each and every attempted she tried to unmask the origin of the voice.
After a few times here and there she decided to ignore it…
Perhaps this place was cursed, perhaps it was a spell that had activated and was meant to disturb or scare the intruders who dared
All in all.. it did not matter.
It wasn't impeding her duties not actively trying to harm her apart form being an active though mild annoyance...
Still, she did not know why it was happening here...and not down below, in those dark and sinister tunnels.
With the amount of corpses that had been splattered in every surface conceivable one would have thought that at least, if ghost were real….then that would be the place for a good hunting.
What she did know was that she was no longer underground, that much at least she was sure of.
The atmosphere was too dry to be mistaken for the depths that stretched beneath the capital..., plus she had climbed an absurd number of steps upwards so it made sense that she was at least, reasonable much further away from the underground sewers than the flooded streets she had left behind not so long before.
There was however, one thing that had left her confused.
The steps…
Those bloody steps that she had follow here, they had disappeared at the first step of that stair….
Why..? And how...? There were no other steps that told that it had backtracked anywhere, no marks on the walls or.
Had it teleported?
Had he or she known that she was following and decided that it was better to leave without a trace or something else occurred to take away and force them to leave so abruptly when they appeared to be rather ?
If it had left because of that she could at least feel a small wave of relief wash over her, that would at least mean that it was weaker than her and had decided to flee the scene to save its own skin before their meeting took place.
If it was the latter then she was unsure of what else could it have been, or what could it entailed to her...and her kingdom.
"To the left…., go to the left…."
She stopped
Contrary to what the voice seemed to suggest she turned to the other side, walking towards the sealed door. Her gloved hand now stained with dried blood brushing against its surface. There were chains wrapped around it, but there did not seem to be a lock to open it.
The dust that laid around and beneath the work of oak gave a more detailed explanation that no one had been through there.
Unless they were floating….or were ghosts...
She shook her head, no…, ghost were not real.
Monsters however….
The memory of those lifeless skulls glaring at her with glowing eyes tainted with the blood of her men.
She bit her lip, clenching her jaw as her heat skipped a beat...before she regained her composure though the tension in her shoulders had not yet abated, not completely.
It would take some time before she could do such thing.
And especially not….wherever this place was supposed to be.
"I said left you idiot….!"
Her eyes narrowed to a half lid, wine hued eyes looking at every part of the surface of the door before her gloved hands pressed hard at the door.
It hummed beneath her fingers before a pang of pain seemed to spark from her chest. She gasped in surprise more than anything else as the door started to shake, red lines appearing all over its surface, creating a strange design.
It was ancient, and yet...
It felt familiar...
She felt a wave of energy coat through her body and then far beyond it…, she heard the sound of a thin layer of paper break even though she knew there was no such thing miles around, she felt her scarlet hair felt the electrified wave pass through each and every thread of hair.
The air around her growing thicker and heavier with energy, old and new….
Pure and...something darker.
She looked down at her hand, to see whether there was any visual damage or change to it, but once she determined that it was not the case she then proceeded to place her hand once more in the door, and push it further now that the door seemed to react to her.
She would see what laid behind and-..
And-...
``….´´
A red eyebrow rose with confusion.
``Uh…, is blocked…? But I thought it would open…´´
Normally handless doors who where locked deep down underground secret lairs with apparent magic seals tended to open once they reacted to something.
At least…., that was what it was supposed to happen.
Her brows furrowed. Perhaps this was not one of those stories she used to read back home when she was younger when her father and her aids were not looking…
That was…
Kind of a let down if she was honest with herself.
"See? That is not the place you want to go...so why don't you go to the right door this time? That way you will be able to get closer to him when he arrives..."
She sighed, taking one step back..
``Well, if it doesn't open by reasonable means…´´
"You have to be kidding me..."
``Then unreasonable means must be applied…´´
She muttered to herself than anything else as she hefted her blade up, holding it tightly with her two hands.
"Don't-.."
She did not hear anything else as she swung her blade forward, faster than the eye could see as it closed the distance between its sharp edge and the cool wooden surface before her in sparks of crimson light that for a brief moment illuminated the vast confines of the room.
Had she not been looking at the other itself she would have be able to take notice of the way the light created shadows around every nook and cranny where the blood hued light could reach.
Some bigger than others…
Some still like the grave, while others moved….slowly.
Crack!
As expected the door crumbled in four large pieces that fell to the ground, yet not even a sound preceded to their pieces and splinters falling to the ground with only the sound of her blade cutting through their wooden frame and her eyes to tell her that she had indeed cut through.
Her eyes narrowed, confusion swept away by suspicion as her eyes darted from the broken pieces to what lay behind the door before switching back to the broken shards.
That was not normal..
She ventured forward, cautiously, but always forward…
Eyes darting in search of foes, to peer through the darkness covering each and every wall..
But nothing happened, the air merely grew thicker and colder…, dots of dust flying and floating around her.
Only disturbed by her passing..
