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If Doctor Legundo closed his eyes, he could still feel the claws raking themselves into his back.
"What happened to do no harm, doctor?"
He could hear the laughs of the elder vampire in his ears. The easygoing tone he used when he knew that everything he was saying was a perfectly fabricated lie. He could replay over and over the maddening fear that choked his lungs when Scott had suddenly switched from being far behind him to on top of him.
"Oh, I don't claim to be better than you. I just don't lie about it."
Man down!
Every single morning that week, Legundo found himself grabbing an axe and slamming it into a single wooden plank on his floor. With every swing, he imagined Scott's face being split in two by the axe. The plank was slowly eroding away from the abuse.
Do no harm.
Do no harm.
"What happened to do no harm, doctor?"
It had been three days since Legundo died. Three days since he had felt his hope start to slip. Three days since he had collapsed from a panic attack from the sheer adrenaline that was still in his veins. From the constant fear. Three days since boiling anger did nothing but force him to pace in circles around his room, trying to figure out a solution. They needed to get rid of Scott.
Kill him.
Do no harm.
Abolish had found the third book. They could have the cure. They could help the ones that wanted, needed to be helped. But they had to be rid of the sire.
Kill him!
Do no harm.
Doctor! DOCTOR!
I can't stop the bleeding.
Legs had the axe in his hands again. He didn't know what to do with it. No, no, he knew. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. His patience had been wearing thin for weeks now. His gaze landed on the wooden plank in his house.
If you save them, they won't have to carry the burden.
DOCTOR! HELP!
Legundo slowly walked over to the plank. In one swift motion, he yanked the wood out of the floor and used his axe to carve it into a pointed stake. His hands shook as he held up the dangerous object. It had been so long since he had made something with the intent to kill.
He was helping. If he had to raise his weapon to help his patients, it was fine. He could handle it. One person. All he needed to do was kill one person and he could help so many others. All he wanted to do was help.
Legundo stood up with a stake hidden in the pocket of his clothing and an axe in his hand. All it took was a couple of breaths, and then he was gone.
A pair of eyes watched him from beyond.
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The castle had always been a sight to see, the tall height ensuring it towered over anything that dared to stand near it. The dark colors finished off the creepiness of it all and sent a shiver up the doctor's spine every time he saw it. However, the one thing that kept the castle from being downright ominous was the near-always active presence of people in, out or near it.
Today, there was no such thing. The castle grounds were quiet and entirely devoid of any sign of the undead or the living. Legundo frowned from where he stood in the castle's courtyard, being able to pass through with no complications or confrontations.
Something was off. It was the tell-tale signs of a trap. Likely, the perpetrator was Scott. He clamped his jaw tighter and continued to walk forward. If it was Scott, the elder vampire would never approach him. His ego was far too high to even consider it. It would be useless to try and wait the trap out.
The courtyard soon turned into dark, mottled stone and polished floors. Legundo walked carefully throughout the hallway as he kept an eye out for any unfamiliar movement. Unfortunately, he had to keep shifting his body in circles to make up for his blind spot, giving his possible attacker a clue on his weaknesses. It's fine. I can handle it.
The doctor stopped short as he entered the biggest room by far. A chandelier made of scarlet-red candles lit up the room, creating soft shadows on the walls. A long, luxurious table was planted in the middle of the room, taking up most of the space like it owned it. He had remembered that Cleo mentioned a meeting room table before-perhaps this was it? However, there was certainly not enough chairs to fit all of the members of the coven; in fact, there was only two. The closest chair was pulled out from under the table, the soft fabric of the seat almost beckoning to him. The other chair was across the table at the head, and in the chair sat none other than Scott Goldsmith.
"Good evening, my dear doctor." Scott started with a little smug wave. "I can't believe you're outside of the town's walls. Alone. Wasn't it you who was pushing so hard for everybody to stay inside those?"
