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Entering the castle truly for the first time, the demon had to admit that the master had an immaculate sense of taste. Polished marble floor, red silken carpets, walls resplendently glistening in finest stone granite permeated with incredible magic power. The armoury had been left behind him down a large stone-cut staircase as he saw the windows resplendent with the moon still above the castle's happenstance. The halls were now silent, still as a church forgotten, the air heavy with the presence of darkness but whether it was truly evil or not was as yet to be determined. It puzzled the Scissoraptor greatly, sensing the aura around the place as he staggered slightly from his wounds like a drunken fool, struggling to keep his legs sturdy. He was surprised at how empty the place was at least for this part of the castle, no guards or warnings had been placed despite his massacre of the armoury as he perused his map to examine which way forwards. "Let's see...hhhhhh...this area is the catacombs, THAT is closest over that way. We have also the alchemy lab further up, the library over yonder and the...art gallery, that should be around the other side of the castle. Hm, very well, let's traverse the catacombs first and scale around before heading straight back down." He put the map in his satchel and walked east along the corridors, empty surprisingly as he kept his blades out held within James' hand. He found it rather tiring to have them float all the way, which while made him more fearsome, was a gentle niggling drain on his essence to do compared to having his host just simply carry "him". His claws scuffed across the carpet, walking between suits of armour and resplendent bouquets of charming flowers on tables, almost like someone wanted to spruce up the place with a touch of colour. The black-white diamond pattern of the marble floors were perfectly sculpted, far more than any wealth could obtain as the demon revelled within this magic aura pulsating throughout the castle. A tremendous strength could be seen within every touch, every nuance, every single room that he saw that to any mortal spoke of great luxury. But to a demon it signified the very embodiment of pure reach of his power, whoever owned this place at least. "Surely this cannot be Dracula, I've read that story when I was in the Barrows mansion, I am most certain that he was a fabrication...and yet...ah. Yes, I must remember that this is not my world. Perhaps THIS alternate form of existence has offered more greatness to that saviour of Romania, that most dreaded ruler who slaughtered the Ottoman empire...hm. That's unusual." In the midst of his ruminating, he found a door to the catacombs as a large double-set oaken construct as if built to bring through huge wagons of possibly dead inhabitants. The scent of graves permeated strongly from beyond the door but it was the fact it was glowing blue with intensely powerful magic that perturbed him slightly. The door did not harm him, but it would be simply impossible to push it open before he noticed the power entirely flourished from within the keyhole's lock. "Ahhhhh...so I find the key and it opens, of course. One must protect their funereal needs as well...hmm...is the master of this place so respectful to the deceased that he would want them preserved, or does he not want those to find something he buried amongst his fallen people? Hmmmm..." The demon leaned back crossing his arms still holding the scissors. "Those lizardfolk mentioned they were once human as if they were in remorse...but the fighters in the armoury seemed rather amicable to their curse, I am starting to wonder...no, it is just bitter infighting nothing more, fools always partake in vanity no matter what form they may take, former human or not. Well until I find the key to this door I shall try the library, perhaps some information there will help me." Heading back along the way, the raptor passed through the grand corridors noticing the elegant marble not just in its floor tiling but also in having some beautiful statues. Works of art sculpted from across the world including some places that the demon was almost certain that Europeans were not even aware of. But they were all here, a bizarre collection of humankind's works ranging from strange masks of African lore to resplendent mosaic patterns of the Arab world. The art did nothing for him, instead he was more fascinated by their actual existence in such a place. It was after walking down this corridor of marble for a good half hour with still not a single soul in sight, but soon he began to feel a presence along the corridor as suddenly there came darkness. The entire hall had been snuffed of any candlelight as only the moon offered any comfort with its harsh piercing light as the demon walked forwards. He heard a voice from the opposite end of the hall, resounding across the rafters of the ceiling by a wondrous strength. A strange song from the voice of a soulful woman. Sleeeeeeeeep prieeestesss, liiiiie innnn peaaaaace. Sleeeeeeeeep prieeestesss, liiiiie innnn peaaaaace. If you cry the boat you'll ride the last trip to the other side, oooonce youuuu geeeet theeeeere, sacred maaaarks youuuu'll bear. Theeeey shall be peeeeled off, should you fail to liiie stiiiiill. The voice continued to echo from an unknown part of the marble corridor, and yet he could sense someone's presence from all around him. The wind began rising against the windows which rattled slightly, a trembling upon the edge of his hearing like the dull throbbing of the ocean waves against a distant shore. Shadows began to shift with the passage of the moon as the clouds began drifting past to obscure the light of lunacy. Everytime the light shifted, the statues began to change. Sleeeeeeeep prieeestesss, liiiiie innnn peaaaaace. Sleeeeeeeeep prieeestesss, liiiiie innnn peaaaaace. Iiiif the prieeeestess waaakes from her dreeeam, perrrform the-rite-of-stakes, her limbs piiiinned tiiiight. Lest the doooooors open wiiiide and-suffering-unleashed on aaaaaallllll. Fragile white skin like mother's milk upon humble naked women would suddenly contort to screaming harpies. Slender bodies became torn and twisted stomachs, smiles of pursed lips twisted into shrieking fangs reflecting the demon's teeth within the glazed contours of its marble. With each and every obscurance of the moon, they started to move within darkness. Gooooo to-the-ooooootherrrrrr siiiiiiiide. Gooooo to-the-ooooootherrrrrr siiiiiiiide. Caaaaast theeeee boooooat. Taaaaaake aaaa riiiiiide. Crooooss theeee riiiiiift, to-the-oooootherrrrrr siiiiide. Further aaaand fuuuurther, to the ooooooother siiiiide. Iiiit muuuust saaaail bearing youuuuur taaaattoooos aaaand ouuuuuuur offering of teeeeeears. The moonlight shuddered in its flickering between clouds of vision as the statues became more violent. Clawing fingers digging out their eyes, jaws of sharp teeth ripping the veins from their wrists which somehow had become real, bleeding red down their arms and faces before they painted words upon each other's chests. Piece by piece, the message slowly began to unravel with every shift of the moon's visible rays.

