[IC] Bloody Ties

[TheWendil]

Darkness had fallen across the land, as night made itself known once more. The wind blew ever so cold as the abandoned building lay silent and dormant. It wouldn't be that way for long though. Ever since the Lord and Lady of the House had been slain, the place had been invaded time and time again by creatures of the night. Thieves and petty criminals searching to fill their pockets on the despair of the rich. Some were justified in their looting. Others did it for the sick thrill.

They saw her. Her. Rumors had festered that the House's single daughter was spared of her gruesome fate. That the Croffin family had one remaining member left to carry its blood. To them, she was no longer royalty or that of someone with considerable wealth. She was a wench. Just some pampered brat who got in the way of their spoils.

They chased her. They would kill her. And worse. Much, much worse. She was of age, was she not?

All these thoughts and more swarmed their filthy minds as they pillaged the House of Croffin once more. Funny. They never even took a second thought or look at what might be lurking down in the lower levels of the manor.

Down in the basement....

[kerrymeawaydear]

Cateline had tried desperately to keep those around her from leaving. But they saw no point in staying. What if their fate was to match her parents? What if they were to be slain too? But she had escaped. She had been down in the kitchen instead of in bed.
Now, she spent her time in hiding. She came up for brief periods of time, to take food and candles with her down to the basement. She didn't want to be caught any where when they came in the night.. Cateline desperately wanted to leave. But servants and looters took the horses, the carriages, anything that wasn't nailed down... But they were coming back for that.. She didn't want to risk being alone in forest, or any where for that matter. So she stayed, hoping, and praying that someone could save her. A family member, a family friend, someone would come looking for her.
Hearing the familar sound of crunching glass under boots, Cateline looked up. Her heart pounded heavily against her chest, and she could fell her breathing getting shallow. She gathered up her night gown, it being the lightest garment she owned, and the few candles she had managed to find before starting to run. They were here. And they couldn't find her. She had to make her way back down to the basement, where she had been making her shelter, hiding what she could that she felt was precious to her, or her family, mostly photos and a few trinkets. "Please, please, please.." She whispered to herself, her bare feet crunching on some of the glass as she ran.

[TheWendil]

The quiet pattering of feet were loud enough to cut through the darkness. They were like a beacon. A call. To her side.

The sound of mortal men became apparent, and four of them appeared. Having never been in this part of he manor before, they each looked around in wonder and surprise. They were dressed in ragged garments, smoking on half chewed cigars and further defiling the Warwick name. Not that it mattered at this point.

"Who knew these rich folk had a whole 'nother level here?"

"I'm glad we didn't come here first. This place reeks!"

"Shut up and keep looking. The girl ran down here, right? She can lead us to more of her family's goodies. If not, then she'll at least keep us busy for the night."

"Hey! Over there!" The men located the fleeing girl and ceased her by the arms. One of them produced a jagged knife and held it to her throat. "Say now, you wanna help make us rich? I guarantee it'll be worth your life, heh."

They figured that she would lead them to more spoils to steal, so they dragged the girl in the direction she was heading. The basement. All of them sneered at the pathetic attempt of a camp she had put up merely to ensure her own survival.

"All you rich folk are like worms," one of them muttered. "Snakes that will step on anyone to make sure you survive on top." They then proceeded to kick down the girl's tiny fort in mere spite.

That's when they noticed the body in the far corner of the darkness. A corpse more like it. It looked too old to be anything recent, ancient even. Ignoring the smell coming off from it, the men smirked at the girl.

"See that man? You'll be looking like him real soon if you keep silent, girl."

[kerrymeawaydear]

Cateline gasped, yelping as she was grabbed. She made no move to fight them. It would be useless. "There's almost nothing left-" She breathed, trying to hold the knife away from her throat as she spoke to him, before being dragged down the hall. She could feel her heart pounding rapidly against her chest, fat tears starting to roll down her cheeks, shaking hands holding onto her captor, and quick, shallow breathing that was attempting to be controlled.
When they pulled her down to the basement, a small wave of despair washed over her. This would be it. The end. Even if she told them where everything else was, they would still take her, do with her as they pleased, and then, if they were merciful, just kill her. Watching them kick over the fort, she pursed her lips together. I just hope it's quick..
"What makes you different? You doing this is no better.." Cateline spoke softly, almost shocking herself with the words.
Frowning at the body, she shook her head. "There's almost nothing left.." She told them, their body odor making her scrunch her nose. "But take it.. Take it and just go.. Please.. Leave me be, let me unharmed and untouched, and you can take everything.. No one will know.." She tried to wipe her cheeks, watching the body in the corner. That would be her, no matter what these men said..

