3rd edit... still some tweaking to do i.e. language-wise. And a tad more justification but... I'd like everyone to meet Deathere. Gul'darrah major character #1.
Darys cast a glance towards the entrance to the town; what she saw made her rein her horse in suddenly, making it rear in surprise. She steadied it, eying the waves of undead pouring in through the breaches in the high walls of the town. The onslaught of scourge had not been what had stopped her in her tracks though. Barely 50 paces from the walls were a group of 5 warriors in dark plate armor... fighting on the side of the Nosferatu. They were cutting a bloody path through her own scarlet soldiers like they were target dummies.
They fought like animals, screaming and snarling as they ripped through mortal flesh. Through the rising smoke of magic fire and the spray of blood through the air a broad-shouldered, black-armored warrior with horns on it helm looked up from the battle - the bi-horned helm turning directly to face Darys, as if sensing her gaze. Darys felt fear clutch her heart as the soldier lifted one arm, beckoning her closer with a gentle curl of fingers. The commander's horse whinnied and shied backwards nervously. Darys stared at the warrior, two small pinpoints of blue light burned maddeningly inside the darkness of the helm. She drew her reins to her, shaking her head in denial, though she couldn't look away. The warrior plunged its huge sword into the ground, purple lightning beginning to dance around her. It struck the Order of Sanguin soldiers and they fell noiselessly to the ground, convulsing and tearing their skin from their bones with their bare hands. Within a heartbeat they began to rise once more, flesh hanging loosely from their bodies. She swallowed a gasp of fear as they began to tear through their old allies; tearing with new teeth and claws. A few even failed to distinguish between friend or foe and began to attack the other ghouls viciously. The warrior laughed, surrounded by the newly birthed ghouls. A deep cold laugh that sent chills through Darys body. She began to shiver uncontrollably, watching in terror as the Necrophyte said something to its comrades and pointed directly at her. As four more black helms turned her way she kicked her horse viciously, fleeing the breach and galloping uncontrollably to the Keep.
The true heart of the town was the Keep - it housed the leaders of the newly reformed Sang d'le Anor. The Onslaught was what they had been assembling on the beach - the force that the Nosferatu armies had apparently decimated. No-one except the high-ranking officers of the Onslaught had known about the offensive - not even the Mayor of Blood's Marchessies, so the possibility that it had been compromised was almost unthinkable. Darys' thoughts raced in an uncontrollable blur as she dismounted and entered the keep. She paused, noticing the absence of guards at the entrance to the Keep.
She gritted her teeth and drew her sword, quieting the pounding of her heart as it galloped around her ribcage like some kind of wild beast. Her mind raced back to the Necrophytes she had seen fighting at the breach in town. Had that been all of them? What if they had penetrated the Keep covertly? Her eyes searched the corners of the corridors as she rounded the corners in the stone Keep. At the stairs to the command chamber Darys visibly shook herself. She was behaving like a child, not like a commander of the Sang. She steadied herself at the top of the stairs, she must be composed before facing the High Inquisitor. She was being needlessly stupid, the chance of any scourge reaching the Keep covertly should be impossible. She was about to walk through the door to the command chamber, when the sound of voices stopped her.
"I will tell you NOTHING!" Came the booming voice of her Lieutenant Commander Coren Garnblade.
"You will sing prettier than a sparrow in spring!" A cold voice snarled, "Tell me about the "Sang d'le Anor" and I'll end your miserable life!"
A man screamed in pain, followed by a short gasp. Darys gripped her sword tighter as her palms began to sweat. She had been so terribly wrong... the scourge had been vastly more prepared than they had anticipated. Was this how they had discovered the secret army mobilizing on the beach?
"Is that all you have, corpse?!" Garnblade gasped, though his voice shook with less confidence.
Darys crouched low and rolled across the doorway, pressing herself against the door frame and peering through the crack between the door and the wall. The Lt. Commander was a large man, formidable in combat due to his sheer strength. It was clear that this was one fight where he had found an equally formidable opponent. Blood ran through his sandy blond hair and seeped through the joins in his armor, trickling down the silver and gold plate in a delicate scarlet spiderweb in the light of the room. He was on a desk at the top of the stairs in the chambers, restrained only by one Necrophyte. It had one hand around the Lt. Commander's neck to hold him down as it knelt by his side on the table.
Squinting slightly she noticed pools of blood on the ground, dripping from his legs. In a split second she clapped a hand to her mouth as she suppressed a gag; the monster had severed his hamstrings to stop him from escaping! Darys began to shake now; nothing had ever prepared her for the ruthlessness of this kind of Nosferatu. Her eyes switched to the Necrophyte, noticing that it had cast aside its helm. The Nosferatu was a female Hydraxian, slender and covered in dried blood. What had once been pale white hair was streaked and blackened by countless battles in grime and blood. It knotted and twisted around itself in thick dredlocks, falling to halfway down its back. Its eyes were like the others that Darys had seen - endless holes of cold glowing ice. Grime coating its cheeks, its bloodred lips curved slightly as it leant down slowly and whispered in the Lt. Commander's ear,
"I can keep this up all day, dog... Is your life worth so little?"