MY SON SUCH BEAU TIFUL HORROR

The wind began to cease, the lights returned to the marble hallway as the Scissoraptor stopped before turning towards the statues. Perfect picturesque femininity untouched by bloodied screams with not a single word now appearing on them. For the first time in years he felt something cold sink into the bottom of his black heart and nervously wrapped his arms around himself remembering what it said. His eye softly twitched, shaking himself free of his memories partially before turning towards the end of the hallway. He did not find the source of the voice, despite finding a human now standing there a female most definitely. Lost and frightened like a lamb in the midst of a dark fiendish cavern with long brown hair and plain white frock with black epaulettes, silhouetted against the soft moonlight. She gently began humming to herself fearfully, quivering in her throat as she only had to turn her head once to the left before seeing the sharpened long teeth come a-grinning before her. "A-AAAAAH!" The woman stumbled backwards falling over onto the floor before she staggered back onto her feet to run away. Her bare feet pounded slapping across the marble floor whimpering with her breath caught in her throat as she turned to see if the demon was chasing her. But the moment she turned her head, the demon was gone before she felt the cold steel of the scissors sliding upon her neck. "Ah ah aaah." "AAAAAAAGH!" She had almost run fully into the scissors where the blades met which could have easily decapitated her had she not stopped in time, the demon grinning as her eyes of misty blue shivered with cold fear. "O-OH GOD, P-PLEASE!" "Please? I do not think you would have to-...hm? ...you." His expression turned dark with a small twitch of fury upon recognition of the woman. "You were that harpy who sacrificed her son to me, weren't you?" She said nothing, quivering from her lips and closing her eyes before the demon grabbed her cheeks with one hand. "ANSWER me you harlot, are you or are you not Rozalia Anghelescu?!" "YES! YES I AM, PLEASE DON'T HURT ME AGAIN!" "Hm. I could not even if I wanted to, after all my mark has given you plenty of safety from my kin." The demon slipped his scissors back away from her neck as she nearly fell back gasping hotly to grab her throat. "What are you even doing in this place?" "I...I-i-i-i could...could not...th-the village, they knew what I did, what...what I had done and they...c-c-cast me out, banished me...c-called me a witch, a whore, a h-harlot of demons." "Well...you WERE pregnant." "Not by YOU!" "And never will, for I have no need to procreate. Do you know what procreation means to me? The breeding of ignorance in that pathetic desire to remain immortal through one's family line which so too shall one day die out by the tempting of fate." "I...came...t-to this castle because I heard that it would...give me some peace and safety, for those who were banished from the grace of God, like me." "So you thought that beasts such as these would have more kindness for you than humans? HAH!" He grinded his snout upon her lips, seething with darkness almost pouring directly from his eyes into hers. "You are far too ignorant for this world with such naivety you pitiful little thing." "But I...I-i-i-i have nothing left. Nothing." "That is not my problem, you chose to bargain your son to me instead of giving your life. You were not fit to be a mother with THAT attitude." "SH-SHUT UP!" An instant of rage from maternal spirit forced her hand to slap him across the face, a hefty smack too that was surprisingly strong to the Scissoraptor as he sneered with burning fury in his black eyes. He grabbed her by the throat and pushed her fiercely against one of the statues nearly teetering it over, claws around her neck firmly. "Be...VERY thankful that I cannot hurt you because that would have been your very last MISTAKE!" "A-AAAAAGH!" "Take my advice. DON'T...expect anyone in this world of yours to accept you for what you did." The demon threw her to the ground, not painfully due to restraint but enough to have her trembling on the floor before she started sobbing pitifully. He walked further on only a few steps before hearing her mumble Christian hymns, prayers of thought and solace to protect her from the evils of this place that tingled at his senses something fierce as the words of holy men bit into his skin, burning like ravenous ants. "F-fear thou not for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God, I-i will strengthen thee yea, I will help thee yea, I will u-uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness-" "Shut up." "No w-w-weapon that is formed against thee sh-shall prosper, and every t-tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou sh-shalt condemn, this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord-" "SHUT! UP!" He grabbed her by the arm and forced Rozalia back onto her feet piercing her eyes with his look. "You should at least have the courtesy to let the one who SPARED you exit the room before you start whimpering your pathetic scripture!" "I-i-i...I didn't...f-f-forgive me. F-f-forgive m-me p-please...please...o-o-oh...god, help me." "...actually. Wait." The Scissoraptor looked over her oddly, his abilities of sensing other creatures dulled by the tonic as he remembered such asking: "Did you not...feel any pains whilst you were reciting your hymns?" "I...n-n-no, why would I?" "You mean even with my mark, your words of prayer did not harm you?" "No! I mean...sh-should it have? I know that you...m-marked me with protection against the demons I-i-i'm sorry I could not...I just needed to comfort myself with the holy scripture, i-it helps soothe me." "Hmmm...perhaps there IS something you can do for me." "No. N-no, no please, I want no more, none of these deals I-i-i regret...I regret what I did-" "Shut up." He struck her across the face, a gentle tap to him that while did not hurt, was enough to throw her down harshly onto the floor gasping with the briefest of minimal pain. "I could take you back to the village, and when they see you carried in my arms THEN what will they think? My mark does not protect you against mortal kin, remember." "N-NO! NO PLEASE, L-LEAVE ME, D-DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME AGAIN!" "I have no desire to touch you, unless you force me by my hand if you do not obey me. My mark is not enough to repel you from God's 'grace', as was evident also by our ritual in that church, meaning you can be able to wield holy objects that I cannot." "Wh-wh-what? What holy objects?" "I need four certain objects from this castle in order to conscript a new key that will help me unlock something. And I want you to be carrying them for me, they are not very large objects, so do not worry. I would obtain them myself but I find the light of God to be a disgusting tone that offends my senses." "You...you want me to...carry things for you? I-i am not a maid." "But you are indebted to me, therefore I have the right, you can be like the mule that carried Mary." "Donkey," corrected the woman. "A mule is a crossbreed between horse and donkey." "At this rate you are hardly a purebreed so I think mule is a more fitting term." "Why...sh-should I do ANYTHING for you?" "As I said...I can take you back to the village. Either you assist me as a mule, or I turn you into a scapegoat instead, now is that clear?" Rozalia bowed her head with remorse giving a deep heavy sigh feeling her luck become worse, riddling her fingers across her cheeks as she tried not to sob with frustration. "...I...yes. F-fine, if you...if you so need me." "I do not NEED you, I would rather not want to stain myself with God's blight...though I should wonder why a forsaken place like this would even have such holy relics. But we can deal with that when the time comes. Here." He handed over the satchel to her, taking it off of James' waist and wrapping it around hers. "Now you are a mule." "Wh-what is this?!" "My host's supplies, I find they get in the way but I may need them for any future encounters. Remain close to me for I will find you if you run and if you do then I shall have to take you back home...understood?" "Yes...what should I call you?" "You may call me master...I enjoyed that term the last time I had someone like you." A cruel grin as he turned away to walk further down the halls with his new slave in tow, the woman fumbling slightly as the bag sat against her waist a little more damply than she liked it to be. She briefly looked within finding several odd items but of special note was the large amount of gold and silver coins, all of which were unknown currency and therefore useless to be sold as legal tender. Disappointment struck her deeply as she sighed before they headed further west along the castle hallways.

There were several rooms they had to pass through in order to reach the library, involving a grand ballroom whose floor was a perfect mirror of the ceiling itself, an eloquent dining hall with theater for entertainment whilst you would eat, and a magnificent staircase that spread itself wide open with luxuriously red carpet. They almost found themselves nearing the entrance to the castle, which was noticeably a lot more plush with colour and soft oaken tones to welcome visitors in by warm candlelight upon its walls. Heading further upstairs instead, they soon found themselves within the library itself which was a veritable fountain of knowledge in itself to those who seeked it. From wall to wall there was nothing but solid hardback in every single colour beneath the sun, a perfectly smooth green carpet floor and chandeliers with firmly ensconced candles to prevent any unfortunate wax droppings. The place was enormous, almost too big for this castle to hold as the room itself took up three floors with not a single wall left unfilled by the multitude of books. Even the Scissoraptor had to admire such great lengths and breadths of written word, even for a species inferior to him. Wherever he walked through the labyrinth of literature, there always came the scent of rich paper with ink, even though his own sense of smell both physical and supernatural had been dulled fiercely by the tonic that strengthened him. But it was not a scent he missed particularly as the woman stayed close behind him completely enraptured by the works encased around her. It wasn't just human literature that existed in this place but also that of demoniac origin as Scissoraptor noticed, tracing his claws smoothly along each tender spine. He was in a very spine-ripping mood lately as he had noticed but he decided not to vandalise the books here, wanting to investigate them with intrigue admittedly coming forth as he examined over each book, pulling one particularly huge volume with Chinese lettering. "Hmmmm...the Yongle Encyclopaedia, I have never read this...and now I never will." He pushed it back straight into the shelf without care before browsing along the other volumes, tracing his fingers still across each dusted tome. "Amadis de Gaula...Tripitaka Koreana...Seven Sages of Rome, goodness this IS a wondrous library, I admit I am most impressed by the standards of this place." "You are a very...literate creature I see." "Six-thousand years offers very little in the means of entertainment, I find literature to be the one most easy to envelop and so lose myself within." "I...s-s-six...thousand years, r-r-really?! Oh...g-god help me that is...what monstrous entity spawned you?" "You know who did. Remember our ritual...by the eyes of the Great Father...and so you sacrificed your son...to HIS son." "S-son...a son?" "Yes, though you may take that more metaphorically. Speaking of...were you responsible for that parlour trick with the marble statues where I found you?" "I...b-beg your pardon?" asked Rozalia. "You were singing a song...nothing happened whilst you sang it?" "I was not singing anything, I was simply humming to myself, I-i-i do not...know any songs that aren't hymns." "No songs about priestesses sleeping?" "N-no!" "Hm...I see, in that case I will request that you do not sing any further-A-AAARGH!" One of the books had suddenly launched out at the demon with vile teeth shanking out from its pages, screeching like a bat as it flapped its hardcover back like wings startling Rozalia as she fell back shrieking. The strange book launched out a fiendish blade from its pages completely formed by synonyms of the word "stab", the Scissoraptor dodging its plunging thrust before he shanked ruthlessly with his blades piercing into the fiendish tome. A cowering whimper of its publication now ended as the ink began to run dripping sweetly down his blade before the book fell at the seams. "Hmmm. A fellow possessor. Well, we all had to start someplace, what a pity." Streaking the fallen book off from his shears, the raptor blissfully continued unabated as Rozalia got up on her lonesome, following after with fearful trepidation huddling up close behind the demon. "I-i-i have never seen a library so...huge or with such fiends, why did that book attack you?!" "It was a possessed tome, those like me must find other means of manipulating objects when there are those weaker than me." "It cannot possess anything bigger than a book?" "It cannot possess a soul, and a book contains not a soul no matter how much your species try to romanticise what is simply ink." "I...see, OH, LOOK OUT THERE'S MORE OF THEM!" The words flew out of her mouth before she could say anything as the demon turned and saw another book lunge viciously with the speed of a bat in hunt, pushing Rozalia out of the way before slicing through with his scissors completely cutting the book in half. Raw ink splattered on his face, bleeding upon his snout as yet another book came flying towards him. Six bookshelves, three on each side of him were now summoning a vast horde of tomes, grimoires and lexicography all with violent definitions pouring through on razor sharp teeth or blades. Despite the books being rather easy to dispatch individually, dealing with sixteen made it rather impossible to evade and fight without getting bit at least once, the most evil of paper cuts tearing across the Scissoraptor's face. He struck powerfully with ferocious lunge upon one ancient book, before another clamped its jaws straight upon his skull and scraped all down the back of it showing bone bloodily between the streaks. Carving with one swing horizontal to dispose three of them, another two went for his legs and carved into his shins like a knife through an apple. "G-GAAAGH! WRETCHED VERMIN!"

