The Thief and The Dutchess Closed RP

Fire and smoke. Clearly the shields finally failed. Which meant the dark matter converters were failing and translated to volatile overdrive engines. The situation was far from promising. While the Captain's ship returned fire to the fleet of attackers behind them and sections of his intergalactic ship suffered extensive damage he stood in his command room staring at another nearing attack fleet. The Captain contemplated his current situation and the best means for his crew to escape. He led this vicious lot across the furthest reaches of the universe to plunder it of its riches and resources. That "karma" thing may actually exist it seemed. If that was the case however, there was still a chance his men would survive. As his men shouted status reports to him, his hand rose up to meet a small communicator on his wrist. The captain expertly typed in a series of commands to the device until a mechanized voice spoke for him.

"This is your captain speaking. We are surrounded. Our ship is failing. Our options are limited. We surrender and face our fate. We die in battle and forfeit our riches. Or we make one final escape."

His men roared with approval at their captain's offering of escape. Like ants the zealots darted to their stations to follow their Captain's next command. Wave after wave of energy rounds bombarded the ship but not without its men slaughtering dozens of its attackers at once. The Captain's long black hair hung down the back of his cloak which concealed a hyper-advanced body armor. The mechanized mask covering his face hissed to release to stored up air while he typed in more commands. His voice erupted throughout the ship once more.

"Cease fire on opposing ships. I sent a transmission indicating our surrender. They intend to board our ship and arrest all of us. Redirect all remaining power to the dark matter converter and hyper drive systems. We will engage the warp drives and travel at warp speed 10 until the ship cannot handle it. Wherever we land, that is where we stay until we are fully operational."

Their loyalty was unmatched. The men followed their Captain's orders despite knowing the commands he gave were insane. However they had faith in their commander's wisdom. It seemed though, the ceasefire was successful; no more explosions occurred on the ship. While there was momentary peace, the men continued to redirect power as commanded and within moments they were fired upon again. The Captain foresaw his opposition registering complete power redirection of the ship yet it was too late to completely stop the ship; the hyper drive whirred about furiously. His dark matter converter howled in raw agony before distributing its power to necessary ship functions.

Violet flames exploded from the ship as it approached Warp speed. With each warp level more and more pieces of the ship tore apart. Before long the ship's hull tore wide open in the blur of speed in which they traveled. Cosmic radiation, comets and meteors all collided in the ship as the warp systems died. Whatever vulnerabilities already existed from the gun fight were further exploited by the destructive forces of space.

The dying ship fell into a brief meteor shower which knocked it into the atmosphere into a nearby planet. The Captain and part his crew were for the most part, still alive if barely conscious. The journey exhausted them but left them optimistic despite their being so much death traveling on the tattered ship. The speed of their descent climbed in spite of their efforts to slow. Before long the hull of the ship caught fire and its exterior tore apart like paper.

"It's been an honor serving with you all. See you on the other side."

Those were the last words uttered by the Captain when his ship crashed into the new planet. Earth.

Several hours later...

The Captain's eyes opened very slowly. The taste of blood filled his mouth and smoke filled his lungs. There was no choice but to swallow the blood building in his mouth. His head was swimming, it felt like a dream. Slowly, he rolled to his side where he discovered his dominant arm; his left was completely broken. After rolling to the other he pulled himself up and stumbled into what was the glass of his ship. The Captain saw the name "Isaac" on a luxurious looking chair which told him he somehow wound up in his private chambers. Isaac examined the rest of his body to determine his armor was severely damaged and required extensive repairs. Nothing he couldn't fix though. To his horror the mask he wore fell off his face and was far worse for wear. Dropping to one knee he picked it up and tossed it in a small box he felt confident enough to carry around. In the box he found some of his emergency equipment; lightsabers, plasma grenades electron shields and of course, repair kits.

The captain dragged himself to the nearest opening where he saw the wreckage of his beloved ship. Flames and bodies littered the ground around him. Isaac did his best to investigate the health of his comrades but nothing. There were no signs of life. The crew was dead. Every part of his family was dead except him. Part of him wished to simply grieve and die; to join his fallen brothers but the other part of him commanded his survival.

Rage consumed Isaac. Rage, hatred and blood lust forced him onward out of the wreckage. Another explosion erupted from the ship and knocked its Captain into a massive organic object. Flora appeared to grow from what he could tell, it was a tree. Pulling himself again, Isaac continued moving forward being guided by a combination of instinct, need and those murderous orange eyes of his. In the distance a figure could be seen. A few actually. If they were hostile, they would die. Captain Isaac of the S.S. Daku Hato would not go down without a fight no matter how weak he was. He dropped his box to activate the purple lightsaber attached to his belt before simply falling on his feet from exhaustion and blood loss.

New Orleans, Swamps

Is all she asked as she lifted the brutish beast known to everyone as Bart, she used his full name, the one he was born with. She hated his very existence, he was there simply as protection. An impure to the house Drakul and all other houses, yet they kept him around simply because he got things done. Yet he dangled at her fingertips his cocky smile still strung across his face. He barked at her "You cow!! Unhand me, the only reason you hold any power you insufferable wench is because of your dear departed sister. Without her before you...you would be...a f#cking so..." she couldn't take his words anymore, how sharp they dug into her very core. Her face transformed and she was the pure beast she hid away, her jaw opened and she clamped down onto his throat and pulled quickly.

As she ripped his throat out, she gutted him with her long sharp talons bleeding him dry. Dropping him like a ragdoll she barked to everyone in assembly around her "Anyone attempts at feeding him....gets exactly the same treatment. We are in MY HOME, and you all will do well and respect ME! The Drakul were the FIRST, and you will all learn to understand that. Those who are pure have known this since the beginning, you softlings...you better learn. Bartholomew will be the first to taste my wrath."Her words sank deep into all the younger of the audience, but the elders simply watched with mouths turned to smirks as she demonstrated why she was the Arch Duchess of her house. As she turned, she heard their whispers in the old language for her to calm herself, as outbursts like that would not be allowed more than once. That it was allowed simply for her to make her point, that Bart was a nuisance anyway his removal from the fold was needed.

She returned to her flesh mask and swung around on her heel, making her way to the doors. Her anger still filling her mind she nearly took the doors off their hinges as she exited.

