The very long night of Sarah Dahlios...

[Lavinian Pride]

(Solo)

Sarah was only searching for information. That was the idea, the plan, yet it was never that straightforward. In a city like Otaria, the plans were often modified to include not being sold as a slave, and with her body, she knew the demand would be high. However, tonight she didn't know just how high. As the last of the thugs went away running like a dog with its tail between its legs she sheathed her daggers and sighed brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

The sounds of thunder rolling could be heard as the clouds began to come over Otaria, it was the rainy season, and Sarah decided it was time to get the hell out of the alleyway before the next attempt on her freedom came. She pulled on her bracers making sure they were in position the dragon bone being barely scratched by the last bunch. As she sighed she made sure she was all in order. Since coming to the town she had rarely been seen outside of the shorts and tank top she normally reserved for jobs and fights.

As she turned to go she stopped seeing a lone figure down the alleyway. It walked slowly, sensually, but caused the hairs on the back of Sarah's neck to stand on end. As she observed the figure she turned to go only to stop when the figure spoke, "Don't run little girl, I won't hurt you."

Sarah stopped feeling a bit of her pride rise up as she said, "I don't run, I just don't feel like dealing with another crazy person tonight. I'm tired and just want to sleep..."

The figure appeared before her, as she barely had time to react taking a step back as it tried to reach out to her. The hand came up short as it clenched before the owner snapped its fingers in disappointment the sultry feminine voice echoing through the alleyway, "I only want to make you happy little Dahlios. I know you’re looking for someone, let me help you."

Sarah froze at the mention of her last name. She didn't know many people that would be acting like this, let alone without openly identifying themselves. As she tried to turn to go she found herself face to face with the figure, finally getting a good look into it's face.

The face was so similar to Sivienna's she might have called out if for one thing, in the waxing moonlight the figure was nothing like Sivienna, the proportions were all wrong, the tone so dissimilar. No, this wasn't Sivienna, but her notorious sister, known for attacking Sivienna relentlessly. Why she was looking for Sarah was beyond her.

“Leave me out of your petty little shadow games. I’m not someone to trifle with,” Sarah said as she tensed preparing herself for another fight.

“Oh, heard about me have you? Well that’s too bad, I only wanted to reunite you with my sister. I know how much you cared about her. Practically fawned over my sister, even if she cared more for your brother,” The woman said as she looked at her nails. It was a nonchalant attitude, but it infuriated Sarah to no end.

“Leave him out of this,” Sarah spat. She longed to kill the woman, but refrained if only because she wasn’t sure if she could figure out how to kill her. Vampires were a tricky breed, and she never really knew how to kill Sivienna, it was never something Sivi seemed keen on sharing.

“Touched a soft spot eh? That’s too bad, I thought we could be such good friends,” She said as she moved up to Sarah. They were standing face to face yet Sarah knew she was being teased and taunted. As the woman moved close Sarah merely turned to go leaving her there.

[Lavinian Pride]

The figure smiled before it said softly, "If you come with me, I won't kill you, resist, and well, more fun for me than you."

Sarah shook her head as she spoke walking away, "Fat chance, I'm not some lap dog at your beck and call."

A sigh left the lips of the night prowler as she said, "You are stubborn, I heard as much, let’s just see how stubborn you are..."

Sarah barely had time to draw daggers before she was sidestepping the vampiress. As she slid past the thief she waited dropping into stance. She knew better than to try to attack the undead, they were faster and stronger, it would take finesse to take the beast down. Damage had to be immediately beneficial instead of going for the long run. Damage could be healed, that was the problem, vampires healed it far faster.


Reaching underneath her cloak a set of twin claws slid onto the vampire's hands as she smirked. The claws were similar to a set Sarah had seen before, but she couldn’t place where. As she waited the vampire struck trying to cleave through the girl. It was then that she blocked before she said, “Can I get a name of my next victim…”

Laughter rang out in the alleyway as she replied sweetly, “Rianna Mizami, your future mistress.”

Sarah growled as she lashed out with a kick, trying desperately to get some space between them as she growled, “I’m no one’s slave.”

“You don’t have a choice love, if you come with me, at least you’ll be alive.”

A thorn was tossed as an answer to the vixen’s taunting. As they squared off the vampiress smirked before she dove in again. Sarah growled as she continued to fight, trying to keep her away. The result was her slowly moving until she was backed against a wall. As the vampires kicked out Sarah grunted and she went with the blow, rolling out from her trapped space.

Grunting softly in the pain she glared at Rianna before she slowly got back up. Rianna laughed at the display before she spoke, “So ready to fight, so eager to prove yourself. You don’t even know what untapped potential you have within you. All you know, is you are a Dahlios, and you want to beat your brother, who is always a step ahead…”

Sarah growled lowly as she moved forward trying to strike. Seeing the kick she took it feeling something snap within her. However she stabbed both daggers into the woman trying for the chest, only to be foiled when they sank into shoulders, feeling the claws brush her daggers aside. As she forced Rianna back with a savage kick that sent her back thunder boomed again through the area.

Ignoring the daggers in her shoulders Rianna spoke, “Little girl, you don’t understand, but one day you will. These wounds, mean nothing to me, they are but mere annoyances.” With those words she moved forward towards Sarah.

Sarah had a few ideas of what she could do to defeat the vixen, and acted upon them as she moved sliding behind the vampiric nemesis. Her hands however moved swiftly running along the vampires skin as she seductively plucked her daggers from Rianna’s shoulders and slid back, knowing she had caught the vixen off guard with the blatant caress.

“Sounds to me someone’s a bit worked up,” Sarah replied as she twirled her daggers idly her tone infuriatingly sweet. As the claws came she sidestepped bored and slapped the girl on her butt playfully as she said, “Never going to get me like that.”

The change of tactics seemed to anger Rianna as she spat, “This isn’t some joke you whore!”

“Aww, but darling, if you aren’t going to take me seriously why should-“ She stopped as she felt the claw in her gut. Looking down she saw it, there so swiftly that she never saw it coming. As she shuddered feeling the blades she felt a powerful shove plant her firmly against the wall as she cried out, the act catching her off guard. She felt Rianna forcefully shove her back against the wall as she hissed in Sarah’s ear, “Playtime’s over, I gave you a chance, now you will be mine.”

Sarah groaned as she felt her urge to fight drain away as her blood did. She didn’t want to die, but she knew she would have to if she was going to take whatever pleasure the vampire would get out of her...

…and then the fangs sank into the tender flesh of her neck.

[Lavinian Pride]

She shuddered as Rianna began to drink from her, stealing blood from the wounds inflicted upon her. She knew that she was as good as dead now, just some vampires snack. Groaning she felt the girls drop from her hands as she closed her eyes. However, the vampire wasn’t done yet, no, there was work to be done.

Pulling back she looked at the mess Sarah was before she said, “You are so frail and weak, we’ll fix that now.” Taking her thumb she carefully caught the bits of blood she had missed and carefully savored the taste of the Lavinian’s essence, “You know, if I didn’t have to rescue you, I’d drain you here and now, you taste divine.”

Sarah tried to move, only to feel a hand stop her as she groaned. Rianna smirked as she bit down into her tongue, drawing some of her own blood. Smirking slightly she leaned forward before she whispered, “Drink up, it’s good for the body…” She then planted a kiss on Sarah’s lips, who desperately tried to push the girl off her. She groaned as she flailed against the vampire, and tried to call out as she shoved her tongue into the girl’s mouth, forcing the blood upon her lips.

She tried to force her off, to force the blood out, she flailed and kicked and screamed as Rianna forcibly took her. However, as hard as she tried to resist, she was far too weak, and the bloody kiss had its intended effect soon as she felt the blood of the vampire slid down her throat. Once she felt it reach her stomach she shuddered involuntarily before Rianna pulled back smiling.

“Good girl, now sit down and finish,” She ordered as she shoved the girl to a seated position. Her hair flung everywhere as she felt disconnected from her body. As the kiss was completed, and the ritual of turning was done, she shuddered again. In protest against the heinous act the sky began to cry, the tears of the angels falling about the area.

Sarah didn’t register a single thing; she was fighting for her life as darkness began to envelope her. She was unaware of the rain that washed the blood away, of the sinister smile of her soon to be sire, of the feeling of life slowly draining from her. Of all this she was unaware. Sitting there in the rain she was fighting a losing battle against the forces of undeath, a battle that countless other had tried, and was losing far faster than the others.

Rianna smirked as she said, “I’ll be back for you in a bit, try not to wander off my pet…”

Sarah couldn’t have moved if she wanted. Her eyes were closed as the rain washed through her hair, over her paling skin. She shuddered again as she closed her eyes and the pain began. She fought against it clawed, gnashed and railed, as it hugged her tightly. She was Sarah Dahlios, she was a Lavinian, she was…

She couldn’t remember anymore, every memory; both happy and sad was slowly disappearing. It was as fluid as the water that washed down her face, trickled down her chin to the ground below. The more she tried to grasp at it, the more she felt disconnected. It was as if she was being stripped of everything, her pride, her achievements, it was all being stripped bare, washed away.

As she sat in the alleyway she tried to fight, too tired to do even that as she moaned in pain, it wracked her body, and caused her to fall over, curling up into a little ball.

Night had fallen, and now Sarah was left in the darkness.

