The basement had been far further down than he had expected. By the third flight of stairs he had even started questioning how deep the building went into the earth. Just when he had accepted that another flight most likely awaited him did it finally end.

  A long dark corridor stretching into the distance lay ahead of him as he followed Bernard. Animalistic noises echoed from behind the reinforced steel doors that dotted the walls of the corridor. The very of thought of what might lie in wait behind those doors made his skin crawl.

  "We're here," Bernard said as they reached the end of the corridor.

  There was one last door left and it looked to be in far worse condition than the rest. The steel was rusting around the hinges and the surface was covered in dark stains reminiscent of handprints. One whiff of the air confirmed that the stains were old blood that had long since dried out.

  "There's just no way I'm going in there," he declared as his anxiety redoubled.

  Unlike the rest of the doors he heard no sound coming from the other side. Meaning that Bernard either planned to lock him in there or that whatever was hiding inside was quiet enough to avoid his overly acute senses. One way or the other it didn't bode well for him.

  "Do not worry, Ken, what awaits us behind those doors is of no danger to us," Bernard said slowly and calmly, "We only trapped it here so that it wouldn't bring harm to the general populace."

  Bernard grabbed the massive handle on the front of the door and pulled it open with one swift motion. The door slowly swung open as the rusty hinges creaked menacingly. Beyond the threshold was a small featureless concrete box of a room absent of any furnishing. All he could hear inside the room was an ever so quiet noise somewhat reminiscent of a dripping faucet.

  The moment Bernard stepped across the threshold something within started to move. It was incredibly fast and the jiggling jelly like sounds revealed its gelationous nature. What could only be described as a large mound of coagulated blood slithered past Bernard and came straight for him. He tried to take a step back only to realize it wasn't crossing the threshold.

  "What the hell is that thing!?" he exclaimed as he watched out for any possible sign of aggression.

  "It's a blood amalgamation, and a near sapient one at that," Bernard told him before throwing a small pebble towards it, "They're like elementals, but unlike elementals they're usually made up of human parts."

  It quickly extended and whipped a thin long tendril at the approaching pebble. Splitting it long before it could make contact with its viscous body. The entire defensive action had taken less than a split second. Its quick reactions and astonishing speed were far greater than his own. Combined with its off-putting appearance it was an altogether terrifying sight to behold.

  "Why did you bring me here?"

  Bernard chuckled before motioning towards him, "Because it kept asking for you and such individuality is a very rare quality in creatures like these."

  As soon as Bernard had pointed his hand towards him it had started slithering across the threshold only to stop a few inches from the tips of his shoes. The entire mass undulated with what could only be excitement as it sat there on the ground in front of him. If it had held any aggression towards him it could have split him as easily as that pebble, but for some reason it seemed content with just being in his presence.

  It made a strange warbling noise before slowly extending a crimson tendril towards him. Was it trying to communicate with him? Slowly he reached out with one hand only for the tendril to gently wrap around it. The tendril was warm and slimy, but its gentle touch didn't feel uncomfortable whatsoever to him.

  "You wanted to see me did you?" he asked it carefully as he got down on one knee to observe it more closely.

  "Queen's gambit?" echoed out from deep within the mass in a low warbling tone.

  His eyes went wide as the tendril crawled further up his arm, "Mary?! Is that you in there?"

  He could feel tears forming at the edges of his eyes. Was she still there dwelling inside of an animate mass of coagulated blood or did it just think that it was her? Had it just copied her last memories before trying to seek him out and make contact or was it a like a ghost trying to deal with its unfinished business? A sharp pain spread through his chest as the guilt was reignited all at once.

  "Mary?" it repeated with puzzlement in its tone as it started slithering up his knee.

  Had he cursed her with that state? To be unable to remember who she truly was whilst drifting about trapped within a mass of animate blood and gore. Was it all his fault? Having not just taken her life, but also condemned her to some sort of cursed existence trapped within some sort of fugue state.

