House of Memories [Closed]

The boy turned away as Valen disappeared, focusing his glare instead on the creature. It was grabbing at the rock and trying to pull itself out of its spike. The boy gritted his teeth.

"Answer me this, demon," the boy said.

A dark shadow cast over his face. His eyes flashed a deep red.

[color:0ae3=#red]"Did you or did you not murder the head priest of Ariel in Saoirse?"

The creature stopped struggling. Instead, it let out a dry, satirical laugh.

"Oh...you want to know about that" the creature said. It twisted its head to look at the boy. "Your eyes...filled with so much hate. Were you two close?"

The spike flashed blue. The creature screamed.

"ANSWER ME!"


The creature's skin charred and burned, glowing red as if being set on fire. The blue light subsided. The creature resumed laughing.

"Now I remember. You were that child...weren't you? You were the one he was trying to protect that night. Along with...your parents, wasn't it?"

Hearing this, the boy's eyes widened. His whole body began to shake. The creature turned its head further towards the boy who was now trembling in rage.

"Well, are you going to finish me off?"

This time, the boy gritted his teeth and raised his hand higher, preparing to cast yet another spell as he stepped closer.

"You....I'm going to make you PAY--"

SHINK!

The boy froze as a sharp pain went through his stomach. When he looked down, he would see three prongs piercing through him and he could sense them going out of his back. The deep blue of his uniform started to dye red...and then purple. The creature's red eyes looked at him.

"Now, I could finish you off now, but I'm not going to," the creature said with a grin. "I have better blood to find."

The boy tried to open his mouth, but blood only spurt out. The rock that held the creature in place disintegrated, freeing it and letting the gaping wound in its own stomach close.

The prongs from the creature's fingers retracted, causing the boy to stumble onto the floor and clutching his abdomen as he coughed as the creature fled into the fog.

The boy clutched his hand and quickly pressed it to his stomach starting the healing process. He growled.

"Dammit...so close..."

He slammed his wrist down.

"DAMMIT!"

***

As Valen ran, he'd hear the boy's shout and he'd quickly be able to sense that something was chasing after him. The fog seemed to get thicker all of a sudden, and now not even the sky was visible. He'd sense a shadow around him, darting from one direction to another. Before in front of him he'd see the same sharp claws jutting it and aiming straight for him.

Valen was running swiftly through the alleys. He heard the boy's scream in the distance but didn't slow down. He saw the shadows shifting in the corner of his vision. Then he saw the claws coming at him. He didn't have time to dodge, so he did the next best thing. He kicking his own leg mid-step and forced himself to fall rapidly to the side. The edge of the sharp prongs snipped the edge of his hair. As he hit the ground he rolled away and spun his legs to flip himself back to standing position.

"I underestimated how slippery you were," Valen muttered, readying his crossbow. His orignal plan, the guards... are no longer an option. This one was stronger and trickier than the other ones they've encountered before now. Even if a dozen guards went after it, they may not be able to bring it down.

"Since you're so infatuated with me, you could at least answer a few questions. So...." Valen narrowed his eyes, "You're a witch, aren't you? Not some mythical creature or demon from hell. Your magical power... it's something related to blood?"

Valen kept his footing loose, ready to evade. This thing caught up to him in moments so there's no point trying to run away. There's still a lot of things he doesn't know, so he'll occupy this thing until he can figure out a plan.

"Or perhaps you were given your ability by someone else?" Valen's expression was confident but he was wracking his mind frantically in his head. "Humor me for a time. First off, you're one of two types, yes?"

Would a shot through the head work? Doubt this thing will stay still enough for that. And if it sees a shot coming and dodge, it'll just aim for that opening.

"Your magic involves controlling the blood inside your body," Valen continued. "You can force your fingernails to grow and make them hard and sharp doing that. You can making your blood flow efficient to boost your stamina and speed too, right?"

Point blank attack? No. This thing can extend its claws in an instant so that's just suicide.

"There's a second part to the magic. You can spread it to others and infect them from the inside using the same blood control principles," Valen continued. "Going back to types, you're a witch that was infected, right? You possess intelligence and the ability to seek out other witches. The second type are normal folk who get infected. They end up dumb as rocks and only capable of lashing out."

Get behind it and slice off its head? It probably too fast for Valen to accomplish that.

"In order to infect another, you pour your magic into their blood stream through direct contact. You do this through biting or scratching," Valen deduced. "That means there's someone or something that started it all. Are they giving you orders or are you just doing what you fancy? And if so, what is your goal? Infect the five kingdoms? There's no way you can manage that."

Valen is running out of things to say....