[Lavinian Pride]

She had retreated, the fight to keep any sense of self slowly being lost as she had to give ground to the encroaching darkness. All she knew was her name, and her most recent memories. It was as if she was slowly being erased, under the assault of undeath that slowly gripped her body. As she fought she ranted she railed she screamed, did everything she could. She could see it, a darkness slowly pulling her down inside itself, to forever envelope her, and deny her even herself.

Meanwhile in the real world Sarah shuddered deeply as the body began to die, a moan of agony ripping through her. She shivered again leaning against the wall, the rain washing away the sweat that poured from her forehead. Her skin continued to pale, her lips began to deepen in color, becoming a crimson red. Her wounds, were slowly closing up as the vampiric regeneration kicked in, healing such wounds painfully. She was turning, and there would be nothing to stop it.

She then thought she felt a hand on her forehead, checking on her. Her eyes snapping open as she looked up. Before her was a woman, that much she registered, purple hair in long locks that cascaded down her face, retaining their simple beauty despite the pouring rain that threatened to wash her away in a tide. As she looked blankly up at the woman she felt a finger pressed gently to her lips.

“Shh, don’t worry, I’m here to help,” She said softly, the voice sounded so familiar. She could have sworn this woman was the one she had been seeking, and yet there was no way she was here. As she tried to speak she groaned in pain as her head tilted forward her hair once again covering her pained face.

“Poor thing, she is enthralling you to her. I can’t let her finish this, it’ll erase you completely,” She said as she gently brushed Sarah’s cheek. Sarah leaned into the casual caress as she felt immediately the pain lessen. Her mind was flowing slowly backwards as she groaned unable to move her arms. Finally she started feeling her old memories returning, she was Sarah Dahlios, the half soul of Seth Dahlios. She was a Lavinian, a resident of the city, and descendant of the Revenians.

She opened her eyes with a gasp and looked up, only to see the figure before her gone. Wiping the rainwater from her face she looked around as she slowly tried to piece together what happened. It couldn’t have been here, and yet, here she was whole, had she imagined it? Had it been a hallucination? She didn’t know, but as she carefully put the girls back in their respective holsters she tried to get up, finding her joints a bit stiff.

Not sure if the whole thing was a dream she reached up to her neck and checked her own pulse, before she was assured this was no nightmare, the events were real as her heart no longer beat. She was forever dead, and while it was late night in Otaria, she would have to find shelter soon, before late night, turned into early day.

Moving to leave the alleyway she heard footsteps before she heard Rianna’s voice, “Oh no my pet, stay where you are…” Sarah held her ground, though not for the reason intended. As Rianna moved forward she said, “I’m your mistress, and you will call me such. You belong to me now my thrall. Now, come with me.”

Sarah turned the anger burning in her eyes as she said firmly, “No.”

Rianna immediately hit Sarah sending her into the wall with its force. Feeling a bit of blood trickle from her mouth she wiped it on the back of her hand before she growled and moved forward daggers immediately drawn. As she moved to slash, she felt her actions halted mere inches from harming the exposed flesh of Rianna. Rianna raised an eyebrow at Sarah before Sarah pulled back and tried again only with the same result. Finally she was clued in, “You’re a thrall you dumb bitch. Thralls are indebted to Vampires; you can’t harm me anymore than you could harm yourself.”

Sarah tried over and over always being halted by invisible forces each time before Rianna sighed. Moving swiftly she put her palm flat against Sarah’s head before she muttered a spell and Sarah was flung far and away back, the flames of darkness hitting her head as she shoved the girl back. Sarah groaned feeling the strength of the magic tear through her before she tried to get up, and felt her unholy vigor sapped from her. She groaned on the ground before she closed her eyes and laid back, passed out on the ground.

The last words she heard before she passed out were, “Pity, you are still in there, I’ll just have to break you my pet. You will service the Mizamis."

[Lavinian Pride]

Sarah awoke with a groan. She had been out for gods knew how long, though she knew one thing, she was hungry. The hunger in her was nothing pure and simplistic. It was a tangible hunger, one that craved something far more insidious than mere food or drink. As she opened her eyes she heard something. It was soft, and it reverberated in her head.

Thump thump.

Like a drum it reverberated through her being. As she looked around for the source she only saw one thing, a person more really. To be accurate it was a small brown haired girl. She wore a simple dress, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She sat expectantly in a chair looking at Sarah. As she focused on the girl she could hear the beating of the drum go faster, almost as if it anticipated something.

Thump thump thump…

“Where am I?” Sarah asked softly. The hunger seemed to try and overwhelm her as she asked the question. Something inside her trying to derail any rational thought from the hunger within her. The girl however looked at Sarah confused. Her chocolate brown eyes looking into Sarah’s stone grey ones almost intrigued by the view. Her brow furrowed in her childlike innocence before she got up from her seat and moved over to the bed.

“You’re hungry aren’t you?” The girl said simply as she crawled forward. She couldn’t have been any more than six or seven from the way she acted.

“Yes, but that’s beside the point. Where am I? Who are you?” Sarah asked as she reached down to her waist. She had none of her gear. Instead she was found to be stripped of all weaponry or armor. Her dragon bone bracers the most alarming disappearance. As she waited for an answer Sarah cursed mildly.

“You are in the House of Lord Mizami. I have no name, for I am not expected to live beyond this day. My only function is to serve you mistress,” The girl said as she moved towards Sarah.

Sarah carefully put a hand on the girl’s shoulder halting her forward momentum, “You’re crazy if you think I’m just going to kill you. Why would I do that?”

“You are hungry aren’t you mistress? I have been bred to provide you with a delightful meal. My blood will make you strong, and keep you from faltering in your duties to Lord Mizami,” The girl replied as she carefully moved into Sarah’s lap.

Sarah felt the hunger try to grip her, to push her beyond rationality as soon as she saw the girls neck. The porcelain skin that hid beneath it the essence she needed. The drum seemed to beat faster as if the anticipation would kill the drummer. Sarah shook her head and got up letting the girl slip from her lap. Upon doing so however, she realized her predicament.

It was hard to stand, she felt so drained and tired upon doing so. She had to lean against the wall in an effort to even think about remaining upright. Collapsing back on the bed the girl spoke once more, “I told you so. You need to kill me, to drain me of all my blood. It’s alright; I know I’m just a piece of trash, and that you are far superior.”

[Lavinian Pride]

The tonality of that one sentence made Sarah resolve not to do it. As she fought against the weakness and hunger she growled, “Who taught you that? Lord Mizami? I’ll rip his heart out and feast on it.”

“You can’t, you’re a thrall mistress,” The girl said plainly. The tone as if implying it was something even she knew. Sarah was irritated to say the least and felt herself being baited into the question.

However, ensnared or not she still sprung the trap, “And why pray tell is that?”

“You have the laws of undeath upon you. You are forever in service to vampires,” The girl replied before she said, “Now please, eat, you’re weak and it’s starting to show, you’re far too pale. I don’t think you’ve eaten anything since you were sired. A vampire can die from not eating.”

“I’m a thrall though, as you so kindly put out there. I don’t think I’ll eat just yet,” Sarah replied. She was trying to be polite, but the answer was still the same, Hell no.

The girl shook her head as she said, “Come now, don’t be afraid, I’m meant to die mistress. It’s my only job in life. To deny me my job, is to deny yourself. You are dead-“

“I refuse to accept that!” Sarah spat. The anger fueled her as she held onto it, letting it focus her. The thoughts of feeding on the girl fading as the girl jumped a bit at the forward address.

The blood slave however seemed devious as she moved once again close to Sarah. She gently reached a hand up to Sarah’s neck before she said, “Please mistress, you need to feed, haven’t you seen how your heart no longer beats?”

“I know it no longer beats, I’ll take care of that in time. I’ll get back my humanity. In the meantime I refuse to snack on something I could have mothered.”

The girl widened her eyes as she said, “I am not good enough to eat? Is that it? Is it because I’m too young? I have been trained to be every bit as good as an older woman…”

Sarah frowned as she raised a hand to her temple feeling a headache coming as she said, “What? What do you mean as good as a woman?”

“They chose me for your peculiar tastes, but if I’m not old enough, I ask that you don’t turn me away. I am experienced in many ways-“

“What was that?” Anger slipped into her voice at the words. She was getting the picture now and the person who painted it was a sick sadistic motherfucker. As she clenched her hand into a fist the girl began to explain.

“Some vampires prefer to fully use their thralls before they finish feeding on them. I had heard you were rather peculiar in your tastes preferring wom-“

“No,” Sarah snapped cutting the girl off.

“Then why not? If it’s not age or experience why do you not like me?”

“I don’t kill children damnit!” Sarah snapped. She was breathing hard as she felt the hunger begin to seep into her muscles. The burning sensation to reach out and kill the girl, to feast upon her, was invading her thoughts. She shuddered as she pushed it back, “I refuse to kill something as innocent as a child!”

“I am not innocent; I’ve been a blood puppet to Lord Miazmi himself!” The girl replied as she seemed to beam in pride.

Once again a righteous anger filtered into Sarah’s features as she said, “You got a name kid?”

“I already told you I do not merit such things, I am merely something awaiting to be eaten.”

“You have one now, its Kid until I come up with better,” Sarah replied.

“I was not given permission to have a name!” The girl wailed.

Sarah clamped a hand over the girl’s mouth before she said, “I don’t care, you have one. I also promise to get you out of here, okay Kid?”

“What if I don’t want to go?” She replied scared. The concept of being away from her Lord was frightening.