Swamps

Exiting the manor her father had built decades ago she was still furious, her entourage of guards kept their distance for the moment as she hurtled through the swamp. Casting away thick trunks as she swung her hands, cutting deep gashes into each as she moved past with anger. In her rage, she almost hadn't heard the sound of an oncoming missile but it was no missile it was a dying ship. Looking up as it soared just a few hundred feet above her before crashing into the swamp before her, she watched in wonder as it exploded into a plume of metal and smoke.

Moving with a blinding speed she moved over the water, as if walking on it she hovered over it into a clearing just off from the crash site. She watched as something was jettisoned from the ship, smashing hard into a nearby tree with a resounding thud. Instantly she could smell something, beneath the smell of burning flesh and the smells of the swamp she smelled...kin. Moving quickly she and her guards moved into space between the object that had been thrown from the ship in a heap. It stood up, hair that seemed to stretch to the bowels of hell, and eyes that pierced into her very being. She stared at him as he tried to stand straight, he trembled beneath his own weight before dropping to the moss at his feet.

Snapping her fingers the guards ran to the fallen man, holding him down to the ground as Bella slowly sauntered over to his fallen body. A smirk came to her face as she looked down at him, kneeling down grabbing a handful of hair she lifted his head. He had passed out but was still very much alive. Still smiling she looked to what he had dropped as he passed out. The glowing stick he had initiated just moments ago for a brief moment and a small box. Picking both up she flicked her wrist to the guards "Bring him to the basement....restrain him but do nothing more. I think I found a new toy..."As she gave the orders her men lifted the surprisingly heavy man and dragged him back to the manor which quickly emptied as she had left earlier.

Isaac regained consciousness sporadically; dazed, he took in what little he could of his surroundings. He was being carried or dragged across the ground, he couldn't tell because of how numb he felt. One moment he was in a field, the next a marsh and the next house and lastly some dark room tucked away from any natural light. Despite the varied scenery the one constant was a female who appeared to be the commanding officer or something. Her name wasn't heard, only her voice. Isaac tried as hard as he could to pull information from his captors' conversations but his weakened state continued to push him back into unconsciousness.

The next time Isaac awoke he began feeling his limbs and skin again. The disturbance forced his eyes to look down at his body where he saw a few different men picking apart the pieces of his armor. One of the men lost his arms removing the chest plate while another died removing the magnetic gauntlet. When Isaac struggled to move he was struck in the face and unconscious again. The armor he wore had traps which were obviously lethal. Their purpose was to prevent third-party tampering and unfortunately the armor's traps would run out while it was fully possible there more than enough people to remove it in spite of many death.

Isaac again returned to consciousness only now he was strung up by his arms with chains. Upon opening his eyes the cosmic vampire observed his own nudity and scarred flesh. How much of it was damage from the ship and how much of it was out of anger from his "caretakers"? Pain shot through Isaac's shoulder and neck when he tried to move; his arm was still broken. An unexpected development. One which needed remedy soon. Isaac needed his box of equipment.

With what strength little strength Isaac had he used his sovereignty over lightning to attack his restraints but it was for naught. The blows were too weak. An unusual glow surging from the restraints following the attacks was observed by Isaac. "Am I so weak I can't break simple chains?" thought the vampire. "I have to escape. I need to get out of here and get my equipment." Isaac strained with what was left of his strength before accepting his fate.

The Captain felt absurdly weak but also noticed something blocking his nasal passages; the vampire couldn't smell. What a strange sense to cancel out. Why not sight? Why not sound? Their logic made no sense for Isaac however he would digress seeing as he had visitors.

"The Duchess wants to find out about you, stranger. What was that ship you came from?"

Isaac shook his head, he had nothing to say. The fierce orange of his eyes sliced through the black curtain of his hair into the souls of those questioning him. There was no display of fear or rage; solely stoic serenity.

"Don't feel like talkin' eh? We've got time to make you talk boy, we just gotta not kill you and thankfully she can bring you back if you do kick it. Got enough magiks to do it probably."

The speaker was a hunched over man garbed in fine silk. Rather unattractive fellow with some growths on his face and zero facial symmetry. The man opened his "good" eye wider to reveal a silvery iris before being handed a silver dagger by his accomplice. The inferior specimen hobbled over to Isaac and rubbed the blood off Isaac's visibly bulging muscle before licking it clean. The knife slammed into Isaac's kneecap through the cartilage. Isaac's entire body tensed up from the pain. A swarm of man-eating insects feasting on his leg would have been sweet relief to the Captain compared to that pain. However, not a single sound he made.

"Oh we got ourselves a brave one it seems. This ought to get interesting..."

Some time later...

How long had it been? Hours or Weeks? Minutes or Days? Isaac's limp body hung in the room like ribs in a meat locker. Clumps of singed hair were piled in front of its owner with blood and sweat caked on it. Wounds from blades, flames and clubs coated Isaac's body to tell the tale of a battle-hardened Pirate. However long he'd been there, multiple attempts at both escape and signalling his inability to speak were made with neither proving successful. The nearly dead vampire was unable to heal from any of his wounds. Especially the horrible scarring and disfigurement of his face. Isaac was entirely unrecognizable from who he was.

"You've got balls lad. I've done less to others and they sang like birds. But you won't even so much as whimper no matter what I do to you. I'm curious as to what's left."

"You're all going to die down here" thought Isaac to himself. The hatred burning in his eyes would have been visible as the sun if they weren't swollen practically shut. Isaac's jaw dropped as if to speak. His captor's lips pursed into a perverted smile then curled in horror as Isaac bit down on his tongue and shot blood in the man's face.

"Oh god no, she'll kill us! Quick, we need to reach the Duchess and tell her he's attempting suicide!"

The man ran off behind his little entourage to find the Duchess who Isaac presumed to be the woman he saw. Being the one in power, she had to be more intelligent than those idiots who couldn't understand his signaling. Isaac would kill himself if it meant destroying them. He had his ways should this "Duchess" be ignorant herself and she too would die.

The Captain heard a woman's foot steps come down to greet. Out of the corner of what was left of his eye, he saw not just the fact that what was left his hair turned white; a rare event brought about from a lack of his medication but he saw her as well. She appeared in a most elegant attire that commanded attention. She spoke but he didn't care. He tried one final time to signal his inability to speak.