Valen would hear a coarse, gravelly laugh come from the fog.

"Very clever. Must have studied your magic, ey, boy?"

Valen would feel a gust of wind as the shadow darted to his right. Then to his left.


A brush to Valen's left. He'd suddenly feel a tear against his vest. It didn't break his skin, but that seemed to be intentional.

"So close...but missing important pieces."

Another gust of wind. This time, Valen would see the black figure go past his right. When he'd look at his sleeve, it was also torn, but still no wound.

"I infect others, but I kill the rest, why do you think that is? Why single you out when I could easily scratch you and make you one of my brood?"

Valen would feel a sudden sharp pain hit his heel. It went through his boot, stabbing at his tendon in the aim of making him fall down.

Valen kept his breathing calm, watching the darting shadows closely. The tears ripped through his clothes but he kept clam. Then he felt a sharp pain, the feeling causing his head to arch back, but he stayed rooted. He craned his eyes, seeing where the injury was. His eye twitched, but he forced himself to keep standing.

"Here I thought you just enjoyed our conversations," Valen said through gritted teeth. He scanned his surroundings warily, keeping a steady grip on the crossbow. "Very well... you have something against me... is that it?"

The claw retreated and the shadows continued moving.

"Well, of course I enjoy playing with my food," the creature said. "Now that you've done your little bit of learning about me, I'll do my part and educate you."

All of a sudden, the fog began to thin out. He'd see the figure, draped in the hood once again, and its long claw, now slightly dripping with blood--most likely the blood that was pricked from Valen's heel. The fog above cleared out completely, causing the moon to shine down on the figure. Its white hair now shone a pale blonde, and its gnarled features had been replaced with soft, smooth features of a young woman. The fangs had shortened and she smiled with bright red lips as she licked the blood off her nail. Her red eyes shone.

"Yes, blood and magic are very important parts of what I am," the creature said. "You're a mage. You understand that at our very essence is our Anima. Its at our core and runs through our blood, letting us tap into the abilities of magic whether they be Lei or Cantus. They make up the words of our lives. They are our story. And like stories, our Anima can be rewritten."

The creature finished licking up the small amount of blood from her nail. She smiled grimly.

"And that's what I do with those I turn," she said. "Still, I tend to run out of 'ink'."

The woman would turn into a blur as she circled around Valen, this time piercing his side without warning.

She'd then appear behind him, sampling more of his blood. She giggled sadistically.

"Lei can do lots of things, but Cantus has the ability to corrupt. To keep my own from corrupting as I stretch out my powers, I have to take from others. Keep my 'ink' from fading and becoming illegible."

Another jab, this time at the back of Valen's knee. He'd barely be able to keep track of her.

"So, my dear warlock, I need your blood to keep mine alive," she said. "Why else do you think the Expiate have kept mum about it all? Would people REALLY care about the deaths of our kind? Not really. Why make people worry? Publishing the deaths of Walpurgis would not only make them look empathetic to witches, but like idiots considering they haven't caught me or my master yet."

The blood trailed down the woman's thin arm, but she greedily licked it back up.

"I have to say though, your knowledge of magic and the taste of your blood...you're not a born Walpurgis, am I correct? No, this Cantus is far too rich to belong to a human. Though, I'm curious where your little friend is if he's not here. Maybe if I..."

She'd dash again, this time coming up from behind Valen. Her claws extended to the length of a knife's blade and pressed against his neck. She was shorter than him, but her sheer strength was enough to bend him and push him down on his knees. She hovered over him, smelling his neck.

"Yes, that richness of Cantus...it smells so close," she said. "But I want ALL of it. Now, summon your little friend and maybe I'll postpone eating you in one fell swoop--"

Something flew past Valen's face and hit that of the vampire. Was that a...shoe?

It wasn't enough to make the woman drop her guard, but what came next did.

The clear ring of a bell sounded. It was bright and cheerful.

While Valen and the creature would see no visible thing, the air before them seemed to shimmer. Valen's eye might catch the tiniest glimmer of marks in the air, though they didn't look exactly like Carta. As the field swept against them, the woman would suddenly shriek, retreating behind Valen and covering her face.

"What!? What is this!?"

"It's foolish for creatures to announce their weakness out in the open."

More of the fog cleared as a blue-violet cloak seemed to sway in the wind. It was clasped with a large white bow, and the figure in it had the hood down showing a girl with messy dark hair wearing glasses. Her deep blue eyes shone and her mouth was in a terse scowl. In her hand, she was holding a silver bell with an ebony handle.