“You were set to die today anyways, its not like they care if you go or stay,” Sarah retorted.

“But there’s a difference!” The girl whined.

“Not in my book kiddo.”

[Lavinian Pride]

Rianna looked through the window. Sarah was currently arguing with the blood puppet, in a display she could only attribute to stubborn denial. As a soft sigh left her lips she said softly, “Just give up, you can’t play moral when you’re dead.”

“Perhaps that’s why she fights all the harder,” A voice said. It carried authority and confidence as its trademarks. It held the listener’s attention just long enough to make Rianna shiver hearing it. Closing her eyes she waited for him to continue on, her father never spoke without a reason, “She is trying to hold onto the rotting vestiges of Humanity. She thinks that she can remain the same, even though she is now rejected by the world simply because of what she has become. Vampires are perhaps the most hated race on Althanas, with only the Spider Magi of Concordia getting that honor above us.”

“I know this father. That is why the Vampires took Kenth, and created the court. As a place we can thrive,” Rianna said firmly.

“Ahh, but you don’t understand what’s going on in that room. I do, she will not succumb, and will kill herself if we let her continue her actions. It’s obvious she clings to her morality far too tightly. We need to take drastic measures, have the puppet cut itself,” The elder Mizami said.

“Why?”

“She is resisting only because she does not understand the power blood has upon her. The moment she smells blood, she will be unable to resist, and she will feed. Let her kill the child, and see if we have broken her. I think she is far more fragile than she cares to admit,” Lord Mizami said.

Riana finally turned to face her father. As always he was decorated befitting a lord of a vampire bloodline. A pinstripe suit and tie immaculately clean, a cloak meant more as a symbol of office adorned his shoulders, and finally the cane. That dreadful cane, his hand rested upon the top of it, which was carved from the bones of a dragon. It had been both her savior, and her tormentor. He had used it to protect her from hunters and enemies alike, and used it to beat her senseless when displeased. She only could hope that cane would not be turned upon her today.

“Yes father, any other instruction?” Rianna said softly.

“I sense a familiar presence about the girl, be careful when giving the order. I don’t think our friend here is alone,” Lord Mizami said as he turned to go gracefully, his cloak sweeping over the floor as he left the room without further explanation.

Rianna turned to look back into the room as she sighed. Sarah was looking far more pale and fragile than she had ever seen this girl. It was obvious she was more willing to die than feed. So, following her fathers orders she whispered softly, using the Mizami link with their servants, and gave the order, “Cut yourself, and let the rest fall into place.”

~*~

Sarah was resting on the bed when she heard the girl whimper slightly. Frowning she opened her eyes before the scent assaulted her. It was so rich and full bodied the scent. She could feel the hunger clawing to the surface as she looked upon the girl. She had taken a hair pin and forced it into her skin, causing herself to bleed. Sarah felt the overwhelming need rise up in her as she groaned softly; the lust was rising tenfold with the scent of her blood upon the air.

“Please Mistress, feed up, its good for you,” The girl said holding out her arm to Sarah.

Sarah shuddered as she heard the plea, something deep within her wanted to take her up on that offer. Something carnal and malignant, it clawed to the surface nearly overwhelming Sarah as she tried to force it down by sheer force of will. It was however like trying to make a waterfall reverse its course, as impossible as it was improbable. She moved forward and gripped the girl’s arm tightly, Kid smiled as she nodded encouragingly.

“You’re better than that Sarah,” A voice chimed in as Sarah began to lower her head to the Kid’s injured arm. Stopping she looked around the room, more fearful that she was being watched than anything. Even a predator knew better than to feed when watched, and so the distraction was all Sarah needed to take control, breaking her grip on the girl’s arm, much to Kid’s dismay.

“Please mistress! You have to feed, you’re dying!” Kid pleaded.

Sarah convulsed as she whispered softly, an arrogant grin on her face, “I’m already dead, this is just where I leave my body.”

Then she passed out.

[Lavinian Pride]

When she awoke she felt something under her chin. Groaning she could taste something on her lips, licking them absently she shuddered tasting what she knew was blood. Someone had force fed her the crimson fluid and she had drank eagerly from the looks of things. As she opened her eyes her gaze downcast she felt the thing under her chin remove itself, before returning abruptly in a fierce hit to her jaw. Her head tilted back as she caught a sight of a man, wielding a cane before her. Pain exploded into her lithe frame as he spoke, “Disobedience must be punished.”

Groaning she clutched her jaw, sure that the bones had shattered, but she knew it would heal, if only because of her cursed immortality. As she remained silent the cane hit her again, this time across the chest. She gasped for air as she clutched her ribs, hunching on the ground. As she refused to cry out she looked to see shoes before her, shined up and in pristine condition, surely a sign of his status. The man then pushed her so she was on her side with his foot. She kept it all inside as he moved about and crouched next to her drilling holes into her own stone grey orbs.

“You had the simple task of feeding on that girl. You are a vampire, and you will act accordingly. There is no choice in the matter, and concepts such as morality are lost upon you now. You cannot play human in our world, or I will kill you myself. Humanity is a weakness and I will beat it out of you,” He said firmly as she saw a few of Sivienna’s features in his crisp cut face. This had to be Sivi’s father, and she knew that she was in for a rough ride.

He seemed to be waiting for something, any sign from her. And she would oblige him; working up a good bit of the blood and spit she spat weakly the wad of saliva and blood hitting him squarely on the shoe. He looked down at it before he reached over and grabbed her by the hair forcing her within an inch of his shoe, “Lick it up.”

Pain was beginning to creep up, and she didn’t care, she was dead it would heal. Without death looming, pain was a poor teacher. And so when she replied her voice hoarse she knew she was in for the beating of a lifetime, “Fuck off.”

He rubbed her face in his shoe, spreading her own spit and blood over her face before he threw her away as easily as a rag doll. She hit the wall hard before he was there, and he looked furious, catching her by the throat the thud of her body hitting resounded through the room as he looked angrily into her eyes, “I am your master, Rianna may be your sire, but you belong to me you little whore. When I tell you to do something, you will do it.”

Sarah merely looked at the Lord of Mizami manor before she croaked, “Kiss my ass.” She was let go before the cane came again this time hitting her once again across the chest. He raised it again before he began to bring it down, surprised when Sarah caught his hand at the wrist and stopped all momentum he had. Blood flowed freely from her mouth as she raised her head slightly, a defiant look in her eyes, “It’s getting old fucker, get inventive.”

The vampire lord glared back into her eyes as he said firmly, “You’re a thrall, how dare you touch me. You’re nothing but a pathetic piece of filth!” He moved to slap her across her face only to be stopped by her other hand, which once again moved to stop momentum before it could build up. He growled lowly at Sarah before he said, “You are beginning to irritate me you stupid-“

“Let me go then you bastard, because as long as you keep me here I guarantee you I will fight tooth and nail against you. And one of these days when I can finally land blows on you, I will kill you,” She said firmly. She had figured it out a bit, while she couldn’t attack she could defend, and so long as that was all she did, she could fight. It was a rather odd way of finding a loophole, but one she would have to remember and keep at the forefront.

Mizami pulled away from Sarah as he said firmly, “You are a thrall, you can’t do that without the blood of vampires. Unless they willingly give you it, you can’t even feed off one. Now that we have any hope you have dashed, let me further disillusion you.” He then swung the cane about hitting Sarah across her face and sending her down to the ground. As she hit she groaned the first sign of the pain she was in, it hurt the breath it hurt to lay there, it hurt to do anything, yet she still pushed up trying to get to her feet.

A savage kick hit her in the chest as she finally gasped in pain and leaned against the wall. Her hair drifted over her face providing a curtain from the enemy before her. For the first time she truly was screwed, unable to do anything as the vampire lord was far more powerful, and importantly untouchable. As she rest there she heard him step slowly across the floor before she heard the creak of the patent leather and saw him crouching before her again.

The hand reached out and touched her cheek softly, almost soothingly as she fought the urge to lean into the gentle caress. She refused to let this sick monster rouse anything but anger out of her. He then said firmly, “You belong to me, your body is mine, your mind is mine, and your daggers are mine now. Everything that made you who you are, is mine, and I will be damned if I am denied anything. You will give yourself wholly to me, or I will take it by force.”

The hand began to move before she gripped it tightly stopping it from sliding past her shoulder before she said firmly, “I’m not some vapid whore for your attention. Unlike you I don’t get a kick out of beating my partners…”

He backhanded her viciously causing her head to snap to the side before he said, “Respect me Dahlios, I hold your life in my hands.”

“I could care less. You want me, rape me but I won’t ever let you touch me willingly,” She spat back.

“You will kill the girl by feeding on her, each day you fail to do so, will result in you back in here. If you think me a merciful lord, you are sadly mistaken,” He said firmly as he grasped her throat. She closed her eyes as he moved closer to her and whispered softly in her ear, “You are mine Dahlios, you will succumb to the hunger in you, it happens to everyone. Now, I’ll go fetch the puppet and I will let her tend to you, and she will continue to do so until you finally let nature take its course. She is cattle Dahlios, nothing but food for the slaughter. Feed and grow strong, stagnate, and I will beat these foolish tendencies out of you.”

