The ground itself seemed to conspire against Kat as she and Pluto plunged through the thick wilderness, searching for any visible sign of the kidnapped parties passing.
Pluto whined as a fallen tree, scraped against his paw as he raced along. Kat had found him in the forest pinned beneath to fallen trees, with the help of Francis and Ren they had managed to free him.
Francis had been livid after that, demanding that he go as well, that he would be able to get her there much faster than any other horse alive. But Kat had refused; Pluto could sniff them out, while Francis could only get her from Point A to Point B. I’m sorry…everyone I’m on my way, please be all right.
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Sebastian hissed in anger as he found the scattered remains of lesser demons cleverly placed along the outside of the mansion to ward off the less than brave members of his species. Also a warning to the humans that the one who dwelled here was not of a hospitable nature.
If he hadn’t been so stupid none of this would have ever happened. I made the contract to protect the Earl no matter what, and to serve him even at the cost of my life all for, in return, his soul. It’s simply ridiculous that I can’t even keep my head on straight long enough to that simple task! He ground his teeth in frustration as the scent of human blood met his nose.
It was Meyrin’s.
A distant howl drew his attention away from the scent. It appeared that the animals that surrounded the mansion were also less than hospitable to those in their territory. He crouched low, waiting for the wolf to show itself.
If it was foolish enough to attack him, especially in his current mood, it more than deserved to die.
Instead a massive white shape vaulted over his head, with a flash of yellow on its back, heading towards the mansion. Kat and Pluto… Hurrying after them Sebastian saw Kat launch herself off of the still moving Pluto’s back, straight through a window on the second floor.
There was a shattering crash as she went through, glass and all, and landed on the other side. With a step off of Pluto’s nose Sebastian launched himself up to the window. A blade flashed in front of his face, stopping inches from his nose.
“That’s not very polite.” He said pushing the blade out of his face. Kat made no comment merely sheathed the katana blade into its sheath on her back.
The butler hurried after her, slightly struck by the emptiness in her eyes. It was the same look she had when she was fighting. She’s serious about this…I suppose I should be as well… He listened intently for any sound as they stalked through the upper hallways, searching the rooms as they went. They discovered several hollow eyed humans, staring blankly at each; very few of them had the presence of mind any more to react to the faint light that entered through the open doors.
Sebastian noticed that Kat left each door open as they went a silent invitation to freedom for those who desired it.
A shrill shriek made them both jump. Without a second glance at one another they raced back down the hall neck and neck towards the source of the sound. At the end of the hall they found a dark mahogany door carved with rich scenes depicting a demon dragging mortals down into the abyss where more demons waited, their wooden eyes clearly portraying their gluttonous hunger.
Even from here Sebastian could sense the demonic power that gathered on the other side of the door, a single glance down at Kat told him that she felt the same thing, even if she couldn’t describe it.
Kat unsheathed her sword and wakizashi and nodded for him to open the door. Like a slim wraith she slid into the door as soon as he opened it wide enough for her to slip through with her swords still at the ready. The occupants of the room shrieked as she descended upon them with a fury.\
Three demons, two male and a female, made up the demonic power they had felt on the other side of the door, a bound Vinny lay on his side, thrashing widely at the ropes that held him prisoner.
The female hissed and slashed at Kat with claw like nails, a deft dodge and a swift side cut sent the demons head rolling down the corridor, her headless body collapsed back into a high back chair.
One of the males moved to attack her from behind, and before Sebastian could stop him the second male intercepted him. “What do you think you are doing? You are one of us!” Sebastian felt his demonic powers flare an instant before he lashed out at the man, knocking him on his back with a well-placed scissor kick. The man stumbled backwards, but with a second kick to the side of the head his neck snapped and he to, fell to the floor lifeless.
He glanced over at Kat, who still battled with the male demon, she caught his eye and yelled, “Go, take Vinny and find the Earl!”
Without a moment’s hesitation he did as she bid.
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The man brought his combined fists down in a blow that would have surely crushed her skull if she hadn’t parried it with the flat side of her sword. She took a hasty back step looking for an opening in the man’s guard waiting for him drop his arms and expose one of the three vital points that would be the end of him instantly once she hit them.
He was two times taller than her and at least three times as broad, and had a gleam in his eye that she certainly didn’t care for. “Come girl; put that away before you hurt yourself, if you give up now I promise to make your death swift.”
His voice was a deep rumble as he spoke. Kat let the tip of her weapon drop, her one hand falling away from the blade. He laughed and moved forward, “Very wise human very wise.” His arms fell back farther to his sides as he moved forward. He cupped the side of her face with his black nailed hand, “It seems a shame to kill you like this, you would be a fun one to torture for a while I believe. Perhaps I will…”
His voice trailed off as he staggered backwards the short wakizashi blade sticking out of the bottom of his rib cage. He coughed sending a spray of blood over the ground in front of him and without he fell to the ground like a felled oak.
Kat retrieved her blades and hurried after Sebastian.
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“You’re friends are here to rescue you little lordling. Did I not tell you that your butler would come? And with your butler my prize?” The broker grinned and tapped his taper black nails thoughtfully against his desk, “I wonder what my poison has done to her…”
“Poison?” Ciel asked resignedly, if Sebastian was on his way it was already too late to warn him of the danger this man posed.