The creature hissed as its body seemed to retreat to its more monstrous form. It looked at Valen, rushing to jut its nail towards him, but as it tried, Liseran rang her bell again. This time, it created a deeper, brassier sound. The creature winced as the air shimmered with more transparent marks. The extended nail crumbled. In terror, the creature shrieked and stepped back even more.

"What are you doing!? How are you doing this!?"

Liseran pouted, letting off a familiar aloof look that Valen already knew.

"Hmph! As if I'd tell you," she said. She'd then rush to Valen, kneeling down next to him. Her expression softened, but only a little. "You're wounded. You need to get out of here."

Valen gritted through the shallow attacks. The pierce through his knee caused him to stumble, and as the creature touched his neck he was forced to take a knee.

"Eh heh heh. You're pretty observant too. And that physical ability is cheating," Valen grimaced. "Ah... Well he's not coming so don't bother waiting."

Then he was saved narrowly.

"Still overly dramatic, hm?" Valen grimaced. "Don't worry. I had worse. Besides..."

Valen looked in the direction of the creature. "That thing can catch up in a blink. No point running."

Valen pushed himself up.

"Sunlight. Is there a way you can produce sunlight?" Valen muttered. "These things, for some reason sunlight hurts them. Also..."

Valen look down at Liseran. "If and when we're forced to kill this thing, can you do it? Because that farmer couple... you won't be able to keep your promise."

Valen did not rest his observations, even as he was smelling death's morning breath. He's pieced together just a little more of the puzzle, and he hates what that implies.

"There was no sign of struggle in her room. There's no sign of something like mental magics, so she left of her own volition. Understand what that means..."

Valen's remark about being overdramatic caused Liseran's pout to deepen. She turned her nose at him.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm still mad at you," she said huffily.

Valen had suggested the use of sunlight, but at the question Liseran reluctantly shook her head. She'd assist Valen up and her brow furrowed at his suggestion about the missing daughter. Liseran clutched her bells tensely.

"We can't know that for sure," Liseran said. "The attacks happened before she went missing. Whatever the case..."

If Valen paid attention to Liseran's weapon, he would notice them shaking in her hands. Liseran gritted her teeth.

"I can't let anyone else die. Not anymore..." she said.

Brief images flashed in Liseran's mind.

A pale girl with bright red hair lying in a pool of blood.


The crying of a girl trapped in a corrupted form.

A mutated servant impaled and turning into ash.

Liseran glared ahead, her eyes flashing bright blue.

"No one else is dying on my watch, even if I have to purge this person of their Cantus to do it!"

The creature was just now recovering from the odd attack Liseran had made. It sneered as it looked back at the two. Liseran stepped forward, placing a hand in front of Valen.

Liseran then took her bells and rang each of them, one hand waving in a figure 8 while the other a circle. The ringing would cause Cartic marks to appear. Bright lines of light darted forward and tried to target the creature's wrists and ankles. The creature instantly turned into a blur.

"Look out!" Liseran said as she scanned the area.

Valen by now would be able to pick up the creature's sound and hear it coming from the right. He would notice it charging straight for the two with its hand ready to dart its nails forward.

Valen didn't have time to think. An incredible danger was lunging at him and he had to act. He moved and pushed Liseran out of the way then threw himself out of the way after, but the claws scraped against his right shoulder and he grimaced the cold sting before darting away and aiming his crossbow, firing a bolt.

"This thing won't stay still long enough for that!" Valen shouted at Liseran.

"Understood!" Liseran said hearing Valen's remark.

Just as the creature passed by, Liseran turned towards it, raising the bell. A black glyph would form under it, slowing its movements for just a second and allowing Valen to hit it right in the chest.

The creature screamed.

Liseran then rang her bells again, creating a semi-circle motion with one in her left hand while the other in a vertical line. The black glyph forced the creature down on its knees as she tried to send white rays of light to bind its wrists and ankles. The creature pulled itself up, forcing itself away from the glyph as it yanked the bolt out of its chest.

"Bratty mage!" the creature hissed.

Its arm would jut out towards Liseran in an attempt to stab her.

Liseran quickly moved out of the way, ringing her bell again. Valen would once again see the fuzzy odd marks appear in a field of air and the creature's nails would disintegrate. The creature yelped, backing away from her.

"What is this!? Some sort of holy magic!?"

Liseran's eyes narrowed.

"Hah, you wish," she said as she rang a second time.

This time, the creature covered its ears and tried to shoo away, giving Valen a second vantage point.

"Aim for its legs again!" Liseran cried out.

Valen had just enough time to load another bolt before Liseran created another opening. He fired a shot at the left knee and loaded another bolt as quick as he could.