RP:Deus In Absentia

From HollowWiki

Part of the The Whisperer In Darkness Arc


Summary: After her kidnapping at Lanara's birthday party, Khitti's brought to Berendebyrg where she finds out that she's about to get exactly what she wished for.

A Seemingly Inhabited Farmhouse, Berendebyrg, Venturil

You know how they say that history always repeats itself? It does. For one person in particular, however, the repeat isn’t pleasant.

“Well, it’s nice of you to finally join us, Khitti.”

The world was darkness, as it always was when Khitti was captured. Her body ached in places that she didn’t even know -could- hurt--and that’s saying something because she’s experienced childbirth. There’d been a strange sort of familiarity about that darkness as she was taken far away from the carnival. As if she’d been there before. It felt like the Shadow Plane. Maybe it was. It didn’t matter.

But now? Now, it was different.

“Amos, be a dear and help her onto the table.”

Amos was not a dear and he did not nicely help Khitti onto the metal table. It felt more like he body-slammed her onto it. Khitti couldn’t form words just yet to greet the person that sounded like Gabriel, though she couldn’t quite see him. Instead, he was gifted with a bit of groaning and a lot of coughing as she tried to get air back into her lungs.

“Come now. It’s not that bad. I think you’ve only a few broken ribs. Maybe a bruise or two? You’ll be fine. For now,” came Gabriel’s voice again.

Green eyes finally opened and settled on the tall male with the dirty blonde hair. She might’ve found Gabriel rather attractive if it wasn’t for the fact that he was one of the most vile creatures in the land (and also a lizard in disguise). No amount of illusion magic could hide his true self, beyond the layers of seemingly human flesh, and below Loorkah’s scaly exterior. His true self was a dark, greedy thing, cut off from the Preklek realm long ago and forced to adapt to his new surroundings. He did, of course, just not in the way most would’ve wanted.

“I thought you left,” Khitti replied. She’d been half hopeful, half not. He’d promised her dark magic and she’d floundered

“What? Me? Leave? Oh no. I’ve been here for a very long time. I won’t be leaving.” Gabriel’s words were strange, the way he phrased them. But, right now? Khitti wasn’t really focusing on that at all. She was more focused on the fact that Amos was hovering over her, one rather large arm holding her down by her abdomen while the other hand reached over to her nose.

“You remember this, don’t you?” The smell of that ever familiar putrid blood and herbal concoction from days gone by returned to her as a goblet was held near her face. “This is much better, much more potent than what you had a taste of in Aedrebyrg.”

Squeaks and scampering were heard as the “drink” was held to Khitti’s mouth, those rats that’d helped spread some of Gabriel’s plagues making themselves known. “Drink it.”

Khitti did her best to avoid it, but Amos’ other arm was already reaching to her face, its hand moving to pinch the templar’s nose. This wouldn’t have been a problem if she were still a vampire. Sigh. She did her best, but her best was not enough, as the black liquid was poured down her throat and she was left to cough and sputter in an attempt to not drown in it.

“When you’re finished, Amos is going to let you up and you’re going to go upstairs and change. We have guests coming. Your room is upstairs, on the left.” Gabriel was so nonchalant, as if Khitti’d been here all along, as if she were more than a “guest” in this house.

“Yeah. I’m gonna have to say ‘Frak that’ to whatever the hell you’ve got planned, “ Khitti said finally as the choking subsided. Despite this bit of backtalk, Amos did let her sit up, and she slid off the table, feet planting themselves on the floor in front of Gabriel.

“I think that you’ll find that you’re not in a position to argue, ma chère. That’s what he called you… wasn’t it? I admire him, and yet I have done what he could not,” Gabriel said as he stepped closer to Khitti, nearly pinning her between. The talk of Facilier and the closing in on her was enough to lower Khitti’s guard--just long enough for Gabriel to pull the soul-draining dagger from its place beneath his coat and stab Khitti in her side, the blade slipping between two already painful ribs.

Khitti let out a gasp, much like the one that’d been the result of being slammed onto the table. No sooner was she able to comprehend that she was, in fact, bleeding out now, but also… the dagger was glowing. While for other victims, their souls glowed blue or green and even the rare yellow, Khitti’s was a fiery red, made so by the holy magic that coursed through her form. As the blade was pulled free, so too was there a string of that red energy as it was absorbed into the dagger.

“I won’t take much. Not yet. But, you need to be a little more… pliable. This one, though,” Gabriel said as the blade was embedded into Khitti’s flesh again, “This one’s for being a goddamned pain in my ass.”

The blood would flow and the wound not tended to, but likewise, Khitti didn’t die. She wouldn’t. She knew that. The mind flayer’s blood she drank would see to that.

Some Time Later

The blood would eventually clot and other wounds would be added over a few days. Little by little, Gabriel would take her soul from her, leaving her no more than a puppet.

A glass was raised, and the dinner guests hushed as a knife was brought to tap against it. “Attention! Attention, please.” There’d been no need for it. No one had been talking. No one had talked in this house in some time. Gabriel put on the most pleasant smile he could muster, but it wasn’t hard because he was indeed happy! “I’d like to make you all aware that in just a few short days, you and everyone in the village will be invited to a wedding! Our wedding!”

Khitti sat there beside Gabriel, at the head of the table, staring out at those gathered. They’d begun to smell. Rot. Fester. The rats loved it and Khitti was made to love it too. At the mention of the wedding, a smile was made to adorn her face, but there was no light in her eyes. How much had he taken? How much was left? Had she ever felt this empty before? Somewhere, deep down inside, in whatever part of Khitti that was left begged for that eternal darkness that she’d visited once before. Somehow, the void was more comforting than this.

“I think there may be a few more uninvited guests, but nevertheless, the show will go on!”

How had Gabriel gotten so powerful? Was it the souls? No, no. It was something else.

“I think they’re very happy for us, dear,” Gabriel said, giving Khitti’s nose a light, affectionate tap. “But now that that’s finished, I’m starving. Shall we eat?”

But… Khitti did not eat. Instead, she stared at the corpse across from her, at the other end of the table as Gabriel brushed her hair aside and sank fangs into her throat.

It seemed like he did, anyway.

That corpse though. It stared at her with empty eye sockets and a fleshless face. It seemed as though it had a snout, its face slightly elongated. Not quite like a feline’s, but more like a lizard.

A lizard.

A Preklek.

The greyish skin complexion matched that of Gabriel’s, from when she’d seen it briefly on that island off of Chartsend, when his illusion had failed him. Olive-green eyes widened slowly in realization, and soon fear, before shifting towards “Gabriel”. What stood in his place was now a mind flayer, a vampire with a tentacle latched to her throat. Khitti screamed, but it was soon silenced by that dagger of his, the blade digging into her shoulder, absorbing more of what was left of her soul. As she quieted, the mind flayer’s voice flickered through her mind and Khitti tried so hard to wall up what was left of her inside her mind.

“This is what you asked for, you know. You have so much more potential than Gabriel had. I can see why you were chosen so very long ago. I’d heard whispers… rumors… Things floating in from the Shadow Plane.” He paused in his thoughts, though not in his feast upon her neck. “But first… we must break you. First, you must return to that realm of darkness you so craved.”

Khitti’s blood poured from her shoulder. It dripped down her arm and onto the floorboards. In between the planks, the drops fell, pooling in the basement below.