He had tried several times to escape, each time he had been brought back with almost a gleeful maliciousness. He had no idea where the other servants were; as soon as he had arrived they had been taken to another part of the house.
“Yes poison, you see these fangs?” He tapped his teeth with his nails, “They have a certain poison in them that have varying effects upon the receiver of the bite. Some die of blood loss from the bite but almost all of them die of whatever sickness I have infected them with. But the problem is I have no control over what disease is given.”
An image of Kat, in her panther form wavered in Ciel’s mind, was it really a disease that had caused her to change into the big black cat?
The demons eyes narrowed with interest, “Have you seen what the disease is? I hope it isn’t leprosy that would decrease the value quite a bit.”
Ciel bit his tongue, he want going to say a word more, if he gave anything more away…he didn’t want to think about what this wily being would do with information such as that. Yes, Kat was a servant and his servants were nothing but tools, but the fact remained that she was his. Idiotic trusting nature coupled with a terrifying ability to do the most unexpected things, everything.
The demon must have seen the resistance in his eyes because he sighed and go to his feet, stalking towards the stool he had put Ciel on after his last escape attempt. He used a single nail to tip the boys head back, “Child I hope that you know how dangerous it is to cross me, I don’t care if you are man woman or child, get in my way and I will slaughter you. Am I understood?” The nail bit painfully into the soft flesh of his chin, making Ciel wince.
“Here that?” The demon cocked his head to the side, “Ah, yes here he comes. Now is the time for fun!” He laughed gleefully as the side of the room seemed to cave in on itself. Leaving Ciel’s distinguished butler standing atop the rubble.
“My lord, please excuse me for being late, there were a few things I had to take care of.”
Ciel felt the power shift in the room, a dark energy gathered around the demon broker suddenly, sending any light that had dared enter the room scurrying away. He looked back at the other demon to see dark webs of demonic blood spiderwebing their way up his neck and across his cheeks. His eyes meanwhile had lightened to a milky white shade ringed in red. “Ah, yes, butler, we meet again.” He pouted, his lengthening fangs cutting into his lips, “But where is your little friend? She has come with you has she not?”
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Kat could hear the deep laughter of the man who had bitten her echoing down the hall, a loud series of crashes chased the eerie sound away.
She picked up the pace as the sound reached her ears, she had to hurry Sebastian might need her help. As she approached the sound a chunk of wall suddenly broke in front of her, spewing a battered Sebastian into the wall beside her.
A trickle of blood ran down the side of his face, and his arm lay at a contorted angle. Ignoring her and his wounds he growled and launched himself back into the room, via the hole he had made crashing through the wall.
Only to be returned back to where he had been, “And stay there, you pesky little thing. Honestly what has become of the demons today? There must be a problem with the genetics, you are all so horribly weak.” A tall shadow stepped forward into the hall. The man, and she could only loosely call him that, as a black veins pulsed on either side of his face trailed down his neck to stop somewhere beneath the collar of his shirt.
He grinned like a child at the sight of her, “Oh goodie, I was right, you did come!”
Kat drew her sword, quickly sending a wave of shuriken in his direction. “You…” She cut herself off lest she say something unseemly. She could feel the desire to curse unrelentingly, building up as he easily sidestepped the throwing stars.
“You?” He cocked an eyebrow, “Are you not going to finish that sentence?” he lunged, his nail like claws shredding a tapestry that covered the cracked wall behind her as she dove out of the way. Rolling to her feet she made a lightning side cut, driving him back with a small knick on his cheek, “You aren’t worth the oxygen I would waste cursing you.” She stood and twirled her blade in her palm, a come-to-Jesus gleam sparkling in her eyes.
“Ha, Ha! I knew you had spirit, but this is even better, I believe I’m even tempted to keep you for myself; such a fierce spirit is rare nowadays.” Taking her up on the invitation, he lashed out with a scissor kick that glanced sharply off of Kats sword and wakazashi as she brought them up to deflect the blow. The sound of grinding steel made her ears ache.
“Quite good for a human you know! Most wouldn’t have lasted this long, let alone give me a bruise.” He shook out his leg a small pool of blood spreading to encompass the bottom of his boot. “Or rather cut me, actually.”
His gaze hardened as the black veins crisscrossing his face pulsed, “I will say that I do not take kindly to my property harming their master though.” The hair on the back of Kat’s neck stood on end, she dove to the side instinctually as a wave of energy slammed into the wall where she had just stood.
As it was the blast knocked her sword from her hand and numbed her arm.
What was that? There’s no way this guy is human, that I knew. But what on earth is he that he can do that? Dumbly she pulled back as his fist descended into the rubble, leaving a small crater where her head had just been. The smug smile crept back to his face.
“Something wrong, my little fiery one? Does your arm hurt?”
Kat backed away, trying to massage the feeling back into her arm; she felt with no little panic a solid wall meet her back. A quick glance with her peripheral vision, told her she had found the end of the hallway.
In short there was nowhere to go…
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New chapter up...obviously.....I have a few chapter done ahead of schedule so Im now going to work on the Rhose special. I will be posting one more chapter in the main storyline before I post that particular special. Thanks to everyone for reading! I really appreciate it! Chapter 29 Overview:...I cant give anything away this time it would spoil things! Sorry I should post Chapter 29 on either Friday or Saturday though so dont worry!
-Thanks again for reading!
-Shadowquill