In the end she reached a large room, ample and vast...to the point that she would have had a hard time figuring where the end of it was or the fact that a broad staircase laid at the end of it leading to a second elevated floor had it not been for the casual bright glow that laid within those walls.
``What...what in the goddess name is that..?´´
She muttered with shock, eyes widen, unable to yet comprehend what they were looking at in the first place. For at the very far end of the room, trapped within a glowing capsule and wrapped around chains stood the severed hand of a monstrous being.
It was, even from the distance so large that it was easily three or six times larger than her, and that was not even counting its width.
And from it…., something came.
It was not easy at first, but the more her wine red eyes stared at it, the more that feeling of wrongness spread inside her.
Her head started to hurt, like needles being drove deep inside her skull and into her brain. Her breath hitched and cold vapour slipped by her teeth, her lips grew stiff and dry by its touch.
Even her own blood seemed to boil underneath her cool skin in its presence.
That…
That thing was evil…
It was an irrational thought, one that had no basis nor proof to explain it, but one that refused to leave, one that burned brightly inside her more than whatever pain and discomfort it brought her.
If monsters were real…
Could demons too?
``You were not the one that I was waiting for...´´
Her thoughts were interrupted by a rather young, yet firm voice that reached through the ample room with insulting ease.
And yet she could not help but grow stiff and weary by it...
Not because of its sudden arrival, or the strength of the voice itself…, but rather the knife like scratch that its sound made when they reached her ears. Like the words were being dragged down the ground until they developed a sharpness of their own, waiting to be lodge deep inside someone else skull like ethereal javelins.
It was a disgusting experience….
Its owner, a man who she had vastly neglected until then…, for even though he stood right in front of her which spoke painfully of her lack of attention.., he stood just barely out of sight when her eyes had being focused on the arm above its head.
He was young, a bit older than her, but not much…
And yet, even from the distance and poor light that emanated only from the chains wrapped around the monstrous arm she noticed that its eyes had an unnatural depths. As if by looking at them one could fear to fall inside and drown…
They were cold…
Unnaturally cold, not an ounce of emotion drawing out from those eyes that looked at her and directed her every soul with out even moving an inch.
She clenched her jaw, grasping her blade even more tightly.
There was something wrong about him, and not in the good way…
``Such a disappointment, but you will have to do…., Princess Iris...´´
He said, his words more of a bitter scoff as he took its first step down the stairs that led towards her.
Her eyes narrowed to the point they became almost two slim slits, holding her blade tightly, yet pointing it at the man.
``You know who I am…?´´
She asked, even though she knew the answer before it given what he had shared just now. But as far as she knew, she had never met someone like him..., she would be sure to remember such….an iconic individual.
He nodded, or at-least she thought he did as he took his second step, then the third...
``I know more than you believe…, child. I know everything that happens around my domain.., from the smallest droplets of water than falls from the trees to the secrets of whispers shared behind closed walls...and your arrival and participation in these events...were expected´´
And she could not rise an eyebrow at a certain thing he had said.
``Your domain? This is the kingdom of Midgard, not your playground where you can do as you please…´´
``Really? I thought it was the other way around...given how pathetic and useless your family and those who serve have proven to be for centuries...´´
``You...you dare bring shame to the royal house? Do you have no shame..?´´
``You are too far away from your guards and your walls for me too care, and even if you were...would it change anything, little girl?´´
She wanted to lash out, she wanted to spat at the arrogance and smugness dripping from that man. It took a lot from her to keep herself from doing so.
She needed to act smart.
She needed to know more..
And so she decided to spent her response differently, struggling to keep her voice from uttering the anger brewing inside or just be done with this and knock the man on its ass to make an example of him.
``So you know who caused this..? This attack on my city..?´´
``Shouldn't you know, Princess Iris?´´
``You were the one that said that knew everything that goes around your "domain"..´´
This time she had the pleasure to see his eyes narrow in annoyance as he took another two steps down, the arm that was covered in his clothes appearing know to be touching the handle of a sword resting on his hip.
``So you don't…, quite the hole in your speech, wouldn't you say?´´
Finally his calmness broke as he grinded his teeth.
If looks could kill she would have been slain by it a thousand times fold, instead she was force to endure the killing intent coming out from him, oozing like a heavy curtain that was trying to rob her of her breath.
She had never felt something like that before..
``Quit your smirks, brat. I have my suspicions, and I was waiting here for those suspicions to be proven truth with their perpetrator coming here in person... ´´
``So you were waiting for the owner of those footsteps down below...´´
She muttered behind her teeth as she realized who he was talking about, but the man seemed to realize what she had said.
Shaking his head as if he was tired, yet his eyes bristle with barely uncontrolled rage.
``So the bastard ran away in the end? Did sending the rest of my men scared him off...? After all this mess they did...I would have thought they would be at least committed to see it to the end´´
He said, anger and disappointment drawing from every word that the white haired man said. The heavy aura around him growing thicker and heavier as if his voice was empowering it.
But there was something that he had said that drew her attention.
