Repurposing (PM)

[Acer Kygnosti]

()OOC note: Age restrictions (human wise) do apply. Anyway, onwards.()

Flash... What was this light acting in such a way? Flash... Why does it flash? Flash... Why can't I move? Flash... Where am I? Flash... Who am I? Flash... I remember... I remember now! I was laying down to sleep. Still... Why can't I move? When his eyes cracked open, Acer stared blindly about, eyes fixating on the restraints to either side of his form. One to each wrist, one to each ankle. An annoyance, at best, but they shouldn't have been there. Looking around, he was blinded by another flash of light and groaned, "Damn it all." He surveyed the room, once his blindness had subsided.

Around the room were placed large lights, flashing once every minute or so, and a small amount of furniture, the steel slab to which the male was bound being decorated with the blood of former victims. It was then, as he looked around, that he realized his situation. The lights pulsate in a relaxing pattern, the smell of blood will calm me... This room is meant for reeducation! The more he looked, the more it drove home the severity of the situation. A soft cloth rested across his body and a large panel in the ceiling was receded back, opening it to reveal a strange device.

Acer yanked at his restraints, and realized why naught but an annoyance was meant to be able to hold him as a small amount of chord came loose with the restraints and the device in the recessed panel began to lower towards him. Instantly, he stopped, eyes flickering around the room. Looking up, he studied the now partially lighted contraption. Similar to a medieval torture device that he'd had experience with, the thing bore long spikes on the lower side, and a great amount of weight atop. Struggling would lower the device towards him, and the more he struggled the lower it would fall. Eventually, it would touch him, and then weight would be applied as he continued to struggle until he was impaled upon the spikes. Modifications had been made, of course, he could feel droplets of Holy Water landed on the cloth over his body, feel the sting as drops struck his face and the backs of his arms.

With a loud crackle, a loudspeaker came on within the room, "I see you've awoken, Mister Kygnosti. We've been tracking you for a long time. A bit to free with that weakness of yours, were you? Oh, if we'd only known it was that simple. Just a dart to the shoulder and down you go. So easy. We'd have done this long ago. I ramble, though. Welcome to your repurposing. We're going to turn you into a soldier for us, one way or another. Well... If you don't kill yourself trying to get free. Those lights serve a purpose, there's no place where there's a shadow for you to use, Mister Kygnosti."

Acer turned his head, "I know that voice... You spoke in that dossier those agents had when I took them. Interesting. Very interesting. You realize, of course, that others will notice my absence, yes? So very insignificant. You realize I won't die just from those little spikes? Your plan has a kink, I think," speaking that last word, Acer suddenly jolted upwards, pulling hard on the restraints. This triggered the device in the panel to fall without breaks right to the Macedonian, impaling him upon the multitude of Holy Watered devices. He moaned his pleasure, at the same time using the shadow provided by the device to free himself and fade to a new location. In the new place, he slumped down, growling as the wounds in his flesh remained. They couldn't heal with the residue of Holy Water in them, and he couldn't reach a water source to clean the wounds.

Slinking into the shadows to the best of his ability, he collapsed. Perforated muscles, punctured lungs, but his heart remained untouched. The bone casing around his heart had deflected the pike meant for that vital organ. They'd not studied his anatomy as well as they thought, at least. He curled up deep in the corner of his hiding place, and looked around, noting brooms and cleaning supplies within the room's confines, A cupboard? Again? What in the nine hells did I do to deserve the broom closet every time I make an escape from somewhere? He knew he couldn't go far, and as he sat in his place he heard the sizzle of untouched flesh as residual drops of Holy Water touched it, and a quiet whimper left him. Reaching down, he pulled at the cloth which had become seemingly fused to his body.

As the cloth moved away from Acer, it brought with it a few large chunks of his internal flesh, and he stared at it, laying it aside. He grunted, softly, and began searching for a clean section of cloth, simultaneously sending out mental calls for those he thought might attempt to help him in what was quickly becoming a hopeless situation for him alone. Having found a clean section in the bolt of cloth, he sliced it loose with his fingernail and began to meticulously dry out, to the best of his ability, each of the stunted wounds in his sinews. As each was cleared of Holy Water, it began to heal, and he whimpered, settling back.


