NIGHTWORLD

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04: Godhead's Lament

Jaro plodded along behind Kadir, his mind fighting and his body obeying. The vampire's words permeated everything, an unignorable command beckoning him forth. It was the most he could manage to look about, and even that was a strain.

Just turn, just stop, fall, anything. He tried to slow himself, to twist off the path, to break out and a run. He broke into a sweat attempting to reach out and grab a nearby tree, hoping to pin himself in place. All of it was futile, the vampire had them tight.

He was locked in, a prisoner in his own fur.

They'd been marched for what felt like eternity, moving to the more heavily shaded part of the woods, keeping to the darkness as the Nightworld sun rose overhead, their bloodthirsty escort hiding deeper beneath his cloak as it grew more direct.

THIS WAY. KEEP WALKING.

The words were inside Jaro's skull, pressing painfully at the back of his eyes, his puppeted legs carrying him onward, no matter how badly he begged them to stop.

The vampire never looked back. Winding through the dead woods, drawing ever nearer to the great looming citadel, he seemed so assured in his utter and total control over their minds. They wore no chains, and none of the desiccated servants the creature called thralls followed after them.

There is nothing to stop us from running, Jaro thought, for the fiftieth time. He'd no doubt Kadir thought the exact same. And yet, every time he tried to pull away, his legs refused. His head was locked forward, body plodding along. It hurt, not being able to stop - no matter what.

CEASE YOUR SQUIRMING, SLAVE.

Crossing a small rise, the trio finally stepped free of the wood, a frigid clearing spread out to greet them. If Jaro had been hoping for sunlight, he was again denied. This far down the cliff, the winding citadel seemed to blot out the sky completely. It stretched over the river up above, dominating the cliff like a hulking predator, sky-bridges twisting out to tall turreted spires, stretching down the full length of the waterfall into the clearing before them. All they had was gloom and grass, a thin veil of mildew sheening over every surface.

A narrow waterfall trickled down the side of the jagged rockwall, splitting apart into a myriad of small canals and waterways.

"The Godhead's Lament," the vampire purred, finally glancing back at Jaro and Kadir. "Behold it, and weep."

Jaro wanted to. He'd never felt so small as he did standing next to that castle, the vampire wolf towering over him, his mind caught in its spell like a vice. The weight of it all pressed on him, as if gravity had shifted, dragging him in towards a grisly death.

"Now... we go up," the vampire said, turning to the tower and leading them through a narrow rusted gate. A chill crawled down Jaro's spine as they began to ascend, spiralling around and around in a methodically dizzying path.

KEEP. UP.

His thigh muscles burned, throat still aching from the sour water they'd swallowed during the fall. Blood still dripped down the side of Kadir's face, but the caracal was so entranced he couldn't even bring himself to wipe it clean.

How long they walked for Jaro couldn't tell, but eventually the vampire led them through a bridgeway, linking up to what he guessed were the lower depths of the citadel.

It was warmer there, and as they began entering rooms of increasing size, Jaro saw small groups of the thralls creeping around, heads bowing as the vampire passed. He wasn't sure exactly what they were, but the food chain was clear - vampires were at the top.

Massive wrought iron furnaces blazed, fire and steam hissing through the stone depths, the smell of smoke and steel heavy in the air. Metal screeched as it clashed against metal, pipes and gears in the wall creaking and turning from the effort. What it all served was impossible to tell. Glancing through gaps in the stone walls, Jaro saw rushing canals dragging freight around the castle. The vampires had co-opted control of the waterways to move their supplies, whatever that may be. Isla and Kristian had said they thought the monsters could live forever, and immortality certainly matched up with the myths Jaro knew.

No wonder this place is so ornate and complex. It had probably been owned by the same group of individuals for hundreds of years, slowly but surely building it up, improving it. Still, despite all the intricacies and moving parts he saw no sign of electricity or modern technology. Tools were crude, and racked against shelving he saw swords, spears, and even crossbows. If you could dominate the world with your mind, what need of advancement would you even have?