[Lavinian Pride]

She lay there, for gods knew how long. Pain was her lover now, its embrace warm and encompassing her entire body as she vaguely heard the sounds of footsteps. Her eyes half open and unseeing as she stared blankly forward. Soon she felt hands upon her, hands that carefully laid her out on the floor, before searching her body for wounds. She hissed as they lightly trailed over her ribs, exposing more of her nerves to the pain. She tried to play strong, and now she was beaten to a mortal’s death.

“You should have fed Mistress,” Kid’s voice resounded echoing deep within the Lavinian Vampire.

“Kid?” Sarah replied before she coughed and hunched clutching her ribs. Once again the small hands pushed her back to a resting position.

“Yes mistress it’s me, now just rest and don’t talk, he shattered your ribs, and it will be awhile for you to heal if you don’t feed,” Kid replied as she gently brushed the strands of hair from Sarah’s face. Sarah moved to follow the caress, as Kid frowned watching Sarah’s reaction to the affectionate gesture. She then asked softly, “Mistress, are you alright?”

Sarah smirked as she tried to remain still and muttered, “Yes.” Hissing slightly she tried to relax as Kid began to patch her up, wondering just what she would have to do to repay the girl for her kindness. As she closed her eyes she felt warm flesh pressing to her lips.

Opening them again she saw Kid pressing her forearm to Sarah’s lips, which she quickly pushed her arm away and shook her head, “No, get a flask of blood from elsewhere or something, I refuse to drink from you Kid.”

Kid frowned before she said, “You are funny, most thralls I see are mindless, yet you are stubborn and show the intellect of a vampire.”

“I always was a bit beyond the expected,” Sarah retorted.

“I normally wouldn’t be having this conversation with Thralls, usually they feed and leave me alone, like mindless servants chained to Lord Mizami’s will.”

“The only time I’ll do what he asks is when he asks me to kick his ass,” Sarah replied bitterly as she groaned in pain.

Kid sighed as she gently pushed Sarah down. The sports top that Sarah had been sired in allowed her to gently place fingers in key areas around Sarah’s chest before she sighed and said, “Bandages, and time, unless you drink blood, you cannot hope to regenerate these wounds.”

“How much blood?” Sarah asked softly.

“Not much, perhaps a tankard’s worth,” Kid replied.

“How is it someone so young, could know so much about Vampirism without being one?” Sarah asked softly.

Kid smiled as she gently caressed Sarah’s cheek, she was far different form other vampires, and slowly was making the girl begin to wonder about who was right. Still she had to be wary of Sarah, for she could turn on her just as quickly as any other vampire. She then sighed as she said softly, “I was born to be a blood puppet. I will never know my parents, for they are either being forced to breed more puppets or dead by having been fed upon too many times successively.”

“Sounds like me, never get to see my parent’s anymore either,” Sarah said softly.

“I have had to learn how vampires thrive, for it is my job to be fully experienced in any area a vampire may require me to know. As a puppet I could merely be a meal, but they also train us to protect and heal vampires. Part of that training is also in the ways of the flesh-“

“Please, stop there, I get the point,” Sarah said softly. Kid nodded as she sighed and began to pick at the scab on her arm.

Once the blood began to flow again she pressed the wound to Sarah’s lips as she said, “Drink slowly, I will tell you when it’s enough.”

Sarah barely managed to push the arm off as she said, “I can’t do this, its wrong.”

“Don’t do it because it’s wrong, do it because you need to. Do not drain me, just regain your strength, and we will continue to do so, until he gets the idea.”

Sarah shook her head as she whispered, “I don’t want your blood, I want his.”

“Don’t be so stubborn Sarah. He will only give you his blood when he feels you deserve it, and until you accept that and move on, you will be forever indebted to him as a thrall.”

Sarah shook her head slowly as she said, “No, get me blood from elsewhere, I don’t wish to feed off someone I could have mothered.”

“You wanted children, that’s it isn’t it?” Kid asked as she cupped Sarah’s cheek. Sarah averted her eyes as she tried to come up with anything she could say to deny the bold claim. Kid sighed as she whispered, “Mistress, don’t-“

“Kid, let me die, it would be easier on the both of us.”

[Lavinian Pride]

“Mistress-“

“Stop calling me that,” Sarah snapped as she pulled herself upright. Hissing slightly in pain she rested a hand on her belly as she closed her eyes trying to steady herself. This was an inordinate amount of pain to say the least, and she was fairly certain it was because she was supposed to be dead by now. The Laws of Undeath were merely allowing there to be no death where there should have been. A fact she now loathed, because it meant that she had lost perhaps one of her greatest assets.

“What should I call you then Mistress?” Kid replied cringing.

“Call me Sarah or Dahlios. Nothing else will do,” Sarah replied. She felt the small hands of the puppet beginning to steady Sarah as she tried to help Sarah off the ground. It was comical how the young girl tried to heft the weight of the fully grown woman, but she tried. Sarah rested a hand against the wall as she moved forward steadily, while her chest had been beaten in, her legs were still intact, a fact she silently thanked whatever deity had taken time to shine some grace upon her.

As Kid lead the way back to Sarah’s room she said softly, “Sarah…you cut me off without answering my question. Did you…”

“Did I want kids? Yeah, perhaps that was one thing I share with my estranged brother, we didn’t want to be the last of our family, especially since our parents are dead,” Sarah said softly.

“Why? How-“ Kid was cut off by Sarah’s answer;

“Seth killed them, brutally, and without a single trace of mercy. He used my mother as bait, and killed my father after he destroyed himself, all for his soul back,” Sarah said snidely scoffing at the brutal act. It helped fuel her undead body with anger and the pain lessened in response to the stimulus.

“Sarah, calm down, you don’t need to convince me, you’ve already done it,” Kid said as she lead Sarah into her room. Carefully pushing Sarah onto the bed she sighed as she pulled the covers around Sarah and said softly, “Rest up Sarah, you need it if you’re going to survive this again tomorrow…

”Don’t remind me, this is going to be fun,” Sarah muttered a she nestled into her bed. As Kid turned to go, Sarah reached out to the blood puppet. Kid stopped looking at her before she frowned.

“Yes Sarah?” Kid asked confused.

“Stay with me?” Sarah asked softly.

Kid looked at Sarah as she said, “What do you need me for?”

“I don’t like sleeping alone, you could say I don’t like the feeling,” Sarah said softly as she shuddered. She was so raw and open right now, it hurt to think about how much trust she was putting into this child, who may even be killed before her. At that moment though, Sarah didn’t care a wit, she needed solace, she needed to know someone out there cared about her.

As she closed her eyes she felt Kid crawl into bed next to her and nestle her body against Sarah’s. Kid then whispered softly, “Like this Sarah?”

Sarah smiled as she wrapped an arm warmly around Kid, “Yes, just like that.”

[Lavinian Pride]

The next morning Sarah rolled out of the bed, and drew herself to her feet. Her gate was stiff and sore, but she refused to acknowledge the pain she was feeling. As she moved about the room she cleaned up her face, the trails of dried blood, and the dirty feeling of Lord Mizami trying to have his way with her. As she scrubbed her face and hair clean, the bowl of water became a deep crimson, relating her blood loss. Sighing as she stared into the bowl she quickly left it as she felt the hunger rise up in her. She needed blood, but refused to take that which was offered.

Kid was still sleeping on the bed when the door opened without any sense of decency. Sarah turned to see Lord Mizami in the room standing in the doorway as if he owned the place, and perhaps it was true. Still Sarah felt a bit of pride well up in her as she continued to go about the room ignoring the vampire lord who had brutalized her.

“Have you done as you are ordered?” His voice was stern leaving no open room for interpretation. Sarah merely opened a dresser drawer and sighed shutting it upon finding it empty.

“Not even leaving me a change of clothes? I’d say that’s rather low…” Her voice held a hint of sarcasm in it, along with a joviality undeserving of the rather strict situation.

“Were it my wish, you would be nude right now. Everything you own is mine-“

“It’s not, you don’t own me, as much as you like to parade around here, you know you don’t own me, and that’s why you’re doing this. You want me to break, to be the good little thrall, but the more I resist, the more it spits in your face,” Sarah said bluntly.

Lord Mizami frowned upon hearing the words as he said softly, “You certainly have a high opinion of yourself. Perhaps the girl should be punished for your acts of disobedience. Then I’ll force feed you her blood, you will drain the puppet, even if I have to cram every last drop down your throat.”

“Try it and see how far you get, I may not hurt you, but I will defend her until you knock me out,” Sarah replied boldly.

Mizami grinned as he said, “Perhaps she should feed some of the vampires around Mizami manor today, while I deal with you personally. She is just a puppet, and so young. So many feedings so close together, no telling what could happen to a body that frail…”

“What do you want?”

“Obedience, if you wont drain the puppet you will obey me. Failure to comply will result in me using my puppet for the purpose she is intended. Now, what will it be, total subservience, for the puppet, or her death on your hands,” Mizami said as the grin widened.

Sarah tightened her hand into a fist as she walked up to Lord Mizami. When she finally reached her goal she looked him flat in the eyes before she said softly, “One day I wont be bound by the chains you’ve put on me, and on that day you will watch me drain you dry with relish, as I take away everything you ever had.”

Mizami moved so fast Sarah had no time to react as she found herself slammed into the wall. Her front was pressed into the wall and she could have sworn it was made from stone the way it held under the assault. As she groaned she felt him whisper into her ear, “Defiance will be punished. Now, either submit, or I will kill the girl. No dealing, no threats. Yes or no?”