()Edited for coding.()

[Marion+Ette]

Ooh. Bravo Frere.

[hairbear]

Rubbing her temples absentmindedly, her body was still suffering the effects of the 24 hour drinking binge with Liski. “What was I thinking?”

It had been an interesting journey getting to know her former enemy. Elizabeth had great respect for her prowess on the battlefield, but it was shocking to realize how much they were alike, though Liski is probably a bit more spontaneous.

Frustrated, Elizabeth’s mind began to wander. Something was nagging at her but what was it. Her family was good. She had shared several laughs with Laurelgwynn this week. It was always nice to rest in Wilhelm’s Castle, lots of laughs and even more affection. She was pleasantly surprised to find Vulgar’s partner bound, Augustnite, in the castle when she returned from hunting.

“What! What! What is it I am forgetting?” She muttered, angry for allowing herself to fall to this level of incompetence. Plopping down in one of the ornate chairs decorating the main hall, Elizabeth pulled out her cell phone and began reading off her list of contacts.

“Dammit! That’s it! Where is Acer? I haven’t heard from him in days!” She knew he had an extremely busy schedule of late but still, he always called or visited her daily.

She clicked dial. His phone rang forever or so it seemed to her mind until it rolled over to voice mail. She left a simple message, “Call me.” Closing her phone, she found the entire situation bizarre. Acer’s phone never goes to voice mail.

A growing concern filled her, “Something’s not right.” Elizabeth concentrated and sent him a telepathic message. “Acer, I’m worried about you, please call or something. I need to hear from you.”

Never been one to mask her emotions, Elizabeth thought it best to move from the main hall until she had heard from Acer. Pushing herself up from the chair, she decided a bit of fresh air might help her headache.

The castle was located in a fairly well traveled portion of the city, both close to a bank and the clan’s clubhouse. She was tempted to walk towards the bar but the nagging headache was enough to convince her otherwise. She needed blood, not booze right now.

She hunted and walked the city streets for a considerable amount of time and still heard nothing from Acer. Her concern had morphed into dread. Her instincts screamed that something was terrible wrong.

Her pace quicken as she headed toward an empty bench across the street. She needed to rest, her ap was low and she needed to locate him. Her options were using her powers of located or SS. She preferred the later.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, she cocooned herself from the outside world as she began to rock to an internal rhythm. She began to concentrate on Acer’s face. She was bombarded with the faces of his sire, grandsire and siblings, finally she saw his face. Her mind continued to whirl….searching, search…. "Where is the street sign?" . Her eyes flew open, finally the answer.

She pulled out a Scroll of Teleportation and began to read the ancient incantation, at the same time willing her to his location…. Squid & 68.

Elizabeth found herself sprawled on the sidewalk at the corner of Squid & 68. Muttering to herself, ”I know better than to be seated when I do that, how many times will it take before I learn.” Sighing in frustration, Elizabeth scrambles off the pavement to survey her surroundings.

She hated the west side of the city. The empty buildings and so often filled with hunters lurking around each corner. She hated hunters but loved to slay them, but at what cost?

Their damage had zero’d many youngling, the temptation of coins too great to resist. Even her own childe Edgewood was mesmerized by them. The first time she witnessed his agonizingly low blood points, a great sorrow welled up within her. She knew the cycle of addiction had to be broken or he would never gain the strength of stamina. It took the ancients of his bloodline to teach him self control in the dojo.

She started walking south, watching for any sign of movement in the area. She noticed a flickering overhead light down the block on what looked like one of many abandoned buildings in this area.

She cautiously approached the building, her body was in a heighten sense of awareness. She noticed the door to the building with the flickering overhead light was slightly ajar. There was a faded sign above the door that her eyes had trouble discerning the words. Her eyes squinted up, trying to block out the annoying pulsing of the light." Karamazov Brothers…. So familiar, where did she know this from?”

Pushing the door open a little wider, she slid her body through the opening. She paused for a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the light change. She had a bad feeling about this place, but her concern for Acer drove her forward. She was standing in the middle of a small foyer. It looked as though it had been abandoned for years. Dust covered all of the industrial furniture and cobwebs hung as macabre mosquito netting from the walls and ceil.