Spinning thrice he severed through five more, knowing that every published book he destroyed he was closer to finishing this tedious little side-encounter as another larger book came hurtling down with spear-shaped length, a variety of synonyms to mean "kill" written all across its lethal length. He opened the jaws of his scissors wide ready to snap. "Tristain and Iseult." He ruthlessly cut. "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." Severed twice with spinning blade. "And...ohhh nnnno, not Dante's Inferno." Rabid flames poured from the last book before he slashed it into three pieces, falling pathetically onto the floor as he looked down upon it wistfully. "I actually like that one too." "I-i-inferno?" mumbled Rozalia. "That's...a little bit um...u-um-" "What?" "N-n-nothing, nothing I just...a-a-assumed that would be rather...stereotypical, for you to like something of that title, m-master." "It is three-hundred pages of humans suffering under the yoke of their hubris, what's NOT to like?!" "I-i just...expected a demon to be less...obvious about their choices?!" "Did you even learn how to read or did you have your priest read it to you like a simpleton?" "I can read PERFECTLY well, you pompous-" "Then read my lips." The demon grabbed her by the hair and pulled her firmly to his face before he mouthed silently: "Don't. EVER. Talk back to me again, you brazen harlot." He threw her back down onto the floor, finding already a sense of deja vu come upon him as he rolled his eyes before he headed further into the library's central area. With no more possessed magic books trying to assault him, his cuts began healing gently by the time he found other people within the library, such as strange little men that hopped around constantly like fleas on a dog's back. "MAKE WAY MAKE WAY!" Three of them followed one after the other bouncing over Scisso's head with a fiendish glee before they suddenly latched onto Rozalia, pulling her against the bookshelves with wandering hands. The woman screamed as they tried to pull her down, cackling with inappropriate fingers creeping along her body as she struggled to pull away, gasping and whimpering at their intrepid little fingers clambering to try and tug underneath her frock. "A-AAAAGH AAAAGH!" "Feisty, tasty!" "What a treat, taste the feet!" "G-GET, OFF OF ME!" "Hhheehehehehehehehe-G-GHHHHK!" One of them was grabbed by the throat before being hoisted up into the air as Scissoraptor breathed into its ear thickly: "Go. Away." "WH-what's the deal, have you no zeal?!" "I require this human for my purposes, unhand her NOW for she belongs to ME." "A little touch is not too much! Why so out of luck, that we can hardly ever- FHRRGHKH!" Snapping with a violent crack, he twisted the head of the flea man before dropping him like a dead weight upon slowly advancing towards the other two. They swiftly bounced off of the woman before making themselves scarce jabbering incessantly to themselves as Rozalia stood back up. "Th-th...thank you." "If you're going to keep falling over like some buffoon you might as well put yourself in a wheelchair and save yourself the trouble." "What?!" "I only require you for these items and nothing more, rest assured I will have no need of you afterwards." "How...DARE YOU! If I am going to help you, you could at LEAST treat me with some dignity!" "DIGNITY?!" Again he grabbed at her throat, his fury at the mark preventing him from digging his claws inside her flesh turning evident upon his face as she struggled to remain with dignity. "What DIGNITY do you deserve?! Just because I cannot hurt you does not mean I cannot RUIN you!" "I...h-have been ousted from my home thanks to YOU, you destroyed half of my VILLAGE and I lost my SON because of you!" "No, YOU lost your son because you were such a worthless coward to give up his life to me instead of YOU!" "I DID NOT TRUST YOU, HOW WOULD I KNOW YOU WOULD NOT TORTURE HIM FOR YEARS UNENDING!?" "If you knew anything about the world beyond your feeble mortal realm you would know better, you STUPID-" "Trouble with the servants there!?" The voice of a revenant trembled forth behind one of the bookcases, peering from around the corner to show a headless suit of armour towering above by at least seven feet tall whilst wielding a long sturdy-looking rapier. There was still a body within as evidenced by the blood coagulating around its neckhole having long since decayed to an old sickly yellow crust. Scissoraptor simply snarled but the knight walked forth planting a foot upon the dead flea man's corpse. "Heh, dealt with the wee bastard as well? I hate those things, don't you worry. I'll just say he had an 'accident' hoppin' too fast into some spikes and we'll say no more." "Can I...help you?" "Oh no, just noticing you're giving your servant a bit of a lesson and wondered if you needed any help." "I can handle one feeble human." "So can I." The rapier suddenly lashed out penetrating the space between human and raptor as the woman shrieked almost falling over again with her legs quivering in panic, gasping with sobs tearfully at the air almost managing to cut her throat. It was then they both noticed that the sword itself was actually of human bone, a spine sharpened in its entirety of almost two feet long to a most potent lethal edge. "The trick is to make their flesh FEEL like it's being cut but without actually penetrating, that way you really want to bend the air just right so everytime they feel as if the blood's about to flow...it isn't and then they worry more about the NEXT time. Because everytime they cheat death..." He pulled back the blade thinly to press the tip fiendishly close to her neck. "It only makes them more afraid of it coming...and then they off an' piss themselves like the little mutts they are...this one's strong though, normally I get them pissing in their legs within two shots." "I never manage to do it within three," _ said the Scissoraptor. _ "I swear the human bladder has become more indestructible of late." "Heh, agreed. Back in my day I could turn a whole field yellow with fear. Name's Dullahan, and you?" "Scissoraptor, nowadays at least...are you of Celtic blood?" "Nach n-airítear Gaeilge?" "Hah! Me nios mo a labhairt na hAlban ach ta fuil fuil." "AHHH DEARTHAIR!"

