Hadrian expected vitriol and arrogance from vampires. He expected cowardice, cruelty, blood-craze and merciless slaughter. He'd seen it, he'd heard of it, it was near par for the course when it came to the monsters.
But even so, the raw hatred the vampire before him spew in response caught him by surprise. Her eyes burned with rage, each word practically spat at him as what anger they held was kept from fully being unleashed - was it his insinuation that he would cleave his way out of this hellhouse? No, that didn't seem right... Her second sentence, though, drew him back into what was said.
"
Centuries dead- That can't be-
" He muttered, cutting himself off as he glared at the vampire - readying himself to call her out for such drivel and lies. Only... He stopped, everything that he had seen coming to him at once. So many people enslaved, the numerous vampires, a flicker of familiarity to the figure before him. But one thing stood out more than the others - the cold pain in his chest, the cruel eyes that watched him breathe his last, the world going dark as his body collapsed into a backdrop of snow...
His empty hand rose to his chest, gripping his shirt where he knew the scar lay underneath.
He... Had died that day, hadn't he? How long... How long had it been? Truly, had it been centuries...?
Hadrian's expression shifted repeatedly in a few seconds, his emotions flickering - the look of realization, horror, grief, pain, anger... But unable to settle. His eyes, having slipped from his opponent for a moment as he tried to take in what he was starting to realize, flickered back to her sharply - his mouth opening to ask something else - but he stopped himself once it was clear they were no longer alone in this hall.
Numerous vampires dressed in finery had emerged from multiple directions, many of them dragging chained and nearly nude people - haggard, scarred people with looks of suffering in their eyes. Slaves. The knight could not help but take in the
I am Inferi.
07-Oct-2019 21:47:40