"A suggestion, not an outright rule. I can draw lines in the sand, but there are going to be times where we have to cross them. I will not fault myself nor anyone who chooses to do so." Legundo answered, doing his best to keep his voice steady. To not let his vocal chords betray the absolute rage that screamed through him. Every second Scott was still in his vision was a blight on his consciousness. Scott merely shrugged and settled further into his fancy chair.
"Well, I was just raising a question. No need to start biting me like a dog, doctor." Scott gestured to the contents on the table. "In fact, how funny! I was just about to start eating my dinner with the coven. Since they haven't arrived yet, why don't you take a seat and help yourself?" It was only then Legundo noticed the table was filled with a dozen plates that were all varying shapes and sizes.
Each and every one was filled with hunks of meat and blood. The ones closer to Legundo's side of the table were clearly less clean and had far more blood and bone clumped up in them, while Scott's side had far more presentable options. Either way, Legundo could feel nausea churning in his stomach. "Hm? What's the matter?" Scott asked, voice ticking up a pitch in a way that told Legundo he knew exactly what the matter was. "I've heard from a few birdies that you're a vampire. Shouldn't this be a perfectly fine meal?"
Scott knew about his lie. There was no telling what else he knew. No telling what information he had gained or forced out from the others. Legundo swallowed roughly and took a seat. "I can stay for a little bit." He managed to bite out. He set it his axe against the chair leg as he settled in the best he could.
"Wonderful!" Scott clapped his hands together before grabbing a fork and knife and cutting into the meat in front of him. Legundo felt his heartbeat stutter as the smell of blood and flesh drifted over to him. His senses were not as strong as a vampire's, yet it almost smelled like it was right in front of him. He forced himself to breathe through his mouth as he stared down at his choices of dining.
Even if it was cooked, even if it was a vampire, he wouldn't eat it. He couldn't. His mind drifted back to the town, the bodies, the horrible way skin smelled when it melted. When it was cooked. When he had to watch desperate people eat each other because of him. As he looked down, he couldn't help but see their terrified faces etched into every vein of the meat.
God, he was going to be sick.
"Really, Legs, I just don't know why you're so hard-pressed about staying away from me." Scott loudly remarked as he finished a slice of the lamb heart that sat perfectly on its plate. "We've had civil conversations before, and honestly I do believe that's far better than your conversations with the rest of my coven." He daintily wiped his mouth on a white handkerchief. Legundo stared at the cloth in silence, watching smears of red blood and black lipstick run across the striking fabric. It reminded him of human blood splattered across snow. "I watched Pyro talk with you and your group the other day. Remember how that ended?"
"I remember." Legundo muttered, hands flexing slightly. Oh, he did remember. It was all he could think about. His finger brushed against the handle of his axe. It was strange that Scott hadn't brought up the weapon yet. "I wouldn't exactly call the part where you got involved as civil."
"You attacked me first. I was defending myself." Scott dug into another chunk of the heart, causing blood to ooze out with every poke of his fork. It made Legundo visibly shudder. The holes almost reminded him of gunshot wounds.
"And then you killed me. You chased me down. You-" The words caught in his throat. "-hunted me."
"And we still managed to have a civil conversation the entire time." Every word Scott said made him sound like he was on the edge of laughter. For the noble, this entire situation was fun.
The killing. The eating. The deliberate words and movements. Scott had no other emotion for it other than amusement. He didn't give a single damn about anyone but himself. As long as he was above everyone and safe, he would have a good time.
Legundo said nothing as he grabbed his axe and stepped up from his chair onto the long table. Meat and bone made strange, squelching noises from beneath him as he stood on top of it all. For a second, he was in a forest, in the battlefield, in the trenches, stepping over bodies as he barely escaped his end. Then he was back in the present staring at the man he hated most. The vampire's eyebrows were raised as he tried to hide his expression underneath his handkerchief. "It's rude to stand on the table when you're eating, you know." Scott never moved his eyes away from Legundo's face.