THIS WAY.

The vampire led them down another set of stairs, and Jaro gave up trying to guess where they might be. The constant travelling up and down steps, combined with the odd shapes and heights of the rooms made things difficult to track. This place is a deathtrap.

The halls gave way to benches and work stations, which in turn gave way to dungeons. Dried corpses sat hung from hooks, or crammed into gibbets. The thralls here skulked about behind leather masks, blood-spattered aprons covering their rotting forms.

Nearly every cell was empty, the bars sharp and twisted, like a lace of thorns. No matter the design, it was clear to Jaro that the vampires had little interest in holding prisoners.

The cages were set into the wall at one side, while stained benches and tool racks laid to another. To the front Jaro saw private rooms, though what horrors lay within he couldn't even guess. Deeper still in the bowels he heard screaming, the echoes faint in the air.

So not every cell is empty then...

It was hopeless. Even if one did manage to wriggle free of the cells, where would you go? The Godhead's Lament was built as a warren, a maze designed to trap those unfamiliar with its layout. And even if one could somehow find the entrance, they had an army of thralls and vampires to claw through to do it.

Jaro's chest felt cold, as a calm certainty fell over him. It wasn't panic, or dread, it was the simple, clear fact;

They would die down here.

THROUGH THERE.

The vampire stopped them inside a smaller room, the air within stale, mould clinging to the corners. To one side laid two empty cells, the bars and hinges rusted brown, dust coating the floor. To the other side Jaro saw more tables and tool racks, their shadows dancing in the flickering lamplight. The racks held curved instruments, the orange lamp haze gleaming along pointed drill-bits and sawtoothed scythe edges. He saw nails, straps, and all other manner of cruel and unusual devices. Some were small contraptions, with screws and levers and springs, while others were simply purpose-built torture tools.

The vampire faced them, dropping his hood to reveal an angular face, fangs shining. Though he was a wolf, he looked unlike anyone Jaro had ever seen before. There was a certain dreamy quality about him, as if he were not quite real. His eyes met Jaro's and seemed to punch right through him, a spectral paw sifting through his mind.

"Two strangers trespassing upon a strange land... unwelcome in our little kingdom of darkness," the vampire said. His accent was strong, and vicious, though difficult to place exactly. The language - especially when combined with the creature's archaic words - felt like a bastardisation of several others, and Jaro found himself straining to keep up in the translations. "Yet here thee stand, nonetheless."

He let out a low whistle, like the beginning note of a nursery song, as the creature circled them, his tone teasing, almost playful. "Know me, Romulus. The Lord of Sanction of the Vermilion Cortège." He paused, watching their expressions keenly. "And so, that truly is foreign to you as well. Ashani was right... for once. Intriguing."

"Fuck. You." Kadir hissed, unable to even open his jaw.

Romulus laughed. "I should presume you won't be offering introductions? No matter, your cooperation was never required." He lowered himself, peering now into Kadir. "I know everything I need, Kadir Durmaz. How you continue to manage saving only yourself. I know how you promise safety and love, leaving only death in your wake. A triptych of failures that led you here... blood to more blood. Thoust is a long way from home, Turk."

"Stop," Jaro grunted, trying to buckle against his invisible restraints. The vampire turned on him, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

BE STILL.

"Jaroslav, I know thou too. You think you know our kind... but what you witnessed was a shadow of our true selves. A vile, wretched, starving rendition, a whampyr still... and yet you know nothing. You're carrying something of her with you now, no?" His paw stretched forward, the nails razor-sharp, gently tapping on Jaro's chest. "Can thoust feel it? Does it whisper sweet violence to you in the quiet of the night? Does your tongue dry such that nothing sates it?" The wolf paused, leaning closer till. "Wouldn't it be easier to give in? To relent? Here I thought all mortals craved our indulgences... tell me, honest now... does thou wish to live deliciously?"

Jaro struggled, his jaw throbbing as his muscles fought against themselves. "N... n-never."

