Gideon (1)

Foreboding. There was a presence that lurked nearby, masked by the etheric and subtle mist, as it loomed beneath the limbs of trees. Ever creeping, like the claws of death. The sight alone caused Claire to stiffen, and stop dead in her tracks. Black blood that moistend the soil, and spread like it was passing through water. And the silence broke.
Claire had heard only the light steps of fast paced feet, shuffling through the grass before, but now.. Now she heard the haunting and hell curdling screeches that filled the night air and raised bumps upon her skin. And when the mist recede, she witnessed the creatures laying to their death, with still moving limbs, but eyes of the doll, that peered out at her from three headed behemoths, whose rear paws alone were larger than her skull. And they stare upon her as if to show fear even for her at this point. Fear and foreboding, for the soul. For to watch creatures of this size, three headed monsters, that had been chasing her for hours, downed so swiftly, that for a brief moment they lay unaware of their own death.

"What the..."
The beginning of the inevitable question, that sank her into a state of a skin crawling chill. While she watched as the masked man, turned facing the behemoths blindly through the damaged porcelain mask, with eyes corrupted by shards at the break. A blade held steady in his right hands grasp.
"I still smell your stinch, come at me."
And come at him they did. Lunging in hordes from each direction, to advance upon the weakness. But no sooner than the first of the beast had lashed out with its steeled claws, and sheered through the mask. It found the cold blue eyes, that mocked this creature, and the others, that came in following it, to pin the stranger between them, while they snarl and each of their heads snapped, and lunged for him, and he came out from inbetween them the blade coming apart from his right hand, and unfolding to both with heated chains dragging at their handles, and he yanked, so two thirds of the behemoths immediately dusted to ash, then he turned to the last of them, and with deffening speed, he cut through their bones, and removed their skulls, leaving bodies scratching wildly at the earth and darting toward him only to be led into one another, crashing, and then twitching violently as they bleed out through the remnant of the mist.

"Who... or what.. are you?"
Claire questioned, staring down the stranger, that now look upon her. And with a closer reguard, she noticed the symbol on the jacket. The Serpent. Damnation's whore. The symbol for Gideon. A group given to mystery. Where only legends and lore were given. Claire could remember it being said that any member of Gideon had sold their soul, and corrupted themselves to a short life, just to slaughter the demons that now ran the earth. But Claire had no idea.
"I am me."
"May I please have your name, at least?"
Claire begged, and he stare at her in silence for a moment, before his head shook softly.
"I am known as Nine. If I must have a name, you may choose to give me one."
"Nine? Like the number, nine?"
Nines head nodded in response, and then he fold his arms.
"Strange woman, you stand before a power like mine, and yet you worry about a name? What is in a name? Perhaps you should be more concerned, your father paid for me to return you to the Kingdom, and I will do so, with or without your permission."
"W-what!? I'm not going back to him!"
"No choice, the only thing you get to choose is what kind of shape you are in when you arrive."
Nine made his position very clear, and with a cold voice, that stunned Claire deeply, before the right hand squeeze around her wrist, and drew her feet to begin to move.
"Let's go. Now."