She felt him pressing her against the wall and she knew she could not even scratch the Lord. Her position was debilitated by the circumstances, yet she knew the answer. The girl would be better off dead if Sarah didn’t get her out of there. At least then she would be able to know she died happily. As she groaned against she hissed out, “Fuck you.”

She felt him let her go as she collapsed to the floor. Finally he spoke, “Strong willed to a fault. I can’t break you, perhaps he was right…”

Before she could even question the Lord he was gone the door slammed in his wake. She had no clue who “he” was, but whoever he was, it was certain she was being toyed with now. A feeling she didn’t like. As she pulled herself up she looked to see two brown eyes staring into hers. Closing her eyes she looked down as she said softly, “I would rather you die than be forced to live forever as a puppet for that bastard.”

The girl slipped from the bed as she whispered, “You would sacrifice me, to save me?”

“Death is far better than slavery. He would have killed you anyways, merely to break me. At least I called his bluff,” Sarah responded.

A small hand slipped onto her shoulder as Kid whispered, “I am meant to die Sarah. This is my life, and as much as it sucks, it’s all I have.”

Sarah closed her eyes as she said, “I merely wished to prevent you from suffering.” She then felt the girl hug her tightly as she hugged her back hissing slightly in pain at her protesting ribs.

The girl then looked at Sarah as she said, “You need blood. Please just this once feed on me, he will continue to do this until he wins, just this once, so you have strength to fight him.” Sarah looked the girl in the eyes as she felt guilt in her heart. Someone so young was willing to sacrifice so much for her. The girl then said softly, “It will only be the once, I only offer this because you need it Sarah.”

Sarah closed her eyes as she said, “Just once?”

Kid then nodded as she said softly, “Just once.”

[Lavinian Pride]

“I told you, she’s a Dahlios to the end. A stubborn as she is ignorant. If she knew the potential she held in her body, she would be far more powerful, and you would have been dead, Laws of Thralldom or not,” The voice came. It held a sickeningly sweet tone, as if informing a child of their errors. It echoed slightly through the hallway in which the two Lords had gathered. While rather Spartan it held a few doorways that lead to the bed chambers of most of the servants. It also connected to the Hallway where Sarah Dahlios was being held.

“I do not need a lecture about how high and mighty she is, the fact is she has been sealed off from your damnable power, and she will continue to be so. She died without becoming a mage, and that is the final word,” Lord mizami replied as he turned to face the other. The man before him was dressed in what could be seen as commoner’s garb, but held an air of power and authority even Lord Mizami aspired to. He didn’t need a fancy outfit to show his power, he had it at all times. His grey eyes drilled into Lord Mizami’s brown ones as he averted his gaze, unwilling to keep eye contact.

“You are correct, but it does not change the fact you will never tame her. I would offer to buy her-“

“Don’t finish that line Cardenas, she is my property. I refuse to give away a strong thrall like this.”

The Vampire Lord Cardenas laughed as he returned, “Put her in the arena, she will work for her blood. I could even offer to pay you to make her my bodyguard.”

“She’s attached to that damn puppet; I am loathe to let two assets go. I also am loathe to arm her, she tried to hurt my daughter not to long ago. I know we have the laws binding her, but there have been occasions where such bonds have been broken unintentionally. I would rather she never touch her daggers,” Lord Mizami replied.

Cardenas laughed as he said, “Do I detect a faint trace of fear in the Lord of Mizami Manor? Surely a master of Shadowmancy such as yourself can put the girl away, a mere gesture would kill her-“

“I can’t let her die. She is my only chance on getting a family artifact my disowned daughter stole from my old manor in Haidia. A gift from Mordechai that I am frustrated to no end about the loss of,” Lord Mizami said irritated.

“The pendant? Surely you aren’t attached to such a useless trinket. Not when you were offered so much more from my Father,” Cardenas replied.

“That pendant is what unleashes the power in me. While yes I am a master, I become a god with that pendant. I could kill even our esteemed chancellor if I had that pendant,” Mizami replied crossing his arms over his chest. Cardenas merely threw his head back in laughter as he braced himself against the wall of the hallway.

“I fail to see the humor of the situation,” Lord Mizami said as he let a bit of his frustration into his voice.

“If you want the pendant, and you need Sarah, give me one month with her. At the end of it, you will have her to do what you want. But in return, I reserve the right to purchase her, and the puppet I will purchase off you now. I see it as a token of Good Faith between the Cardenas and Mizami clans if I can help you with such a trivial matter.”

“I hardly see this as a trivial matter. Perhaps you don’t realize the severity of the situation-“

“Oh I fully understand it. Give me my month, and you will have your pendant. However, first I request one thing,” Cardenas replied.

“If you can be so sure, name it,” Mizami said as he frowned. He had no clue as to what Cardenas would want for such a large favor.

“I want to see her fight once in my pits, before I will take her under my wing. I also would ask one thing, give me a few minutes with her, and a man that looks as close as possible to Seth Dahlios,” Cardenas replied grinning ear to ear.

“Why Seth Dahlios?” Mizami replied raising an eyebrow.

“Just trust me, it is for my benefit more than yours. I wish to see if my theory is correct,” Cardenas said as he clasped a hand over Mizami’s shoulder. Patting the Lord’s shoulder the began to walk away from Sarah’s room, as Cardenas chuckled, “If it is, you may have a far easier chance of having her bend to your will than I had intended.”

[Lavinian Pride]

Sarah sat in the carriage as they made way to the arenas. The entire trip was silent as the carriage moved about almost fluidly. There were no jarring bumps, nothing to make the ride uncomfortable, well almost nothing. The carriage was silent as a tomb. Lord Mizami was sitting across from her, and he would look at her every now and then as if to see if she would do something interesting. Beside him the tramp of a daughter that sired Sarah and next to Sarah was Kid, who was dressed differently, the clothing much more formal than both Sarah and Kid were used to.

Kid merely tugged down her dress every now and then in order to make it more comfortable for herself. Sarah was only dressed in the clothes that she had been sired in, not having been given a chance to change. She remained silent merely because she would not give Lord Mizami what he wanted. He had asked a question awhile ago, when they first entered the carriage and made it clear that nothing else would be said until Sarah answered. The result was in a silent carriage ride that left Mizami looking at her repeatedly waiting for his answer.

“Will you just answer the damn question?” Mizami finally said breaking the silence.

Sarah grinned as she merely looked at her nails and sighed buffing them on her shirt, “What question?”

“You know damn well what question,” Mizami retorted as he gripped his cane tightly. Rianna moved slightly away from her father, not sure how that temper of his would end.

“I obviously don’t or else I wouldn’t be asking,” Sarah replied nonchalantly. Mizami finally swung the cane only to watch as she bounced it harmlessly off her arm guards and said firmly, “Temper temper, don’t want anyone else knowing you have the manners of a small child.”

Rianna was now hugging the wall of the other side of the cart as Lord Mizami seemed to be fuming. He spoke his voice hoarse as if the anger had sapped all strength from him, “What is your relation to Seth.”

“Seth who?” She replied grinning.

“Contiue to play these games and I’ll just kill you!” Mizami said furiously.

“You promise?” She asked genuinely interested.

Lord Mizami’s entire visage darkened as he growled out, “Do not play games with me little girl.”

“But it’s so much fun!” Sarah said with feigned enthusiasm. Lord Mizami remained silent as he realized he lost the hopes of figuring what Cardenas was hinting at.

As they continued on their way a shadow stretched over the carriage as Lord Mizami spoke, “We’re here, try not to embarrass me too much.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Sarah said lightly. Kid only looked at Sarah in awe as Sarah seemed to get under Lord Mizami’s skin without even trying truly hard.

As the carriage came to a halt as the door opened Sarah merely waited for Lord Mziami to exit the carriage. Something that impressed the Lord as he muttered, “Perhaps you do have some decorum…”

Sarah merely hopped out after him as she said simply, “Just because I was born in Lavinya, doesn’t mean I don’t know how nobles love to primp.”

Lord Mizami gave her a critical glare as he turned and walked towards the arena. Sarah watched as a man appearing to be eternally in his mid thirties appeared a smile upon his face. His clothing was more fitting a commoner, and were it not for the regal air he put about he would easily be confused for a normal vampire. As he approached the group he bowed cordially before he said, “Lord Mizami, is this the infamous vixen you were telling me about?”

Sarah knew a line when she heard it. The guy was trying to get close. As Sarah remained silent, she double checked her daggers before she looked up to see a hand extended towards her from the gentleman. He then spoke fluidly in introduction, “My name is Lord Cyril Cardenas, I am the lord of these Arenas and I provide entertainment to the masses of undead here in Reven.”

[Lavinian Pride]

“Sarah Dahlios of Lavinya,” Sarah replied tersely as she shook the hand and attempted to pull the hand away. She was shocked to find his grip far stronger than she expected, and more the eyes that drilled into her own, looked so similar to Seth’s, a dead stone grey that belied a cruel intelligence.

“It certainly is a pleasure to meet someone of your caliber,” He continued as he finally let Sarah go. Sarah merely recovered by ignoring the gesture and pulling her hair back into a ponytail, before tying it off. She could tell something happened in that stare, something she knew was not expected. He was dangerous if he had the dead eyes, a sure sign of Hex Magic, but she knew so little of the realm she specifically avoided.

“I appreciate the compliments, however I don’t wish to dally out here,” Sarah replied.