The vampire's mouth stretched as far as possible in its fragile condition with his massive forked tongue rolling out like the red carpet. Blood slowly trickled down it onto the floor from the wound he inflicted on himself. Weakly, his one unbroken finger pointed at his face with his head shaking to signal "no". He was unable to speak. The Captain hoped she would understand release him. Or at least find a means for him to communicate with her because uttering an actual word could bring about the end of them all.

@the_lightning_:

Stepping down from the long spiral staircase, her heels clicking with every step she was adorned with a full figured and tight fitting garb. Her skin a mixture of bronze and just a slightly pale complexion shined in the torch light of the dungeonesque environment they now stood. HE was hanging from a pair of chains interwoven into one, blood dripped to the floor and was quickly forming a large puddle beneath his feet. Feet that dangled just inches from the floor, she looked him over up and down with no expression on her face. Her fingers coming up to her face and tapping on her cheeks as she studied him, he shook his head, and to everyone around it was as if he was begging for the pain to stop. But then they were not like BellaDonna, she could hear his thoughts and as she listened to his inner turmoil she finally smiled wide....

With the speed of a bullet she cut him, cut him deep at his throat. Very little blood spilled from the cut even as deep as it were, she played with the wound her nail digging in deep into his skin. She watched as he writhed in pain, excruciating pain. She watched as something deep within his mind and body wished to be unleashed, wished to heal itself with the most basic of tasks. But he had not ever done such a thing, she pulled her finger from his wound and spoke to him telepathically "Even without searching your mind, I was able to tell exactly what you...were. No longer could you be called a true vampire..." She pulled the box that he had brought with him from the ship out of her bosom. Slowly opening it she pulled a single vial, trailing it along his face and against his lips he almost lunged for it. If he had any strength he might have taken it from her with only his mouth, but he was weak...weak because of what was in the vial "WE are creatures who must feed, feed on those who were born weaker than us. We feed to survive, and you insist on keeping your instincts in a constant state of fog with THIS....Yes, I am no fool my dear...captain. My playthings are more than that, some of them are very well educated men and women. We studied the contents of this vial, finding it was very similar to things we have here...in this world..no better word ON this planet. But your off world travels are little to me, I want to know...will you continue to rely on this..or will you give in.." With those words she quickly ripped the plug he had in his nostrils, allowing for the smell of blood to fill his senses.

Slowly she removed her clothes and brought up her wrist to his mouth, she bit down on her wrist and blood began to flow.

Licking up a small portion of the spurting blood that flowed from her wrist, she forced it against his lips. For a brief moment, he hesitated, then as if acting on pure instinct to survive this torture he bit down on her wrist. Sucking intensely, he went savage as the blood flowed into his mouth and down his throat. She let out an audible moan of pleasure as she was drained with ravenous intent. Her bestial nature took hold for a moment and she ripped his head back with a handful of his hair, slamming into his lips with her own she drank her own blood from his mouth. Lapping up the corners of his mouth as she finished, pulling away and tossing his head aside. She stepped back, naked as the night was dark. Her chest heaving as she breathed hard, as her breathing slowed she giggled at him. He had never tasted blood, let alone pure blood like her own.He was crazed for those brief moments, and she wondered how long he would stay in such a state. Stepping back and gesturing for her help to wrap her in a robe she spoke to him "See...I was right. Deep down, we are all how we were born. Fate is a fickle thing, and now I have allowed you to taste and see what power like mine is like. I am going to leave here now, let you stew for a few more days. Let you decide...decide if you want to continue being THIS." she tossed the box and its contents to the ground before him. With a snap of her fingers, the chains that held him burst into molten slag and loosened before dropping to the ground. "Or if you choose to be more. Be what you were born to be...Pure F$cking Royalty....Be sure you are honest with your answer. Because in two days time...I will return. I will deal with your answer accordingly.." As she turned she grabbed a guard by the chin and lifted up with force, tearing the top half of his head clear off, she was demonstrating her intense strength. Guards were a dime a dozen to her, and one less would not hinder her or their kind. "Do not disappoint me...Isaac." As she left he was lunging at her, but a chain around his neck kept him from reaching her. He was feral in his current state, never tasting blood before, but even in this state he still had his mind. And she had hoped that inside his mind, he would see the benefits of being hers and part of her world. The great things that would come with being a part of her class, her lover, her

Lightning to her Thunderous rage.

@arch_duchess_

She stood before Isaac tapping her cheeks and studying him. Countless thoughts crossed the prisoner's mind ranging from his time as a Captain to his current situation. Fury, pain and hatred proved to be a dangerous cocktail for Isaac to swallow. His patience was ending abruptly as was his life. The wounds he suffered were not closing up and felt as if they were worsening; birthing infection. Why did she not speak? Why was she standing there. Captain Isaac deduced he would die down in this cesspool. No one would understand him or enable him the ability to speak. Freedom and death were both one in the same. His teeth clenched in preparation; not to speak, oh no. Isaac was preparing to scream... At least until she impaled his throat deep enough to prevent him from the suicide.

At full power, a finger through the throat would have stopped nothing. However he was at far less than full power and now entirely defenseless. Isaac felt the keratin on her fingertips exploring his throat perhaps the most painful fashion he could imagine. This was the most enduring portion of the torture despite lasting the least amount of time. Having your one means of defense completely taken away was more than Isaac could take. On the surface, his mind begged for death but beneath all that in parts he could not access was the longing for something more... something primal.

The woman's fingers tunneled out of the wound ensuring Isaac would be unable to attack again. His voice box was damaged and without anything else healing the Captain knew he was doomed. When all hope was lost, a voice appeared in Isaac's head. A sultry voice he found alluring. Raising his head, Isaac tried to look at the woman but noticed she wasn't speaking. Was she speaking to him? She had to be seeing as how her physical movements matched the words he heard. "Basic" was what other planets referred to the English language as and Basic seemed to be the primary language most spoke since he'd been on this world. She continued to speak and even teased him with his medication. The vial this woman held in her hands was what Isaac used to live. It was his food, energy and power. Never in his two-hundred years had there been a time he didn't have it. The Captain needed it yet lacked the means to reach it. Even if he could grab it there was no way to use the syringe without hands.

