9 Turbulent Tides

A throne room. Long pillars that stretched high above the ground and a large majestic throne whose carpentry showed the glamour and majesty of the one who sat on it. A set of stairs led to the podium on which this throne sat. A magnificent window, almost as tall as the pillars, showed illustrations of a man with red eyes. His hands outstretched, pouring red liquid from a chalice. Another figure with no facial features other than an open mouth, was shown sat alongside many others. Their open mouths showed fangs that glistened even in the tinted glass, as they awaited the liquid to spill in.

Large golden chandeliers illuminated the large space. Though not very well, as moonlight from the window seemed to be providing most, if not all of the light.

A monarch whose leg lay over the other in a sort of bored stance, looked annoyed. Tapping and scratching away at his armrest. His eyes stared towards the large doors at the end of the room, seemingly as if he had waited his whole life for this moment.

"It, is almost daybreak..."

*Whoosh*

The doors flung open as 2 figures in red and black robes, entered the room. Behind them, a man chained, bruised and rugged was dragged along by chains attached to a metallic collar. His grunts and hisses being the only sounds that could be heard.

Thrown to the front, he didn't bother looking up the stairs. As if he had been here once before or did not care for the one in whom's hand lay his very life.

Long deep breaths, the monarch couldn't control his ecstasy, his face blushed red while his eyes dilated.

"Roderick...", the monarch laughed, his face buried in his palm. "You fucking ingrate, I finally got you".

"How did it feel, watching your loved ones die in front of your eyes. Did you feel sad? Wronged? How does it fucking feel BASTARD".

"Borham...", pulling back and finally looking up, Roderick laughed, his eyes darting back and forth maniacally. Trying to lunge towards the monarch, he screamed in a fury, though unsurprisingly the chains that blinded him couldn't get him any closer than the first step.

*Clink*

His chains were pulled back, his body following without any resistance.

The monarch finally stood up, his dark silhouette casting a shadow twice his size. He stepped down, each tap of his foot, growing heavier and louder.

Raising his foot in the air, he flung it down to Roderick's head pushing his face into the floor. A small crater forming as he increased his strength.

"Monarch", a woman muttered, her voice serene, beautiful and yet domineering, still somehow was heard by everyone in the room. "Not yet".

The monarch returned to his throne, his back towards the setting moon,

"away...", he spoke softly as though this were the hardest decision he had ever made. "TAKE HIM AWAY I SAID".

The men hastily pulled on the chains, dragging Roderick back while scurrying away, themselves.

- - - - -

"Norum, what is the situation with the humans?", a large man, muscular and tall, spoke to an even larger werewolf. He stood atop a large rocky cliff, nothing but forest beneath him. His gaze lay towards the moon.

"We have already attacked a few villages around the kingdom, though we have still not announced our presence as werewolves", he commented as he stared to the multiple scars that adorned the man's back. "We're still waiting for those filthy bloodsuckers to give us the signal".

"Vampires, Werewolves, The Undead and Man... the world is cruel and yet we are even crueler to ourselves, alas all we can do is watch the world burn as we let our greed consume us. Return to your station and report to me when it's time", the man stayed on the cliff however, still looking to the moon. As if pondering over what had happened in the past, and what was to come in the future.

- - - - -

Church bells rung. Sunlight poured through the long and many colourful, tinted windows. The beautiful voice of a woman sang throughout the halls as her figure seemed to glisten to the light. Her voice so serene, it felt as though it could cure the sadness of any who listened.

"Archbishop Marie, the Twoir's mansion is no longer standing", another voice spoke out cutting through the beautiful song.

The singing abruptly stopped. Now only silence was left.

"So they're back for more", she spoke softly. "Had they not learned their lesson?"

"Tell the other bishops, notify the rest of the church", she laid her eyes on the large stone statue, clasping her hands together. "Oh lord, help us show these offspring of the devil your power. Help us crush them just as we had done before. Help us finish what we should have ended 400 years ago!"

- - - - -

A small room in a tavern so far from home. I sat at the wooden desk in the corner of the room. A lantern glowing to my side, it light Illuminating the room and the tattered book laid before me.

I tried to hype myself up, like, you can do this or what's the worst that's gonna happen. I don't know why I felt so nervous.

Ok, ok, here goes nothing... 3, 2, 1.

The pages fluttered as I pulled the cover open. Though what I saw at first glance was, underwhelming. Maybe I thought the book might start glowing and then I receive some special power... I waited a couple of seconds.

Ok guess not, not that I was hoping for something like that... definitely not. Maybe a little, but whatever.

[ The world has gone to shit and I am one of many who do not wish for it to remain that way. Werewolves, Vampires and the devil himself swarm the land. What once was peace between races, is now war where the lives of the people are thrown away like trash to the streets.

Vampires, Werewolves, Humans... there was a time where even we, lived in harmony. Though some resentment was still present, it was just that, petty resentment over differences. Then the Werewolves started to change their minds. "We are stronger, we are faster, WE ARE BETTER, how could some human filth be on our level".

We could never figure out how or when such thoughts came about, perhaps what was there from the beginning had simply been bottled up for too long.

The humans, in response? The church took on the role as leaders, proclaiming this to be some holy war in the name of God. A holy crusade to punish the children of the devil. Bullshit, those bastards were ready to start such a thing had even a werewolf or vampire look at them the wrong way.

The vampires chose the pacifist route. Looking like angels in the fog. Those bastards were the cruelest of all of us. Treating us like livestock, simply meant to serve as food. While the werewolves looked to us as utter garbage, they were out kidnapping women and children, torturing them. Seeking a sort of high from toying with us. We were mere playthings.

The monsters that roam the woods simply did as they would before. Nothing much to report there.

I, Nolan Hanz Greyheart, a Hunter would take on specific jobs. Hunting beasts, werewolves and vampires was commonplace, even humans weren't excluded. I'm not much better than them or anyone for that matter. The job of a hunter grants me no place where I can belong. I tell myself this is the right thing to do. But is it really? Alas how are we supposed to know what is right and wrong in a world like this. ]

I knew most of this already, not about whoever this Greyheart guy is. The whole werewolves supremacists was something I knew and the vampires. Though he doesn't seem to be a fan of the church. Not that Miss Shelby presented them well either in her lectures. Stories of the hero however, did make the church seem more like saviours.