The demon and the armoured guard shook hands after sheathing their weaponry, before embracing with bizarrely brotherly sense of communion as the two engaged fully within Irish Gaelic dialogue. Were Rozalia able to understand any of this, this was what she would have heard. "So, Scissoraptor huh? That's a new name for me, I don't think I ever heard of you in my corner of the world." "My nomenclature hails somewhat more modernly, I began my illustrious career around...mid-15th century-AH, right around this time really." "Around THIS time?" "It's complicated." "Understood, so you're new here are ya?!" "To this place yes, I was becoming quite a tale for children's fears in both Norway and Germany." "Really? Did you emigrate?" "Somewhat, those who summoned me emigrated and I followed as part of their family curse." "Ahhhhh the old family curse, love those things, such a good excuse to be someplace new, go out and explore the world, terrorise for generations...always been a dream of mine to get in one of those. Where they from?" "England." "Oooooh...cut a good bloody swathe across the countryside?" "Ohhhh most definitely." "HAH! Well!" Dullahan backslapped the Scissoraptor happily as the demon grinned. "Anyone who spills the blood of the English is good in my book!" "You do not even despair for the humans in your fair emerald isle?" "Ehhhhhhh..." A wavering hand from a steel gauntlet of the headless beast as the two began to walk, with Rozalia following out of fearful curiosity. "They're not ALL terrible, there are some good 'uns amongst them, rare but they exist, and trust me, I've been in the unseelie courts." "You are unseelie yourself aren't you?" "Of course! We're the most feared of beasts across Ireland, next to the giants that once walked there." "What exactly is the nature of this place? I heard the lizardfolk speak of Dracula." "Ohhhh he's a wonderful master, the one who shall defy God and all of His great eminence strangling his hold over humanity! The world'll be a better place off without any of this religious twaddle." "There are MANY things the world would be better off with, religion is but simply ONE malefactor but ridding it will not conveniently fix the world." "Well it's what our master's planning for starters but amen to that! Hahahah, amen, get it?" "Hmhmhmhm...did you all come here voluntarily to become part of this...army apparently?" "Oh Dracula's not really amassing an army, he just wants to spit in the face of God and culminate a haven for the lost and the damned. Most of us came here by the call of his power." "We are not fighting AGAINST humanity?" "Nooooo we're FREEING them, or rather trying to improve the world out of God's blightful wisdom and supposed bliss." "Ugh...really?" _ The look of distaste was palpable on the Scissoraptor's face as Dullahan shrugged simply with his heavy pauldrons clanking. _"Well I mean...would be rather awkward if he was trying to attack humanity considering what he's going through right now." "What?" "...heh, when you get to a higher rank, you'll find out yourself if you plan on staying on, I mean that's just how I'm seeing things. I admit I'm not ENTIRELY certain of Dracula's endgame because honestly, this place is just a haven really for those lost and ruined from being cast out of God's 'infinite' grace." Cue heavy quotes from the unseelie's fingers as Scisso simply rolled his eyes. _ "I am not particularly interested in world improvement." "Fair enough, I don't think half of us are even, everybody's got a place to find in the world so I won't judge, but uh...one thing I want to ask, you a flesh eater or..." "Soul devourer." "Ahhh good, you hungry? I have a jarful of souls, we can split 'em up into two, it's part of my earnings for the week." "Really? I would be delighted, Dullahan." _ "What are you two talking about?!" The demon and unseelie turned towards the human with disdain, even apparent on the headless horseman's turn of the body. "Y-y-you're not...planning to do anything to me are you?! I-i-i am simply...but here to help you, I wish to be a part of you, please give me sanctuary!" "Be quiet," said Scisso in her dialect, "you are not in any danger, unfortunately." "Wh-wh-what?!" "We are discussing matters far above your pitiful intellect, now go...menstruate or something, I don't need you at this moment." "I-i-i...how DARE you, you filthy spawn of SATAN!" "When I require your feeble hands I will notify your presence now STOP WHIMPERING YOU PATHETIC WORM!" His roar managed to silence her briefly as she pulled her neck back into her chest like a frightened turtle, briefly on the edge of tears as she struggled to wrap her head around all of this. Dullahan simply spoke resuming the conversation in Irish Gaelic: _"Is she new?" "VERY, I am training her at the moment. I would rather not need her but there are some places that even demons should not tread." "Ugh. Humans." "Indeed, a cow would be more useful because at least it feeds you twice." "HHHHHAHAHAHAHA, OHHOHOHOOOOO, ohhhhh you are sharp me lad!" "Hmhmhmhm, perhaps I should retire and become a writer." "Well if you ever do we'll make sure to publish your book here! I myself managed to get the whole manuscript of Lebor Gabala Erenn to this place." "WHAT?! Really?! The Book of Invasions?!" "The very same!" "SHOW ME! NOOOW!" _

Dullahan cackled at such aggressive enthusiasm before heading off towards one particular section of the library where indeed the Irish monster had unveiled a beautiful manuscript. The book that the headless warrior had spoken of was a a collection of poems and prose narrating the history of Ireland from its creation to the Middle Ages. A bizarre tale of reputedly how Ireland had been taken by six different tribes weaving medieval pseudo-history in order to meld the old pagan myths with the Christian view of history. The Scissoraptor was fascinated by this mythos as he became lost within the old fabled storybook for at least the next forty minutes whilst sitting opposite of Dullahan, upon two armchairs separated only by a small round table where two jars sat slowly flickering of a gentle warmth filling the entire glass. It was only then that a rather strange and terrifying sound came from the demon's throat, one he rarely ever made by burbling with a rasping voice of high pitch. The sound of his happiness. _ "Khhhheeehehehehehahahahhahaa, ohhhhh I have missed this book dearly! The feeble Cessair, the dumbfounded Nemed and that wretched race of the Partholon, SUCH fun to watch them fail miserably in their own hubris repeating a cycle of history that remains POINTLESS!" "I always loved the Fir Bolg myself,"_ said Dullahan scratching his neck, "they always had the best reactions to their own extinction." "Ohhhh indeed...I have not read this in so long, my mother would-...ehehm, my SUMMONER would read it to me whilst I was in the guise of her son to keep up appearances." "Hahaha, was this your lullaby?" "In a sense...twas a good read on many a lonesome night without mortals to kill...which were plenty sadly in my former body's youth." "So...this...um, summoner-" "Yes." "Just, wondering, you said you were in the guise of her son, was that part of the family curse?" "She summoned me to possess her child in the womb so as to become her own personal arbiter of vengeance upon humanity." "Ohhh they can choose who you possess?" "Not quite, the curse specifically states that every certain number of generations there is an 'unholy' child who shall be born into them. It is up to the family itself on whether they decide to end my brief cycle or to make me part of theirs." "So how did you manage to free yourself, break the curse and everything?" "The family bloodline has...ended, and I chose this creature to be my next host. Hmhmhm...worthless arrogant young fool he was, so easily manipulated to hold me as his weapon." "I'm not quite understanding this, you became free of the family when the last one died...so how did you manage to possess someone outside of it?" "The weapon." _ He pointed at it still behind him between his back and the armchair east which to James would have been extremely uncomfortable. _ "The former body became rather...useless, that and as part of the ritual that brought me into existence I am always bound to this weapon in particular, hence my new moniker." "I see...hmmm maybe family curses are not as fun as I thought they would be." "I would have preferred to be a free spirit, wandering and cursing upon all." "Well...if you join with us we'll give you all the wandering you ever need." "Hhheheh, I would rather not be trapped like a songbird in a gilded cage." "Oh it's not really a prison, I mean this is the safest place in the world for those like you and me that God's rejected from His worldview because we do not fit in His 'perfect plan' as all his sheep would say. Besides if you get good, like REAL good, you can go out and do missions, fight against Dracula's enemies as well as God's most supreme of adversaries but only if you're good enough by his wishes, or at least by the forgemasters." "Forgemasters?" "Veeeeery powerful subordinates, have the ability to make demons, at least lower class ones to give them an advantage. No one messes with them." The demon soon closed the book and put it away onto the table as he sighed leaning back feeling strangely comfortable around the unseelie, his headless gaze seemingly smiling upon his visage as the raptor turned towards Rozalia. Throughout the entire talk she had been sitting on the floor beside him like a dog obedient which made him chuckle as Dullahan noticed continuing to speak in Gaelic. "I hope she's housebroken." "Her house certainly is by this point." "So what's the deal with her?" "She came here seeking sanctuary because she made an unfortunate deal with me, and now regrets it terribly." "Huh...typical, humans never think their shite through, feckin' eejits. Just like some of the lizardmen." "Feckless indeed, hmhmhaha. What do you mean by the lizardmen?" "Well we had these experiments going