It drew a pointed spear from its back slowly - letting the grinding pitch of metal on metal cut through the air in the room. It was barely the length of a human forearm, black and dull. The Necrophyte spun it in its hand and smiled more widely - revealing a jaw with very sharp canines. What exactly were these Nosferatu? Darys thought desperately, More animal that human?
"Just tell me what I need to know and I'll end your suffering quickly." The Necrophyte gently stroked the spear against Garnblades' cheek, almost lovingly. The Lt. Commander spat at it, gritting his teeth in defiance. The Necrophyte laughed jovially, the same ice-cold laugh that had frozen Darys in terror at the breach.
"Oh how I love the strong ones!" Its face changed abruptly and it cocked its head to the side. It must have tightened its grip on Garnblades' neck, as he began to choke.
"I'm through being courteous with your kind, human." Its voice began to change, becoming a multitude of voices - all of them evil. It snarled and drove the spear deep into the Lt. Commander's chest, ignoring his screams as the Nosferatu levered it between his ribs.
"What is the Sang d'le Anor?" The Necrophyte hissed, its eyes warming in tone as it became angrier; the icy flames changed gradient to a fiery red. It lifted him from the desk with one hand and shook him violently.
"Speak worm!" The multitudal voice screamed. Garnblade spoke weakly, through ravaged vocal chords.
"I serve a higher purpose, monster." He smiled, "The reward that waits for me will be knowing that you will burn in Hell for eternity."
The Necrophyte dropped the facade of civility and snarled like an animal, raising the spear once more.
"STOP! PLEASE! " Darys suddenly cried, she stumbled from the doorway and fell to her knees. The Necrophyte crouched low on the desk like a tiger waiting to strike, watching her with a sickening smile on its face.
"I was wondering how much you were going to take, hiding in the corner like a rat." It purred and straightened. It cast aside the spear and let it fall to the floor with a wet clang. Darys carefully stood on shaking legs, circling around the room towards the Lt. Commander.
"I'll tell you everything." She breathed shakily, drawing beside her superior slowly. His eyes were fluttering and he was coughing blood,
"Darys..." He muttered, blood trickling from his lips, "...run... while you still... ca-ARGH!"
Darys leapt backwards as the Necrophyte suddenly jerked him from the desk using the fresh hole in his chest to grab a firm hold of his ribs. Blood began to flow freely from the wound and his head lolled limply to the side.
"Thankyou Lt Commander, your services are no longer required." The Necrophyte threw him with a flick of its wrist. He hit the stone wall of the chamber with a sickening thud, dropping to the wooden floor where he didn't stir. Slowly the Nosferatu turned its burning eyes to Darys, she fell to her knees once again under the weight of those eyes, stammering as it advanced on her slowly.
"Tell me what you know and I give you my word I shall kill you swiftly." Its eyes bored throught Darys, as if it could draw the secrets from her head with its eyes alone.
"The Sang are assembling on the beach to s-s-sail for the North.”
“North?” The creature cocked it's head to the side, “So close to our home, yes Human?”
“The H-High Warlord d-d-decreed that the Light..."
"The Light!" The Necrophyte curled its lip in contempt and spat on the floor, "And what does your precious Light tell you?"
"It tells us what must be d-d-done!" She said desperately, "We... We do as we are told. It is what must be done!"
"What must be done?" The Necrophyte picked her up with both hands and sat her heavily on the bloodied desk, "Stop stammering like a coward and tell me everything you know!"
Darys cowered, eyes wide in her head,
"I-I know v-v-very little else... There's nothing else... You must believe me! I don't know where they go!"
The face of the Nosferatu contorted and it fastened a hand around Darys' neck.
"LIES!" The Nosferatu snarled and raised her arm, snapping her wrist blades from the fore-armor, "The pain you are about to endure will be talked about for years to come!"
Darys grabbed the arm and begged,
"NO! PLEASE! You must believe me!"
The Necrophyte drew closer to her.
"Go where?" The cold echo of her voice slid through Darys' mind, scattering her thoughts.
"Nuh... to er... North... to Orgindur."
The Nosferatu blinked, surprise evident on its face. It looked away from Darys, thinking deeply.
"Crafty rats." It murmured.
"P-please...." Darys begged, sweat beading on her forehead in fear. The Necrophyte flicked its blue eyes up at her, she saw no compassion in the Nosferatu. It nodded,
"I always keep my word, human. You will have a swift death. Spare a thought for your comrades that I will not be as considerate with."
Darys' bloodcurdling scream echoed through the Keep into the fast approaching night.
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