Then without warning the woman reached up and cleared his nasal passages. The smell of blood saturated his nostrils in tandem with that of his sweat and her aroma. This woman smelled strong not like flowers or any other woman he'd met but instead something unfamiliar. Was it power? Or was it fury? The answer did not matter as her clothes steadily disappeared from sight. In this weakened state, Isaac's body may have been weak however his senses went hyper. It was a defense mechanism his body had to keep him alive through hiding from hunters. The corners of the dark room were as clear as daylight, he heard the drum beating in her chest and could almost taste the blood evaporating beneath him.

The buxom beauty bit her own wrist and crimson gold streamed down her arm. Whatever aroma she had grew exponentially more pungent from the wound. Isaac felt perplexed by her actions; especially bringing the blood to his lips. His hesitation was for a very brief amount of time. Nature compelled him far more than nurture as he clamped down on this feminine morsel being fed to the imprisoned lion. Elongated fangs tore deeper into her flesh as Isaac fed. He sucked as much of the blood as he possibly could as quickly as he possibly could.

A myriad of changes took place within those few seconds for Isaac despite his inability to fully acknowledge them at the time. Isaac's wounds began heal almost immediately. The cells in his body had a massive energy burst and quickly exorcised whatever existing bacteria attempted to roost. The swelling in Isaac's face slowly went down. Captain Isaac's senses achieved a near-omniscient status. Isaac fed on raw organic blood for the first time in his life. Death? Death was nothing to him now, death would be nothing more than an obstacle to him. A simple hurdle he would navigate either around or though.

As raw blood lust consumed Isaac's sanity, his true captor grabbed a tuft of hair separated him from her. Now being able to see her in all her beauty, still tasting her on his lips lust consumed the starving creature. She pressed her lips against his and lapped up her blood back from his mouth. Isaac returned the favor unintentionally by slicing his own overzealous tongue against the monstrous fangs he bore. Isaac's hands steadily repaired themselves as his muscles contracted in response to his own need for blood, flesh, and her.

She again pushed his head away revealing a set of piercing red eyes floating in the ether just below snow-white hair. Blood made attempts at trickling down Isaac's face however his tongue wiped it clean. As she stepped away giggling he continued to try fighting against the constraints. Her words fell on deaf ears for the moment. After throwing his box on the ground and releasing Isaac she began to leave. The weakened vampire collapsed to the floor and vainly chased after. However without having fully healed he was too slow to catch up before the chain around his neck ceased his endeavor. She left Isaac to stew in his own misery next to his box as his savage nature slowly subsided.

Isaac continued staring at the door she exited from waiting for her to send someone down to him to feed on. Despite the wobbling of his legs and weight of his arms the Captain waited for several moments before turning around back to where he'd been forced to bleed out. The captain crouched down to his hands and knees to examine the various crimson pools he'd been responsible for. Even now, in spite of torture, in spite of feeding on fresh blood for the first time and being seduced in a way never before experienced he remained silent. Isaac quietly lapped his blood up from the ground without any reservation. His serpent-like tongue slithered around the blood to carefully return it to him. Each drop returned a fraction of his strength although he was far from full power.

The "new" vampire turned around to grab the confiscated medication brought to him by the woman. Captain Isaac lurched back to his corner with the medication in hand and stared at it. Under the cover of darkness Isaac examined his medication more closely than he had before. He remained absolutely silent; his face abeyant. Dim orange eyes remained fixed on the little vial during the silent soliloquy.

"Not once did I question ingesting this serum. You were with me everywhere I went. But why? Was it because I really needed you, or because the ones who took me needed me to need you? I always thought I was just sick. Can't even imagine being this thing that feeds on blood. I never caught on and that makes me so stupid. So many instincts I ignored and desires cast aside. All for the ship. All for my crew..."

Isaac thought back on his crew, the men and women he led. Looking back quite a few were around for his initial appearance and made sure his medication was always available. So many secret conversations, so many secret messages. There was absolutely no faith in him. They all knew what Isaac was and what he was capable of. Instead of helping him learn to master his needs they simply swept them under the rug. The Captain was a fool. A fool for 200 years. The worst part was he cared for many of them. Anger at this realization ignited something within Isaac. A fire he hadn't felt since allowing the original ship's captain to hear his voice. At least to some degree, he killed them all in a blaze of glory.

"You're all dead now and this... garbage may still have a purpose."

Isaac dug his own claws into his arm to expose the vein needed for treatment. Through slight cringing on his arm, the Captain managed to introduce the medication to his blood stream without the necessary tools. While the relief it gave him was minor in comparison to the immense rush she gave him; it would suffice in some minor restoration. Through what little electricity Isaac could manipulate; he assisted his healing process for the next two days with surgical precision. The correct muscles and nerves received stimulation for blood flow encouragement. All the while, two words growing louder and louder in his head.

FEED. ME.

@the_lightning_:

Bella stood in the moonlight as it cascaded down upon the top of her manor, soaking in its radiance she felt herself slowly relax. Not in so long had her beast side been brought to the surface, only two days ago had she almost revealed what she truly looked like underneath the flesh. Relaxation was the one thing she almost never had, never was she allowed a moment of relaxation. She had to be the tough, bright and regal center of attention for her family and her lineage. Sometimes she simply wished to be done with it all...to let herself go and be...free.

As she relaxed her skin began to fall apart, as the beast within came to the surface. It was not that of beauty that the beast revealed itself in full in the moonlight. Skin flaked away and almost rose into the sky as red petals of a flower, her long and thick wings unfurled and stretched out in full. Stretching nearly seven feet in length from tip to tip, she stretched out in the moonlight, a shadow of the darkness of the moon as it shined down upon her. Ugly and slime covered skin glimmered in the light, her almost scale-like skin now reflected the light. Not often was she able to relax in such a way, that she could reveal even to the night air her true form? Breathing in deep her chest rose and fell as she released the breath, as she did she dropped off the side of the manor and with a single movement of her gigantic wings she dove down towards the earth before shooting off into the night sky. She could be visible through the one square foot of her dungeon, the captain could easily see her in this form as she drove down past the window that allowed for the moon to be seen and nothing else.

