?Where are we?? Skid sat upon a soft, delightfully musty old leather chair in the center of a study. He was surprised in his comfort, not knowing how he had ended up there, where there exactly was, or why he was wearing a fine ?if old and a bit worn- grey suit. He hadn?t a mask or patch, either, though he felt very equalized regardless. The walls and shelves -filled to bursting with all manner of strange literature- were a deep, reddish stain. Even the books? various colours were all seemingly centered upon a shade of red.
?We?re inside of our mind, Ignorance.? His own voice rumbled out of the air above and behind him, but it wasn?t his, was it? ?Why are you calling me that?? His head turned up and craned around. One illuminated blank picture frame hung on the wall high up in the study, on the second floor. There were nine other similarly-sized portraits around the room, indecipherable in the darkness. Across from the second floor?s one window, a larger portrait was shrouded in an even deeper darkness than the rest. The window?s light was feeble, but the darkness was obviously something more than nature at work. Over the balcony that rimmed the walkway of that open, second floor leaned? Himself? No, this Skid was different. Its body was longer, crueler, and sharper than his. It wore a similar suit, though torn around the joints to accommodate its increased size. Even its head was longer, with a well-pronounced snout and curling horns; almost beastly in appearance.
He tilted his decidedly more Draconian head to the side, contemplating upon whether or not he should answer the entirely unknowledgeable version of himself in the chair downstairs. ?Why are you calling me Beast?? Before the besuited Skid had time to process this properly, the Beast had jumped from the balcony and landed behind his chair. "How di-?" A single long, hateful arm whipped the lounger aside with barely enough time for Skid to fall forwards out of it. It smashed into a bookshelf, volumes tumbling to the ground in a great heap over the aged leather and splintered wooden skeleton. Skid scrambled to his feet, hands searching along the walls for some weapon or means of defense. The Beast threw its head back, and laughed. ?You can?t hurt me, Ignorance. We?re the same.? A devastating hand crushed against Skid?s throat, before he could gain his bearings, and brought him to a fate similar to that of the chair. ?Why? Why can you hurt me, then..?? Skid clawed his way out of the pile of books, the titles all things he couldn?t seem to read correctly.
?Because you think I can. I?m not weak. I don?t suffer needs and desires like you do. I?m not going to be the link that snaps, and it?s my turn to take control.? The Beast?s breath was hot, and pervasive. Skid didn?t like it one bit, but he hardly had time to think on this. The Beast had reached up and pulled, and the entire bookshelf was coming down on him, and he wasn?t strong enough to stop it. He wondered if this was what Humans felt like when a large object fell on them, and then his world went black. All he could hear was laughter. All he could feel was pain.
"Now they'll all pay for their weakness, their misconceptions, and their foolish trust in you. They'll pay with blood, and flesh, and bone!" A thick, cold cackle filled the air of the room, and the Beast stalked towards the massive cherry door that lead from the study. "I can't wait to collect.." The last sound in the room was the click of a door. The Beast was free to run rampant.
?We?re inside of our mind, Ignorance.? His own voice rumbled out of the air above and behind him, but it wasn?t his, was it? ?Why are you calling me that?? His head turned up and craned around. One illuminated blank picture frame hung on the wall high up in the study, on the second floor. There were nine other similarly-sized portraits around the room, indecipherable in the darkness. Across from the second floor?s one window, a larger portrait was shrouded in an even deeper darkness than the rest. The window?s light was feeble, but the darkness was obviously something more than nature at work. Over the balcony that rimmed the walkway of that open, second floor leaned? Himself? No, this Skid was different. Its body was longer, crueler, and sharper than his. It wore a similar suit, though torn around the joints to accommodate its increased size. Even its head was longer, with a well-pronounced snout and curling horns; almost beastly in appearance.
He tilted his decidedly more Draconian head to the side, contemplating upon whether or not he should answer the entirely unknowledgeable version of himself in the chair downstairs. ?Why are you calling me Beast?? Before the besuited Skid had time to process this properly, the Beast had jumped from the balcony and landed behind his chair. "How di-?" A single long, hateful arm whipped the lounger aside with barely enough time for Skid to fall forwards out of it. It smashed into a bookshelf, volumes tumbling to the ground in a great heap over the aged leather and splintered wooden skeleton. Skid scrambled to his feet, hands searching along the walls for some weapon or means of defense. The Beast threw its head back, and laughed. ?You can?t hurt me, Ignorance. We?re the same.? A devastating hand crushed against Skid?s throat, before he could gain his bearings, and brought him to a fate similar to that of the chair. ?Why? Why can you hurt me, then..?? Skid clawed his way out of the pile of books, the titles all things he couldn?t seem to read correctly.
?Because you think I can. I?m not weak. I don?t suffer needs and desires like you do. I?m not going to be the link that snaps, and it?s my turn to take control.? The Beast?s breath was hot, and pervasive. Skid didn?t like it one bit, but he hardly had time to think on this. The Beast had reached up and pulled, and the entire bookshelf was coming down on him, and he wasn?t strong enough to stop it. He wondered if this was what Humans felt like when a large object fell on them, and then his world went black. All he could hear was laughter. All he could feel was pain.
"Now they'll all pay for their weakness, their misconceptions, and their foolish trust in you. They'll pay with blood, and flesh, and bone!" A thick, cold cackle filled the air of the room, and the Beast stalked towards the massive cherry door that lead from the study. "I can't wait to collect.." The last sound in the room was the click of a door. The Beast was free to run rampant.