[TheWendil]

The man with the knife gave her an annoyed glare. "Looks like this bitch is just too easy. I guess rich folk don't have a sense of loyalty either. Fine, you'll just die like your parents then." He raised the weapon and placed it further in her throat, prodding the skin and producing fresh droplets of blood...only to put it away and grin suddenly.

"But first we're gonna have a little fun. Don't think you're getting off easy with us just killing you. You look eighteen to me..." Pulling her closer, the man breathed over the girl, his hot and rancid breath pouring over her face. "So boys, who wants to have her first?"

"Ooh, me! I haven't had a good one since the divorce."

"Wait your turn you damn fool! She has to be made tender."

"Heh, I can't wait to...what is that?"

The four men remained silent as their ears registered something else. Another sound besides the girl's quiet breathing. It was the sound of someone sniffing. And it was coming from the corpse. Perplexed, all four men turned their gazes over there, only to be startled by a most amazing and impossible sight.

The corpse was moving.

[kerrymeawaydear]

Crying out, she gasped as he broke her skin. She whispered little prayers, hoping that God would hear her please, and save her. If her parents had done awful things, why was she being punished? When he released it, her whole being gave a sigh of relief. Until his breath washed over her and she held back a gag. Her whole body shuttered at the thought of them forcing themselves upon her. She was unwed, and chaste, as was called for. Cateline was betrothed, though it was broken off, and she was to be betrothed again. But with her parents dead, that was not something Cateline was prioritizing.
The men's silence distracted her for just a moment from their promises. The corpse who had been keeping her company was.. Moving? Cateline felt her stomach churn as she shook in the man's arms. How? Had it been alive this whole time? Part of her didn't ask why there was a corpse in their basement. After her parents murder, she wasn't sure she wanted to know. But she took the small lapse in the man's attention span, and the adrenaline from her panic to shove his arm and slip behind him, trying to make it to the door between the men. She knew she probably wouldn't make it, but she had to hope. If anything, she prayed their curiosity over the corpse would leave her a small amount of time to hide, or leave. She would ask corpse questions later, if she lived.

[TheWendil]

"Hey! Get back here! The men sprinted towards the exit and brought her down. One by one, each of them held a limb in place as all four smirked down at her squirming form. "Ha! This one's a real fighter all right! I like the feisty ones!" The one with the knife began to cut and tear at the young girl's pajamas, almost ripping it off of her completely.

That's when they heard the shuffling get louder. Turning around, their eyes widened as the corpse once more began to move of its own free will.

The corpse was walking towards them. It's body and face looked horrifically burned but it's clothes were very much intact. A tuxedo suit with a crimson tie, dark boots and a pair of white gloves. The attire of a butler. The creature sulked down on its knees and began to crawl on the ground like an animal. Still stunned, the men looked on in wonder as the corpse finally stopped sniffing and found its source: the drops of blood from the knife.

The girl's blood.

Producing a black tongue, the creature lapped at the droplet. Immediately upon doing so, it's body began to change. Flesh and bone replaced once where none was, and hair began to spread out in clumps. No longer was it a corpse but a man now. Pale skin crowned with pitch black hair finalized by a pair of blood red eyes.

[kerrymeawaydear]

Cateline cried out, partly in protest, mostly in defeat. She tried to kick and fight, starting to sob as they starting tearing her clothing, exposing her.
Her attention was was shifted with the men's. The movement of the body, and seeing its face in the faint candle light produced a scream from her lips. Her breathing grew shallow and quick, her body started to shaking in panic. What ever this was, it wasn't human. Or, it was? After taking her blood with its tongue, Cateline watched it morph into.. A man..? Her confusion was over powered by her fear. She continued to try and pull from the men, no longer concerned with the men who held her down. She muttered prayers. This 'man' was something from the horror stories that her mother would tell her. Stories of demons, the devil, things to keep her behaved, and chaste, or so she thought..