Cardenas laughed as he merely gestured to the arena and said, “I will, but first a drink, I hear the last few weeks have been draining, and surely you thirst.”

Sarah moved to follow him moving past Lord Mizami despite the glare eh gave her indicating she was out of line. She didn’t care, instead she was going to do her own thing here and play her own game. She decided to probe as she said, “The eyes, family trait?”

Cardenas chuckled as he said, “I wasn’t born with them if that’s what you’re asking, my siring was a bit, different.” Sarah frowned hearing the word siring. To her knowledge only established vampires, those born undead could be lords. It that wasn’t the case, then there was perhaps hope for her yet. Still careful to not be caught in a web of lies and deceit she let the subject go. To pursue it further would be to give ground to him.

She wasn’t sure if that would be a good or a bad thing, and so she waited silently as she was lead into a room filled with goblets. Each one was handed to a guest with the final one being whisked away upon the discovery Kid wasn’t undead. Each one was filled with a rich crimson liquid, and the scent of blood made her flush slightly at the thoughts of finally feeding.

Cardenas seemed to grow more interested at her reaction before he spoke, “Don’t feed often?”

“Not in the way some would wish,” Sarah returned coldly.

Cardenas merely smiled as he said, “I see, well drink up, I have a very special fight arranged for you.” Sarah raised an eyebrow before Cardenas continued, “He didn’t tell you? Oh for shame Rahoul, Surely you could have at least told her…”

Lord Mizami merely shook his head as he said, “I saw no need, she’s a thrall not a vampire, she is supposed to do as she is told and nothing less. When I say get ready for a fight, she will get ready for a fight.”

“She also doesn’t like being referred to as if she wasn’t here,” Sarah said rather loudly. Kid looked at Sarah with a pleading look to remain silent. Cardenas laughed at the witty remark while Lord Mizami turned and looked at her. She met the gaze like she had the millions of other deathly glares, with feigned boredom.

“A very good point, anyways I have a special fight ahead of you Miss Dahlios. When you are ready one of my attendants will take you to the staging area. This will be a private fight, no need to worry about crowds for today. I think you’ll find this fight most, interesting…” Cardenas said with a smile.

Sarah sipped from her goblet shivering slightly as the blood made contact with her lips. She drank slowly as she tried to prevent the euphoria from overwhelming her. The last thing she needed was to be caught off guard. As she continued to sip her drink she sighed as she absently licked her crimson stained lips and said, “If no one is there, why am I fighting? Surely you don’t make money by having private fights…”

“This is a special case, consider it more of a test, I suggest you perform to the best of your abilities, because based on this test, will be many things.”

“What kind of things,” Sarah asked mildly curious. Another sip was given as Cardenas walked behind Kid. Planting a hand on both her shoulders she closed her eyes as she remained still, obediently submitting to the vampire. Sarah froze in spot as she watched the act, not sure what was going on, but not liking the casual gesture.

When Cardenas rose his eyes to hers he spoke frankly, “Her life is but a waste to my opinion. I bought her more as a potential gift to you. If you perform well Dahlios, you will receive the puppet as your own personal property, but will need to work a month in the arena to work off her cost. During that time no vampire will touch her, she will be safe. Failure to perform and I am ever hungry, my thirst never quite satiated. Rahoul can tell you, I have drained many a puppet in my quest for quenching it. The girl would be but a mere appetizer to me.”

Setting the goblet down she looked him in the eyes as she said, “Well then, lets get on with this.”

Cardenas laughed softly as he said, “Well played Dahlios, well played. I will be down in the arena with you, watching the fight, but don’t even think of harming me; I will kill you before you even think to strike.”

Sarah raised an eyebrow at the cryptic statement, but let it go as a vampire attendant came and began to drag her off. The last thing she saw was Kid standing there frightened. It was all she needed to resolve to do her best, regardless the consequences.

[Lavinian Pride]

The attendant was silent the entire time despite Sarah’s attempt to calm her nerves through discussion. As she was lead through the arena she pulled up on her sleeves under the bracers, before she tightened them and pulled her gloves on. She had a job to do apparently, and if she wanted Kid she would have to fight to the best of her abilities. As she was dropped off in the staging area the thrall finally spoke, “Entrance is over there, enter when you’re ready.”

The thrall then pointed dully to the double doors at the other end of what appeared to be a room for multiple gladiators to rest in. Benches red and caked with dry blood were all over the room, along with a few discarded pieces of armor. It didn’t interest her, the only armor she needed was on her arms. Pulling her hair back into a high ponytail she closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself. Her anxiety could be the death of her.

As she made her way to the arena she merely closed her eyes walking down the long path. It was obvious this was made long for many reasons, to scare or excite the gladiators for the first part. It also allowed her time to think about what she had, she had nothing truly to worry about. Most arenas had some way of raising the dead; however, other arena’s also held live contestants rather than undead ones.

As she entered the arena she looked around before she closed her eyes and shook her head. The arena was a mere dustbowl. Ground was all around, in some patches dark and stained form the blood spilt over the years. As she walked into the arena she spied Cardenas before he smiled sweetly at her, the smile never reaching those dead eyes as he said, “Good, I didn’t figure you as one to dawdle. We’ll begin as soon as your opponent arrives.”

Sarah remained silent before at the far end of the arena a man began walking out. His brown hair was mussed, his arms in gauntlets, the plates darkened as if to reflect no light. Frowning she narrowed her eyes before she saw the belt around his waist, four daggers, one of which seemed a boney white, and the others either dark or metallic adorned the placed of Honor as Sarah had come to describe them. Other than that she mentally counted five Kunai immaculately placed in position, all died black to reflect no light.

He was almost an exact replica of Seth, only there was no way he was Seth. Seth would never have joined with a vampire, and even less with an alleged Hex Magi. He would be off moping in some tavern getting drunk bitching about Liliana this, and Liliana that. As she looked at the imposter Seth he seemed to smile devilishly. His grin revealing fangs as he raised eyes to Sarah’s own and she saw they were dead as well, stone grey, uninviting, and deadly as hell.

“This isn’t Seth as you have guessed, but he knows most everything Seth knows, and further, has every ability Seth does. Furthermore, I’m not sure if you recognize him, probably not, but he was trained by Lavinians. His name is Christopher, and if I remember correctly, he was around before Seth turned and left Lavinya,” Cardenas explained. Sarah remained still as she waited for some sign that the hoax was over. Lavinian trained did not Lavinian bred make.

“Who is she Master? She reminds me of Seth, but I don’t think she has nearly the balls he does…” The man said. His fangs were bared as he laughed hard.

“I’ll show you who has balls left when I’m through with you!” Sarah hissed as the girls were drawn and she went right at him. They locked up with the mockeries of Ebony and Ivory starting to bite into the steel blades of Sarah before he breathed, “Got some fight in ya don’t you?”

“Christopher, fight her, if you can avoid deathblows, do so, but know she’s a thrall. She’ll recover form anything you do to her. Also the Rules of Thralldom aren’t in effect her Chris, be careful.”

“Yes my master,” Christopher said before with a hand he placed it firmly against her chest and shoved her back before scooping up the falling blade and dropping into Seth’s preferred stance.

Sarah slid back on the ground as a trail of dust kicked up, clinging to her body like a second skin. She was enraged beyond belief, that first the man had insulted her, then touched her. As she began to pace about him he moved to follow her as they circled like two dogs. Her eyes moved about to look for anything of use before she drew a thorn and threw it only to watch him pluck it from the air. His laughter echoed through the arena, “You really need to work on your technique, sloppy and ill trained. If you want to best me, you better learn quickly.”

Sarah knew he was taunting her, trying to goad her into another furious assault. She still resisted as she closed her eyes and forced herself to calm. As she stopped he grinned and said, “Alright, my move, lets see how you deal with this!”

“This” involved him rushing her and putting her completely on the defensive to keep up. She was briefly reminded of Seth’s trek into the sewers long ago when he had to fight his mentor Justin and kill him ultimately. She knew this one could easily end the other way and in the same manner, with no hopes for resurrection. As she locked him up she found her face inches from Chris’ as he was smiling.

He was grinning devilishly as Sarah decided that it was time to show him just how much “balls” she had. Kissing him deeply and catching him off guard she kneed him in the crotch as she pulled back, leaving him to recover from the damage to his sensitive groin. She then chuckled as she backed off to a safe distance and gently licked her lips, “Taste good, wonder how your blood will taste?”

Christopher groaned as he said curtly, “You’ll pay for that you whore…”

“Do I get the keep the change?” Sarah said as she posed sweetly before dropping into stance.

[Lavinian Pride]

Chris managed to recover quickly as he put the pressure on her. As she fought to keep up he began to move ever faster, ever harder, until the steely wall of her defenses broke as he was slashing her up. With a savage kick she hit the ground and laid there, blood dripping from numerous cuts. As she groaned on the ground Chris sighed as he said, “No stamina for this. I think it’ll be fun finishing her off.”

Raising his hand up he smirked as he said, “Life is passing you by.” Grey energy crackled down his arms as he spoke his voice cold, “Lets see how you do underwater Dahlios.”

As she groaned she brought herself to her knees before the orb was cast upon her. As she tried to get up he once again went on the offensive this time using a vicious array of kicks keeping her aloft in the air, much like the wind would a leaf. As he continued to kick her from all sides the sounds of bones breaking could be heard as her body began to cave under the constant assaults. Finally he ended with another savage kick that sent her to the floor as she lay crumbled up in a heap of blood and bones.