Romulus stared another moment, then shrugged. "Fine, lie. Don't think I don't know thee as well. I know of the failure you are to your father, the prodigal shame. Abandoning home to kill for another nation, only to flee when things grew truly difficult. All that, and he still has no thought of what a perverted cretin you are... does he?"

The vampire stood, throwing his shoulders back.

"It seems my Lord's sightless mystic has finally delivered upon his promises, and how. So many secrets to unwrap, so many desires to twist and unravel." He stepped forward, sniffing deeply. "Tell me now, why are you both here? Truly? What could you possibly hope to find in our lands but blood... and death?"

He waited, but neither Jaro nor Kadir spoke. The vampire waved them off. "Verily. Choose not to answer, pray tell you find a voice for the Cortège... and our true leader." He showed them his back, whistling. "Dracul."

A shiver ran through Jaro's spine, like a ghostly paw sliding from his neck to his ankles. He focused on muscle groups, trying to ignore the vampire's grip on his mind. He flexed the muscles in his toes, working more and more of a wiggle into each one within his boots. A tiny rebellion, one joint at a time.

"If it is perversion you desire though..." Romulus began, twirling round to face them in a slow, dancer-like motion. "Allow me to reciprocate."

UNDRESS.

The command rang like a bell through Jaro, spurring his arms painfully into action.

"P-please... no..." He whispered, but his body was already moving.

"Bottoms first," Romulus cooed. Jaro was trapped, helpless to watch as his own traitorous paws clumsily fumbled at his belt, undoing the strap and letting them fall to his ankles. He kicked each boot off before shoving the fallen pants away. Romulus's grin only deepened as he stared, watching Jaro shiver in his underwear.

"You as well, Kadir," the vampire added, as Kadir began to obey. "What dark secrets mortals hold... so ashamed of your true selves. Well, I'm not ashamed."

Jaro's fingers unzipped his coat, slipping it off as he reached down, tugging his shirt up and over his head, dropping it by his side. The more he moved the more the psychic grip seemed to tighten, as if his body was accepting the vampire's commands. He was near fully undressed now, stripped down to his briefs. Despite his thick pelt he felt cold, a deep permeating chill that ran to his bones.

"Kadir, the rest?" Romulus asked, gesturing at the caracal's own underwear.

"N... Don't."

"Come now, don't be shy. It's only Jaroslav and myself, we shan't judge."

Shaking furiously, the cat reached down, unhooking the waistline of his briefs and sliding them down. He dropped them, stepping forward fully nude. Jaro saw his backside, well-toned shoulders and a firm rump, resting atop powerful legs draped in tan fur.

"Yavsak," Kadir hissed.

The vampire only whistled sharply, pointing to Jaro. "I think our Hungarian slave needs some assistance. He's just... so... deeply... humiliated."

Trembling with fury, Kadir stood in front of Jaro, his face flushing as he tried to look away, the creature's hypnosis refusing to let him.

Kadir's front was impressive - his abdomen was taut like iron, slender yet strong arms hanging at his side. A small, cream-furred sheath rested above his testicles, and Jaro's face burned at the sight of it.

"Stop." Kadir growled through gritted teeth. "Now."

Romulus chuckled to himself, stepping to the side so he could see. "Thou lies again. This is what you want... isn't it?"

No, don't. Jaro thought, wishing he could close his eyes. Stop.

YOU WANT IT.

The vampire stepped behind him, lips pressing up close to his ear. "Allow yourself to feel true desire... give in to those shameful urges. And thus..." He waved to Kadir.

The caracal slowly went to his knees, sheath swaying. Following the commands only he could hear, his paws gently stretched up, fingertips slipping inside the elastic band of Jaro's briefs. After a shuddering breath of hesitation, he pulled them down, allowing the wolf's larger sheath to fall free, his grey balls hanging beneath.

The underwear dropped to his feet and Jaro's face burned, a thrill of horror and tingling excitement running through him - much as he hated admitting it.