[TheWendil]

The butler looked at the trapped girl with indifference as he stood up to his full height now. "You are of Warwick blood, yes?" He said this with no hesitation, as if already knowing that she was of royal blood. Blinking out of their trance, the man dug the knife a bit further into Angela's neck.

"S-Stay back! I don't know who...or what the hell you are, but one step closer and I'll-"

"Silence mutt!"

The butler turned his crimson gaze on him and genuine anger could be seen there. Yelping, the men finally released the girl and backed away. The butler turned to Angela once more and gave the slightest of smirks. His teeth were not human, almost animal teeth. Bending down, peered closer to the girl and sniffed. The trial eventually led him to her still bleeding neck. His eyes flickered.

"Are you the one who has given me this gift?"

[kerrymeawaydear]

Cateline winced as the knife was against her once more. It's speaking! She thought, still as terrified as the men. And to me- That thought made ger shutter
As the men dropped her, she gathered what she could of her ruined night gown to cover herself with. Some of the fabric was directed to her still dripping neck.
"Y-Yes.." She she managed, answering his first question with one word. She tried to scoot back ever so slightly, fear still overwhelmingly present on her face. Wide eyes watched his teeth, before getting caught in blood red eyes. Gift? Her panicky memories brought her back to the knife, and how it-he didn't move until her blood was present. "My blood..?" She whispered, holding the fabric tighter against her neck. Vampire? That wouldn't make sense, but it was close enough for now. Her mother's voice echoed in her head with stories of the Anti-Christ.

[TheWendil]

The butler broke into a wider grin as he practically read her mind. "I am no vampire," he declared. "However that second one...I have been called that since the olden times." Well. That was comforting to know. The Anti-Christ in your own basement. Who knew?

"I am the Shadow of your family. Their most brilliant achievement...and deadliest weapon. Your ancestors called me many things. However, your father christened me...Damien." The man rose up once more. "What is your bidding my Lady? I will serve...eternally."

"Alright, that's enough!" The man with the knife ran forward and plunged the thing deep into Damien's chest....only to squeak in fear as the butler turned his head and grinned.

"Ahahaha, is that all little pig? Command me, my Lady. Order me to tear out their innards and flesh out their bones! To consume and devour these pathetic souls who are nothing than meat! Do it, my Lady! Do it, so I may prove my loyalty to your name through blood!"

A dark and sickening aura began to fill the basement, and the knife in Damien began to slide out on its own, clattering to the floor.

[kerrymeawaydear]

He was called the Anti-Christ since the olden times, and served her ancestors? How old was Damien and how deep was the darkness that seemed to belong to her family? Maybe there was more to her parents murder than just peasants wanting revenge..
A shudder went through Cateline as Damien so enthusiastically announced his want to serve. She gagged as he described what he wanted to do to the men. She wasn't sure if she was more disgusted by his proposed actions, or his willingness to go through with it. But these men had nothing but bad intentions for her. Damien seemed more willing to protect. His aura overwhelmed her, causing her stomach to churn. She watched the men try to control their fearing shakes. "Deal with them as you see fit.." Cateline managed. If her circumstances were different, guards would take them to the basement for trespassing and assault, and now she knew why..
Something didn't settle well in her stomach. She had watched Damien heal himself with her blood. She watched a knife do no damage to him. He was a servant of her family for generations.. There must be some kind of dark family secret, and Damien was a part of it.. She had to know what this all was.. Maybe something left in the manor would help her figure something out..

[TheWendil]

"As you wish, my Lady."

Like a demon from Hell, Damien pounced on the first man. With his gloved hand, he tore through the throat, killing him on the spot. But he didn't stop there. Oh no. What he did next horrified the other three and chilled their blood. Parting open his jaws, Damien lowered his head to the man's neck. Then he bit into him. Consuming him, eating him alive. He was feasting at inhuman speeds, tearing apart flesh and spilling fresh blood. It was so fast. In mere seconds the man was nothing more than a skeleton, blood still dripping down the bones.

Before the men could react, two more arms sprouted from Damien's back and he dragged the next two toward him. With a screech, he began his feast once more, ignoring the screams and pleas of the forms beneath him. His eyes were that of an animal's, inhuman and devoid of all compassion.

The last of the men finally got his bearings and turned to flee. Finished from his meal, Damien leapt from the fresh skeletons and crawled his way over to the the lone survivor in a spider like fashion. Pouncing on him once more, Damien paused to wipe his bloodied mouth with his gloved hand.