There where 3 hallways leading away from the small room in each direction. She studied each pathway carefully. All three dark and abysmal, but Elizabeth picked her way cautiously to the southern most hall. The lack of cobwebs in the main walkway was a sign that someone has past through there recently.

The combination of the dank, narrow hallway and her concern for Acer took its toll on Elizabeth. She stopped and rested her face on the cool cement wall. Closing her eyes, she stopped a moment. Her ap was critically low; she needed to find Acer and leave.

As she straightened to continue, a strong arm came from behind pressing her into something very hard by her neck. A raspy low voice hissed in her ear, Bitch, you don’t belong here. Who the fuck are you and why are you here?”

”Jesus Christ.” Her mind raced with possible answers, none of them the truth. She finally opted for silence.

The male pressed harder on her neck. His vile tongue flicked at her neck, ”You want to play games do you?’ She felt the dampness of his arm and the aroma of his sweat filled her nostrils. A slow smile curved her lips. Human. Before she could react, she felt the prick of a syringe in her neck and then an burning sensation. The last think she heard with his thick eastern European accent, laughing, “We know what to do with your kind.”

Elizabeth tried to focus through the haze of pain. All she wanted to do was rip her wet shirt off. It clung to her back and it felt as though it had been soaked with acid. Lifting her hand, she found her wrist in a manacle and chain that was bolted to the cement floor. She tried her other hand, the same. “What the……” both ankles were also fastened securely to the floor.

She heard 2 voices talking low in the background. Her ears perked trying to decipher the language, Russian but she wasn’t sure about the dialect.

”Enough Sergei. She knows nothing. Why did you bring her here?” The man spoke in low tones. “Shut up Alex. She has no business here and she is one of those.” The man gestured with his 2 fingers at his mouth, making fangs.

The man named Sergei look up when he heard her chains rustle and glint of venom shot across his face. He grabbed a hose that was connected to a 200 gallon tank and opened the valve. Water shot out from the hose, spraying Elizabeth’s back as she was bound helplessly on the floor.

A low groan of pain escaped her lips as the next round of HW made contact with her body. Her skin was burning and she was helpless to defend herself. “Who are these people? Are they some sort of sadistic hunters?” Elizabeth had been attacked by hunters many times but never with the ferocity.

The man Sergei’s voice brought her back to the present. ”Why are you here, bitch? Elizabeth wasn’t about to reveal Acer’s name so she decided to lie motionless on the floor, refusing to acknowledge his presents.

Her inaction infuriated him. Sergei hated vampires, especially the beautiful ones. “You vampires are vile creatures, but one’s like you,” kicking her viciously with his boot to the ribs, ” are the worst. You trick men and then kill them, but not no more filth, this is your last night.”

Elizabeth could see the tail of a diamond encrusted cat-o-nine tails trailing on the floor beside her. She heard a swish of air and felt the sting of the lash against her back. It was already on fire from the holy water but this….. dear sweet mother…. This pain was beyond description. Quickly her white blouse had turned crimson and her blood pooled around her on the floor.

She could hear the man called Alex in the background begging his partner to stop the attack and Sergei’s laughter. Elizabeth collected her remaining energy and began to concentrate, concentrating harder than she had ever done before. Acer, Acer….. I’m in trouble, big trouble. I am in the same building as you but I don’t know where and they are killing me. I think they are hunters, but I don’t know for sure. The only thing I do know is they are human.”

The coolness of the cement feels good against her cheek and blissful silence returned.

[Acer Kygnosti]

Acer's head was fuzzy, seemingly filled with wool. He stayed concealed in the cupboard, grumbling to himself about the fact that he somehow managed to always land in the worst possible places during a blind shadowport. Especially while impaired. He could hear the others in the building, talking back and forth and making all kinds of noise. Becoming annoyed, the Macedonian stood and stalked towards the door, only to slump back down. "They would use the one thing likely to make me hard of standing!" the male fumed to himself, crawling over to a sink designed for the purpose of wetting a mop, but it served him well in washing Holy Water from the open wounds along his body.

