A Dreadful Day in Daenshore
Part 3 - "Betrayed by Blood"
Part 3 - "Betrayed by Blood"
The crisp night air of the Daendroque streets are much clearer than in most places. Smelling of the sweets and stews that were being prepared in each household. The streets were silent, eerily so as the civilians of Daenshore were preparing for rest. The tops of the buildings lit up by the full moon upon the clear, night sky. However, betrayal and lies were rising with the moon of that starlit sky, blood spilling blood, family torn. This night will be remembered in the two lover's minds as the night that it all ended.
Sivo's crimson eye would form a tear, but she would quickly wipe the tear away before it had a chance at getting to her. She would move off from the door to walk around. The evening, Daendroque gentle breeze would blow through her dark brown hair, giving the Von Kërle relief. Sivo would sit on the ground in front of her father's shrine, laying her father's old sword that she claimed as her own on the top of the stone, resting her hand upon the sword. She would lean her head on her arm as she closed her eyes.
The Brannon Ailor couldn't help but wonder what her father would think about her. What he would see this gift to be, would he see her as a monster or would he see her for what she has become: gifted, in her eyes. The worst part that struck the pit of her gut was… she wasn't sure if she cared. She wasn't sure if she really cares what her father would have thought of her. She wasn't sure if she would even fear his decision if he had claimed her to be a monster. She wasn't sure if she even would have dreaded having to kill him if the situation rose. Sivo wondered then… is she really a monster?
Sivo would take a deep, shaky breath, finally speaking up in a quiet tone. Her voice was shaky, her usual confidence diminished. "Pa… I don't know if you can hear me. I doubt you can… But I just-... I wanted to say that I miss you. I wish you could see the greatness that I have become. And it's all thanks to you. Without you, I never would have been nearly as powerful as I am now. And for this… I thank you. Thank you, father…" Her guilt and anger of her past seemed to flow out of her through the grave like a wave. She had reached a conclusion. She had moved on. Accepting the past, her father's death, and the Von Kërle knew it was time to move on.
Upon the conclusion, Sivo would stand back up. She blew out the fading candles to the shrine and picked up her father's sword. The blade gleamed in the moonlit night, her glowing, crimson eyes reflecting off the blade as she stared into the blade. The Ailor tilted the sword as to re-read the engraving in the blade her father created long ago… It read 'Nothing is truly real until one is willing to believe in it.' Her eyes danced over the more recent engravings. The cogs and gears her husband had added to the relic of the past, as to remind her that her present and future is just as important. A smile grew on the Sanguine's face, and a few more tears dripped from her eyes, falling onto the blade. She would close her eyes once more, holding the flat end of the blade close to her chest. Sivo now realized that… she didn't belong here. This is not her home anymore. Home is where you make it. Her family is Rhys… her family is the Collective. Her family is not her blood, but they mean more to her then the strangers of the past that had moved on.
Sivo would then sheathe her sword once more. She approached the house, creaking open the door. She wanted to go home… to her real home. Not this nightmare that had only surfaced more pain then concluded anything relevant. Sivo would move over back to the table, sitting next to her husband. Rhys said nothing but took the crimson cloth off immediately, placing his gauntlet against her wound to heal it. He then spoke up after she was healing, "Hey Sivo? What does…" The Qadir spoke in Daendroquin: "Why must my children and grand children be Void Tainted…" He spoke back in common, "- mean?" He whispered to her.
Sivo would raise an eyebrow at him, as he spoke in the tongue which sounded really unnatural and unpracticed. She'd chuckle lightly. "Ma said that, didn't she?" She whispered back. He nodded his head. Sivo relayed to him in common what she had said to him. Rhys would get silent after that, his eyebrows furring in distress. As he realized maybe María didn't accept the two for who they are. Maybe María didn't trust them, maybe she blamed Rhys, maybe she was disappointed in her daughter. María would enter into the dining room again. "Oh- Sivo is back. I can show you both to your room then."
"O-Oh! Yes, of course." Rhys nodded, glancing to Sivo to lead. María would instead take the lead, shuffling ahead of the two to lead them through the house to a room. "Here's your room. Second door to the left down that hallway is the bathroom. Please don't be loud, I am only a few rooms away." María would say, folding her hands in front of her. "Thank you Mrs. Driss." Rhys would say with a bow of his head. A sudden urge to drink blood struck him, but he bit his tongue for the time being. Waiting for the door to close so Rhys could drink his blood vial in privacy.