The thief looked up at him in fear. "W....what are you!"

Damien ignored his question and leaned down closer. "You threatened my Lady. You threatened to kill and defile her." He bit the man's neck, not quite killing him but registering a gurgled cry. "That is punishable by immediate consumption."

"...p-please...God have mercy!"

Damien smirked viciously. "Silly pig. Your God isn't here. As for your pathetic pleas of mercy..." With one final screech, the butler began devouring the thief wholly. The sound of flesh being torn apart and pained screams filled the basement until the deed was done.

Rising up from the new collection of corpses, Damien walked back to his new master, the extra limps slowly crumpling away from his body and deteriorating on the floor. No doubt she was horrified as to what just occurred. "It is done my Lady." He took a bow of approval before noticing the deep wound on her neck and the fear in her face.

"Do not despair my Lady. No being shall harm you again."

[kerrymeawaydear]

Cateline screamed with the men. She pushed herself back, wanting nothing but to be far away from what was happening. What she saw forced her stomach contents up, and she emptied it into a near by bucket. She gagged at the sight of what Damien was doing to the men, wincing as their blood spattered onto her clothing and still exposed skin.

She looked up at him as he spoke to her, her eyes larger than usual. Cateline shook on the floor in fear and in nausea. Reaching up to touch the blood on her neck, she pulled another fabric piece to it, applying pressure. Her entire body shook, trembling in fear. "What-What are you?" She asked, tears rolling down her cheeks as she forced herself to take deep breaths.

What kind of family was she born into to have the Anti-Christ as a personal servant? If he was serving their family, why would her mother tell her horror stories? Was she hiding him? Trying to keep her away from the family shadows? That would make sense.. When her relatives from the north came, they were always secretive..

[TheWendil]

Damien bent down to her level, reaching in his pocket and fishing out a spare handkerchief. Reaching over, he gently began to clean the girl's wound on her neck. The sudden contrast of character was a bit jarring to say the least. To have him as a loyal butler one moment only to turn into a cannabilistic creature the next would take some getting used to.

"You are the only one left," he observed, finally dabbing away at the blood and cleaning it fully. He would have to wash the cut out later. "The only Warwick left." He casually took the same cloth and began cleaning his own blood stained mouth as well. "I know you have many questions my Lady. Simply know that I am in service to your family for all eternity. I am also not human." Wasn't that obvious?

"I shall inform you of everything, my Lady. Assuming first, you agree to my services."

Another smirk graced his lips. That would take some getting used to as well. "Under the circumstances, I had no choice but to place your safety as the first priority. But now that we are alone, you have ruling power over the situation. The reason why you have never heard of my presence is simple. Some of your anscestors chose not to utilize my services. Some deploy me as a defense mechanism, while others simply place me here."

"So here I ask you, my Lady. What would you have me do? Understand that if you allow me to serve you once more, I will become nothing more than tool. A weapon by your hand." His grin widened slightly, his crimson eyes focusing on the young girl before him.

"I am the gun and you are the hand that fires me. I am the hound who hunts for you, the master. I am the soldier, and you are my general. I am the scythe that cuts all before me, and you are my Reaper! I will ravage this world if you so command and desire it my Lady! All shall be devoured in your name alone! I will become a plague of death to all who threaten my Lady, a walking apocalypse!"

The butler paused. "All I ask is one thing in return if you so choose to accept my services. To be fed. My hunger is one that cannot be sated. That is all."

Damien bowed once more to his new master. "Do you accept, Lady of Warwick? Do you accept my protection and servitude? If so, repeat to me the title of my new master. Repeat what I may address you as, my Lady."

He looked up, red eyes meeting hers.

"Tell me your name."

[kerrymeawaydear]

Wincing as he touched her neck, she just closed her eyes. He made no move to harm her, and she shouldn't have a reason to think that he would, but she couldn't help but be afraid of what she had seen him do. His hand was gentle against her neck, seemingly strange to her because of what she had seen of him.
The only Warwick left.. Part of this frightened her. But with Damien so willing to serve.. Why should she be afraid? He is the gun, and I am the hand that fires.. She thought. He is the hound that hunts for me.. He is the soldier an I am the general.. His actions are all dependent on my word.. Damien's actions are my choice.. My responsibility.. Cateline partially understood why some of her family would leave him in the basement.. It was a dangerous power to have..
"Cateline.." She said, her voice a bit more sturdy and confident. "You may call me Cateline.." Looking down, she tried to pull what was left of her dress together to cover exposed skin. She looked up to meet his eyes. She knew now that the world was not a place to be alone. It was not the place her parents told her it was. It was dark. It was unforgiving. And she had a weapon just as evil..