“Well Dahlios, it seems your numbers up, I think I’ve broken nearly every bone in your chest. You should be swimming in blood now,” Christopher said as he chuckled circling his prey. Blood dripped from her mouth as she lay on the ground unmoving. She was going to die if she didn’t do something. However, that something was beyond her reach. Her eyes unfocused as she tried to focus, tried to find one thing to sustain her.

”What are your goals Dahlios?”

“I’m not sure that it matters,” Sarah had replied casually. It was only a week or two after she had gained her newfound body. She was sitting with Darith in the cafeteria, and in a rare display of his humanity he had been eating with her. She would have felt honored if not for the puzzling question.

“What if your goals can’t sustain you? What if you have nothing to truly live for?” Darith asked. He was eyeing Sarah as she went about eating. She was still undergoing the changes her body would make to give her the youth she was supposed to have. The wrinkles on her face making her somewhere in her mid thirties as the body reversed the aging process.

“Then I die, it’s that simple. I have every right to believe my goals will sustain me,” Sarah replied. Her voice was rather bitter, the acidic quality enhanced by the fact that she was irritated with the line of questioning. Seth had never been interrogated this way, why should she be treated any different.

“So is that it? You will fight to achieve your goals and nothing else? That’s a rather absurd way to live,” Darith said chuckling. Sarah would have slapped him if she felt the attack would connect. The guild master wasn’t guild master for being weak; he was guild master, because no one else would be able to deal with what he did.

“Well then I guess I’m absurd then. Seeing as how my life has been one absurdity after another I don’t see how that changes the status quo.”

“So petty revenge, is that all you have?”

Sarah’s head snapped up as she drilled into Darith’s eyes. When she sighed and closed them she said softly, “He took everything of worth to me. I have no one who knows I exist, let alone would care about me. In all my time here I have seen how the others treat me; I’m just one of the guys, its too awkward thinking of me as someone else.”

“Is that so? If I were to kiss you, would that make your statement true? I mean, do you honestly believe you have nothing of which to help yourself with?”

“It’s not like that. I mean that-“

“Say what you mean, and mean what you say. You truly believe that Seth has given you nothing to work with, am I right?”

“Yes.”

Darith leaned forward before he whispered softly, “You’re wrong Dahlios, and until you find it, you won’t ever be called by the name you’ve chosen. She too tries to hide behind her life. She too doesn’t try to live it. I will refuse to let you become a clone of her. You want your name, earn it, until then you are Dahlios, nothing more, nothing less.”

It was funny how life swims before your eyes when you are about to die. It seems to parade in front of you the very things you regret. Sarah’s case was nothing different. She regretted having done nothing to change her place in the world, and Darith had kicked her out for her stubbornness. Now that she realized it, she had thrown herself out of Lavinya, she could have returned at any time, but she had to prove herself.

Her eyes had grown tunnel vision in the interim. Her life was fading, even as undeath had her gripped even it could be strained, be pushed too far. The loss of blood, the vital essence of any Vampire was making her thirst for more, and while there was a living vessel of it nearby she had no such commitment to making it happen. As she lay there Christopher said something, something about lying on her back. She couldn’t hear it, but she could infer the meaning, she was nothing more than a slut to him.

So this is where petty vengeance took her? To the grave?

No, there had to be something more.

There was something she was missing, something that was the key to this entire riddle. She was Dahlios, she was Lavinian, what set her above Christopher? What made her become better?

Fall seven times, get up eight. As Christopher began to open his mouth for another taunt, she coughed hard, the blood flecking up into the air before it rained back down onto her face. He was about to say something, perhaps witty, perhaps shallow, the results of which would never be known as Sarah pushed herself to a sitting up position. Her spine was still in some semblance of order. Her hair was everywhere, over her shoulders, before her face, and most importantly it was hiding eyes, bloodshot and murderous.

“So, you going to crawl in your grave Dahlios? You aren’t worth the coffin,” Christopher said. What he got however was a shock. Sarah pushed again onto her feet as she spat, a torrent of blood hitting the ground; her next move was perhaps the most disturbing, her body moving so fast even Christopher missed it.

Buried hilt deep into his chest, barely missing his heart was a thorn. As he met eyes with her she grinned as she said hoarsely, “Every rose has its thorns, time to get pricked.” She moved quickly stabbing each of her five thorns into his body as if they belonged there, moving in a blur of frenzied motion. When the last thorn was put into place she smirked and said, “Nighty night…”

Christopher hit the dirt as she knelt on the ground her body feeling the strain as it refused to support her any further.

[Lavinian Pride]

She panted as she watched the body. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt that this was far from over. As she tried to hold out to outlast the count she coughed blood spilling over her deep red lips. Soon she realized why she had reason to worry. Her problem was in the form that the daggers were forcing their way out of the choice areas she had inserted them, without any outside force. The body upon pushing out the foreign objects then shuddered and gasped in pain before Christopher pushed up to his feet groggily checking his vitals before he said sourly, “Now that wasn’t a nice thing to do…”

She immediately brought her forearms up to block the savage kick aimed at her chest before he had her by the hair and was dragging her along the ground. Pain embraced the thief as she began to claw for a thorn or something to end her torment, only to realize that every dagger she had were laying in the dirt where she had attempted to kill Christopher. Gripping his head to prevent him from yanking her hair out she found herself flung forward to hit the wall before she found herself pinned by the throat against it.

Her eyes closed as Christopher leaned in and whispered in her ears, “How do you like the performance, Seth?”

Her eyes opened and looked into the dead grey of her opponents as he grinned seeing the shock and animalistic fear in them. She was choking, but she couldn’t find reason to care, her ribs were floating in her body somewhere, and she was more than certain her organs were finding new and exotic ways to realign themselves. However, the worst part came when she smelled the breath of Christopher over her face before he moved to her ear and whispered softly, “I knew it was you. You fight like Seth, you taunt like Seth, hell you even come up with the same corny lines as Seth. I always did figure you as someone’s bitch, never as a bitch in general. Guess life is full of surprises eh buddy?”

She never got a chance to respond as he swung her about and once again made an effort to kick punch and hit her up into the air, keeping her aloft as long as he could before her battered and broken body, left without a single bone intact was on the ground. She could hardly be recognizable before Chris leaned down and gripped her by the front of her blood soaked tank top, forcing her eyes to focus on him, “I enjoyed doing this, but like all good things, they gotta end. I figure a slow painful death should work.”

He stood up and backed away from her as she tried weakly to move her arms, only to realize without a intact bone to have her muscles manipulate she was a goner. As she closed her eyes and waited for Death she waited for what seemed like forever. Finally she heard the words, those fatal and brutal words that seemed so long ago, “Penance for your sins?”

“This isn’t part of the deal Christopher, stop now, you’ve won,” She heard Cesarino shout out.

Christopher snorted as the ball of energy washed its light over the girl before he said, “You can shove the deal. I’m taking what I want, not that crap gold you offered.”

“Last warning, you try to send that orb at Sarah, and I will kill you.”

“You can’t even kill Seth, how do you expect to kill-“

“Heaven or hell!” Cesarino spat. As Sarah opened her eyes she watched something she could barely register, as Christopher immediately let go of the Sin Harvest. He shuddered as he tried hard to resist what was going on. Slowly his body began to smoke as he felt himself hunch over. Light began to form hairline cracks, then the cracks broadened as Christopher screamed in agony. Finally he stopped moving all together as he rested in his final pose. His hands were gripping his hair tightly as he had his face shut in a scream of pain.

Sarah was so in pain she wasn’t sure how she was alive, let alone conscious. However as she lay there Cesarino moved past the statue of Christopher, before with a hard shove it began to collapse into ashes and float away on the winds. He then knelt beside her as he said, “He wasn’t worth the effort. You however, are. I offer you a deal Seth.”

Sarah couldn’t even move her mouth to speak as she heard herself called by that name yet again. Her anger was rising in her, but without the ability to fight back, she was powerless. Still she was forced to listen as the Vampire Lord went on, “I know how much that name offends you, but for now I want you to understand the severity of the situation. You hold the key to something I want, I will take you under my wing. I will give you the secrets you desire, the ability to kill Seth. In return, you will follow me without question. As it stands it may seem like you have no choice, but that’s not true is it?”

Sarah couldn’t talk but she glared at Cesarino as he smiled, “Yes I know, you’d rather die than be someone’s pet. You are a true heir of Karel, may his soul rest in peace. The deal can be taken with only a thought. If you want to fight under my wing, to get the revenge you seek, then try to rise from your pathetic situation. If you don’t, then die and get it over with. Give up and let Seth win.”

Perhaps Cesarino knew what those last words meant to Sarah, perhaps not. But the gamble was done as her arm moved slightly, even some of her muscles managing a small amount of movement. It was obvious she wanted to live, she wouldn’t resist, and she would fight on merely to spite Seth.

With the end of the long night, Sarah could see she would be damned, but she would refuse to let that stop her…

[Lavinian Pride]

Spoils:

Vampirism

Sarah has become a Vampire Thrall, the lowest of Vampires. Thralls are often the servants of vampires, and as such are often treated with contempt by their vampiric brethren. They are also bound by rules of Undeath the likes of which are near crippling for their ability to stop a thrall rebellion. Most thralls are dull witted incapable of the willpower and acts they had in life. However, every now and again a thrall retains themselves. These thralls are seen as dangerous and often times are killed on sight or broken in spirit to protect the family they belong to.

