Information

Bleidd has a minion!

Rhage the Hellhound

Bleidd
Legacy Name: Bleidd

The

Bloodred Kumos
Owner: Alkuna

Age: 8 years, 4 months, 2 weeks

Born: October 28th, 2017

Adopted: 8 years, 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Adopted: November 3rd, 2017

Statistics

Level: 10
Strength: 25
Defense: 25
Speed: 25
Health: 25
HP: 25/25
Intelligence: 34
Books Read: 34
Food Eaten: 0
Job: Unemployed

The Vale of Hungry Shadows is a valley that borders the town of Mornesse; the vale is a dangerous place where the sun never penetrates the canopy and townsfolk rarely stray beyond the very edge of the trees. It is a place where the trees twist into macabre silhouettes and the wind murmurs and whispers like a chorus of restless spirits.

On the other side of the city from the vale, is the Evergreen Memorial Grounds, where the city laid their dead to rest. But one looming mausoleum on the grounds was not a gentrified resting place for loved ones, but a gateway to a place called the Sapidum Cadaver Catacombs. And within, lurked a creature known as Bleidd.

II.

Even the bravest adults feared the legends of Bleidd, a fact not lost on Officer Elizabeth Williams. She wasn't foolish enough to think that she was invincible. Tasked with the challenging role of a security guard, she had one hand resting on her gun while the other clutched a sturdy flashlight, ready for whatever might come her way.

The talismans attached to her outfit clattered softly, echoing the gentle sound of the talismans worn by the four Corpse Bearers trailing behind her. The weight of her gun in her hand was a comforting presence, providing a sense of security. Earlier that morning, Pastor John had blessed her gun, several ammunition clips, and her flashlight. The Hunters had inspected everything over and deemed them suitable for use against the town's nightmarish threats. However, the loss of Bravo Team served as a solemn reminder that these defenses were not foolproof.

She gently nudged the mausoleum door and it opened effortlessly. It was never locked; no lock could contain the beast if it desired to escape. Etched with the same sigils as the talismans, the doors acted as a deterrent against Bleidd breaking free from the catacombs. Of course, there was a big difference between trying to deter something, and actually preventing it from happening.

Officer Williams swept her flashlight across the room, its beam burning away the unnatural darkness that had clung to the space. The shadows seemed to hiss faintly as they withdrew, and everything else was still and quiet.

With a faint sigh of relief, she stepped inside, the beam of her flashlight darting to each shadowy corner, ensuring the space was empty. Once she felt reassured that it was clear, she approached the head of a stone staircase that descended into the depths below.

A chilled breeze brushed against her face, ruffling the ends of her hair. The familiar scents of cold stone, damp earth, and mold mingled with the faint, fetid odor of decay - a smell she had grown all too accustomed to in this wretched place. The beam of her flashlight revealed an unobstructed path ahead. Satisfied, she motioned for the team of Corpse Bearers to follow. Together, they hoisted a tarp weighted with misshapen flesh and human bones, which were beginning to thaw out from the confines of the mortician's cold storage.

The gruesome, dismembered remains belonged to Vyces' latest victim.

In Mornesse, the deceased found eternal rest in two places: the cemetery, where family and friends would come to pay their respects and mourn, and the Sapidum Cadaver Catacombs, the final resting place for the remains of sinners.

The Sapidum Cadaver Catacombs, also known as the Savory Corpse Catacombs. No prizes for figuring out what happens to the bodies in here, Officer Williams thought, and grimaced. While the creature that dwelled within was relatively docile, she wanted nothing to do with it. But then again, 'docile' is a relative term, especially when you think about the terrifying beasts the Hunters usually deal with, she mused. Still, that didn’t mean anyone should just waltz in and try to give Bleidd a friendly pat.

No mourners came to give their final goodbyes, and no friends visited to bid a sorrowful farewell. Everything took place in the morgue, with the body never reaching a funeral home for a brief service. They had about a week to transport the remains down here, or else the faint smell of rotting flesh would lure Bleidd up from the depths below, drawn to the scent.

With a grim smile, Officer Williams thought, Ask me how we found that out- a trickle of dark humor betrayed her somber mood.

The bottom of the stairs opened up into a short hallway that led into a room with a large stone table as its centerpiece. Despite the dark stains on the table, it was a relief to see that there was nothing more gruesome lying around.

The chill in the air felt like it was getting even more intense, and the slight odor of rot was becoming more noticeable. Still, the talismans remained pleasantly cool to the touch.