Kadir stared at his cock, sitting there. The stress was too much, and Jaro could feel himself beginning to stiffen inside his sheath.

No... please.... Not now... He wanted to cry out, to tell Kadir he didn't mean it.

"Yesssss...." The vampire hissed. "Give in to your primal desires."

The caracal reached up, face distorted with effort, his shaking paws cupping Jaro's balls. Jaro flinched as the second paw clumsily grasped his sheath, squeezing near the base.

"There is no point resisting," Romulus whispered. From behind, Jaro felt the vampire's claws touch his waist, holding firm. "Depravity and desire are the core of all beings."

Below, Kadir's paw was beginning to stroke Jaro's sheath, his cock firming up inside, the red tip now beginning to slide up through the fur of his sheath.

"A-ah..." Jaro gasped, as near half his cock had risen, Kadir continuing to work it. He tried to remind himself it was just his body, responding to stimulus. There was nothing he could do. The caracal's strong fingers slid his sheath up and down, squeezing and encouraging, firm but rhythmic. Jaro couldn't move. He hated that this was happening, but he couldn't deny the physical reactions. The tingling in his face, the thrilling whip in his belly, the stiffening of his cock. His body wanted it, but the shame he felt at the relief ran deeper than any knife could. It compounded, as if the embarrassment made the stroking feel all that much stronger. "F-fuck..."

"Here..." Romulus demurred, dragging his two fangs along Jaro's shoulder. "No lust is denied us. No taboo too forbidden. Blood flows like wine, and so shall everything else follow." He sucked in a breath, and Jaro felt his knot starting to swell inside his sheath. Kadir's paw began to pick up pace, working at Jaro's cock quickly, the wolf's hips urging him to thrust, a deep tension building in the back of his groin. "Let go..."

At that, the door to the dungeon banged open, rocking on its hinges and freezing Jaro and Kadir in place. Romulus pulled back, and Jaro was able to crane his eyes just enough to see a tall, bulky hyena step inside. She wore dark, plated armour and a rich blue half-cape, two swords hanging at her waist.

"Romulus, I'd heard tell thou was skulking about down here," she said, her voice coarse and grating.

"Ashani...." Romulus hissed. "I'd not heard word of the Daybreaker herself appearing."

The hyena swept inside, armour clanking with each step. Her eyes were as red as the wolf's, the thick fur atop her skull braided and flowing down the back of her neck. "Perhaps if thou spent less time toying with the slaves, you'd be better informed."

Romulus scoffed, as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. "How I spend my time is of no concern to you, my Lady." Whilst they spoke, Kadir and Jaro remained frozen in place; Jaro's erection quickly softening around Kadir's fingers, thanks to the welcome distraction.

Ashani eyed the two, unimpressed. "Dracula would find your weakness for soft things embarrassing."

"Harsh limits from a supposed Lord of Avarice," Romulus snapped. They spoke over Jaro and Kadir, through them even, as if the two weren't present, just little objects forgotten on the floor. "Thou knows as well as any, our Emperor encourages the pursuits of lust."

Ashani sneered. "He encourages bloodlust, Romulus, but with restraint. He idolises control over all other essences. Tis a nuance thou might find too delicate to grasp."

"Pray tell, did you come here for something, Ashani? Or merely to prod at my hide?"

The hyena sighed. "Trust, my Lord, I've no inclination to watch you drain these fools of every differing drop they have... the Cortège is being called in full. Even Zakhar, even you. Our Emperor had no trust thou would obey the thralls, and so I come as his humble messenger."

Romulus gestured to the two mortals, barely sparing a glance. "And of the fruits from our Dreamless' labours? Surely our Lord desires to lay eyes upon the spoils..."

"They will answer to him, in due course."

The wolf tutted, circling them once again. "Verily, my Lady."

THE CELL. GO TO IT.

Kadir was jerked his feet, and Jaro began to walk stiffly, the two of them marching into one of the cells and standing there, their naked backsides to the door.

