Slowly she cracked her eyes. To a human the room would have been almost totally pitch black. To a vampire, like Victoria though, it might as well have been brightly illuminated.
She was in a dank, musty dungeon like setting. How wonderful. In her life if it wasn't one thing, it was two-freckin'-hundred!
"Bloody hell!" She growled as she stood up and turned around, coming face to face with a seven foot tall demon with bright red skin, aggressive looking horns, and a really really big scythe.
For a moment she stepped back in shock and fear, but quickly she was overcome with resolve. She was used to this crap... well, kinda... well, sorta.... Anyways, trusting her instincts as a member of the Hellsing organization, she did what any sane young woman wouldn't do when facing down a giant demonic monster who looked like they'd like nothing more than kill you in some god awful painful way unarmed.
She charged him head on.
Horny was so surprised when the girl charged him that he didn't react. That proved to be somewhat of a error when the girl slammed him in the stomach, kicked his legs out from under him, and forced his arm into some damned uncomfortable lock.
Well, this let him know two things. First, this little girl was not helpless not was she human. He'd FELT those blows damn it! A human no matter how skilled would be able to actually make a Horned Demon FEEL it, okay, a monk maybe but this girl did not look like one of the bald brethren, and the speed she had move at as also superhuman.
He didn't know what she was yet, but damned if this wasn't getting interesting.
"Who are you?" the Girl demanded, "Why have you brought me here, and what do you want with me?"
"Got off my bloody back!" Horny roared. His eyes spied his scythe which was just out of reach, but he fought back the urge. He needed this mortal alive, and by all that was unholy, this chick was FUN!
"Not until you answer my questions!" Seras roared as she twisted Horny's arm.
The Demon grunted. To a human this may have been very painful, but to a Reaper is was just damned uncomfortable.
"First, little girl, I am a Horned Reaper. We do not give out our names easily. You may call me Reaper, but if you call me Horny I will kill you. Second, I did not bring you here. I am a prisoner here myself…"
He grunted as he dislocated his shoulder. Seras cried out in surprise as the demons free armed grabbed her by the back of the head and slammed her into the ground.
"AND THIRD!" the Reaper roared, "If you are willing to play nice I will tell you what I want from you, otherwise I think I'll just cut you apart. Am I understood?!"
Seras futilely clawed at his hand but it did her no good. He was strong. Much stronger than even her.
"Alright!" she cried, not exactly wanting to die, again, "What do you want from me."
Horny smiled and let her go, before slamming his shoulder into a wall to pop it back into socket with a grunt.
"We are both trapped in this dungeon and there is only one possible way out… well…" he chuckled, "For you there is two."
Seras scowled as she stood up. "And what in the hell are those?"
"First," he stated, "You willing bond yourself to the Dungeon Heart, become the Keeper, and dig us out of here. As part of the bonding process I will be forced to become your servant. I'm sure we could easily find a more suitable location for your primary heart one we are free."
"Dungeon Keeper?" Seras asked herself, "What's number two?"
"I kill you." Horny grinned viciously, "I'd personally recommend option one…"
Seras gulped. This was bloody ridiculous, she was considering making a pact with a demon here for Christ's sake! But still, It was better then dying, and thinking back to Lady Integra, there was noting really WRONG with having a vicious and destructive demonic servant... she had Alucard.
"What will it take?" Seras asked calmly.
Horny laughed, "Excellent, but first, what exactly are you? No human hits that hard."
"I'm… I'm a vampire," she replied.
Horny smiled, "Then you will be happy to know that as a Keeper your undeath will become far more 'un' and far less 'dead'. The heart is a living thing after all, and once you've been bound it, its life will become part of you…"
Victoria blinked in confusion. "What are you saying?"
"Oh, I don't know much but basically what I have heard is all of the strengths of being a vampire and a keeper, without the little problems like blood thirst, though I bet it causes a bit of a mana drain to maintain. But everything has its little trade offs."
Seras gasped. No blood thirst…
"Bloody hell, I'll do it!"
"Good… now come over to the heart… Walk up the steps and place your hand over the pit."
Seras did as she asked. Horny held his scythe near her arm and smiled as he began to gather the infernal energies needed to trigger the bond. Part of him was tempted to see if she had the power, but he doubted it.
Girl just reeked of fledgling.
"Cut your hand a let the bloody fall onto the inactive heart. You will feel rush of power. Accept it."
Seras nodded and cut her hand, letting the blood fall.
Horny smiled and fired the bold of dark energy into the inactive heart.
With the blood giving the heart life and a soul to bond to, and the Horned Reapers power acting as a trigger, the black stone like heart slowly began to come to life. It slowly began to glow, changing from black to red, and beating with inner life.
Seras gawked in a mixture of surprise and pleasure as the power of the heart became her power, and gasped as she took her first real breath since she was turned. Her body ached as long inactive lungs and hear began working again, she could feel her body temperature rising.
She know she was still a vampire, but at the same time, she was alive!
On the other side of the room, Horny felt old compulsions reasserting themselves. He was once again bound, but as before he retained most of his independence. He'd give this keeper a chance, see how she preformed, but it was not like Reapers didn't know how to break bonds…
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(Posted Sun, 23 Jan 2005 21:06)
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