A few moments later she returned to the manor top and descended towards it, a servant waiting for her, armor as instructed in the servant's arms. As she stepped onto the roof her body was quickly and almost with a seductive touch wrapped in her flesh mask, her naked body for all to see if they so saw fit to look. Taking each piece of armor from the servant one at a time, she slid each onto her slender body. As the final piece was pulled into place, it looked as if the suit of armor was too as tight as her everyday clothing. But this armor was one of great resilience, what she had in mind for the captain would need just that. Not in over two hundred years had someone drank from her, and given HER the feeling she had longed for, pure relaxation. The usual feedings brought a slight disgust or pure erotic lust. But this man...this captain was different somehow, and she wanted to know why.

Dungeon

Her heels clicked as she stepped down towards him, the steps reverberating the sound throughout the entire dungeon. It was so quiet a pin could be heard if it were to be dropped, she watched as HE sat on his knees his back against a corner. Something she knew was deliberate, as to not give him something to be backed into he didn't know was there. If his nose had not been shielded, perhaps he would not have known it was her inside the thick yet slender armor. She looked at him in a different way than she had two days prior, not of pity or joy in his pain...it was something else.

Slowly she unclasped the straps that held a grimacing mouth and face guard, one set of straps were let loose and the face mask fell to one side, held in place by the remaining straps. Her face and lips clearly visible, she spoke to him out loud rather than into his mind, she was still linked to him to hear any response he would have but she spoke out loud nonetheless "I have returned for your answer Isaac, and I hope..."she snapped her fingers and a servant arrived at the door at the top of the stairs, quickly coming down and handing Bella a fairly large burlap bag. She stood before Isaac and nodded towards him to the servant, the servant moved quickly almost too quickly towards the chained Isaac.

Reaching to his neck the servant released the chain around his neck, then quickly it exited the dungeon. Bella stood and unfolded the bag in her arm, tossing it forward towards Isaac it hit the ground with a resounding thud. The cling and clang of metallic objects hitting the concrete floor filled Bella's and Isaacs ears and minds. She continued "You have enough strength to show me your answer, dress and prepare yourself. I hope my seamstresses were able to repair the damage to your suit."Before Isaac was his belongings, the very things he had arrived on earth with. As he looked to them Bella herself refastened the mask to the other side of her cheek, then flicked her wrist and silver around it unfolded and extended. In full length the metal that had been around her wrist was a long pure silver rapier, her gloved hands gripped its hilt and she stood ready for what would come next. "Have you decided? Will you rely on the chemicals between us, or will you embrace your BLOODline?"

@arch_duchess_:

"FEED. ME"

Isaac's mantra continued in his head relentlessly like the soundtrack of the dark fantasies playing in his head. He longed for her flesh, her smell and taste. The stoic captain's face remained deceptively calm while struggling with hunger and lust. Amidst the silence of Isaac's prison, the symphony of crackling electricity echoed throughout. Isaac's wounds were fully recovered and his body cleaned. The fallen Captain's weakened lightning may have been at minimal power but it was functioned well enough to remove scar tissue and dirt. The muscles stacked on his almost thin build contracted visibly to the slightest movement he made. White hair was all that could be seen of his in the darkness as he waited patiently. Agonizingly. Until he ventured to a world where he was able to feed and act upon his lust; dream world.

Pale moonlight kissed Isaac delicately on the cheek as if to get his attention. Slowly he rose to his feet which led him to the only opening available; a window. Through the window he saw the moon's face imitating his own ageless unfeelingness. The one-sided blinking contest ended prematurely with a sudden shadow streaking by in the distance. Something told him it was her, the Duchess. Isaac watched her fall out of eye sight before returning to his wall. She may have assumed a different form however he was still drawn to her and even more so now. What else did she have up her sleeves?

Isaac knew at best, he had 30 seconds of fight time on his hands. It wouldn't even be good fight time but there was hope that he could subdue her within that time long enough to feed and regain more power. This woman fascinated him and despite the bravado, Isaac felt fear, obsession and infatuation in his current situation. What happens next is entirely on the Duchess.

@the_lightning_:

Watching as his armor as if having a mind of its own attached itself to his body, she watched as each piece almost fell apart in the process. His body struggled to hold itself up, his body may have been healed of its wounds but his strength was still far from even a fraction of what it should be. She heard his thoughts, thoughts he even hoped she could not read. A grin came to her face as she raised her hand and spoke, as she did energy began to encircle her hand that she raised "No....My men last much longer than thirty seconds..." eluding to reading his thoughts moments earlier.

Whispers left her mouth as she held her hand out straight, fingers covered in armor stretched out and her palm faced the captain. A wicked grin escaped and she barked something loud, as she did many things happened. All things she wanted to, firstly her rapier transformed thickening and turning into a thick blade rather than a long skinner blade. She moved quickly holding a stance as the rest of her magic took effect, as the red energy moved out from her palm and encircled the captain his armor shined brighter than it had earlier, and a fraction more of his power and strength filled him.

Standing with her blade in hand she spoke to him telepathically "War is not my goal Isaac, I simply wish to see if you were worth keeping alive. I have taken an interest in you and me don't often do that. So prepare yourself..."As she finished she moved fast and closed the distance quickly swinging hard with a large left swing, it was no killing blow but if it connected even if parried it would send him skidding backward. As she moved with flawless movements, she dipped back on the ball of her left foot and leaped at the wall behind her bouncing off and up the stairs. Looking back at him she barked "Don't just stand there looking like an idiot, do something damn you!" left her minds lips as she moved up the stairs and into a hallway, giving herself more room to move in such a room.

@arch_duchess_:

Isaac continued to wobble on his feet as he awaited the Duchess to come for him. As Isaac's grip tightened around the hilts of his weapons the Duchess stretched out her palm and engulfed Isaac in glowing red energy. It was something the likes of which he'd never before experienced. Immediately observed by the Captain was the size increase of her sword but also his own increased power. No longer did he find difficulty in standing. In fact, while not close to 100 percent, he felt enough return to where he almost felt good. This relief he found distracting and while he raised his arms to get a good understanding of his power Duchess spoke to him. Her words put him at ease knowing the battle wasn't exactly to the death. That was his first and last mistake. She was on him before a reaction was possible and her blade struck his breast plate with noticeable force. The Captain's back slammed into the cement and dropped him to one knee. She teased him again as she transitioned to a new area for their battle. Isaac however refused to join her for the moment; he had to run a brief test.