"Don't you tire of them, Romulus?" Ashani asked, as the wolf slammed the cell door shut. "I find the desires and ambitions of mortals so very... mundane."

"To you, perhaps," Romulus replied. "But one must know their prey, and they all have so many... little secrets. Isn't that true, Jaroslav?"

"As you like," Ashani said.

And with that, the two vampires vanished, the door slamming shut behind them.

It took some time, but eventually Jaro felt the mental hold on his mind slip, his body becoming his own once again. He fell backwards from the force of it, collapsing against the wall, unused to having full control of his limbs again.

"What the fuck?" He gasped, head sinking between his knees. He wanted to cover his sheath with a paw, but it felt trite now over what had been done to them.

Kadir squatted in the corner, head hanging low.

"Kadir, I didn't enjoy-"

"Not a word, Jaro," the caracal snapped, his eyes locked firmly on the bricks at their feet. "I refuse to feel shame over the corrupting influence of some monster. Put little stock in whatever lies he fed you. All that matters now is leaving."

Jaro nodded, averting his eyes as his paw readjusted his sheath. A part of him felt drawn to Kadir's naked form, wanting just one more glimpse of the cat... after all, it would have at least made things a bit fair.

Does he know now? A tightness gripped Jaro's chest at the thought of his... persuasion... becoming common knowledge. But Kadir was right, the vampire lied. There was no reason that everything it said couldn't be a lie. But does he suspect? Suspect that maybe Jaro enjoyed being twisted like that? Maybe he thinks he even wanted it?

"How many do you think there are?" Kadir asked. "In this Cortège of theirs? Is that some kind of fucking joke? Do they mean a court?"

"A court of vampires," Jaro whispered, horrified at the thought. "Can they all do that? With their minds?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I haven't heard of one being that... compelling. Maybe it's just older."

"He called the second one 'Daybreaker'. What do you think it means?"

"I don't know, Jaro, I could scarcely understand a word they were saying. Only some of it was clear to me."

Jaro sighed, nodding slow. He got the impression Kadir knew some European languages, but to what extent he wasn't certain.

"He could tell though," the caracal added, looking up. "He knew you were one of them." For a moment Jaro felt blind panic, before realising Kadir meant the vrykolakas parasite coiled in his chest.

"I'm not one of them," Jaro insisted, standing. A brief flash of shame overcame him at the nudity, but he shoved it aside.

"Don't feel thirsty?" Kadir asked, craning his neck. "Violent?"

"Fuck you Kadir, is now really the time to be at my throat?" Jaro turned away, slumping against the cell door. Fear trickled through him. What would they do next? More strange, humiliating sex acts? Or would they just drain their blood and leave them to die? He thought of the corpses they'd seen marching in; bodies stripped of flesh, their wrists and necks sliced open, leaving their corpses to drip dry. He'd seen the canals moving freight, but he'd seen pools of blood too, he'd thought it oil or filthy water, but thinking back now he realised it for what it was. Food.

And did they say Dracula?

"Here, I think this one might be loose."

Jaro turned, and saw the caracal on his knees, eyeing two bricks in the wall dividing the cells. He prodded at the grouting, and Jaro quickly moved to help.

"Definitely loose," Kadir said, wiggling the brick towards himself, flakes of dust and grime falling free. "The other cell is still unlocked. If we can get open this up, you might be able to squeeze in this gap."

"And then what?" Jaro asked. "We're in the heart of a bloody vampire castle. They were waiting for us, the others are probably dead already, torn to pieces by those thralls. Do you remember the way we came in? Because I don't. It was a fucking maze, filled with those things, not to mention who knows how many actual vampires." He wanted to laugh, it all seemed insane. Unreal and hyperreal all at once; a waking nightmare. Two minutes ago Kadir's paw had been jacking him off, now he was worried about Dracula draining his blood.

"It's clear this Vermilion Cortège rules here, in some capacity. To what extent, we don't know. No matter how strong they are, the sun will always hold them back. There must be people out there, they need our flesh to thrive."

