Rise of Tempest Merlin

Chapter 21

The night always smells different than the day, even in the middle of the city. It has a rainy smell to it, very similar to the winter. The day is dry and arid like mild spice. Volga realised that she was no longer in the memory of the poltergeist. That meant that allowing to see the memory of the poltergeist she had actually levelled up in the game somehow and now she was in a different level altogether.

A semi-loud thunk came from behind her as she headed to the door. She paused as her heart-rate tripled. A tall man quickly grabbed her from behind, causing her to drop her keys and bag. He clamped a hand down on her mouth, keeping her from screaming.. As much as she struggled, his arm holding her were like iron. A wide grin appeared on the man's face as he bent down and whispered in her ear, "I finally found you." His voice was venomous and full of arrogance, causing a cringe to overcome her. He quickly spun her around. Overwhelming fear was painfully obvious on her face as he spoke, "What has become of you, my b****y Nesihmus? Why have you allowed yourself to become nothing but another sheep?" She didn't respond as her eyes filled with salty tears. She struggled again as he drew her in closer. He wrapped his arms around her waist and waved his right hand over her eyes. Her eyelids began to feel as heavy as bricks and as much as she struggled to keep them open, she could not. She fell limp in his arms and he lifted her. He carried her down the stairs.

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She awoke in a strange room. Her mouth had the cottony feeling of having slept for a while. She was wearing the same thing as before. She looked around, soaking up the amazing room she was in. She was on cotton dirt-brown and beige comforters. She realized that much of the room was the same color scheme. The upper halves of the walls were beige and the lower halves was the darker brown. There were two surveillance cameras in the corners of the room. There was a bed and one set of person size windows with beige drapes.

She didn't get much time to look as the man who had kidnapped her walked in. He had a tray in hand and looked astronomically different from the last time she had seen him. It had been too dark to get a good look at him when he kidnapped her. He set the tray upon the bed and stood to analyze her with his maroon eyes. She got squeamish under his stare, shuffling a few times and making sure her skirt covered her a*s. Violent thoughts like 'Why the hell are you staring at me?' and 'What the hell do you want?' crossed her mind as she avoided looking at his face. She did, however, look at his odd clothing. He wore a suit and slack set with coattails. The loafers were glossy and the same midnight-sky black as the suit. The cuffs were diamonds in silver from what she could tell. His collar was a gray bundle of silk she could only describe as puffy. His arms were crossed in an annoyed expression as he sized her up. She finally got brave enough to look at his face. He had sharp angular features with a long thin nose and small eyes. His hair caught her off guard, it was a black mess on top of his head, not matching his pristine clothing.

She got off the bed, standing before him. It made her realize how tall he was towering over her. His expression was passionately angry, though his body language was annoyed.

He said finally, "You disappoint me again, Nesihmus. You have become abhorrently human."

She, deciding she didn't like him, said impatiently "You say that like it's a bad thing. My name is Volga, so stop calling whatever that weird name is."

His expression changed to flaring anger as did his pose, "You should learn respect for your superiors, b***h. Nesihmus is your real name, regardless of what the sheep call you."

"I don't even know who you are. What do you want with me, anyway?" with those words he grabbed her hair and made her to face him.

She yelped as tendrils of pain shot to her temples. He said with poison in his voice, "Your naivety is angering, Nesihmus. You truly do not remember anything, do you?" He continued to insult her as he dragged her to the only door in the room, "I intend to t*****e into remembering the monster you were. I will break the seal holding the other you inside. Unfortunately for you, that means I get to be exceptionally cruel."

