Down the rabbit hole by Ace

The other side

Chapter 1

The chamber was a brightly lit, candles handing on chained stands, different in size and color setting off a kaleidoscope of glowing light that was both ominous and beautiful, candle wax dripped from the walls giving them an odd gnarled distorted shape and the constant flickering, gave the illusion of the room being a living breathing entity. The floor was a faded dark color the old granite tainted with blood, sweat, tears, this was a room for judgment this was a room for death, for the high council, this was the room for the legion. It was a circular room the crescent moon pedestal of a table towering high and there on this pedestal the legion sat each face passive yet judgmental and calculating all at once. Eyes on the ground the two hulking figure's shuffled forward presenting their offering they lifted the small woman paying no mind of her slight figure and fragile bones she had been an easy catch hardly putting up a fight a simple blow to the skull and she crumpled like the bag of bones that she was.

They bought this offering as their duty demanded after all it was better to bring something than nothing at all and she was beautiful. "She's not a virgin...you know this get her out of our sight, the master won't want her" the legion thundered in ominous chorus the words where brusque and cold but they were truth. The woman was worthless as an offering, nonetheless their duty to present an offering was done now said duty would move to another unfortunate set of the guardians of the house. "What do I do with her your lordships?" the larger of the two asked "feed her to the low level of the guard she is worthless" they said simultaneously again. "Wait" the guards pause stiffening "this mockery shall not be tolerated once more bring the right creature or nothing at all" the dark shadow in the center addressed them, the guards nodded in understanding there would most likely be some sort of punishment. They turned simultaneously leather incased fists curled in anticipation of a painful punishment.

The woman who had been passed out woke and when she set eyes upon them she screamed in terror and confusion her feeble mind frantic trying to comprehend what it was seeing, her mind curious naturally as it was human nature and all the while knowing what it was looking at could not be, should not be, for it was unnatural and dangerous. Fight or flight, the symptoms set off her muscles tensed her lungs expanded ready to provide her with oxygen she would need to fight, adrenaline pumped, if not for her disorientation she had the possibility of getting away perhaps for a stunning two feet then she would be caught and dragged back surviving for merely thirty seconds an admirable feat. Yet fate was not on her side, she tried to run only to fall face forward because her legs were tied all she accomplished was knocking herself out once more, her classically dainty face crashing into the unforgiving stone and darkness once again reigned in her mind.

If only she knew what awaited her in the halls beneath the dungeons she would gladly have risen only to crack her skull again and again in hopes that the blow might kill her. "She is a rather stupid one at that" one the priest sighed "the master hates loud, stupid females" another commented, the woman now on the floor slumped in an awkward position on the cold gray, brown stone moaned in pain, she was pleasing to look at but she would never do the laws accounted that the master would have only a virgin, a human virgin for a demon king, preposterous! But those were the rules, the laws, and the prophecy. To gain ultimate power he would need his other half a human to his demon, a pure female to his natural male impurity, a weaker nature to his stronger one and this woman did not fit she wasn't pure. All she did was provided natural stupidity to masters far more advanced intelligence the complete opposite in terms of the mind, a pity indeed.

The woman before them was fair and slender in stature her hair was a short pixie cut, blonde with blue tips and her eyes were a pleasant chocolate color. It was a shame to waste such a delectable specimen but only the best was to be had by the master and she was not it, her body would be used repeatedly by the lower guards until she either died or slaked their lust which was quite impossible as there were thousands and she was only one woman, one human one at that. It was most likely she would be dead by sundown or mad either way she wouldn't see the light of tomorrow ever. The more the happy misshapen figures of the lower guards came to drag her off, the weight of their quest now off their shoulders the higher guard left the room, the priest frowned simultaneously it was taking too long to fulfill masters wishes well demands, usually it was easy with their previous master he had his pick, mainly because women in the time period he ruled were all virginal till they were given to a husband however that patriarchal world was gone. The previous master had been an ignorant fool one master to one woman were to be joined and mated, not two he paid dearly for that mistake, His refusal to kill his first demon mate and simply replace her had brought on his doom. However they knew their new master would not make the same mistakes as his predecessor. They shuddered no he would not he was cold colder than any form of ice ever could be; he understood the rules to follow to achieve the power he would need. He ruled with a sword bathe in blood everyone stood in line, in their place and they functioned efficiently and to the best of their ability or else they would have no worth and to have no worth in the masters home was a dangerous thing deadly in fact.