"They're probably all enslaved in gigantic abattoirs."

"That's our advantage," Kadir hissed, claws digging at more grout in the brick. It was wiggling even more now, and he'd nearly cleared enough seal to get a grip on it. "These monsters have probably ruled for centuries. They're used to having a weak, subservient population."

Jaro blew air from his cheeks. He hated agreeing, but Kadir was right. "The way they talked... like we weren't even there. It's probably been ages since they had to actually fight for anything."

"Good times produce weak men. They expect so little from us. They're arrogant. Too big to fail. Well. We'll see about that."

And with that the first brick tore free, dust spraying up as it went. Kadir made quick work of the second, kicking it out furiously, before tearing down a third. "Quick, through."

Jaro got on his belly, wriggling through the narrow gap. It threatened to crush him, but after a shove from the caracal behind he made it to the other side, dirt and filth clinging to his fur. Leaving the cell he stepped out into the torture room, which had been left empty.

Not even a guard to watch us. He thought of Romulus, grinning at them, that chilling whistle howling in his ear. He supposed he wouldn't expect much either, if he could control people's minds. I can't wait to watch you die, vampire.

After a moment of searching, he snatched the cell key, unlocking the one Kadir waited in. The two quickly dressed again, saying nothing of what had transpired.

"Here, take this," Kadir said, passing Jaro a small sickle he retrieved from the torture rack. The wolf accepted it, noting the small axe wielded in Kadir's dominant paw. "Stay behind me; we'll get out of here, and go back to the Source."

Jaro did as he bade, creeping up to the room's door with the caracal. Kadir tore it open, revealing a thrall gawping at them, one claw outstretched to come in. It wore a bloodied apron and a mask over its snout, the majority of its fur long rotted away. Kadir didn't hesitate - he buried his axe in its skull, splitting bone and spraying ichor. The wretched body seized, falling to the ground shaking until it went still.

"They're easy to kill. Some kind of zombified slave," Kadir added. "But not like what... what... happened to us."

"Yeah."

They were interrupted when something down the hall screamed. It was harrowing and sharp, like nails down a chalkboard. Jaro turned to see two howling thralls pointing up at them.

"Run!" Kadir said, taking off in the opposite direction.

Jaro followed close, sprinting behind the caracal, panting, heart pounding painfully hard in his chest.

The two belted down a long hallway, passing empty cells and rooms, more howls beginning to sound up as the thralls raised their alarm. When the halls forked Kadir seemed to choose at random, following instinct as he ran, avoiding whichever paths held more thralls. Deep in the castle guts, bells began to ring.

"Up, or down?!" Kadir cried, still tugging Jaro along, half-checking rooms before rushing into them. Deep behind, he heard the scratching of things chasing them.

"I don't know! We moved so much!" Jaro's breath was sour, sucking between clenched teeth.

Romulus had taken them up, then down, then up again. He'd no way of knowing where they were.

"Try to find heat, we came in near the furnaces!"

Kadir nodded, diving down a staircase then following a spiral upwards.

Eventually they came crashing back into the giant furnace room, several thralls already waiting, blood dripping down their aprons. The iron vats blazed behind them, black smoke pouring up into pipes, huge stacks of coal trailing in via the little canal boats Jaro saw earlier. In the roof, massive gears and cables turned and twisting, metal on metal. At the edges of the floor, troughs full of congealing blood sat full, rivets in the ground letting it trickle about like veins. How many bodies does it take to keep blood flowing through this entire castle?

It was cold and unforgiving, even in the sweltering hotbox of a room.

"Whadda we do?!" Jaro cried, looking from thrall to thrall. He turned back, but even the way they'd come was being filled.