Sivo would move over to hug her mother again. "Thank you, Ma. Sleep well." María would hug her back, patting Sivo's back once. "Of course, Dearies. Sleep well, both of you." María would say before departing towards her bedroom. Sivo would then turn to pull Rhys inside the room, closing the door behind them. When the door closed, Rhys took a vial from his coat pocket, Downing it immediately. Sivo would watch for a moment as she ran her tongue over her teeth, taking a seat on the bed. She felt the hunger clawing at her stomach, but she did said nothing about it. She would remove her shoes and set them aside, inspecting herself for wounds she got from Diego that she may have forgot about. "S-Sorry... I couldn't help it.." Rhys admitted after finishing the vial of blood.
Sivo would chuckle lightly. "I'd prefer you down a couple of vials then feed off of my family, don't worry about it. You act like I'm not a Sanguine, I understand." He would sit next to Sivo, taking off his own shoes. "I sometimes even forget that you are... It... Was really hard to show your mom that I was a Sanguine… Do you think that maybe one day she may Sympathize for us..?" Sivo would sigh, "I don't know if anyone is capable of that. We're evil. But that's... Fine, that's expected. And you know what, fuck what they think. If they can't accept us for who we are, then I don't care." Sivo would cross her arms, leaning back in the bed, laying over the covers.
"We aren't Evil Sivo. If we were evil we would have no morals. There isn't a thing called evil and good. It's a concept made by fools. It's called Those who have false hope, and those who have no morals." Sivo would go under the covers before patting the bed. "Alright, you silly Cratos. Let's get some rest, shall we?" The Ailor obviously wanted to change the subject. She was tired of today, she wanted to go home. Rhys would follow Sivo's action to rest next to her, sighing as he said, "What a day..." Sivo would nod her head, putting her arms around the Qadir. "Fuck, you can say that again... Now that I know my family, or at least half of it, is safe, we can leave tomorrow if you wish."
Rhys would look disappointed. "No romantic evening? A shame..." Sivo would exclaim, "Romantic morning it is!" "Sounds fine by me..." Rhys said happily. Curling up and closing his eyes. Sivo would do the same, pulling him close to her as she closed her eyes, the two blissfully unaware of the chaos that was to happen when they awakened.
Sivo and Rhys were peacefully sleeping by each others' side when the Von Kërle, who is not a heavy sleeper, heard the floorboard creak. She'd jolt awake, turning her head towards the noise to feel a piercing pain on her neck as she slightly cut her throat on a knife that was being held up to it. The Ailor hissed in pain, looking up to her captor's eyes. The captor grabbed her by her arm, pulling her to her feet with a knife to her neck. He appeared to be a uniformed man, Daendroque, not anyone she knew. Sivo would hiss, "What do you want?!" The man would back up from the bed with her, leaving the Qadir. There were more people in the room then she previously thought, at least three armored, uniformed men, hovering their hands over the hilts of their weapons. He spoke. "We're taking you in to get cured, we had an anonymous report of Sanguinism and I can see it in your Void aligned eyes."
Where was Barik? He appeared to be missing from the area. Rhys opened his eyes as his Sariyd Soul snapped back into him. Seeing the guards, he spoke out "What is the meaning behind all this? Where is my Robot?" Sivo would be escorted off by force while the other two guards remained for the moment. Sivo did not appear to be happy at all, cursing them out in Daendroquin. One of the guards spoke: "Your girlfriend is a Sanguine, we're taking her to get cured. No harm will come to her, by request of her mother. And… what robot?" One of the guards exited, the other dipped his head. "Good day to you, amigo. May the Spirits watch over you."
Rhys's heart dropped at the words he heard. He stepped out, going ahead to find the Driss family. The guards left with the Sanguine. María appeared highly distressed, while Diego had a smug look on his face, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. "It was for the best, Ma." He said.
"Where is my bot."