Slumping back, the vampire dragged himself to the wall, shaking heavily as wounds began to close and he began to feel cold, the cold that came from the Ketamine flowing through his veins. Once his wounds had fully healed, the injured sanguinary shook and shuddered, his head splitting with pain. Acer tried to stop himself, but then he slumped forward and vomited forth a large volume of blood, his bared abdominals pulsating. It was then, of course, that a large chunk of flesh fell loose from his cheek and slumped to the floor, shattering like porcelain as it came into contact with the hard surface. His hand shot to his face, and he felt at the liquid-like undersurface, his true form shining from behind. Like liquid shadows, the internal workings of the being were shown forth as he stood.

"This is not a good situation. At all. I hope for their sake that they haven't hurt Elizabeth as much as she sounds like they did. If they have... Well, the Grasp shan't be good enough for them." he grumbled, his feet thudding loudly on the ground. His voice had seemed to come, not from him, but from other areas of the room instead, echoing. As he moved out into the hall, a man grew to close to him and a tendril of the black liquid that seemed to compose Acer's insides shot out, wrapped around him, and seemed almost to drain the life from him. "Though... I haven't been like this in nearly four hundred million years. It's nice." he whispered, his voice still coming from everywhere save himself at once. He wandered forward, feet still thudding loudly as though they weighed several tons.

Door after door seemed to simply fly off of their hinges as he moved towards them, as though they dare not question or hinder his advance. Somehow, he felt drawn to one side of the facility and he followed the shortest path there pushing through walls when it was needed. A great amount of noise was caused by all of this, as well as the sending up of an alarm. A loud, blaring, klaxon alarm, no less. "Sure, yeah, blaring siren that makes me want to kill is such a fun idea right now!" grumbled the man as he wandered forward still, tendrils steadily executing those guards who dared stall his progress. With the final door in view, he was finally made to stop by an assembly of guards. He stared, not in fear or awe but in pure dumbstruck surprise, "Geez. You boys don't know when to stop, do you?"

[hairbear]

Hoping it was all just a bad dream, Elizabeth cracked an eye, surveying her surroundings. Another wave of pain wracked her body and she knew this place was real. ”The Macedonian.” came out nothing more than a croaky whisper.

The man named Sergei approached her, pushing her body with his boot. “Eh, what did you say? Tell me.” His tone was angry but curious. Elizabeth whispered again, ”The Macedonian, he is who you were seeking?”

Angry, Sergei knelt down, yanking her face up by her hair. ”What is it you’re saying woman?” Elizabeth’s hand snaked out like a vice around his ankle. She sank her teeth deep into the flesh of his calve, allowing the much need blood to flow freely into her mouth.

Sergei howled in pain, kicking furiously at her face with his free leg until breaking her hold on his leg. ”Bitch!” He spat. Elizabeth rested her cheek on the cement floor, her mouth covered in a mixture of his and her own blood, but oddly enough, a gleam settled in her eyes and a small smile curved her lips.

Sergei noted the strange reaction in the woman and began kicking her in frenzy. ”I will wipe that smile off your face. Trash, whore fucking vampire.” Elizabeth’s body contorted with pain, she spat blood on the floor and twisted her head to show the man that he would never defeat her by smiling knowingly up at him.

Slowly, choosing her words carefully, Elizabeth began, ”You are now what you hate most.” She stopped for a moment as a spasm of coughing erupted. ”Soon, you will be just like me. That bite did not kill you but it will. You are no longer human.” Elizabeth bloodied and battered face glowed with victory. Sergei recognized it as he recoiled in horror.

[Acer Kygnosti]

"Now now, kiddos. I'd suggest that you break rank and run, unless of course you'd rather I steal your lives into myself and make you disappear," whispered the Macedonian in his still-booming voice. The male stalked right up towards the men, watching as three of the ten turned and ran, the other seven closing tighter together and raising their crossbows. Acer flicked his wrist out, grabbing one of the devices and splintering it in his fist, "These things shant save you, scum. They shall only fuel my anger. This place shall be your tomb." As he finished speaking, the tendrils that had been killing off the guards all along did so to the remaining seven. Their bodies withered and they left the ground, groaning and screaming as their life force and blood was sucked out of them.