to try and make them more durable, like stronger and more powerful, trying to be resilient, make them also live longer because frankly the human body is rather uh...well...it could be better." "THAT is the great understatement of all existence if ever I heard it." "Now they all knew what they were going to get into, that they would no longer be human, they would be something else entirely, but it would all be worth it just to be on the level of us and be capable of handling anything. They could choose no if they didn't want to and some of them did, but the ones who went through with it were incredibly up for it! And while some of the lizardfolk were pretty happy about their whole new bodies, some of them were shall we say...a bit ungrateful after the first few years." "What else do you expect from a pitiful beast?" "They weren't lizards originally, they were actually once human." "I know, like I said, pitiful beasts." "Hhhhah! Ah touche, touche good sir." "Hmhmhm...you know, it's strange that most people I can never tolerate the company of, but...you for some reason...I am not certain if it's because you are the first proper demon I have encountered in not more than ten years, or the fact you are of a similar background as once I was." "What can I say," said Dullahan with headless shrug, _"I have a winning smile...that and a charming personality that you either like, or I take your head instead." "Hahaha! Ahhh...tell me, are there others of your fair kingdom here too?" "Well, there used to be a demon king in Ireland, Balor...I think he once said he was interested in coming to be part of Dracula's forces but then he had to sleep for a few hundred years." "Ah...hibernation is a travesty to suffer through." "Indeed." "Time spent sleeping is time wasted not shedding blood." "You're a feisty little bastard aren't ya?!" "I have always felt nothing but the greatest enthusiasm for my sole existence, as being executioner of humanity." "You have any special rituals? I tended to go after anyone causing mischief at night, but sometimes I liked to screw with the humans as a reminder that we exist." "I am usually of the latter, nothing more nothing less." "To the otherworld!" "To the far planes of existence!" _

The two clinked their jars full of souls screaming for eternity as Scissoraptor gulped his entire feast, savouring the sweet and bitter agony of those befallen as he felt their final moments lost within his existence, permanently. The unseelie simply planted the jar straight into his neckhole and sucked them in by some unholy force pulling them deep, never to be heard from again, before sighing sweetly. "Mmmmmhhhh...love the Anglo-Saxons, got a real grittyness to them." "I have never tasted that before, very refreshing, so bitter with jingoism." "Indeed! So uh...are you sure you don't want to be a part of us? We have great insurance, guaranteed reincarnation within the next three hundred years, full health coverage, you can start out as a mook but if you really work your way up the ladder, you become a boss and get your own boss room." "A boss room?" "Just what we in the business like to call the uh personal quarters for one of the big boys an' girls up top. You can really make something out of yourself in Dracula's castle, everybody here is well provided for, there's a little bit of politics and infighting but you don't have to worry about that. All you have to do is follow our master's orders, and try not to slaughter an entire room." "I never was a very obedient person..." _ The Scissoraptor grinned knowingly the widest shit-eating grin as he felt Dullahan "roll his eyes" as it were. _"Well, if you don't want to join us that's fine but I would at least consider it. You can make a lot of friends, you'll be part of something big and wondrous, you can spit in the eye of God and fucking piss on his door like we all want, it'll be great!" "Which God?" "EVERY GOD! Fuck all of 'em, whatever name you call 'im I don't give a fuck! He's getting the fucking shaft right here and now, Dracula's our master and humanity is going to learn how to stand on its own two feet underneath his shadow protecting them or else we'll DRAG 'EM on towards our future kickin' and screamin' against any of the traitors and dissidents amongst them! But...if you don't want to be part of it I won't force ya, just...long as you stay out of the way and not really screw up with anyone, and stay away from any more secure places that are restricted, you can hang around for a bit." "I shall do my best...whenever it is reasonable." "So now I have to ask..." He put down his jar of souls emptied and leaned forwards with his gauntlet-covered fingers hanging between his legs. "What exactly brings you here if you said you weren't interested in being part of our heresy?" "I am simply...stopping over to recharge myself, as it were, in the market for some more souls to consume before I make my way forth to a more true destination." "And what destination be that?" "The home of this host, I wish to bring his life to an utter end completely so I can find naught to stop me." "Ahhhhh...interesting host, he's not a lizardman is he, looks different." "No, he is not. Actually I am here specifically in this library to meet the master librarian, I have something I must ask of him." "Ohhhh no worries, he's just over there in that room, go straight all the way to the west you can't miss it." "I shall do so, and thank you verily for your most wonderfully stimulating company." "Pleasure's mine Scisso! Come on back when you got time to kill! I'll always have this book ready for ya for another read!" "HAH! I always have time to kill...literally." _ The demon stood up with a nod and a genuine grin on his lips before taking Rozalia with him towards the reaches of the library far to the west. Slipping between giant bookshelves with insurmountable wisdom of this earth, the odd tome that flew out to attack him was not particularly threatening as he carved through the possessed copies of old literature, tales of chivalrie and bizarre romances between humans and gods or demigods. Even the lesser-known myths that had not yet been put to paper by western civilisation, from Africa and Oceania had somehow managed to find their way here. Truly, this was a place of perfection in all its bound ink, a glorious recluse for the enigmatic, the bookish, the simpering intellectual. Eventually the Scissoraptor found the room he had been looking for, a small study off on its own as an ensconced room with but a grand cosy-looking green chair in front of a large desk with four pillars on each corner and ensconced candle flame for safe lighting. There also was a fireplace to his right not in use at the moment beneath a gorgeous mantle carved in jade. There soon came a voice from the shadowy corner of the room as the demon approached the desk. "Slogra, I told you that is all I have, if you think I am going to give you anymore of that stuff then you are sorely mistaken-...OH! Hello there!" Smiling towards the demon with a surprising lack of fear, was a human resembling some famous artist from the Italian Renaissance. A cloth-cap in brown, flourishing robes of humble auburn and a wondrously thick flowing white beard partially covering the book he now held fiercely in his hands. "I'm sorry I mistook you for somebody else, can I help you?" **"...are you a human?"** "Well...yes." **"You are the master librarian of this castle?"** "That is indeed me, are you new?" **"In a sense...I did not think Dracula would hire lowly humans to be part of his staff."** "All who have been banished by God's light are welcome in this place, human or not human. It matters not to him for his sole enemy is God himself, not humanity." **"Well...not an objective I COMPLETELY disagree with, very well. Normally I devour human souls as my favourite."** "You would not be the first to say that to me, uh...what is your name might I ask?" **"My nom de plume is that of Scissoraptor."** "OOOH! A portmanteau! Though a raptor is a bird of prey is it not?" **"It is...but this is a velociraptor, not that you would know of any such-"** "Genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur, that lived approximately seventy-five to seventy-one million years ago during the late part of the Cretaceous Period. Though they are not as large as that one you are inhabiting, they tend to be more around perhaps four feet, perhaps a child's height to be frank." For once the Scissoraptor was speechless as he blinked briefly at the human's incredibly precise knowledge as the librarian walked over to place a hand on the seat of his chair. **"...how do you know of that in the fifteenth century, also the fact that I am possessing this thing?"** "Hmhmhmhm...I did not become the master librarian by being foolish, you obviously never studied like I have." **"I am quite certain that you should not be aware of anything even close to resembling this species."** "And I am quite certain that one of them should not even be alive standing here before me. Vampires, werewolves and minotaurs, those might all be strange and fantastical but they at least did not go extinct sixty-five million years ago now did they?!" **"Hmm. You have a point, I will defer you on that."** "Now, WHAT can I do for you?" **"I have a request from a Karam Singh Jandhu, a lizardman from far beneath the underpassage of this place."** "...so. That young fool has decided to go for it hmm?" **"Pardon?"** "I told him...I told him that this would be a great upset but ohhhh no neeeever mind that he wants his lizard people to stake a claim for themselves amongst all the elite, I mean it's not MY fault that the lizardmen are being kept down within the ranks of cellar-dwellers unlike the noble skeletal guard who can walk freely between places." **"There is a pecking order amongst the bestiary here?"** "Oh yes! Quite clearly, there has to be, this place is run like a garrison by Death and his master above all!" **"Interesting...tell me more."_** "Well...for you I will tell you this."