Shock first, then bitterness as the realization settled in.
``You...you are the leader of those hooded men..´´
She said, jaw clenched, teeth grinding against one another.
``Hmm-..what..?´´
``You...you are the one that sent those maniacs into the city to pillage and murder, you are the ONE that freed those monsters to feed on my people!´´
She spatted, anger swelling inside her chest.
``Monsters? I don't think I understan-´´
``Silence you cretin! I will make you pay for all the honest, kind souls you and your cronies have taken away.., that I swear in my name.´´
This man had been the one responsible for all that misery.
This man had been the one that had commanded those lunatics to wreck havoc! Those that had attacked her…., that had attacked her knights, that had attacked HER people!
Men and women that had done nothing to deserve such unhinged violence, that had all their life before them, now stolen because they did not wanted to make distinction between their true foes and those caught in the crossfire.
She would not allow his vile lies and schemes to allow him to worm his way out for his rightful due. Punishment was long overdue.
And she was more than glad to be the one to deliver it..
He however did not seem please by her outburst, his face now grimacing into a deep, monstrous scowl that reflected the truth interior of his soul as he started to pull out a long sword from almost nowhere.
She started shivering, but believed it was due to the cold, damped clothes she wore.
``Big words for a weakling, but that is all they are….big words..´´
``I..Princess Iris, the first in the line of succession for the throne of Midgard order you to drop your weapon and surrender. Your trial will be swift, your execution quick. Refuse to comply and I a will not be able to ensure you will be alive to see the next dawn once I am done with you..´´
Veins started to pop up to the sides of his head mangling what would have been a handsome face as the skin grew redden with rage.
``Arrogant little shit…, your fake titles and exploits in tournaments mean nothing in the real world. This kingdom trembled by hearing my name, the nobles shitted in their sleep hoping I would not pick them next while warriors fled from my path before blood was even drawn...you are nothing compare to me..´´
``And yet here you are, hiding...like the craven coward that you are..´´
``I have killed men for less than that…, and you will not be any different´´
``Spoken like any other crook I have put down this morning...´´
He was about to snarl, to spat with anger at her…, but something stopped him. The look on his face changing from the outburst that had been about to come..and replace with..
Bewilderment?
``Oh, Lilim….you were summoned? ´´
The sound of something large falling right behind her even as soft as it was made her realize that she was not as alone as she had originally thought.
Turning around, yet not giving her back to the human she realized that behind her stood a female Therianthrope. Tall, and of slender built she stood like a sore thumb with her blond hair and purple eyes.
She was clad in light armour, with most of her body exposed or not covered by the plate. Her eyes were dull, lifeless. Her pale hands graving a pair of saw like blades.
...When did she get behind me..?
She thought to herself as she tried to study as much as she could from her
She sensed she was strong.…
She just didn't know how much.
``To see one of the heroes here and about…, that is strange, she should be locked by the sanctum of the arm... ´´
She cocked her head away from the Therianthrope, but with one eye still glaring at her.
``Heroes? What are you talking about..!?´´
``If she is here, then the door must have reacted to you. But only the blood of Diabolos could entice such reaction so why is s-..ah, Ah! This makes things rather interesting...´´
She was growing tired of this tirade that led to nowhere.
``What are you talking about? Speak..!´´
She demanded, but he ignored her...
``You don't know the grave you have dug for yourself. Truly...your ignorance would be amusing to witness if it wasn't so blatantly hurtful to listen to´´
``What are-´´
``Enough said, you little girl will suffer at my hands, your body broken and bested by my might, but you will not find release in death. Not if I have I word about it. I Fenrir, fifth seat of the Cult of Diabolos promise you that.´´
Cult?
Fifth seat?
It did not sounded like the name of a bunch of bandits.., yet again, there was hardly anything normal happening today.
He took the last step, finally reaching the lower level…, a maniacal smile wrapped around his lips. Magic swirling around his sword like a miniature hurricane.
``You will never see the light of the new day..´´
She bit her lip, clenching her grip of her sword as she took a battle stance.
She would win…, no matter what she would win.
After all, her people depended on her.
How could she lose?
``Do your worst, murderer….´´
He did not seem bothered at all, smiled…
Madness flashing through those inhuman eyes.
``Oh, but I will….´´
He rose his blade, the air shrieking as it did.
``I will sorely will...´´
ºº
A/N
This time the chapter was rather short, but not much was about to happen in it so I don't think it was a bad idea to kept it short with Iris following Reapers footsteps only to be met with albeit less lethal, but not any less problematic situation.
For some reason that I can not explain it occurred to me a scene that may or may not take in the future about Alexia comedy sections, when Reaper is told by Gamma about Alexia buying a leash and shackles and thinks she is into that kinky staff before deciding to help the princess, buying her a tail plug, hand it over to her before telling her that way her set is complete and that he would not judge her before leaving behind a catatonic princess behind.
What kind of doggy name would Alexia have? Or do you believe that Delta is best and only doggo..?