Raw electricity flowed from Isaac's arms down through his lightsabers to power them. For a few brief seconds he toyed with their power supply to make them non-lethal but more so to evaluate the amount of time needed before they activated. It was almost instant. Fractions of a second more than normal due to his vulnerability. It took little time to adjust to this as Isaac slowly made his way up the stairs. His lack of urgency was part of the strategy he'd been working on, part of the mind games. A new air surrounded the Captain as he the wooden stairs creaked beneath his feet.

Finally standing outside his dungeon lights lined the corridor the Duchess stood in. Her stance was impressive and she clearly wasn't new to battle. Isaac acknowledged her superior strength and speed at the moment. She had every advantage while he had none. Save for one; Isaac was a liar whose dishonesty bled into his combat style. Deception in the hands of a master was more dangerous than nearly any amount of power and he made sure he said it in his mind seeing as how she hadn't stopped listening to him. A fact he enjoyed on some level.

The corridor held paintings on the walls; some of which had the Duchess while others did not. Those paintings held strangers. Exits were sparse in this area from what Isaac could deduce. There was only door that appeared to be exit while the others may have just been bedrooms or studies perhaps. It was nice seeing something other than the dungeon and the moon to be honest but it wouldn't last very long because he had a new plan in mind.

Both ends of the deactivated sabers looked exactly the same to someone unfamiliar with them. Knowing this made Isaac start spinning them with his fingers masking exactly which end the blade would emerge from. Isaac resembled an old cowboy showboating his gun spinning abilities as he walked slowly towards Duchess. Manipulating the electricity within their little "play-room" the lights brightened up immensely to an almost blinding level until a mechanical hissing filled the room from Isaac's mask releasing air. The lights all exploded at the end of it with the nearest light behind her sending a faint arc of electricity towards her as a mere distraction.

The other lights flickered like strobe lights at Isaac's command to conceal his incredible speed. He would be unable to concentrate his energy into both strength and speed and would instead have to focus on one or the other. For the Duchess, she would learn one reason why he was called "The Lightning". The mask he wore didn't hiss again until he was almost on her but by that point the red humming of his lightsaber silenced it as he brought it down towards her. She would be denied an opportunity to deflect that attack because he disabled it and spun around to bring the purple blade down instead. Isaac bent his wrist to cause the red blade to activate but point towards the stairs he came from and shot his fist forward towards the Duchess' armored abdomen before using another gentle arc of electricity to try distracting her. A short flurry of deceptive blows were unleashed by Isaac; he activated and deactivated his sabers at different times in different strikes often changing the position in which he held them. Following an attempted roundhouse the Captain's mask hissed as he commanded the lights back on to see more clearly how effective he'd been if at all.

@the_lightning_: Her eyes darted and followed each of his fluid and nearly motionless maneuvers as he played with the sabers in his hands, tossing them from hand to hand like they were hot. Then following his display of swordsmanship he leaped into the air and slammed down onto where she had been, as she watched him come down it was almost as if they were both in slow motion. In an instant, she knew exactly what had to be done, but she smirked slightly as she thought to herself "If he was at full strength...I would never have been able to follow his moves..."That thought filled her with a new feeling, pure excitement as he was truly her other half. A creature of greatness and now she would show him exactly how quick and powerful she was.

Reality returned to its current and normal speed as if she pressed play, as it did his sabers glowing with pure energy and power slammed down to where she was slamming into the carpet beneath her feet. Now his eyes were level with hers and his arms...had phased through her body and were in her chest as he held both sabers tight. She smiled and she disappeared shimmering from sight into a thousand different flower petals. Behind him she had appeared from thin air and gripped his wrists, her hands never moved and even he at his current strength would not be able to break her grip. "Our kind...we have one trick above all else. Very few creatures of the night have a stronger set of skills...once we lock eyes with a creature we can fool them with near perfect illusions. We trick the mind into thinking what is happening is real...like now...you really think I am holding your wrists.."With that, she grinned wide and behind the second illusion was Bella the regal and beautiful Duchess. She lifted her sword and swung it in a circle in front of her barking another spell "Invero Vextius!"

As she swung her blade and spoke the words, an immense gust of wind filled the hallway and hurtled towards Isaac. If it hit and he was not balanced he would be cast backward hard and with enough force to pull trees from the earth they were planted. As the winds hurled down the hallway bouncing off the walls and pulling paintings with each gust, she was running just behind the gale. Blade held to her side and away, she came in behind and sent the hilt outwards toward Isaac's forehead not enough for a kill but enough to knock him back hard if the gale had been effective.

Isaac's attacks steadily grew more aggressive. Anger and hatred motivated him in this fighting style he used and acted as power buffs. The darkness of his heart polluted his mind and tainted his thoughts much like smoke to lungs. His orange eyes glowed more intensely the deeper into rage he fell. Following a particularly vicious jumping slam onto the Duchess, his blades phased clean through as she became petals in the wind. Was she dead? The Captain stared down the hallway where she stood only seconds ago and in his confusion let his guard down.

Pressure closed in around the Captain's wrist followed by her voice, taunting him. The captain generated electricity around his arms to break her grip but it was for naught. She simply ignored his attack as if it were nothing. Isaac felt surprised and overwhelmed. She was able to ignore the lightning he produced as easily as he ignored punches from normal humans. Before too long she explained the use of illusions and how he had fallen prey to one.

She faded from sight and Isaac jumped in the air swinging his blades wildly in his anger now aiming to take her head but instead a gust of wind propelled him down the monstrous corridor. Fear stirred in Isaac's heart during his trip away from her; one lightsaber was torn from his hand while the other impaled a nearby wall to slow him down. Chunks of Isaac's armor was torn off revealing his tensing muscles along with a few wraps used in the armor around his arms. Pieces of dirt and glass from the lights tore his face open. Paintings clobbered the exposed musculature and knocked him out of the wall back to the floor. She was again on him almost before he could react. There was no time to dodge her attack however there was enough time to tilt just a few degrees.