The human seated himself fully into his armchair commanding dominion over his small literacy kingdom. "As a first-time customer of sorts I shall tell you this for free, but essentially there is a pecking order amongst this great manor of all sorts of creatures great and small. You have Dracula at the top, obviously, and then you have Death who is basically his commander if one were to call this an army and I would be reticent in calling that at least. Death then commands all the subordinates, the Devil Forgemasters all of whom are away currently on missions and I won't know if and when they shall ever return. Frankly I do not think Dracula does either since he does not manage most of us, it is rather Death himself who became the prime managerial aspect of this great castle, our haven against God." "And what of the various species, of ghouls and lizards and minotaurs?" "All of them are essentially the same rank but they at least have some representatives amongst them, the strongest and smartest or at least the elders amongst them. You have the great beasts of classic lore such as Scylla, Medusa, the minotaurs, they tend to be rather middle-rank and then they command in turn those lower than them amongst their particular species or those closest as such. Every type of beast here is its own battalion rather and they are all trained uniquely by their own commanders so that when the time comes to fight altogether as one, they know how to work in harmony." "Hmph, so the creatures act on their own until their deployment. Yet I saw those in the armour being trained altogether." "Those are recruits being taught the very basics, once you get into the actual ranks you become part of your unit with fellow monsters of the same cloth. Certain monsters are ranked lower than others for reasons such as their magical constituency, their physical endurance, basically what can be denoted as the infantry as opposed to the heavy guard." "I noticed the lizardfolk who seemed rather displeased with their current status." "Ahhhh yes. Those are rather recent creatures, alchemy and such, they were very willing former humans when they first came so they were part of our experiments to make them more resistent, durable, more teeth I believe somebody once said. Humans are all very well and good but we have been wanting to test how far beyond the reaches of a mortal endurance we could achieve, some wanted to take the test and go the limit whereas others preferred to stay as they were. We never take anyone unwillingly." "I find it strange the master of darkness is so complacent." "Well he despises God but not Humanity. It was not humanity that robbed him of everything he ever loved once upon a time." "Loved?" "Let us not forget that every creature of darkness had once a small beginning of humble origins and soft emotions. There is no true evil that exists without some great influence from beyond." "Do you actually believe such hopeless twaddle?" "I KNOW so, my good sir. And I know also that these lizardfolk you want to assist, for whatever reason, are nothing more than dissidents trying to cause trouble within a wholesome uniquely balanced infrastructure, nothing more than anarchists. But I am also a businessman and so I must adhere to whatever needs that customers want. You desire the old hands of History don't you sir?" "Correct." "Well then I am willing to offer you such a thing for a price." "A price?" "I have to make coin somehow, my earnings don't come cheap good sir!" "Are you seriously proposing an offer mercantile within THIS place?" "Yes. I am, and if you have no gold then I have no time for you." "And just what will prevent you from being skewered by my blades so I can take what I need?" "Simple." He stood up and walked over towards a large gilded chest sitting in the corner glowing gently by itself with a small wistful green shimmer at his touch. Strangely, it had no keyhole nor even a latch to contain it shut. "See my inventory over here? Only I can open it by my touch, for it does not require a key as you can clearly see. Should my life force ever fade, it will be instantly locked and burned to a charred cinder by an activated spell, from a grimoire I have placed within its construct upon sensing my immediate death. If you or anyone in this castle tried to kill me then you will surely find Death coming down upon you too for this ALSO summons him with an alarm that only he can hear." "Hm...very well. I must admit, you are becoming quite the most irritatingly forward-thinking mortal I have known in quite some time." "Thaaaaaaank you!" said the librarian with fawning voice. "I'm so VERY happy to know this, now!" Slamming the chest open with a sweep of his hand he dug straight in to find just what he was looking for easily. The hands of an elderly human almost mirroring that of his own rather creepily, right down to the exact shade of skin colour even as the raptor almost forgot himself in trying to touch them before recoiling at the sudden sting of purity. "Nnngh yes...that is indeed-whose are they exactly?" "These my good sir are the hands of Alessio Falconieri, the humble mendicant of Florence who lived to the great age of a hundred-and-ten years when he passed away in 1310 A.D." "...that is quite an age for a human of that century, was he not one of the founders of the Servite Order?" "Indeed, became one of the leaders of his Republic and the son of a merchant prince but despite his wealth he turned away from it all and engaged in utmost humility amongst the ordinary people, living and caring for the communities he lived, never spending more than was entirely of need and never wasted on himself, by relying on donations from the charity of others to survive on. To the point that he would not even enter the priesthood despite their great admiration of him." "What a senseless waste, to be born into wealth and not even bother with its status. I would more understand that of being competitive and being the MOST successful, not the most humble by this flagrant...display of poverty." "Well regardless these are the hands of History that your uh 'friend' Karam wanted, do you have a means to carry them?" "I do. ROZALIA!"

Hearing her name the woman rushed forth with a panic in her breast, whimpering with her hand blocking her sight from the Scissoraptor as if fearful of being struck. The librarian beckoned her over cautiously, giving a sage look of empathy before saying: "Allow me and your um...madame to perform business of a human nature." The demon shrugged and rolled his eyes as the two whispered to each other slightly, her offering of gold and silver given to him by a small cupful of gil before he was satisfied handing over the remnants of Alessio. "Thank you very much my dear madamoiselle. I must say this IS rather interesting foreign currency I have never seen it before." "N-neither have I sir...um...th-thank you." "Nooo thank YOU my dear, this is fine silver indeed." "T-t-tell me...kind sir, is it good living here in this castle?" "Oh it is, so long as you have been banished from God's light and cast away from Him you are welcomed by all here, human you may be but I am most certain that you can live a good life here." "I...see." She looked away with powerful shame gingerly biting her lip as she placed the hands of the medicant into James' satchel. "Are you in servitude to this demon?" asked the librarian. "Only until his needs are...done of me." "Well when you are released from his servitude you come back to me, I will set you up with something, perhaps even become my assistant if need be." "Oh...th-th-thank you, um...wh-what is your name good sir?" "My name is-" "Enough of this, we have what we want, we are not to gossip." "Right," said the librarian, "my apologies. Is there anything else you would like to purchase?" "There is actually. Do you perhaps have the key to the catacombs, I need to collect something from within." "I do not no, BUT...I know who has it." "Tell me." "For a price." "GUH...UUUGH!" He palmed his face violently as if almost trying to claw the entire front skin clean off which caused a sweet giggling of silent joy from both the librarian and Rozalia more nervously. "Is it REALLY necessary to put a price on information?!" "Do you think us humans have gotten far without doing such?! I may not be able to conquer a thousand armies like you demons but I have a mind that can retain a thousand years of knowledge all of which shall be lost forever without me. I can make certain that the names of those who fought in great battles are never spoken again, can YOU claim to that?" "VERY much so." The demon strode forwards to grind his face against the librarian's calculating complexion. "I can erase their very souls from the ether of the spiritual plane." "But you cannot erase their existence. I however can, for I am a writer. I can sculpt history to my own design favouring others before the righteous, villifying heroes to be known as traitors by their own people, praising those who discover new worlds whilst omitting the bloodied slaves they have sold in order to reach such places. I can make the world believe that it was flat long after the Greeks had proven it was not, I can stupefy and astound the world with lies and ridicule that will become truth in textbook form, taught over the world in schools six hundred years from now. Do NOT...defy me." "Can you truly do all that with pathetic scripture?" "Information...is EVERYTHING good sir, and I am the very source of that information far more than this castle shall ever hold with any form that it takes, no matter who goes in or who leaves its pale walls, whether alive or dead. Now...would you like to make a purchase?" He strode back over towards his seat grinning with competence that further infuriated the demon. Two humans in a row he could not kill and his hands were suffocating in bristling fury before he swung his scissors. Hurling them into the ceiling, he then stomped over towards the fireplace and began ripping the wrought cage guarding in front of it. Screaming from within he bitterly forced the pure iron into itself until it was a bent and broken shape, crying out with quivering agony with the sound forcing Rozalia to cover her ears as the noise went scraping across her teeth. It soon snapped fully under the weight of his strength with just a few pieces falling out before eventually making his way over to the human female. He grabbed her hand by the wrist sharply before forcing it into the satchel, grabbing to scoop up a few gil as he hurled it at the librarian's face. The old man put his hand up almost instantly to grab the glistening silver within the air on reflex, without any harm onto himself. "Tell, me, NOW." "Very well, even though SOMEONE is rather stroppy-" "SHUT. UP and give me the FUCKING information." "Khhhhheh...verrrry well, Slogra holds the key, he is one of Death's subordinates, I believe I saw the two of them heading off towards the villa that is also within this castle's grounds." "What is in there?" "An art gallery, mostly it is a recreational home to recuperate and relax one with mental stimulating clarity, along with a nice ballroom and I do believe a sauna was recently added there over the past fifteen years." "Good, enjoy your silver and choke on it, I must-" "MISTER MISTER!" Slamming his feet down upon the steps of the librarian's room, a rather bloodied-looking undead human in green rags with gaunt cheeks appeared shouting: "THAT THING IS LOOSE AGAIN!" "WHAT!?" "TH-THE THING, THAT UH...GHOST THING!" "...Bertram, did you try to find and read Beowulf?" "Um..." He stuffed a finger into one of his ears which was constantly leaking brain fluid with a sickeningly moist sound that had Rozalia cringing as he asked: "C-could you uh...r-repeat that sir?" "DID YOU. TRY AND READ. BEOWULF?!" "Um...yes, I did." "OH...BLOODY HELL, I told you not to touch that book!" "I'M SORRY SIR, I FORGOT!" "UGH! Excuse me one moment would you?" With a huff and a stomp, the master of the library headed out of his room and across the halls of immense ancient literature to where the designated book was stored. Almost as if retaining eidetic memory, he travelled across the length of his realm with an automatic pathing as he swerved between bookcases and grand reliquaries of ancient manuscripts before finding a rather distasteful scene. To any regular mortal it was to be most terrifying but to the librarian who had everything he could ready it was nothing but an insane bewilderment. The epic poem of the Saxon tribes from an ancient manuscript had become possessed by a dark infernal mist as something screamed from within its old tattered parchments fluttering upon a nonexistent breeze. The monstrous literature had been cornered by other monsters of the castle who were trying to hold it at bay, a few zombies along with skeletons as well as Dullahan at the front of them all with swift rapier pointing up towards the enchanted prose. "Hey Scisso, ready to join the book club?!" "What is this?!" _ "It's Beowulf," said the librarian, "a grand poem of Old English literature written in the eighth centur-" **"I KNOW WHAT BEOWULF IS! I meant what is possessing it!"** "THAT my good sir is an ectoplasm, around level thirty-seven. We have been trying to deal with this little thing for a good while but as you can see it's terribly frustrating, always loves to possess certain manuscripts of a much more intrinsic value and-" **"I have dealt with enough possessed books to know how to deal with this, now stand aside."_** "W-w-wait, no STOP!"