  "Was that her name?" Bernard asked him, "Was she the one that completed your transfiguration?

  "My what?"

  Bernard cleared his throat before explaining himself further, "Your first victim, the one that made you realize your true nature."

  "Yes, yes she was," he said tearfully as he struggled to even find the words within his mind.

  "Do you still care for her?"

  Thinking back to their long conversation before the night had turned into a complete nightmare was one of the fondest memories he had. Never before had speaking to someone felt so natural despite the awkwardness. In fact that shared awkwardness had been what made him fancy her and had been what inflamed his lust before that very lust also forced him to devour her. Was it just his lot in life to avoid any and all romantic connections for fear of his nature driving him to feed on those he cared for?

  The mound before him slowly shifted into a twisted reflection of Mary before his very eyes. No detail was exactly right, but it still somewhat looked like she had just before she had taken her last breath. Except for the fact it was still formed from that gelatinous coagulated mass of crimson.

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  "Ken, why sad?" it whispered to him as it tried to caress his cheek with one misshapen bloody hand, "Me wrong some way?"

  "I killed you!" he cried out as his tears fell like tiny droplets of rain, "I was so hungry and I just kept devouring you until the light left your eyes!"

  Bernard sighed deeply before taking a step closer and placing one hand on his shoulder, "It's not your fault, Ken, what's done is done."

  Mary's fascimile collapsed into a mound of blood once more and wrapped itself around his entire body leaving only his face exposed. Bernard let out a painful grunt as he pulled his hand back, but it had been too late. Most of the fingers were missing and his skin had been flayed all the way up to the forearm.

  "My mistake for touching him I suppose," Bernard chuckled as the skin slowly regrew an inch at a time, "Not one to let others take your prize away from you?"

  "Why isn't she hurting me?" he asked him quietly so as to not agitate it any further.

  "Well it appears she's quite attached to you and it seems she also doesn't like the idea of anyone else so much as touching you."

  Did she not blame him for what he had done to her? Had she ended up fancying him as much as he had fancied her? Her gelatinous body felt almost like a warm albeit sticky blanket now that it was wrapped around him so tightly. He wanted nothing more than for it to truly be her and that he could take her with him so she wouldn't have to be alone. Saving her from imprisonment within a concrete box wasn't nearly enough, but he had to do that and so much more if he ever wanted to be rid of the guilt.

  "Mine, only mine," the mass repeated to itself as it extended another long tendril ready to lash out at Bernard if he didn't step back.

  "If you're willing to bind her she won't have to worry about someone taking you away from her," Bernard said as he slowly stepped back, "But it'll mean being responsible for her future actions."

  "Just tell me how and I'll do it right now!"

  If he could get her out of there then he had to do it. He had to save her no matter what and if binding her or whatever was the only way then so be it. Everything had been taken from her, but now there was finally a way for him to make things right once and for all. Only when the day came that she would truly forgive him for his transgressions would he be able to rest.

  "You need to open the vein and let her in..."

  That was all he needed to hear to make up his mind. His nails pushed past the barrier that was her gelatinous form and tore into the flesh of his arm. He raked the nails across the length of the arm while gritting his teeth in pain. Warm blood dripped from the punctured veins exposed by the his torn skin.

  "I'll take you away from here because I won't let you suffer all alone," he screamed as he struggled against the pain, "All you need to do is dwell inside me and you'll never be alone again!"

  There was some hesitation at first, but shortly after it had fully processed his words it began slithering into the wound. It was unbearably painful as it entered his circulatory system. His entire body felt like it was tearing apart from the inside. But soul rending pain meant nothing if he could find a way to save her from that cursed state she found herself in. He had experienced plenty of pain in his life and this would end up being no more than another painful memory once it was over.

  "Is it over?" he asked Bernard as the pain finally started receding.

  "Didn't think you would just do it without a second thought, but you've certainly got character, kid."

  "Is it done?" he hissed as he threw Bernard a withering glare.