"It's a common thing in most places, yes." Legs kept walking towards Scott on the table, army boots slowly being covered in guts and slimy mass. It was horrific, yet his feet never even went an inch off the table. He needed to be above Scott for once. He needed to see every second he could make the vampire suffer when he eventually dug his axe in.
"That bottle of holy water of yours did quite the damage. And here you are, in my home, brandishing a silver axe at me." Scott set his utensils down on the table, sighing. "How far you've fallen. Remember when you used to believe in doing no harm?"
"My oath was never about being a pacifist, Mr. Goldsmith." The doctor's grip on his axe grew tighter, the rough texture marring his skin. "It was about never letting my patients be harmed by me. Never letting them be harmed by others who wish to do them ill." He stopped just at the edge of the table, staring down at the elder vampire. "Like I said, I have drawn lines in the sand that can be crossed if needed. And I do believe that killing you is necessary for my patients. Luckily for me, you are not under my care and I would rather die than even attempt to help someone as depraved and cruel as you." Every word that spat out of his mouth was full of a cold sort of anger, hardening every sound he made into sharp daggers towards Scott. He was sick of him.
Scott let out a laugh as he rested his chin on his hand, looking up at Legundo without a single speck of fear in his eyes. "Oh, Legs. You are just so adorable."
Legundo let out a shout as he lifted his axe and swung down towards Scott. In a blink, bats filled the air and his axe cut into wood instead of flesh.
Dammit. He had forgotten to bring holy water. The fight was going to be a lot harder. Legundo spun around as he tugged his axe out of the chair, trying to pinpoint where Scott had gone. "Up here, silly!" An annoyingly cheerful voice teased from above. The elder vampire had flown up to the chandelier and was now hanging off the edge in bat-form. With one fluid motion, he let go and transformed back into his human-form, landing directly on top of Legs.
Legundo grunted as his back hit the table, jaw slamming shut as he felt the viscera of the dinner soak into his clothes and skin. Nausea hit him full force and he blinked rapidly to try and get his brain back on track. "I don't think you're lying. But I don't think you're admitting the truth to yourself." Scott's body was angled just right as he held Legundo down, not letting a single bit of the meat be stained into his clothes. He was as untouchable as always. "Aren't you scared, Legundo? Of becoming a monster?" He lifted himself up and off the table, brushing his hands together. "Personally, I think you could use a little bit of blood on your hands. Don't you love the feeling of it in your clothes?"
Legundo shakily slid himself off the table, axe still in hand and aiming for Scott's head. "I have had enough of blood being on my hands. But I can make an exception for you." Scott gasped dramatically and laid a hand on his chest.
"Oh! Really! The good doctor, making an exception to kill me?" He quickly dodged another swing of the axe from Legs. "God, I should be thanking you! Quick, do we have time before I die for a speech?"
"Are you this much of an asshole on purpose?" Legundo gnashed his teeth together as he swung again. Scott simply dodged again, moving far too fast for the human eye to properly track.
"How would you have felt if instead of killing you, I had turned you?" Scott questioned as he clasped his hands behind his back. Legundo nearly choked, stopping to imagine that instead of claws on his back, there would be sharp teeth, digging into him and permanently changing him and unleashing the monster that he swore to never become and he knew it was his true self but at least as a human he could control it-
"Interesting." Scott purred as he squinted at Legundo's face. "Oh, very, very interesting doctor. You don't like that idea? I mean, I know you're a vegetarian, but so is Shelby, so surely-" His words cut off as he stepped out of the way of another axe swing. Then another, and another, until they had nearly made a half circle around the table. The ugly scent of raw meat and blood filled the air, and paired with Legundo's boiling rage, there was nothing he could do but tunnel vision on Scott Goldsmith. "Doctor, I'm going to be quite honest here. You never gave me a reason to pay attention to you before this week. All I want to know is what you're hiding from everyone. I leave everything out on the table and never squirrel away information." He ducked down to his knees to avoid another swing before continuing to talk. Legundo really wished he would shut up already. "Why can't you do the same? I mean, I've been so nice to you. Sure, we have our differences, but really, I think I've been quite merciful."