"We fight!" Kadir snapped, as a thrall lunged at him. Jaro pushed away, slashing madly at another that dove for his throat. His sickle tip caught it in the neck, peeling up a long chunk of greening flesh as he cut away. The wound didn't seem to slow the creature, saliva spraying as it gnashed teeth, biting at Jaro's face. He threw his weight into it, shoving his hip in and flipping it easily - the thrall seemed to weigh almost nothing. It hit the ground with an echoic crack and he whipped the sickle at its head, the blade crunching into the side and passing nearly through, the bone feeling soft beneath his steel. The thrall went limp and Jaro yanked his blade free, whirling on another creeping up on them. It leapt onto Kadir's back like a spidermonkey, squawking and snapping, sinking teeth into the caracal's shoulder.

"FUCK OFF!" Jaro screamed, hooking his sickle into the meat of its back and tearing it off. It crashed to the ground wailing, and he promptly crushed its head with his boot.

"They just keep coming-" Kadir panted, putting his bloodstained back to Jaro's, the two circling as more of the monsters swarmed into the large furnace room. It was sweltering, and the thralls were beginning to circle, creeping over the walls and hanging from the ceiling.

"Why are they waiting?" Jaro asked, waving his sickle at one of them edging closer. "Fucking come on!"

"They want the numbers," Kadir replied. "They're weak, uncoordinated... but with enough force... Do you see a way out?"

"No, I don't know!" Jaro wiped at his eyes, sweat dripping down and stinging them. Several other tunnels and stairways led into the room, although all of them were packed with thralls; there must be more than a dozen of the rotting creatures now.

"We have to pick a door, and try to fight through it," Kadir said. "They don't seem to feel much pain, so go for the head, or the feet, anything to slow them down."

All of the doors looked bad. Jaro couldn't imagine them getting through any. He needed another cliff to jump off - none of the thralls had climbed out of the river earlier.

He racked his brain for vampire myths, trying to recall which were more widely accepted, and which were random quirks added in movies.

"Kadir... get ready..." he said, eyeing a stack of coal to one side. Only a few thralls waited there, two standing in front of a thin barrier of old plywood, which blocked access to the goods canal rushing along beyond it. "I don't think they like water."

"What?"

"RUN!" Jaro shouted, seizing Kadir's wrist and dragging him towards the canal. The thralls erupted at that, growling deep as they rushed in. Jaro waved his sickle, screaming blindly as they ran. "GO THROUGH!"

He and Kadir crashed into one of the thralls without slowing, lifting it off its feet and carrying it back, crushing it between them and the old wood. The thin barrier crumbled, and the three of them tripped in, crashing into the rushing tunnel of water.

The canal was shallow, but the current was strong. The thrall began wailing the moment it touched the water, hissing steam rising from its flesh as it tried to drag itself free, skin and mottled fur left on its body melting off as the water rushed over it.

Kadir and Jaro were instantly carried away, the heavy current brutal against their lighter bodies.

Down they went, slamming up against the sides of walls and sluices, bits of metal and other cargo crashing and bumping them, but never slowing. Through the murky haze Jaro saw flashes of white and red, gleaming lights and gigantic steel rooms, all kinds of maddening insanity. There were spaces filled with thralls, filled with bodies, even some filled with gold. He grabbed hold of Kadir's waist, holding on for dear life as the two were dragged deeper and deeper through the castle roots, eventually flying down a long, steep line.

They picked up speed, and Jaro screamed as he felt the tunnel end, their bodies once again thrown into freefall, this time shrouded in darkness.

They hit icy cold water hard, plunging into the depths.

There was little to no current this time, and Jaro quickly regained his sense of direction, pushing up and breaking the surface.

Treading water, he saw the pipe they'd come down flowed out into the mouth of a large cave. In the distance he saw light, so at least they weren't trapped.

"Wolf!" He spun, and saw Kadir at the water's edge, dripping wet and waving him over. Paddling across, Jaro allowed the caracal to help him out. "Second time we've gotten dunked in as many hours."

"I don't think they like water," Jaro replied, looking back up.

"Vampires and running water is an old myth, I guess it stays true for thralls as well." Kadir pointed to the end of the cave. "Let's get out of the dark."