Officer Williams cautiously moved to the far side of the room, her hand still gripping her gun, and peered suspiciously through the far exit. The beam of her flashlight barely cut through the thick darkness beyond, and she had no intention of venturing any further.

A soft sound echoed from deep within, resembling a deep sigh, as if some enormous creature had just released a breath. It was beyond the reach of her flashlight, but the gust of air that followed sent a wave of nausea through her, making her fight the urge to gag. The stench of decay grew stronger, and it was definitely not just from the remains the Corpse Bearers were hauling.

Suddenly, a deep rumble reverberated through the tunnels. Was that a growl? If so, it belonged to the biggest damned dog she had ever heard. Officer Williams had never encountered Bleidd, and she desperately hoped to keep it that way. If the growl was anything to go by, it would make a Clydesdale look like a pony.

The Corpse Bearers dumped the remains onto the table, gave the tarp a good shake, and swiftly started folding it up to take it back outside. They had finished their job and were eager to depart.

Elizabeth backed away from the far doorway, her eyes never leaving the darkness beyond the beam of her light. It was still early afternoon, so there was plenty of time for herself and her team to safely leave the catacombs. She had no intention of allowing Sloth to be the sin that led to her downfall and a final trip down here. She would stay alert and prepared until the door was closed on the mausoleum, allowing her to drive away to the relative safety of the town. The talismans, thankfully, remained cold as they retreated back up the stairs.

The sun's warmth dispelled the gloom that had enveloped her spirits in the catacombs.After making sure everyone was safely outside, Officer Williams firmly shut the door with a solid thud and secured the latch to prevent it from blowing open with the wind. Everything was calm. Everything was okay. At least for the moment.

The sun sank beneath the horizon, painting the sky with shades of deep red and vibrant orange.

The legends of Bleidd sounded like a child's boogeyman to the teens who stood before the stairway leading down to the catacombs. It was said that in the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the town held a supernatural beast; a monster that feasted on the flesh of the dead. The grownups didn't like talking about it, but had no hesitation to warn brash youngsters away from this place.

Jake acknowledged that the catacombs were definitely dangerous. With their labyrinth of winding tunnels, it was easy to imagine becoming hopelessly lost, and starving. Plus, there was always the risk of a cave-in, and the chill in the air could easily lead to hypothermia. Despite these dangers, a part of him couldn't help but wonder - could a monster really be lurking within? It seemed absurd that a man-eating monster from the forest would be allowed to stay in town. Or under it, as the case may be.

The forest was haunted and everyone was aware of it. Elena, a freshman in high school, claimed that a zombie dog had guided her to safety through the woods, which made it seem like not every strange and eerie thing out there was out for human flesh. Sure, there were stories of people meeting their end at the claws and fangs of some wild beast lurking in the shadows. But the idea of something lurking in the ancient, dank tunnels beneath the cozy, illuminated streets of the city? It sounded ridiculous, or even worse, cliché. What kind of creature could thrive down there among ancient bones, decaying remains, and water that was likely contaminated by who knows what? It was hard to imagine anything surviving in such a disgusting environment.

Jake was eager to debunk the myths surrounding the man-eating monster. His two buddies were right there with him; Sarah held a flashlight in one hand and filmed everything with her phone, while Randal carried chalk to leave a trail behind them. He also brought along paper and a pencil to sketch out a rough map of their adventure.

Jake took the lead as they made their way down, feeling the temperature drop with each step. At the bottom of the stairs, they heard strange sounds. Upon reaching the bottom, they were met with a chorus of peculiar noises.

Crack.

Snap!

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The teenagers exchanged wary glances before cautiously advancing. Sarah aimed her flashlight at the ground, making sure not to shine the beam of light ahead where something might be lurking, hoping to avoid provoking it with the bright light.

The loud crunching noises sounded just like Jake's pet dog Ruffie gorging on kibble or gnawing on a bone. His Ruffie was the loudest eater he had ever encountered, but this was like Spot's dinner time cranked up to the max. Was it really just someone's dog going to town on a bowl of dry food or a milk bone? If that was the case, Jake was ready to take to social media and let everyone know that the grown-ups were acting like a bunch of scaredy-cats.

Gulp.

Lick.

Slurp. Shlorp.

Okay, that came off a little more moist than expected. Was it also fed wet dog food?