He'd jump at Rhys' words, his smug look fading. "The fuck-" He'd rush to the door, yelling at the guards: "You forgot one!" The guards answered: "He's not a Sanguine." Before continuing on.
María would just be shaking her head, burying her head in her hands. "I'm so sorry, dear. I didn't know Diego would stoop to the level he has..." Rhys would grumble, "Don't lie to me.. They told me it was you who told them." María would exclaim in dread, "You think I would wish my own daughter to the prison? They came here, busted down my door, invaded my house. I begged them not to hurt her. I didn't tell them anything about her... Or you."
"... Yet here we are.."
"Now where is My Automaton.." Rhys gave a glare to Diego.
María would start to cry then, she was highly distressed and the situation didn't seem to get any better for her.
Diego would huff, crossing his arms. "Scrap pile in the junkyard. What are you going to do about it, Metal-man?" A new look was on Rhys's face, it was not of sadness, of rage... It was of pure and utter despair, and apathy. Visibly, the color in his eyes grew paler. And his thoughts of good seeping away the more he looked at Diego. His desires to enact revenge, to perform what he had done before to his own brother, would pile onto his thoughts. "Nothing..." He uttered. Diego would scoff, turning to walk off outside then. "That's what I thought." María was still crying. Rhys took a deep breath, sighing as he'd head over to Maria, opening his arms for her to give a hug to comfort her during her time of distress. He stayed strong, if strong meant to feel nothing. María would take up the offer, hugging the Qadir. "I'm so... Sorry, dear..." She'd say through her crying. She was just reunited with her daughter, and she watched her children fight without anything she could possibly do about it. The mother of two felt helpless.
"I-It's okay... I'll get her out. I'll be back... Hopefully. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Driss." Rhys patted her back before letting go, swinging his Attendant to his back, and began to head out after some time for the Mother to relax. "Be safe, Rhys. And please don't hurt Diego-" The lady would beg as Rhys took off. "I promise." He'd say, as he'd head out for Sivo. Rhys would immediately shift into his vampiric form then.
His hair disappeared, replaced by a metal facemask and head, akin to a clockwork deity of the Void. Four spider-like metallic legs would shoot out of his back, twitching in distress. The Cratos' legs snapped and popped into place, forming spider-like legs in placement of his old legs. Finally, two glowing, red eyes would gleam from his facemask, emotionless and robotic as they focused on Sivo. He crawled up onto the rooftops with the sound of metal and gears ringing through the streets of Daendroque, aiming to run to the city rooftops to save her. A pissed off Mechanical Monstrosity was searching for his lover, whatever it takes.
He would eventually find the area where the curing would be taking place. There were two guards standing guard outside of the building, with a third guard inside and a curer. It was akin to the Regalian curing chamber, very Unionist aligned, but with more Daendroquin architecture. Rhys formed his Vileshot with his right hand, firing his two shots out. One to hit both guards outside.
Both guards shouted in pain as they collapsed in unison to the Vileshot, letting out cries of pain. The guard inside was alerted, preparing to jump Rhys if he entered, seeking cover behind a wall with his sword and shield. Sivo was equally alerted, hearing the Vileshot she knew to love the sound to at this point. She'd lean up against the door of the curing chamber, listening. The curer took cover.
Rhys would grapple the two currently injured guards upwards. And letting them go from the edge of the building. The two guards were grappled, letting out screams as they both had their legs snapped from the fall. One of them ended up smacking his head and being knocked unconscious, his scream cut short. The Mechanical Monstrosity climbed around and about the church to find a new opening for a surprise. He knew well he wouldn't be able to attack guards from head on. The sounds of his legs clicked and tapped against the walls of the church, an intimidating noise to hear from within. He'd find there was an open window on the right side, spotting the curer cowering behind a chair. With chains shooting outwards, he'd grapple the curer off and away! The sounds of glass shattering as the grappling hook crashed through the window. All that was left was a scream and utter silence from the curer. The final guard backed up into his defensive position, now paying attention to the direction he heard the scream.
"If you know what's right for you... You'll drop your weapon..." The monstrosity's voice emanated out, the robotic and deep voice echoing throughout the walls of the church. The final stand was evident for the guard as he was the final barrier between the Tech Prince and his wife, an unfortunate demise was looming.
To be Continued...