Before anyone could prevent him the Scissoraptor went straight for the floating manuscript with blades out and ready with one single leap. But before he could even carve through the ancient poem there was a fiendish shriek deafening across the library as a solid force that repelled the raptor backwards with a tearing scream, rippling across his flesh as if something had sunk its teeth into his body entirely. The fiendish ectoplasm responded by slowly dripping through the pages of the epic poem with the raw sewage of the afterlife, trickling a reddish-purple foetid gunge onto the floor. "Thaaaat was a bad idea," said Dullahan softly. Slowly the Scissoraptor got up from the floor staggering as he felt a strange paralysing sluggishness of his arms as if the stare of Medusa was working its power upon him. He was not turning into stone but rather felt some sort of feebleness enter his claws struggling to hold onto his weapon, like an old aging hermit grasping onto his staff, the ectoplasm vomiting its effluence all the further out of the parchments. _ "Wh-what...what's...happening? Why can I not bring myself to fight?!" "Ohhhh you got cursed,"_ said the armoured unseelie chuckling, "Ahahahaaaaaa that's gotta hurt, you can't attack anything until it wears off." "WHAT?!" _ Try as he could, the demon could not even raise his own scissors for everytime he tried to attack there came an instant lethargic tension in his limbs that made him struggle to even lift his weapon. He knew he was not exhausted or poisoned but somehow, there was something actively resisting against his offensive capability. _ "THIS...G-GAAAAAAARGH!" "Don't worry it happens to the best of us, just steer clear of this thing for now an-GET BACK!" The sudden gush of spectral fluids came forth washing out across the floor as all the creatures moved out of the way including the two humans running to behind a large bookcase as a shield with Rozalia holding closely to the librarian safely. The Scissoraptor leapt onto a bookcase grappling with claws on the top shelf as the vile liquid suddenly began forming into a monstrous shape, the voice of ancient Saxon dialects rumbling with a bass depth that only Hell itself could ever create. "IN CAINES CYNNE, PONE CWEALM GEWRAEC-" "WH-WHAT IS THAT?!" cried Rozalia. "The first opponent," murmured the librarian before he commanded the monsters. "Alright then, you know the drill! Fight it back whilst I try to remember how to repel this blasted thing, it has three phases so be careful!" "ECE DRIHTEN, PAES PE HE ABEL SLOG!" As the ectoplasm managed to form into a sleek coherent shape, they watched its rippling musculature sinuous with its constantly slickening form of ghostly sputum all across itself. Two hulking limbs against one enormous torso towering at a height of twelve feet, with only one single leg the size of tree stump, it swung with claw-like fingers almost too disturbingly close to that of human fingers. The semblance of a head from the giant of legend could be seen pouring out of the manuscript, a faceless beast as it came down with hammering crunch upon one unfortunate zombie cracking his entire spine with a brittle yelp. The beast stepped forwards as the other skeletons tried to stab forwards with their spears or swords becoming more pests than anything else, whilst Dullahan was of more experienced tactics and braced himself to rush forth with rapier swift upon the wind. The Irish warrior of demonkin charged in with a stunning strength, despite his thin blade as he tore through the ectoplasm continuing to pour from the ancient manuscript. Slicing at the stump-like foot, it soon split apart to become two spindly legs as there came a roar of deep trembling anger of the many dozen spirits that had become one with the epic poem. Giant fists of mimicry dripped upon Dullahan's armour as he strafed to his left upon noticing the swing of its hand, streaking past where his head had once been before slicing upwards finely to sever through its entire hand by the wrist. Snarling with vile fury, the beast attacked by its other hand upon Dullahan as he slid back on his armoured feet, scraping perfectly across the library floor. During this entire fight, the Scissoraptor was struggling to force the urge to fight out of him, but the curse had perfectly contained any sense of violence to be acted upon. He could still think of wanting to kill something but the moment he raised his claws something would shut them down, an almost inescapable thought that aggressively counteracted everything even closely associated to fighting. "YOU! WORTHLESS-...A-A-AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" "HAVING TROUBLE?!" cried the librarian. "WHAT?!" "YOU'VE BEEN TOUCHED BY THE ECTOPLASM HAVEN'T YOU!? I HAVE A CURE FOR SUCH CURSES IF YOU NEED IT!" "GIVE IT TO ME!" "AH AH AAAAH, CROSS MY PALM WITH SILVER, I'M NOT RUNNING A CHARITY HERE!" "YOU-...GRNNNNRRRRAAAAGH! GIVE ME A CURE FOR THIS PATHETIC DISEASE OR ELSE I WILL-" "THE MORE YOU INSULT ME THE SLOWER I TAKE TO COUNT MY SILVER!" "FINE, PAY HIM!" "WHAT?!" cried Rozalia. "PAY HIM THE WRETCHED SILVER AND GET THIS CHARADE OVER WITH YOU STUPID FEMALE!" "...why SHOULD I?!" "WHAT!?" Realising his absolutely inability to harm her period, she took advantage of this with a surprising burst of confidence and brazen insult. "You could at LEAST be respectful to me when I'm actually assisting you, after you RUINED my life! I appreciate you giving me this mark so I can be protected amongst those here within those that God has discarded but if you just asked politely for once, or even went for two minutes without needlessly insulting me-" "IF YOU DO NOT GET ME THAT ANTIDOTE I WILL DRAG YOU BY THE FUCKING CUNT HAIRS TO THE VILLAGE MYSELF, AND WATCH THEM VIOLATE YOU AT THE STAKE UNTIL YOUR WOMB IS BUT A CHARRED BURNING HUSK NOW GIVE ME THE FUCKING ANTIDOTE!" She gently turned towards her fellow human on their safe spot standing behind a sturdy bookcase to avoid the chaos of the library corner before he gave a knowing sly wink. He pretended to take her money before giving a small green bottle over to Rozalia. But the demon swooped in to snatch it from her hands violently and chugged down without even thinking, panting as he waited for the effects to kick in as the librarian went back to reading his book casually perusing its contents as if there wasn't a chaotic brawl happening not more than thirty feet from him.