Now in today's time finding a damned virgin was like searching for a needle in a fucking haystack, a damnable nuisance. "So who's going to tell him this time?" the head priest Anaken sighed "I went last time I'm not going again" Baku the youngest of the shuddered. "I think you should go after all you are the youngest" Fazarin commented "what! That's not fair what if he throws me into a wall again?" Baku asked shuddering "then it would be your fault follow the procedure get in, say it, get out" Lakia the second oldest said standing and leaving Anaken followed him they had much to discuss. A new priest would be required there were always five the last had not followed procedure Baku should feel blessed to have even survived his tussle with the master gregor had certainly not been lucky. Fazarin smirked at Baku out of all the priest's, he enjoyed torture whether mental or physical as long as it was present he fed of the fear it pulled out of others, however no one knew to which depths his perversions sunk if they did they might reconsider his status as one of the Legion. He left for the guards halls, he would hang from the rafters and watch as the guards took turns with the woman as a eunuch he often regretted joining the legion he expected fame glory, wealth how could he expect they would chop his dick off. For a royal adviser or priest which all of them became because well what else are you going to do without your dick? it was his duty to serve his master and kingdom he could have no distraction and of course mans greatest distraction would be woman, so riddle me this how do you take away the possibility of this distraction oh yes you cut someone's dick off!.

Fazarin took quicker steps as he heard the woman's screams taking a quick leap he easily slipped through the wooden planks of the rafters thankfully the lower levels did not have the aesthetic beauty of the levels above. It was easier to hide slinking forward at an unnatural speed in his true form his body lengthened and became lithe, a shine glittered off his scale like skin that was now a maroon color. Three unnatural fingers grasped the wooden beams, a long face with slits for eyes and a large mouth with sharp rows of teeth opened in anticipation. "Ahhh here we are" his voice was a slow malevolent and his forked tongue was quick to dart out, he spotted the woman there she was spread eagle on the table in the hall where the lower guards were known to put on the hoax of eating meals they preferred their food live, kicking and screaming. He flicked his tail the long brown slab of flesh was a useful weapon and easily detachable when he needed to be free of its weight. The disgusting monsters now writhing in pleasure beneath his gaze were the most fearsome creature of the castle spoken of only in hushed tones. They thrived in moments of war feeding on the enemy in the midst of battle it was a truly entertaining sight, to Fazarin anyway the ribbons of flesh and blood and most of all the screaming it was their art, the art of death, unfortunately because of this there wasn't a likely chance any one would challenge them in war any time soon.

Hiding his aura and presence he watched with baited breath and a dark smile on his face, as the guards proceeded to take her over and over ravaging her body breaking her legs with their wide girth and size uncaring of her pain till her screams whittled down to naught but croaks, before they began making a literal meal out of her. Fazarin smirked if he were anybody else he would have been disgusted but he knew this was to be expected from the lower level guards more beast than man they were men without mind or heart often used in the front line of any battle because they were ruthless monsters with insatiable lust for blood among other things. Fazarin chuckled before sinking into the walls his eyes the final gleaming light the dying woman saw before blessed darkness, maybe he would go see how Baku was fairing with telling master the bad news hopefully he wasn't fairing at all after all it wouldn't be interesting if Baku left unscathed unlikely but interesting nonetheless...

She stumbled up the stairs huffing strenuously dragging the small rolling suitcase filled with her equipment from her latest cooking class. She paused facing the bag dragging it up the stairs backward grunting as her over sized plaid checkered pants and black boot like shoes slowed her down who knew chefs dressed so heavily. "This is your own fault kagome you choose this career" she sighed in relief as she made it up the metal stairs that thumping and pinging sound the bag made every time she dragged it up was annoying. "Look at it this way by the time you graduate you be in the best shape of your life" she huffed taking a break. She stood wincing when she heard her back muscle pop, she clasped the handle of the suitcase turning to face the narrow hallway of her small apartment complex as always it look rather ominous the hall light flickered and made an annoying humming noise as she walked by and the green wall saturated with something wet was now developing the dark green color of algae.

At her door she pulled out her keys and opened all three locks shuffling in she closed all three locks before she turned around "home sweet home" she muttered. It wasn't the greatest place in the world but it was hers from the gray cracked tile to the gray cracked ceiling she flicked on her light dumping her bag in her living room she entered her tiny room and headed straight for her bookcase all the while she kicked off her shoes and shrugged off her large white jacket and her checkered pants. She eagerly reached for the book she had recently procured it was old and the bookstore owner was unable to identify what sort of material it was bound in. But the moment she had seen it she had wanted it feeling an almost magnetized attraction to it, it wasn't her usual read of English romance or supernatural vampires lusting after a beautiful doe eyed human but she was eager to find out. She touched it stroking the material and a strange shiver whispered down her back.