The tendrils tossed them aside as he kicked open the final door, stepping through the peer angrily at the being within. "Ah. I thought so, human. Born and bred in the Vatican no doubt," the half-exposed being whispered, his voice seeming to come from everywhere at once, and this time moving through the microphone and over all of the loudspeakers across the facility. He didn't move, nor did the tendrils, but remained absolutely still, his voice coming once more. "You know not the depth of water beneath the ice on which you tread, human. Your death would never repay you for what you have done. I would suggest you call of your little lap dogs before you have to explain the death of every living being in this facility. Only three will survive, you, my friend, and myself."

The human stared at Acer, his eyes unbelieving. "Th-this isn't possible!" he screamed, shaking his head as he backed away, "I saw those spikes puncture you, the guards were armed with Ketamine and Holy Water crossbows! You should be dead by now! You're impossible!" The man continued to scream at Acer, repeating himself into redundancy before a raised hand silenced him.

"Silence. There's more to this world than you could ever understand. I am a paradox in and of itself," the male whispered as he stepped forward to grab the other man by the neck, lifting him up by the through, "Call of your lap dogs, now." Acer listened, then, to everything that came through the ventilation, listening for anything at all that might tell him Elizabeth's location. He could see on one of the monitors that she was in the facility.

[hairbear]

Elizabeth lay quietly on the floor. She felt her life force draining from her body and pooling around her. She had to find a way out of this place and Sergei was the key.

She could sense the man’s fear after she revealed what he would soon become but how to convince him to help her.

She had heard many stories of how someone was changed and left to fend for themselves. The changing had been the most dramatic event recounted by most vampires. She had to impress this knowledge to Sergei somehow.

Weakly, Elizabeth lifted her hand, beckoning him to come closer. ”I need to speak to you. It’s very important for your future existence.” Her tone was even and voice solemn. The man approached her with more than a little fear, which brought a faint smile to her face.

”I am your only hope if you wish to survive in this city. If I die, my family will find you and it will not be an easy death, this I promise you.” Resting her face on the cool cement, she continued, “ It was not my intention to turn you. I have not turned a human in a very long time. I will help you but you must help me first. I have to clean my wounds, so I can heal. Can you help me, Sergei?”

She watched a myriad of emotions crossed his face, from confusion to anger to resignation, he finally approached her, kneeling down he began unfastening the shackles binding her wrists and ankles. Elizabeth clawed at the shirt soaked in holy water clinging to her, ripping it from her body.

”Do you have access to fresh water? I need to wash out these wounds.” Elizabeth craned her head to access the damage to her back. It looked bad, real bad but if she could get it cleaned and allow it to heal some, perhaps she could escape before dawn.

Sergei had left the room and returned with a bucket of clean water and a towel. Elizabeth scrambled out of her damp jeans and grabbed the bucket, smiling at the man gratefully. She began splashing the water into her wounds, washing the poison from her flesh. The relief was immediate.

Sergei approached her, offering to cleanse the wounds on her back for her. Elizabeth nodded and he gently began rinsing the oozing gashes crossing her back. She flinched several times but remained silent.

Elizabeth picked up her tattered blouse, fingering the slashes in the fine fabric. Tossing it back on the floor, she began to question her former captor. ” I’m sorry I have done this to you, truly, it was not my intention. We vampires only kill to survive. I have not interacted with humans on a social level for a very long time and sometimes I don’t see you as intelligent beings but rather as you would see a fish, as food. Elizabeth’s head droops both in shame and in pain.

Gathering her thoughts, she continues, ”I will do my best to teach you our ways. You will be suffering greatly soon. We need to leave this place before that happens. I will need to feed to build my strength and find a safe place for you. Elizabeth lowered her voice, “I came here searching for a friend. Do you know of anyone else that has been captured and is here, in this building?” Sergei shook his head no.

Elizabeth pulled her knees up to her chest, shivering from the cold and the pain she suddenly began sobbing quietly. She had to find Acer, what was the point of everything she had suffered if she didn’t find him?