The Duchess' blade hilt smashed into his jaw hard enough to knock him back a few feet but also to destroy the mask, mid hiss. Isaac's accessory crumbled to the floor in front of him. This woman's "test" reminded Isaac of how he was treated for years by his former crew on his ship. Only pawns were tested and for too long the Captain played the role of pawn. Hatred forced Isaac's hand as his silence was broken. Death on his feet was preferred to life on his knees.

"DIE!"

Isaac screamed the word at her without an ounce of reluctance. The walls and floor reacted as if they were struck with hundreds of grenades. They splintered into smaller and smaller precisely how the Duchess' body did. Her magnificent form grew more and more grotesque with each passing instant. Her tore into cells which tore into molecules until even the quarks making up her atoms were annihilated. Everything in front of Isaac vanished for a 2 mile radius. As all those things faded, The scream tore his face and body apart revealing muscle than skull.

Isaac then noticed Duchess stood before him as did the remainder of the house. His body was almost unscathed. Unlike before there was no confusion with Captain Isaac for he knew what happened. His own darkness blinded him and pushed his sanity into an illusion of his own making. That darkness was brought on by anger, hatred and fear. Enough and everything becomes clouded; nothing remains real.

No words were spoke, no words thought up or signals to read. Lightning arced from Isaac's fingertips to collect his other lightsaber before walking towards Duchess. Standing only inches from her blood continued running down his body and the Captain examined her armored body before staring into her eyes. He was leaving with, or without her. Neither made a difference because he would learn how to be a vampire on his own should need be. Isaac felt he needed no one and refused to be "tested" for even another moment.

@the_lightning_:

Looking into his mind as he stood motionless after her attacks, he was gone mentally but only for the briefest of moments. She had pushed him too far it would seem, and as she dipped her mind into his she was bombarded with the vision he had seen his own illusion he cast upon himself. Perhaps it was in an effort to protect himself and her own life from what would truly happen if he would unleash in such a way, as she looked she felt the sheer power buried deep in his soul.

For the first time in centuries, she stepped back out of his mind, not out of fear but out of respect. Something about him forced her not to pry any further, and as soon as she came out of his mind he too came back to reality. He was surprised that they both stood unscathed by what could of very likely been the end of both of them. His weapons disappeared of energy and slowly slung at his hips no longer in use, he made it past her. For a brief moment, she was going to let him go, but something took over her entire body. She spun around and gripped his wrist, not tight as a threat would...but soft and tender. Her fingers held tight to his wrist and she stood there for a moment, slowly he turned his gaze towards her and they both met eyes.

Instantly thousands of things went between them, perhaps not physically but thoughts ran through both of their minds. She stepped forward pulling slightly on his wrist towards her, she spoke in a tender and almost soft tone. Not that of an Arch Duchess or any royalty, she spoke as a woman "I saw something in you the moment I gazed upon you, for years I have been fooled into thinking things are not what they truly are. I made a mistake in thinking you too were like all the tricks before, Isaac I....need someone like you. Testing and putting you through all of what I have is no way to go about expressing that, nor is it valid to treat someone like that of my own kind who gave me no ill will..." She leaned forward fast and their lips touched, as she kissed him she let go...her mask disappeared entirely. Her body shown in its ugliness and in its glory, she stood bare...he was the only to see her like this and not be a direct relation or servant.

She stood her black skin upon her cheeks even turning red, a slight discolors but still visible in the lights of the hallway. As she waited for him to say something, she grew embarrassed something else she had never felt in such a way. Her long black wings wrapping around her bare body and hiding it, she looked down for a moment averting her gaze. She felt foolish and assumed he would simply call her a beast, and not have heard the real meaning of the words she had spoken.

The exit was both so close and yet so far. Isaac's normally slow walk was more deliberate because of his physical exhaustion. His muscles screamed at him as loudly as he screamed at the Duchess in his mind. However, he would not fall. Not here in this place; the Captain would fall at a time of his choosing. Blurred vision and heavy legs continue to try deterring Isaac with each step until a gentle hand grasped his wrist. Isaac felt his blood boil at her insufferable persistence.

"Oh f*** me what now damn it?" The words echoed in Isaac's head radiating frustration and exhaustion. He closed his eyes momentarily and slowed his breathing as to not react prematurely. Isaac and Duchess stood frozen in time for a few seconds until his head turned towards her. No longer was she facing short, white hair and a bare back; now she stared into two glowing orange spheres. Isaac stared into her eyes waiting to hear something. No matter how furious he was, she still called to him. The Siren and the Captain.

What was this thing that kept him still? Why couldn't the Captain move despite wanting to so badly? How was it possible for her to have such a tight grip on him? Isaac knew there was more to learn about her than she would let on. The anger of the last few days attempted to burn his shackles yet her eyes calmed his rage. Countless other thoughts and conversations happened within the Space Captain's mind until it was all interrupted by a voice.

She spoke to Isaac differently than before. She seemed... honest, for lack of a better term which was in truth refreshing. If he hadn't known better she would seem to have been apologizing for the last few days. She moved quickly, faster than he could dodge so instead he clenched his jaw in preparation for the attack. It wasn't a punch or kick which struck Isaac however, it was a kiss. The most gentle she had been since they met, Isaac fell into the kiss and felt a calm swallow him whole. Once the kiss was broken, she transformed into her "true" form and stood before Isaac almost bashful it seemed.

The captain felt himself almost chuckle however that definitely would have killed them both. While he wanted to chuckle, his face remained as stone. Isaac took a moment to take in her appearance; those magnificent wings, her smooth scales and above all the sincerity in her actions. Isaac felt he hadn't seen anything as transcendent as her before, even in furthest reaches of the galaxy. Duchess enamored Isaac who lifted her chin for one quick kiss before poking his head signaling permission to enter his head.

"I may not have some 'true' form that I know of but you don't need to hide from me. I appreciate your candidness with me so permit me to do the same. I do not trust you. You and your crew have tortured me for days, tested my limits and pushed me to my limits. You have starved me, destroyed most of my equipment and made me fight on far less than 100 percent. By all accounts leaving would be the best decision for me to make right now. But you were more honest with me right now than my entire crew has been for the last 180 years. My perception will change in time as I get to know you but for right now I need a shower and a meal."

Instead of smiling, Isaac wrapped his arms around the Duchess and rested his head on hers.