  "Oh yeah, it's done alright."

  He could feel something moving inside of his veins. Mary's presence within him became readily apparent with his every heartbeat. It was a strange and somewhat uncomfortable sensation but he'd most likely end up becoming accustomed to it with time. A small price to pay for a chance to make things right in the end.

  Loud footsteps echoed out from the other end of the corridor. Then everything went quiet for one moment before a gust of wind came rushing towards him. He had closed his eyes on instinct and when he opened them he saw a woman standing in front of Bernard.

  "There's been a problem and it seems that mage you like is currently chasing after an aggressive ghoul," she said to Bernard as she hurriedly explained the situation.

  "This is quite problematic," Bernard muttered to himself before looking over at him, "Ken, could you go and make sure Harry doesn't end up getting himself killed."

  His body had started moving the second the words had left Bernard's mouth. Harry was a good guy albeit eccentric guy and if he was in danger then he had to save him. The air rushed past him as he ran down the corridor in the blink of an eye. Many flights of stairs passed him by in an instant to the sound of his thunderous footsteps.

  He had caught a whiff from the soda can earlier and his mind instantly picked out Harry's scent among the countless traces of different smells in the air. Like a bloodhound he chased after the one that belonged to Harry, and the moment he stepped out of the building he immediately caught is voice coming from a nearby alleyway.

  "A very pissed off vampire."

  That was Harry's voice alright. He rushed into the alleyway and saw a large pallid grey thing with glowing eyes lunging towards Harry with its wicked talons. His body burst into motion and in the blink of an eye his fist collided with its side sending it hurtling towards a nearby dumpster.

  The side of the dumpster collapsed in on itself as the large body collided with the metal. As he sprinted towards it he began raising his leg and delivered a powerful kick to its head that finally made the metal give out. Its head was driven right through the dumpster, but his instincts wouldn't let him stop until it was well and truly over. A cornered animal was the most dangerous after all.

  A pressure spread throughout his fingers as his nails doubled in length and he raked them across the length of its body. Cold black blood sprayed all over him as he jumped back from the thing. Its flesh was already knitting itself back together, but something inside him told him that he had the upper hand.

  "Filthy chimera!" it howled as it tore itself loose from the dumpster and pounced towards him.

  He dropped low and raked his claws across its stomach as it flew past him. Never before had he been in a fight, but every movement came to him naturally. It was like his body was purpose built for hunting and combat. The mark of a true apex predator.

  With a quick step to the side he narrowly avoid its claws as it lunged at him once more, and with inhuman precision he struck at its joints with his claws. His body was telling him to weaken it and not risk any danger to himself by going in for the kill. And like a slave to his nature he followed every instinct coming from his altered brain.

  "Get away from me!" it screamed as he threw himself at it and restrained its arms with a grip like iron.

  He hissed as he unhinged his jaw and sank his fangs into its neck. Not to feed, but to weaken. His teeth tour out large bloody chunks of its neck before it finally managed to throw him off. Almost weightlessly he sailed through the air before his body struck something hard and came to a full stop.

  The large metallic creak told him that whatever he had just hit had simply folded around his body, but his aching bones told him he hadn't made it out completely unscathed. As he stood up he saw it charging towards him whilst letting out a blood curdling screech.

  "Go for the spine!" Harry shouted in the distance.

  His mind reacted in an instant as his body jumped to its feet and plunged his hand through its stomach. Only when he felt his fingers close around the long segmented osseous pole that was its spine did he close his hand and yank it back.

  It dropped to the ground before him like a puppet without strings as he panted heavily. He had won. Nothing could recover from an injury like that. At best it was just paralyzed, but most likely it would bleed out in less than a minute. Some part of him felt bad about what he had done only for his instincts to reaffirm him that it was kill or be killed.

  "Great job, Ken, now that they're crippled it'll be much easier to question them!" Harry said excitedly as he approached the thing on the ground in front of him.

  "Crippled? I'm pretty sure I just killed them!"