While she still retains her self, she is still subject to the laws of Thralldom, which she can only guess at. However, for ease of anyone interacting with her, these are the Laws of Thralldom:

1) Sarah cannot Willingly cause harm to a Vampire.

2) Sarah cannot Indirectly willingly cause harm to a Vampire.

3) Sarah cannot Standby and allow a Vampire to come to harm.

The Laws of Thralldom cease to apply if she can advance in strength to become a true vampire. The only way she can do this however, is if a vampire will let her drink from its blood.

Atop of this are the Rules of Undeath:

1) Direct sunlight is fatal. At most as a thrall Sarah can survive ten seconds in direct sunlight, before she will ignite and burn away.

2) Sarah is extremely flammable. Even the slightest brush of fire will ignite her skin ablaze. Immediate dousing is needed, or else she will combust and die.

3) Sarah is also weakened by the presence of Holy Symbols. They will reduce any benefit of her Vampiric abilities to nil. Effectively forcing her to fight as a normal human. Holy Ground also produces this effect.

4) Holy Water will only burn, but not cause fatal combustion.

5) If any object should puncture her heart, Sarah will immediately combust and catch flames. While not directly lethal, indirectly she will be killed by "staking".

6) Unique to the Mizami Bloodlines decapitation will cause Sarah to die.

7) Sarah must feed once a week, or she will find herself in a blood frenzy that will end in a large amount of blood drawn. It is also not a mere sip that she requires, but at least a pint of blood from her victim in order to continue to function as a vampire.

8) Upon feeding on a pint of blood Sarah can heal all wounds dealt to her. However, should she sustain grievious injury she will require a second pint of blood immediatly to satiate the bloodlust in her system. This means she must drain two pints for healing wounds in order to remain sane after feeding.

9) The benefits of undeath grace Sarah by locking her in at the mortal age of 27. She will never appear to grow older. They also make Sarah twice as strong as a normal man, and twice as fast as a normal man.

10) Poisons not specifically designated to affect undead will have no effect on Sarah. This means alcohol will not intoxicate, and arsenic would not kill.

11) If for reasons unknown Sarah goes longer than two weeks without feeding, she will begin the wither away as the aging process accelerates. With her current state she will age ten years each day, and upon reaching past 60 years (4 days) she will die. Upon finally feeding the aging will reverse to the neutral state of 27.

12) Sarah cannot sire other vampires or thralls. As a thrall she is too weak to sire others.

I also request the following Ability:

Vampiric Rush - If Sarah has fully fed within the last three days she can make use of the Vampiric Rush only so long as she has not bled too profusely out of her body. (Internal bleeding will not count, it must actually leak out her skin, she is dead internal bleeding doesn't matter.) It allows her incredible speed, but at a cost. She will gain a post of speed up to twice her normal speed, but in return requires her to feed deeply to replinish the blood spent, making her act as if a week has passed since her last feeding, no matter the time difference from last feeding and activation.

And to finalize this:

Name: Kid
Age: 6
Race: Human (Blood Puppet)
Height/Weight: 3'6" 60 lbs
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Occupation: Blood Puppet

History: Kid began life with no name, and no purpose other than to serve as a mortal snack for vampires. Her training was rigorous teaching her much about vampiric society and how to approach vampires. While she is still young, she is well tutored in the arts of vampirism, to the point that she can recognize breeding of vampires based on appearance. However, she is now bound to duty to Sarah Dahlios, and while her life till then was dull and repetitive she knows there is a storm brewing on the horizon.

Personality: Kid retains almost no personality, for a puppets job is the be used by vampires in any way that suits them. She is afraid fo things that are perfectly nromal to a child, and shows a maturity beyond her years, if only because childish tendencies are beaten out of puppets at an early age.

Skills:

Bloodline Identification - Kid is capable of saying what bloodline a vampire is from on sight. This information can sometimes give insight to strengths and weaknesses. However more often than not, it merely gives a name, and nothing else.

[Osato]

The Very Long Night of Sarah Dahlios…


~~Introduction~~ 4
Well, as far as introductions go it was rather lacking. I have not read any of your threads by Sarah, except the one that you were in with Ithermoss. So, coming from that perspective, I had no background, no real personal descriptions, and no reason for being where you were, or what you were doing.
~~Setting~~ 5
Sorely lacking. I expected something more, especially for taking up this thread in the “Other Regions” forum. I suppose, because you decided on the thread in this region, that it would be compulsory to give a much deeper and richer description of wherever you decide to place the thread.

In the future, I’d suggest giving a name of a place where you are, especially. Also, stick to the basics of appeasing the senses with your descriptions. You can rarely go wrong when you give something more than the simple sight descriptions…
~~Writing Style~~ 6
Unsurprisingly you excel with your writing. It has been quite a while since I have had the opportunity to quest with you, perhaps two years. Outside of the small battle we had in the LCC I have not had the chance to see your writing. It has become much better since the last time, and I am impressed with the technical aptness that you write with.

However, it is missing something more… profound. The writings are good; however they are missing something alluring, eye-catching for the reader. Brevity can be useful under certain circumstances, but under most are rather unappealing (at least in my eyes). I would prefer a little flair and a special addition of your own personal writings, as opposed to the straight forward well-practiced writings that anyone can do. I know you have the potential and ability; I would have loved to see it shine through more.
~~Character~~ 5
You did not give me much in the way of character. I have a shallow, vague understanding of who Sarah is and where she came from, but little else. I would suggest putting character into your posts about the same way you do dialogue, since some of the time they can go hand-in-hand. For example, you could use body language not only for your expressions and responses, but also as a way of showing nervous twitches and little personality flairs. What little I got was rather cliché and I know you could give so much more.

For example:

“Christopher groaned as he said curtly, “You’ll pay for that you whore…”

“Do I get the keep the change?” Sarah said as she posed sweetly before dropping into stance.”

That seemed to be the on of the most cliché and unoriginal line I can find, though not nearly the only one. Try and put some depth in your writings.

Character also deals a lot with the NPC’s that you create. Unfortunately nothing outstanding as far as attributes are concerned were given to Lord Mizami. The scene with the small child left me wondering why he did not kill the child? I got little as far as his reactions towards the child, or the intonation of his voice or tone of voice while talking about it. Both would have helped.
~~Dialogue~~ 4
There was a lot of it, that is for sure, but none of it had the profound background that made it more special or significant. I would enjoy a bit more personality behind it, as well as a slight explanation of where it is coming from and why you are saying it (or even how you are saying it).

It seems that a lot of what you have for dialogue is rather colloquial and somewhat trite. I would not expect people to use words like “suck” in Althanas, where the cultural and overall linguistic properties probably would dictate something a little different. I understand that in the current age that “it sucks” means “it is not good” but if you think a hundred years ago, even, it would mean the words literally.

I think that it is more of a personal thing, trying to remove the generally trite dialogue that most of the people on Althanas try and pass off as Tradespeak.
~~Strategy~~ 4
It was… interesting. I suppose, because of the nature of your character, the strategy was fitting. However, when I imagine fighting a creature of the undead (especially a vampire) who is trying to take you, despite you having previous encounters with them, that you would not undertake the specific form of fighting. I mean, seriously… would you really fight like that?
~~Rising Action~~ 5
It was slow, though I think that was partly due to the size of the thread. Normally, with short threads, it is the other way around. For this one it seemed you were moving at a normal pace for a long thread, and then just started dwindling it slowly without getting to a true climax.

It was slow in the fact that it was close to absent. The fight between Sarah and the first vampire, Rianna, was sudden and had no background added. As rising action went it was lacking mostly due to the style of writing you used. The second fight between Sarah and “Seth-like vampire” was… worse.
~~Climax~~ 5
The climax was non-existent. I was somewhat relaxed and sitting back through the fight and never really was pulled into the conflict, either of them. Try and make it as alluring to the reader as possible. Again the use of a heightened story through climax means adding more descriptions and setting, as well as a richer form of writing that catches people.
~~Conclusion~~ 5
Whoa… that was very sudden. Why did you have Sarah beaten to hell first? What was the point of the fight at all? Why did the vampire lord not just tell her the spiel about spiting Seth at first and save all that trouble? (That is another part of character that could have been added.)

With the end of the long night, Sarah could see she would be damned, but she would refuse to let that stop her… ~~ What exactly is being damned supposed to stop her from doing? It was not well explained what exactly you were doing to begin with. To end on that left me wondering what you were talking about, instead of where Sarah would be going next in life. Make sure that you put a clear noun before each pronoun.
~~Wild Card~~ 6
Sorry I’m a rough judge, apparently… It was not a bad thread, per se, but one that could have been refined well before being submitted. More added here and there would have been better too.

Score 49
Rewards!
1100 exp

Spoil Modifications:

9) The benefits of undeath grace Sarah by locking her in at the mortal age of 27. She will never appear to grow older. They also make Sarah twice as strong as a normal man, and twice as fast as a normal man.

1.5 times as strong and fast, instead of 2…


NPC’s approved, as is the “vampiric rush”.


Please PM me or IM me with any concerns or questions. I would be happy to answer them at any time. EDIT: After reviewing number 8 upon request I have concluded that it is fine to have as long as it is used carefully. I am also under the understanding that it cannot be used in a battle, which is fine by me.