The battle raged on without him as the monster shifted into its second phase, wracked with intense pains running through its morbid existence as the spectral goo pulsated like a heart still beating with bloodied essence. A more lithe form of its previous gigantic state, the limbs became thinner as the legs twisted into fattening knots more sturdy at their base with a bloated gut and thickening upper chest before it roared once again. _ "OFERHYDA NE GYM, MAERE CEMPA!" "SHUT YER FECKIN' TRAP!"_ roared Dullahan. "WE'RE ALREADY PRETENTIOUS ENOUGH AS IT IS IN THIS PLACE, YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO BE A POSER YOU OLD ENGLISH BASTARD!" "NU IS PINES MAEGNES BLAED ANE HWILE!" _ Slashing with claws that ripped through the air, the manuscript's shadowed form struck as Dullahan dodged neatly with a ducking rush as two skeletons were helplessly smacked to the side clattering in a useless pile against the wall. The Gaelic fiend dodgerolled like a knight before tearing through the creature's ectoplasm around what would be the abdomen of any normal monster. Another reckless fist came down upon his head as he evaded with surprising speed, keeping himself firmly at his stance waiting for the next pounding fist to come down. The moment it slammed next to his dodging strafe, another fist came ruthless with hammering force shaking the entire room briefly as Dullahan jumped to keep his feet off the quaking floor before slashing hard at the sludge-festooned wrist. Keeping certain not to let any of it hit him fully, he managed to fully sever the entire hand as nothing more than a bloated quivering effluvial puddle splashing upon the ground as the ectoplasm struggled to reabsorb it back into itself. But the unseelie knight had other ideas. _"TAR CHUGAM, FEARG AR AN SPEIIIIIR!" From the midst of ether hailing from unknown parts, a dreaded storm could be heard from faraway upon everybody's senses, crackling with the sound and fury of Celtic thunder as there came a lightning strike upon his blade suddenly sparking it alight. The entire room began to glow with bright golden hues dappling upon the walls as Dullahan raised his rapier of unbridled storm-rippling electricity. The mortifying shape of ectoplasm charged against him unafraid before he bent down upon one knee with sword against his sheath like a samurai warrior. The moment it came within range he struck out towards the towering grotesque with a beaming slash of thunder in pure energy form, severing completely through the stomach of putrid soul sputum as it howled with anguish from the burning electric aftershock. The zombies that were still able to fight charged ahead to try and take down the remaining parts of the monstrous legs stumbling forwards to fall and twitch in feverish spasms of morbidness. But it soon absorbed itself back into its shape once again and came through as something more ferocious, curling its raw sewage shape into a tumorous lumpen form that showed screaming faces as if trapped inside a balloon, shrieking with eternal agony. Before any of them could react, it began to sprout wings and grow thickened legs with claws the length of a human child's body, suddenly transforming to grow stately above them to an indominating strength of at least twenty feet. Everyone knew the shape of a dragon, but it was not just any dragon. It was THE dragon of Beowulf's legend now reborn in the ectoplasm's form with long serpentine neck and face, a powerful belly burning forcefully with the strength of fire in its heart and death piercing from its newly formed eyes black as the souls of those who faced it. The voice it spoke was sculpted from the nightmares of children. "BEALO-CWEALM HAFAO...FELA FEORH-CYNNA, FEORR ONSENDED!" Dullahan was not afraid, simply bracing himself to charge into the frenzy with a powerful blade now steeped in rich lightning, which in turn antagonised the Scissoraptor immensely to not be engaged in combat as he struggled and ranted furiously from the sidelines of the ensuing melee. He frantically raised scissors but still the curse afflicted him whilst the librarian still kept reading through the various texts. "WHY IS THIS NOT WORKING!?!?" "OOPS, silly meeeee!" said the librarian smugly. "I accidentally gave you the paralysis cure, the UNcurse I have here." "ARE YOU SERIOUS!?! I WILL NOT BE MADE A MOCKERY! GIVE IT TO MEEEE!" "Ah-ah-ah, silver firrrrrst." "WHAT?! YOU-I-GRRGH...GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" He struggled to grab at the librarian but again the curse was unflinchingly effective in preventing even the slightest act of any violence upon any creature. His hands spasmed violently as if about to suffer a fatal stroke, stomping and screaming with sheer frustration to the sky itself as Rozalia struggled not to laugh at this satisfying result, which in turn helped distract her from the horrifying vision of the great classical dragon of old European lore. Eventually the librarian found the right page and asked: "I need some pure iron and fennel, my dear." "Yes?" asked Rozalia. "Whilst your...'master' is busy having a tantrum, could you go to my room and find two things? Something made of pure iron, it can be anything, and also at least one fennel plant, they should be in my inventory." "Um...wh-what is fennel?" "This." He showed a page in his book with a coloured diagram of a plant having a white onion-like base and several stalks of thick green shooting out from the top of it as she understood. "Alright, um...I-I will do just that." "Hurry now, we can't contain this thing any longer!" She ran straight back through the bookcases as the librarian decided it was best to have some additional help, handing over the white bottle of uncurse potion to the Scissoraptor who was busily slamming his head onto the bookcases with a tension in his neck. "Your servant paid me, now drink up and fight this bastard!" "FINALLY!"

Snatching it out of his hand painfully fast he gulped it down and felt the effects of the rancorous curse of pacifism seep through out of his body as a purifying sense came to him. It stung bitterly like medicine should but he simply savoured more the sensation to kill, to ravage, to pillage and to murder wantonly as he wielded his sharp blades charging into action. Dullahan was on his knees staggering from a mighty blow that had knocked him fierce, the sweeping wings pummelling the very air around him to create a gustful deep pressurised atmosphere that made it difficult to even stand within. He was perfectly a sitting duck for the reckless flames bellowing out from the mimicking ectoplasm's throat, a belching force of a thick gaseous burning sulphur that poured straight out towards the Celtic knight. Burning all around him as the smouldering raw flames began to bristle past his sleeves, a dark reptilian shadow stood before him defiantly forcing the flames to spread around Dullahan without even touching his armour by a single scorching flicker. And it was in that moment that the shadow soon rushed forwards to carve the dragon's breath in two upon reaching at its snout with one ruthless carving chop of the first ten inches of its mouth. "NOW you are far beyond death you WORTHLESS MIMIC!" Hot screams of frenzy came from the dragon shape as it streaked its claws across the demon's vision, the Scissoraptor whirled his weapon towards the head as it sliced powerfully in twain, splitting apart the false creature's head. There came a slathering mess of spewing ectoplasm entirely down its throat and neck, gargling a gasping roar as fire burst forth into a fountain of molten death spraying all over itself, with unpredictable measurement as Dullahan kept swiftly away trying to warn Scisso. "GET AWAY, IT CAN'T CONTROL ITSELF!" "THEN NEITHER CAN I!" _ With boast of insanity his scissors came fiercely back into his hand faithfully before rushing forth to carve every single leg apart on the dragon, ruthless with sudden speed teleporting from each foot to the other by a flash of darkness until it was reduced to nothing but an amputated remnant of its former self. Roaring with a shrieking agony, its severed limbs began rolling off as blood the colour of sewage began pouring out from its ectoplasm body before it began to fall. Stumbling to become a torso with severed head, the beast screamed to try and start a fire once more but it was soon stopped by a voice from much farther back behind the remaining monsters. "MAY YOU BE CONSUMED AS COAL UPON THE HEARTH!" The librarian stood firmly before them as he stepped into the large corner of the room. "MAY YOU SHRINK AS DUNG UPON A WALL, AND MAY YOU DRY UP AS WATER IN A PAIL!" Holding a small seven-inch length of the iron fireplace guard the Scissoraptor had broken, now wreathed in fennel, the monstrous pale form of ectoplasm desperately began crawling back with a sudden fearfulness in its trembling lack of shape, the carcass of a dragon slowly melting before them. And all the while the librarian stood forth, with lump of pure iron in the air and the shining purity of a fennel plant wrapped around it shaking with severity like it was burning incense. "MAY YOU BECOME AS SMALL AS A LINSEED GRAIN, AND MUCH SMALLER THAN THE HIPBONE OF AN ITCHMITE, AND MAY YOU BECOME _SO SMALL THAT YOU BECOME...NOTHING!" The final utterance of his hex forced the cowering weakened beast into its manuscript now nothing more than the souls of many become the sludged ether of the farplane as it crawled into its possessive text. With battle soon ceased, the epic poem of the Old English language was made completely inert and once its entirety of ectoplasm had receded back inside its words forming part of the ink down to every curve and accent, the pages began fluttering down onto the floor as but one solid mass like feathered clumps. The remnants of the defending force included three zombies along with Dullahan who simply backpatted his troops and gave the issuing orders. "Could do better next time but it could have been worse so great job lads! Just keep sharpening your blades and maybe next time we won't lose any, go pick up your friends and we'll uh...see if we can do anything to revive 'em." The small unit nodded with understanding and dutifully began to pick up the bones and crushed limbs of their companions with a disturbing humdrum sensibility as if they had lost a tennis match. Rozalia watched confused as she let them pass uneasy around the non-human and even those that were formerly whilst Dullahan backpatted the Scissoraptor gladly almost beaming from his body language. "Thanks for not letting me get burned to a husk." "You were simply in the way," _ said the demon, _ "I needed to carve through its flames before I could even get close enough to its throat without being spotted as you well know." "Ahhh of course, the ol' hiding in the fire of the dragon trick, yes that one clearly. Heh...well you fought pretty good at the end there, are you sure you won't reconsider being part of us?" "I will not." "Then it's been great knowing you Scisso. I hope we meet in more pleasant circumstances." "I would also appreciate this...Gan Ceann." _ The two shook hands formally as the demon sheathed his blades and walked out of the library, taking Rozalia along with him but not before she thanked the librarian for his patronage and kind solemn advice from unseen quarters. "Um...th-th-thank you, once again and I am s-sorry for-" "Do not apologise for him," said the wise human, "you should never apologise on behalf of others who are not indebted to you." "Yes...I wish...I wish I had understood that many years ago." "Pardon?" "N-nothing...I must go, thank you again for the...advice and I hope that-" **"ROZALIA, COME HERE!"_** "I have to go!" Rushing off back towards the demon's side, she felt more relieved after seeing her captor having been taken down a few notches, but said nothing with a frenzied sense of anxiety cautiously eating within her as the monster said nothing also. He made his way down to the ground floor once again before reaching the resplendent villa, far to the north edges of the blasphemous castle.