@the_lightning_:Something ached deep[ within as he spoke to her, his words harsh yet soft at the same time. For a moment she thought that she had made a mistake in how she truly approached the entire night and the situation with Isaac. Should she of simply helped him and been done with it, no torture no tests. She knew she had taken it a bit too far, but she also knew that a woman of her caliber would not be where she was if she didn't do everything in her power to see certain things through entirely. His power had to be tested, but his words...they still hit a nerve deep within her body.

For a moment she knew he was right, that the best decision would be to shower and eat then leave her. She knew for sure that he was going to do just that, but as she prepared her mind again for another long century of silence and alone he reached towards her wrapping his arms around her tightly and then laying his head down onto her buxom. Her cheeks lit up as he did this, shaking her head and composing herself she shivered to his tight and yet soft embrace. Biting her lip hard and letting blood fall from her mouth and to the floor, she called upon the blood. Just as she called upon an incantation the puddle of blood came alive as long tentacles wrapped themselves around the two. Isaacs mind fluttered with uneasiness, but she spoke to him within his mind "Don't worry my dear Isaac...embrace the feeling and calm yourself. I am in no need to harm you..."With that, the tentacles dragged the pair back into the puddle transporting them deep into the mansion.

Reappearing from the darkness of the castle's shadows, the portal spit both out on the other end, Duchess stepped out slowly and looked back as Isaac stumbled out of the shadows. Falling to the floor he retched for a moment before fully voiding what remained within his gullet. Bella couldn't help herself and smirked to his reaction, even the creatures of the night like a vampire had a hard time with magic as powerful as that transportation spell. She enjoyed it as it used her own blood, and anything to do with the subject of blood-fueled her curiosity. They were now in a long dining room, with a flick of her wrist and a snap of her fingers the room brightened and torches burst to life. Soon the table had been set with various foods and drinks, her servamps and familiars quickly listened to her telepathic orders and set the table for Isaac. "Eat to your heart's content, I shall prepare a shower for you...or us whichever you so choose."Leaving Isaac in the dining room she disappeared into a shadow and came out inside a lavish bathroom in her master suite. Disappearing into the bathroom she let the water grow hotter and hotter, sweat still sticky against her skin she slowly stepped into the shower not waiting for Isaac. The water felt amazing against her skin, and soon she let loose and her true form again was in full.

Taking a wash cloth she washed her long and ironically beautiful wings, pulling at the skin between each finger and scrubbing. It had been a long time since she did this herself, and she did enjoy washing personally as it allowed for full relaxation. Soon the bathroom grew thick with the fog of steam, and through the steam a man appeared. Tall and frail in appearance, a polar opposite of Isaac and Bella smiled as he stepped closer to the shower door, drawing an equation in the fog. He spoke, pressing his face against the glass, a large bolt jutted from the side of his head and his eyes never once looked at her bare nethers nor at her breasts...they lingered on her body more. "You know Mistress you have...exquisite bone structure? If you ever...." she shut him down quickly and chuckled her reply "Victor...you will never touch a single inch of my skin...or bones. Just live with it, now listen to me, my dear."Victor fiddled with the bolt and twisted it slowly as his nose pressed up against the glass, appearing mad as ever. Bella continued without a care of how he ogled her body

Bella continued without a care of how he ogled her body "We have a guest....hopefully he will become a permanent guest. His name is Isaac and he is to be treated as you treat me, with respect...and no if he dies or gets hurt you cannot take him apart...Just to see how he ticks....HE will hopefully become my Duke. If he needs any medical treatment, you will give him just that. No....tweaking as you would call it....is that understood?"Victor huffed for a moment, then turned the bolt once more and stood up straight as if that last turn returned him to normalcy "Yes madam, I shall give him the doctors special..." Victor quickly bolted from the bathroom and Bella burst open the shower door and hollered "Dammit Victor! No...you are not giving him the special....HIS BRAIN IS FINE!!!"

@arch_duchess_:

"Oh God no, not this. S#!t..."

Isaac's thoughts were interrupted by his own regurgitation brought on by the magic used by Duchess. For some reason, the blood she used to enact the spell hadn't put the captain into a frenzy when it dropped. It felt as though his intestines were crawling out his esophagus to carpet the floor. Duchess needed to work on her briefings. All sugar in the front without mention of the hell in the back. A true leader by all means. There was no fault to her methods because it was precisely how Isaac behaved in her position oh... a few weeks ago.

Isaac slowly stood up with one hand holding his abdomen and the other wiping off vomit. The dining room was tremendous in scale. Red velvet walls with elaborate gold trim decorated the room. Magnificent mahogany furniture furnished the princess's prestigious palace. Everything seemed to scream her ancestry with the same crest he saw on her armor and a few of the men who tortured him. Exotic heads from species Isaac had never seen before watched her servants prepare a table from their trophy mounts. The captain had only been in places like this a few times in his life and it was usually for stealing a wealth of goods.

Isaac spun around and sat down at the table fully prepared table. There were glasses filled to the brim with various alcohols and blood. Undiscernable foods littered the table seeing as how Isaac never ate "Earth" food. The captain did notice there was meat available which was what he preferred to vegetables or grains. Utensils grabbed Isaac's attention which were the first things he reached for before sitting down in the second most comfortable chair he ever sat in. Isaac began dining quickly and neatly. He methodically devoured everything he had access to while washing it down with a combination of fresh blood and vodka. The captain felt his power return incrementally to help facilitate regeneration.

Once satisfied beyond comprehension the captain stood up to make his way to where he presumed Duchess sauntered off to but was distracted briefly by a man storming out with a screw in his head. The silver-haired man walked purposefully towards the new "guest" and examined him closely. The scientist reviewed every inch of Isaac's body by stretching out his arms, flipping them around back and forth. He stepped on his toes to look in Isaac's eyes.

"You're a big one aren't you? And those eyes are interesting as well. Are you a mutation of some sort? A definite anomaly. Come with me so we can make sure everything is tip top. Duchess Bella instructed me to provide you with medical attention."

Isaac looked down at the doctor then shook his head. He continued his journey towards Duchess, whom he now knew was named "Bella". The captain walked in the steamed room to see Bella's "true" form getting cleaned. Isaac stood outside the glass shower and simply watched her, waiting for permission to enter.