"If this is your mercy, then I don't want it."
"Alright!" Scott stopped moving and threw his hands up. "That's perfectly alright. It's your choice. You like it when people have choices, right, doc? It's all you talk about lately."
"I never gave people a choice before I became a doctor. People deserve their autonomy and they can choose to leave you and the coven. They can choose to stay as a vampire or be cured. I don't care what they choose, just as long as I can stay alive long enough to allow them to be able to." Legundo glared daggers at Scott. "I don't even care if they like you or not. If they are against us, then I cannot allow that. And you are against all of us. Even the ones who think of you as a friend." Scott simply let out a long, fake yawn.
"Jesus, you are so boring sometimes, my dear. I've heard all of this before. I've heard it from you before. All this talk about cures and escaping as fully human." He stood up a little straighter, smile razor thin. "But I don't think you've realized who I am yet. What I am." Legundo jolted as the vampire suddenly disappeared in front of him. Within seconds, his axe was ripped out of his hands, scraping against his hand roughly. He let out a small yelp at the burn before he was suddenly slammed harshly against a wall, feet not even touching the floor. He wiggled in the hold, trying to free himself despite having a sinking feeling it was a losing battle.
Scott reappeared in front of him, a dangerous grin on his face that came with glowing red eyes.
"I have chronologically lived for over a thousand years. I have power, Legundo. Power that you don't even know about yet, power that I don't think you could even understand. I have control here, I always have." Legundo was speechless as his head was forcefully craned to stare directly into Scott's eyes. His instincts screamed at him to look away but he found himself entirely unable to.
Scott's voice suddenly switched from borderline manic to a softer tone. "How does this make you feel, Legundo?" The doctor's head buzzed as he scrounged up an answer. It reminded him of times when he drank too much alcohol.
"Fuzzy." The words slipped out of his mouth, entirely out of his control. What? No, he needed to get out of here, what was happening- "And….warm? Confused."
"Mhm, mhm. Tell me, Legundo, how does our dinner make you feel? What comes to mind?" Legundo gagged as he thought of the meat that was sitting a few inches away from them. They were bodies, they were bodies, he had killed so many of them and he had just wanted to do well but he shouldn't have, he shouldn't- "Fascinating." Scott murmured.
How does he… Scott chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know? I told you you wouldn't understand. So you were a soldier?"
"…Yes." Scott's eyes glimmered.
"Did you enjoy it?" Legundo bit his tongue, hard. He didn't-he did, because it was easier than presenting himself as being good when he knew he was not-he didn't-something felt wrong- "Give me an answer."
"Maybe." Legundo responded, voice small and hollow. Scott's grin turned into a wide smirk.
"Doctor, you're tired. Just keep listening to my voice. Doesn't it sound like something worth listening to? Something that can just sound so right?"
"Yes." Legundo breathed as the buzziness got worse. He didn't know what was happening, but maybe it would be alright as long as Scott told him what to do.
"Don't you want a purpose? Someone to serve for?"
"It's easy to follow orders. It's…easy…"
"And don't you want easy?" Scott continued as the doctor stared deep into his eyes. They were a mesmerizing mix of bright red and crimson, the depths of them practically begging him to never look away. "It is easy to follow me, right? I am your elder. I am above you. " He was listening. He couldn't stop listening. He needed to listen or else he would disappoint his superiors, and that wouldn't be good.
"Yes…" His chest felt tight, like on the day he had fainted from a panic attack. Was he having another one? But it was fine, because he was listening, and that's all he needed to do. Listen, listen, follow orders…
"Do you want to become my soldier? Do you want me to be your sire? You won't have to think nor stress anymore." Scott cooed. "Isn't that what you really, really want? To have some rest?"
"Please…" He blinked away tears as his chest heaved. Everything was so confusing and overwhelming and he was practically being shoved a soothing balm. He wanted the fear to stop and if he knew what to do, the fear would disappear. He was better like this.
