Chapter One:Vintos

Vintos had a twinkle of madness lingering in his expression as he rolled the stones across his cell's mortar and stone floor. He watched the stones tumble and roll with disturbing intensity and if someone had been about to witness this, they might have feared or expected his shining eyes to pop free of their sockets with the force. This was not only quite possible, but becoming a more frequent problem for him. The larger stone stopped first then the smaller quickly after as they always did. Both settling into the oily slime of his decaying body.

Already on his knees, he lowered himself further, putting his undisguised and fiendish hands upon the nasty floor and brought his face just above the rocks and glared at each in turn, having broken down his nose into his skull months ago and so was immune to its smell. Yet he could still taste it if he took the time notice. He shoved the floor away and crossed his arms and legs.

"What damn luck." He hissed. "Its this floor I tell you. It ain't level. Crummy construction it is. We do the humans a favor and burn their lopsided cities down to the dirt and what do they do? They build them back even worse than before. These people have no pride in their work, no damn pride." he grumbled to have his shadow only stare back.

"Lets not get cocky, I'll get it back in the end." His shadow said nothing and barely managed to reach out and take the stones in a lean, greasy tendril.

"Say have you been thinning. I've told you before that ain't good for you. You'll be nothing at all before too long. I used to admire your figure, but now...well its like you're a shadling of what once were." He watched with feigned lack of interest as the stones clattered across the floor and came to a rest.

"Well rolled." His head then jolted upwards to stare at the black blotch. "Whatever is that suppose to mean." He waited for a moment, frowning. "I am not a hypocrite. I've been building muscle its not the same. I exercise every morning I'll have you know." He took up the pebbles and clenched his fist around them as he used his free hand to pinch his biceps, stretching skin and causing the dry flesh to tear free, only revealing more of his tar like body beneath.

"You see, this is the body of a beast! I've never been in better shape, while you have surely seen better days. But starve yourself if you like, its no care of mine." He barred his teeth which were unnaturally thorn-like for his human shape and threw the stones at the dark figure spread thinly across the wall, like a drop of blood smudged over the blade of a sword. Vintos probably knew deep inside his absent heart that his shadow could not utter a sound. For his shadow was merely and extension of him, like another limb and obeying commands as his feet or fingers did. But lacking such a heart to look into and stubborn in general, he refused a reality where his shadow could not speak and snarled.

"After what I've done, after I took you in...how dare you say such things." he sputtered. "I...I'll cut your...what?" He turned, his dimly glowing pupils expanding. The stones had bounced off the wall and come to a rest just outside the tarnished yet shimmering silver bars composing the only stone free side to his prison. Without giving himself time to consider, he threw out his hand towards the rocks, as if the bars might not notice the attempt. Just as his raking fingers reached the gap in the bars, sparks ignited at their tips and a jolt of pain ran through his arm and he unwillingly recoiled from the blinding pain.

"Karniss devour your soul." He cursed as he flexed his sizzling claws. A patrolling guard gave a bellowing laugh as he passed. Vintos's body fuzzed, becoming hazy for just a moment and his eyes from red to white and back. He then calmed himself however and said with all the hope he possessed, though this was little indeed.

"Could you possibly be so kind? We can't finish our game without them and I've been on my best behavior these last weeks." The guard merely shook his head, either in refusal or amusement and continued his patrol. The glow in Vintos's eyes burned brightly for a moment then returned to their dimmer white, like starlight as he turned and said.

"That's hardly a game for gentlemen anyway. How about a conversation instead."

"Keep your head just a bit longer Vintos." said his shadow "You endured for your failure and your freedom shall be delivered for it. You will soon receive some... familiar yet unusual visitors. Do as they ask." he smiled broadly and held thumb and finger together in the air.

"Many thanks my lady. Could they bring tea? I'm fresh out and that just won't do with guests coming and all."

"Just keep your head and I'll see to everything else." It replied fondly.