[TheWendil]

"Cateline....Warwick...."

He repeated the words on his tongue, getting a feel for his new master. "Very well, my Lady. From hence forth I will do as you command. My servitude begins...now." Damien scooped down and picked Cateline up bridal style. Making sure she was comfortable, he led the way back to the surface, exiting the dark basement for good. When they reached the top, they were met by bright sunlight. Morning had come, giving off a warm radiance in the other wise abandoned manor.

Of course, that still couldn't change the fact that it was abandoned in the first place. But at least now there was another presence in the house. One that was always there to begin with. Bringing Cateline to one of the many restrooms, Damien dug through the drawers until finding a bottle of rubbing alcohol and more cloth.

Approaching the young Warwick, Damien said, "This will sting. But not as much as my fangs." Was...that supposed to comfort her? Regardless, the butler dabbed the cloth in the alcohol before applying it to the wound on her neck.

"Has my Lady thought about her next plan of action? With no living family left behind, where will she go in this cruel world?" He continued cleaning the cut gently.

"Furthermore, my Lady has shown no fear of me as of yet." He grinned. "I adore a strong master."

[kerrymeawaydear]

Cateline gasped as she felt the alcohol on her neck. But she kept her chin up, her face scrunching and her lips pursed. His fangs? Was that a joke? It wasn't a very comforting one. With all of her panic, she had hardly noticed the pain in her throat from the knife wound.
She pulled what remained if her dress around her still. "You've given me no reason to think that you should hurt me.. But you do frighten me.." Mostly because of what she had seen, a small part of how old he was, and partially because he served her family for generations. But that was fear of her own family history now. "If you tell me I have to family left.. And I am no longer betrothed.. I have no where to go.."
She could only assume her family's homes would look similar to her own. At this rate, all she could do was explore the family history, find out where Damien came from, and find out why everyone was dead.

[TheWendil]

On the comment about her not being afraid, the butler smirked, showing off his inhuman anatomy of teeth again. Along with the smirking, that too was starting to become a bad habit.

"Yes, I suppose it would prove difficult to fear an eternal servant...which reminds me, my Lady. Do you prefer my current form as I am now?" He paused a moment to let that sink in her head. "When the two of us met, I was under the guise of a walking corpse." His eyes flashed for an instant.

"But I can do so much more, my Lady! Form and shape bear no meaning to me! Watch."

His body began to contort, twisting, turning, and grinding in on itself. Bones relocated and flesh transformed...until a completely different person stood on front of Angela. Damien had transformed now...into a girl her age. The only registration that she was still the butler was the suit, the black hair, and the red eyes.

The female Damien giggled once. "Would you prefer me in this form?" His body began to melt together again, this time in the shape of a large black hound. "Or this one?" The dog licked Cateline's knee once before turning back into the familiar face of the original Damien.

"The choice is yours to see fit my Lady! My kind are especially adept in changing our external appearances." He chuckled darkly at that.

"But I can see you're being overwhelmed by all this. You desire answers, no?" He bowed in her presence. "Very well, my Lady. Ask to your heart's content, and I will dutifully inform you of everything."

[kerrymeawaydear]

Cateline shifted back slightly at the sight of his teeth. Something about his smile was terribly familiar. It was like something she frequently saw in her dreams. Maybe that was why she wasn't afraid..
She recalled his corpse, and his body changing into his current form. Gagging slightly at the noise his body made as he changed, she shook her head slightly. "If we are to travel, I feel we would be much better off with your male form.. A seemingly alone female is asking for danger.." She watched him change back.
"First, I would like to see if there is any clothing left in the manor more suitable than this.." Cateline motioned to her ripped dress. "I doubt it, but I would like to look.. And then maybe, if we can find anything, we should eat.." If she went more than a few hours with out eating, Cateline would start to feel light-headed and nauseous, occasionally irritable, and her hands would start to shake. . Her mother had been the same way, their doctor just telling them to make sure that they eat to avoid fainting.