"Please what?" Scott asked, leaning closer.
"Turn me. Please-" Desperation surged in him from practically nowhere. He needed to be turned, he couldn't live like this otherwise, god, he needed something to hold onto and Scott was here. Scott was here to help control him, to reign him in, to be a monster in a cage. "Please, I can't-help me…"
"Oh, doctor." Scott sounded like he was reassuring a child as he clicked his tongue. "All you needed to do was ask. We could've gotten this over with a long time ago if all you told me was that you needed control over yourself. Being a vampire will suit you, I'm sure. All you'll need to do is listen to me."
"Okay." Legundo breathed.
"Are you ready for your first order from me? Bare your neck. " Legundo did instantly, eyes still latched onto the other's. Scott broke his gaze and dug his fangs into his neck, drinking his blood.
As soon as his eyes were away from his, Legundo freaked. He screamed as the pain burst into his neck, fear gripping him so hard he thought he might pass out. He didn't want this-
He did-
God, he was going to kill again, Scott was going to make him kill an entire town again-
No, it's fine, they'll be vampires, and his bloodthirst will be satisfied-
A strange feeling washed over him, starting from his neck and dissolving into other places on his body. It reminded him of when Owen had fed from him and the pain had suspiciously stopped. But this…venom was far stronger than what Owen had used. Legundo felt his entire body go limp and his mind forcefully move into a state of calm. His heartbeat slowed until it stopped.
And then he was hungry. A endless, gnawing void appeared in his stomach, causing his body to convulse from the unfamiliar feeling of it. Scott licked the wound, sealing it up before stepping away and letting Legs drop to the floor. The doctor hunched in on himself, trying to gasp for air that would never enter his respiratory system, because he had died.
It was then he realized another unfamiliar, unwanted addition to his new life.
The sire connection. He could feel Scott and his emotions at the edge of his brain and heart, a thread that practically wrapped around his neck with how forceful and smug it was. He knew Cleo had mentioned it, but he had no idea that it felt like…this. Scott smirked again when he noticed.
"It's something you'll have to get used to. How do you think I've made Pyro listen all this time?" Scott walked away a few steps before a weird feeling rushed through the sire connection.
Inexplicably, Legundo felt the urge to follow. Without hesitation, he walked right next to Scott, heart only sinking at the realization when he completed his objective.
"You're mine, dear doctor. We're going to do great things together." Scott reached out with a clawed hand and embedded his nails into Legundo's scalp, pulling the fledgling towards him. Legundo hated how his instincts preened at the sudden attention from his sire. "You don't have to worry your pretty little head about a single thing, my dear. We'll turn everyone and get to leave, and they will be better for it. That's wonderful, don't you agree?"
"I agree, sire." The tension fell from his shoulders as he agreed. It was easier to agree; if he didn't, the connection would wrap around him and squeeze him. He squirmed slightly as another hunger pang hit him. He needed blood, and he needed it bad.
"You're going to be fun. Normally fledglings last another hour before they get this hungry. I think it proves just how much you've been holding yourself back. You're welcome."
"Thank you, sire." A warm feeling burst through him. Yes, he should be grateful. He hated Scott, but it was polite to be grateful.
"Now, where were we? Ah, right. A lovely dinner with just the two of us!" Scott had a bounce in his step as he returned to his seat. "You should eat as well. There's plenty enough food to go around. After that, we can get you a change of clothes. Filthy doctor robes aren't exactly stylish nor comfortable, I'm sure."
Legundo made his way to his seat, like an invisible string was tugging him there. "No, sire. It's horribly uncomfortable and gross."
"Then you better eat fast." Scott hummed as he picked up his utensils again. Legundo looked down at the food.
It didn't look so bad now. He ate every bite he could.
Yes, this was easy. Easy was nice.
He pulled the stake out of his pocket and snapped it into three pieces. He didn't need it anymore.