As he moved through the door into a new room, he tossed her onto the floor. She landed so hard, it bruised her knees and ripped a clump of hair from her head. She winced from the pain as tears flooded her eyes. Once the blur of the floor became white tile, she stood. The man was to her right beside a room with a single door and glass window. He had a wide grin and what looked like an elaborate sword in his hands. All around her were eight floor to ceiling gates. The sounds coming from behind those gates made fear cramp her empty stomach and her hairs stand on end. He said "Let's play a game. Prove that you still have a killer in you or die. Defend yourself or they'll eat you alive." He threw the blade to her feet. She gingerly picked it up and analyzed it. It had a curved outline and a thin evenly-weighted blade. It had a grip with a curved hilt like a rapier. The butt under the handle had strange symbols engraved in the dark metal. It was a s******c weapon, sharp as hell with spikes on both sides of the metal. She didn't get long before the red-eyed man entered the glass room. She tensed and put the sword before her.

She heard a click and a long buzz as the gates started to open. Tears ran down her face and snot began to clog her nose as she saw the first of the monsters. They were large humanoids with mottled grayish skin. Their skin was pulled against their bones and claws protruded from their fingers. The skulls were more animalistic, with large round red eyes and no lips, revealing long sharp teeth. They moved out warily and hesitantly, revealing some presence of intelligence until they realized she was there. Her heart rate was inhumanly fast and she was breathing heavy. She counted eight of them in the room with her. They circled her like hungry lions snapping and getting ever closer.

After a few seconds, the first one lunged with claws forward. She used the flat edge of her sword to push it back while one behind her dug its claws into the top of her shoulder. She shook it off and elbowed it back. Pain shot through her arm as she sank her blade into one's fleshy stomach. Blood flooded out as she pulled out the sword, tearing flesh open. Another clamped on to her shoulder, ragged teeth tearing at muscle. Tears flowed down her face as pain flooded her brain. She felt another clamp onto her side and yet another bite onto her forearm. The pain was excruciating as they chewed on her flesh. A flash of anger struck her, widening her eyes and giving her murderous resolve. She pushed out, slashing the one on her neck. It flew back in two pieces. She flipped the sword in her hand, plunging it into the one on her side. The thing died as the sharp blade crushed ribs and punctured organs. She slid the blade out of it and flipped it to face her. She pushed the blade into the spinal column of the one on her forearm killing it instantly.

The last four circled her. Her body shook with anger and shock. Pain wracked her innards and black spots threatened her vision. She knew she was running on survival instinct and adrenaline alone. She looked at the smug expression of the man behind the glass and another wave of destructive fury ran through her. She went on the offensive. She charged the one in front of her, cleaving into it's ribs. She had enough strength to push the blade into lung, killing it. She pulled the blade out, spraying everything in blood. The one on her right was on top of her before she could ready her blade. It gouged her cheek, cramming sharp claws into her face. She cut off its forearm as she screamed. In a fit of rage, she put the sword in the thing's skull. It flopped to the ground as she claimed the blade again. She turned to face the other two. The last two charged her at the same time and she cleaved them in two. After they fell, so did she.

She landed on her knees, using the all too familiar sword to prop herself up. A loud buzz sounded and the gates closed. She counted the damage. She had deep ragged gouges in her neck, hip and forearm, two holes in her shoulder and a hole in her cheek. Her clothes were shredded, revealing most of her legs and lower torso. She felt ice cold as the red-eyed man approached her. He knelt down and grasped her chin. He said, "Nothing compared to your usual. You will die if I don't heal you." She barely heard him, let alone could respond. He held her and took the sword from her. He picked her up and took her to the room. She was gone before he even set her on the bed. He bit his tongue and licked all of her wounds. Vampire blood seeped into the mars on her flesh, stitching muscle and skin back together. He looked at her adoringly as he finished, remorse striking him. He shook his head and anger reclaimed his expression. He whispered as though to himself, "A part of me wishes it could remain this way," as he left the room.

Volga checked out her wounds and then found that she had been completely healed but her weapon had been taken away from her and that itself made her feel n***d. Volga was never too big on weapons because she always wanted to tap into the minds and spirits of the souls who could not tell what was wrong. But here she had nothing to help her with.

And the man was calling her by a strange name which made her feel that there might something about the person behind this with a story to tell and she would have to come to know that.