She stopped reaching for it "maybe I should take a shower first after all I have the whole weekend" she removed her tiny tank top shivering slightly as the cool ac air made her exposed nipples harden removing her underwear she gathered everything and placed it in her hamper in the bathroom. She slipped on her plastic flip flops before she entered the shower, once she began working in a restaurant hopefully her new salary would give her the ability to buy an apartment that she could trust she tried to clean the scum that formed a ring in the bathtub but it seem to be almost imbedded in the ceramic so she gave up. She squeezed a dollop of garnier nutris into her hand and scrubbed it into her hair sighing happily she turned and rinsed it out before proceeding to clean her body. As she worked the soap in to lather she considered repeating the dish they had learned in class in her home she did enjoy the pastry, bleans was what the professor called it. It took her two tries the first time she messed up instead of creating a puff pastry for the sweet mixture she created more of a biscuit she was surprised the mixture of cottage cheese as sugar folded into the puff pastry was phenomenal both versions were good but she preferred her biscuit version of the dish it was faster to make and healthier. She was unaware so much butter and time went into the creation of a puff pastry. Shrugging she wrapped a towel around herself and one around her hair she rubbed frantically till her hair was just damp blow drying it she got it dry in five minutes the black wavy mass was insanely thick and long and it was a bitch to comb properly but it was her pride the one thing about her she could say was truly beautiful. She patted her side swept bang trying to pat the volume out of it but regardless of what she did it always seemed to flare up on its own she growled she'd grown the darn thing a couple more inches hoping more hair growth would weigh it down and it worked for a while, brushing it till the dark flowing mass gleaming she pulled it into a messy pony she quickly rubbed her favorite vanilla scented lotion into her skin.

Leaving the room she changed into one of her many t-shirts she went to her kitchen quickly she mixed up the cottage cheese and sugar she reached into her freezer and pulled out her all ready pre-made puff pastry dough. The thick layer of butter slathered and folded over and over into the dough now frozen would create the air pockets in the dough as it baked cutting off a piece she rolled it flat and added the sweet mixture and folded it over into a rectangular shape she repeated this till she had twenty four done she quickly sprayed a pan with some none stick and placed each about an inch from the other and she stuck it in the already preheated oven. Humming she went to the window unfortunately the oven always trumped the all powerful A.C so she simply turned it off and flicked open her window looking up she smiled it was going to rain that would keep the apartment cool somewhat. Looking down she observed the rusted metal platform what was supposed to be her balcony she would never step foot on that thing she turned around not hearing the tiny desperate meow, she simply opened her other window struggling with the rusted latch.

The door to her room beckoned her she was just itching to read that book she bit her top lip in anticipation running for the room stopping briefly to set a timer so she could check the oven in fifteen minutes grabbing the book she was sprawled on her couch in seconds the cool breeze from the window created her perfect reading atmosphere warm but not to warm she fingered the material again it felt so familiar she touched the lines that it had been sewn in that too felt familiar she twirled a finger into her hair her mind flitting through all the forms material she could remember seeing or touching in nothing was like it smooth yet it absorbed heat easily but it wasn't thick it was thin and fragile it had thin lines and wrinkles in it and tiny tiny holes almost like...like pores she dropped it the thud against the floor barely registered she stared at it shock on her face changed to curiosity don't be ridiculous it couldn't be that she chided herself "but what is it?" she questioned. It was tan skin is tan, it was smooth skin is smooth, it was had pores skin has pores, she held out her slightly paler hand apart from the fact that she was paler and she had veins running under her skin and she had tiny hairs on her skin it was identical. At first she concluded that a psycho had to have written the book but it was fairly old perhaps it was extremely old and was created by some war lord she sighed then what ever was in that book could be some boring history story no longer afraid but still disgusted she picked up the book she figured the thread used to bind the book was hair that would make sense. No longer curious but determined she flipped it open it beautiful script she read "on the other side" searching for a name of some author she shrugged when she found none. It wasn't on the cover or on the inside flap or the spine of the book confused she thought could the phrase be the title if so... The other side of what? She thought, this would be interesting after all.

Reviews please. Next chapter up tommorow