Bloody Duchess

Chapter One: The Bloody Duchess

The sound of light snoring filled the small space of a stone coffin. Inside was a young girl with strawberry-red hair wearing a scarlet dress with short, puffy sleeves that matched the gloves on her hands. On the bosom of the dress was an opening covered by a thin membrane of black that just barely concealed a cross necklace. Around her ears were ruby earrings. Her nails were black as a bat's wing, clashing with her pale skin. The paint was dull, showing that they hadn't been repainted in a long time. She laid fast asleep, her chest rising and falling like waves as she breathed. To the girl's side was a longsword. The hilt was black, adorned with a red insignia of what seemed to be a bat. Suddenly, the girl was surrounded by pink dust, and a massive jolt of pain quickly surged through her entire body.

The girl cried out in pain after being awakened oh so violently from her slumber. Then, as quickly as it came, the pain passed. The young lady clutched her chest, panting. "What in...the world?" She rose, bonking her head on the coffin lid.

Rubbing her temple, she took in her surroundings, or lack there of due to the darkness. The girl reached out her limbs, smacking them lightly against the sides of her prison. "Err...what jerk puts a duchess in a coffin? Hm...at least they had enough decency to stick Cherry Breaker with me." She said while grasping her sword. Finally free from drowziness, the girl perked up and looked to her blade. "Little cramped in here, what do you think?"

The duchess questioned the weapon as one would a close friend, a fang peaking out of her grin. "No, I'm not saying I don't like being with you alone, but I need stretching space. Now, how about we turn this into an open coffin funeral?"

She pitched and pulled back the cuffs of her glove, allowing blood to seep from the markings on her arms and form two massive arms of blood. The appendages pushed against the lid, launching it into the ceiling outside with great force. The girl stood up, stretching while emitting a high-pitch yawn. As the coffin lid began to fall back, the duchess lifted her sword and sliced it in half on its descent . Stepping out of the coffin, she was greeted to a dark room with stony floors and walls. Around the coffin were a few candelabrums that provided only source of light. Two Large gargoyle statues were placed symmetrically to each other at the base of a dark green staircase made of stone.

"Well, I'm not dead, but I'm definitely six feet under. Let's get out of here." The duchess said as she climbed up the stairs. As she ascended, the catacombs grew darker. She sighed. After clearing her throat, she released a loud shriek. As the scream echoed throughout the catacombs, the duchess' ears pricked up as the sound waves traveled about.

"This way." The duchess skipped down a long pathway. Sensing danger, she dashed forward as the air was cut by a large swinging blade. "Traps? Where the hell are we?"

After dodging a few more traps and going up a more stairs, she hit what appeared to be a dead end, until another scream revealed that the ceiling was much higher at this point. "Interesting. I bet I can break through that ceiling."

Once again, blood seeped from her markings and flowed to the ground, creating a blob that took on the shape of a large blade. The girl jumped and hung on as the blood hardened.

"Bloody Spike!"

The blade quickly extended upward and hit the ceiling, piercing and destroying it. The duchess dismounted the blade as dust scattered, examining the area once more. The hallway she found herself in was familiar in structure, but not so in appearance. The bright violet rug and marble columns were incredibly tacky in her eyes.

"This is ringing a couple of bells. Your thoughts, Cherry Breaker?" The duchess said. "Still, it feels wrong for some reason."

The sound of footsteps and clanking metal resonated through the hall as armor-clad soldiers filled it.