The short tunnel led them into a spacious room with a large stone table in the center. Although the table was only about waist-high, there was something on it that made Sarah catch her breath.

Right in front of them lay a horrifying scene that sent chills down their spines and filled them with dread. A monstrous female Kumos was devouring the gruesomely mangled remains of a human body with an almost ecstatic fervor. She was a behemoth, with fur that might have been black if it hadn't been soaked from ear tips to tail in blood and gore. Clumps of wet fur jutted out in all directions, matted and sticky with... well, let’s just say it wasn’t anything fresh. The stench of decaying flesh made Jake swallow hard, while Randal managed to stifle a few quiet, nauseated sounds.

As the teens watched, the Kumos nudged the torso, opened her mouth, and seized a piece of the shredded shirt.

Schriiiip.

The fabric tore away, exposing more flesh for the creature to reach. With a rapt expression, she bent down and ripped another chunk of meat from the remains, devouring the corpse without reservation or hesitation. She savored each bite, her slow, careful chewing allowing the wet flesh to slide down her gullet as saliva, blood, and other fluids dripped from her jaws. Her insatiable appetite drove her to ignore her audience entirely.

As Jake and his friends struggled to wrap their heads around the scene unfolding before them, the Kumos grabbed a rib bone and chomped down hard.

Crack.

Snap!

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Bleidd, the Kumos, snapped the bone like a twig, and then carefully chewed it into smaller pieces. Her cavernous mouth and dexterous tongue worked in tandem, licking the bones clean before spitting the fragments into an open sack beside the table.

After she was finished with the bone, she plunged her bloodied paw into the remains of the torso. She scraped and clawed around until she finally managed to pull out what appeared to be a section of lung.

Shlorp.

Squelch.

Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.

Bleidd continued digging, extracting more viscera from the open chest cavity. Unfortunately, Jake's mind recognized the remaining lungs and heart before he could block out the biology lessons he had learned. She was relentless, stomping on the organs, scraping and clawing at them, even using her teeth to tear and rip the tissues apart, creating a gruesome mess that splattered across the table.

Sarah let out a nauseated protest, which she quickly muffled. This snapped Jake out of his trance. He subtly motioned for his friends to retreat down the hallway, ensuring they didn't shine their flashlight directly into Bleidd's eyes.

As they retreated down the hallway, Bleidd collapsed to the table, writhing in a fit of ecstasy, her body convulsing against the mess of shredded internal organs. Paws flailed in the air as she kicked and wriggled, and wet, squelching sounds filled the air. In that moment, her eyes fluttered open, finally noticing the three teenagers standing nearby. One eye glowed red while the other shone green, and it was as if the terrifying Kumos had finally emerged from her gruesome daze.

Jake was hit with a wave of terror as he locked eyes with the creature, realizing it saw him and his friends not as people, but as potential meals. In that instant, Jake's talisman burned against his skin, a sharp reminder of the danger they were in, and he could tell his friends felt the same sting. Bleidd's wide eyes narrowed into a crazed glare, and her bloody, fang-filled maw opened in a roaring howl that sent the three teens fleeing back down the hallway in panic.

The three teenagers sprinted up the stairs, bracing themselves for the sharp bite of fangs that would drag them down. As they burst from the stairwell and swung the mausoleum door wide, the eerie howls followed closely behind. Jake whirled around, grabed Sarah and Randal, and yanked them into the evening gloom before slamming and latching the door. The talisman hanging around Jake's neck quickly cooled as they caught their breath in the refreshing evening air.

The howling lingered for a moment longer before it finally stopped. Jake couldn't tell if that meant Bleidd was hanging out just behind the door, ready to pounce on anyone foolish enough to open it, or if she had retreated back into the catacombs to wrap up her meal. Either way, he wasn't about to take the chance and open the door to find out.

Bleidd was not just a legend; she was real, and had a taste for human flesh. As the three gasping teens realized they were all somehow alive, they made a solemn promise to each other to no longer wander around after dark. The monsters were in the town.

Bleidd's howls fell silent, as did her dark domain. The humans were foolish to venture down here, but at least they proved harmless. The Kumos had no qualms about feasting on humans, but the living ones were such a hassle to hunt. She ripped another chunk of flesh from the rib cage between her paws and gulped it down. Whether she would encounter them again was uncertain; it all hinged on the teenagers and whether they chose to mend their ways or succumb to their sins.

A maniacal grin stretched across her muzzle. She knew she would find out, sooner or later...