They hustled along the water edge, boots and socks soaked completely. Eventually the shadows receded, and they found the cave giving way to an open field. In the distance behind, the Godhead's Lament and its forest loomed, but it seemed the canals and cave network had dragged them further than Jaro could have guessed.

"Think we're safe?" Jaro asked, not sure if he was about to laugh or burst into sobs. "Where do we even go?"

"Not safe yet, but soon," Kadir replied. "There has to be something... if they killed every mortal, they'd die out."

"Over there," Jaro pointed. In the distance, through a sharp valley and past another river, smoke rose behind a hill. "Too much smoke for one home, and vampires don't need warmth. Could be a village. How far do you think that is?"

"Thirty, maybe forty clicks?" Kadir guessed. "It might be a village. Might also be a vampire firepit... only one way to find out. If we keep up the pace, we might make it by nightfall. So long as it's away from that fucking castle, I don't care, let's go."

"You lost your axe?" Jaro asked as they took off, raising his sickle. The caracal nodded.

"In the canal somewhere. I'd rather have a gun, but I don't think they were ever invented here. They're living in the fucking dark ages."

"Yeah. Your head?"

Kadir touched his forehead, nudging the cut he'd picked up in the first river. "I'll be fine."

They stuck close to the narrowing river as much as possible, eyes peeled for any signs of thralls, vampires, or other monstrosities. Thankfully nothing appeared, and the hopefully-village smoke only drew closer and closer. The further they got from the giant castle, the better Jaro began to feel. He saw normal signs of people now - old fences, worn down signage, overgrown paths. Somebody had lived around here once, and they'd had farms.

"Saved my life twice now," Kadir grunted, after a few hours of silence. "First when I hit my head, and now with the canal."

"Don't worry about it. You did the same for me." Jaro paused, biting his lip. "Look, Kadir... about what... happened in there..."

"Doesn't matter," the caracal snapped. "That thing was in our head. It forced us, neither of us enjoyed it and we don't need to talk about it."

"Yeah, no... I know. I'm just saying."

"Well, don't."

"I don't blame you or anything."

Kadir whirled, teeth bared, fists clenched. "Why the hell would you, Jaro? Huh? Think I'm some freak? He had full control of us. Nothing more. It was torture, just fun for him. Maybe now you understand why you shouldn't become one of those things. They have no morality. Just lust and desire run rampant, like he said." He scoffed. "We need to find Kristian already. I don't know how long you can go without his damn serum."

"And if Kristian's dead?" Jaro asked, the thought sour in his mouth. "What if they're... all dead?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Kadir snarled, shoving Jaro back. "If they are, then it is your fault, because I left them to save you." He turned away, picking up his pace towards the village. "Isla knows what to do. She's got Frankie and Noah, they'll be alright."

"Right then..." Jaro mumbled, tucking his stolen sickle into his belt and following along.

As they walked, he couldn't resist the urge to look back one more time. Somehow, the Godhead's Lament seemed even larger in the distance. It overtook the mountain it was built against, the dark forest at its base reaching out like a great withered claw, seeking to drag all living things back into its heart.

He put a paw over his own heart, shuddering at the thought of that worm inside him. If only there was a way to steal their power without succumbing to it. He was terrified of ending up like that. Of becoming a monster that devoured the flesh of the innocent, hunted people for sport, and twisted them to suit his own perverted whims. It would be like losing himself.

The thought of Kadir came back to his mind, kneeling naked in front of him and squeezing his sheath. It was horrifying how easy that had been for the vampire.

But what was more horrifying, was the tiniest part of Jaro that had enjoyed it. The flush of shame and humiliation, the burning heat of being forced to be used like that, all for the creature's own amusement. He couldn't stop replaying it in his head over and over. How far would the vampire have made them go, if Ashani hadn't shown up? Would Jaro have really wanted it to stop? Would Kadir?

What did Romulus say?

"Depravity and desire are the core of all beings."

More than any other fear, Jaro was scared that might be true.