#Oh Lazarus; How did Your Debts Get Paid? (IC; Zachary)

[magebcrn]

Zachary Info

Name: Alistair Branwen Alias: Zachary Taylor Age: Unknown (Appears to be in mid-twenties) Species: Wraith Birthday: April 19 Zodiac: Aries Occupation: Club Owner Relationship Status: Taken

Bio:

Alistair was born into a long line of assassins, though they tended to live humbly, growing up near the sea left him with an appreciation of the sea and lived a humble life. On the side, he was trained in his family’s techniques, learning how to effectively strike from the shadows and to blend in with the crowd. That being said, for the moment, there was no need for his family to take on any jobs. A lifetime of dealing death tends to leave one wanting something more, there was no shame in what they did, and none of them would ever express any shame for being the ones to kill corrupt leaders or those who would take advantage of the downtrodden. Now, was the time for them to make a normal life. 

However, that would not be in the cards for them. While Alistair and his mother were away selling some of the clothing she had made, their home was destroyed by the local monarch. After all, in his eyes, dealing with a problem before it became a big issue was the fastest way to secure their rule. The assassins couldn’t stop them if they were all dead. So, the last remaining members of the Branwen family abandoned their old home. Blending in with the regular folk as tailors. Eventually, Alistair would take the time to travel, find his own way. He never really planned on taking up the mantle of an assassin, but seeing the various injustices that he encountered spurred him to action.

Coming home however, saw him met with his mother’s shop burned to the ground, and her buried near their old home. He learned that a nobleman intended on taking her as his wife was responsible for both, and that it had been the same nobleman who ordered his family killed and their home razed to the ground. It was then that he decided that he would kill the man or die trying. He snuck into the compound, managing to avoid detection from all the guards and then began to fight him. During the battle, however, he was wounded, and in his attempt for escape, fell over the ramparts, and found himself dying. 

It was then that a force reached out to him, offering to make a deal. It explained that he was to be used as a sacrifice, to bind it to a vessel that would allow it to be used by the gods who had originally sealed it away. It called itself the Void, and it offered to bind itself to him, giving it a vessel to stay in without being controlled by the gods, while he could use its powers as he saw fit. Alistair agreed, and with the void binding itself to him. His wounds were healed, and he returned to the castle. Without thinking, he unleashed the void on the castle itself, destroying it completely, and absorbing all the souls of all those who had been killed, leaving nothing but an empty crater where the castle once stood.

It was then when he finally awoke, that he realized just what he had done. Binding himself to a primordial force made him into a monster. While he had no regrets over the nobleman he killed, he knew he killed many innocent people. So, he resolved to continue moving around. From him, all wraiths are born, and those that maintain a lifestyle where they kill only the deserving, never have to worry about him hunting them down. For the wraiths that kill indiscriminately, they’ll find that he’s a relentless hunter.

[shackledsculs-remade]

“Ah, so yer Jensen’s pupil. She’s talked ‘bout ya a bit. I gotta say, I ain’t seen her smile the way she does whenever she gets t’goin’ on about ya. I dunno what y’did t’impress her so much, but it’s ‘bout th’happiest I’ve seen her.”

Zachary couldn’t help but to speak to the woman that had seated herself at the bar. He’d talked to Jensen about Yoshika, and admittedly, his curiosity had been piqued by the other. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know her, plus, The Raven’s Nest was a refuge for those who needed a place to take a load off. The wraith knew that very well. 

“So, what can I get fer ya? Consider yer drinks on th’house.”

@lex-cursus

[shackledsculs-remade]

“Goddamn it, I jus’ patched this damn thing up.”

Zachary grumbled as he removed the knife from his chest, yet another punk who attempted to rob him, but ran off as soon as the blade had pierced his heart. Sure, he was immortal in every sense, but that didn’t mean that dying wasn’t inconvenient. Now his vest and shirt were ruined...He looked at the inky black substance that covered the tip of the blade, watching as it corroded the metal away. He dropped the blade to the ground, closing his coat up as he heard the crunch of glass behind him.

“Sorry, if m’in yer way, I’ll move.”

@viperbled

[shackledsculs-remade]

Two Sides of The Same Coin

Well, well, well....You’re the so called, ‘Wraithfather’. I have to say, you’re not what I was expecting. You’re all...Nice, put together. I mean, you even have a woman who doesn’t think you’re a monster. Does she know what you are? What you’ve really done?”

Zachary stared at the woman who had been trailing him. He didn’t let her know she had caught his attention, but he knew she was like him. What had bothered him, was how he couldn’t reach out to the fragment of the void within her. Normally, he could shut a wraith’s powers, and by extension, their immortality off. He was the first, the “Wraithfather” as people called him. He’d killed many wraiths that showed a sign of going off the deep end, and he’d seen many of them plead that they wanted to live. It hurt, hurt more than he could say. At least, they could finally rest though.

“Hm, is tha’ wha’ y’think? Tha’ I ain’t told her ‘bout wha’ I am? Who I am? Y’got it all wrong. She knows everythin’ ‘bout me. ‘Nd I would’ve agreed with ya, but y’know what? I’ve made m’peace. You? Yer jus’ some empty husk, who feels like th’world owed you yer dues. Ya had all th’power in th’world t’make shit better, ‘nd what did y’do with it? Ya steal people away from their loved ones, y’take what’s not yers. Fer what? Because ya feel jealous of those who haven’t suffered like you?”

Serina grit her teeth, but knew that in a straight up fight, she couldn’t hold a candle to Zachary, but on the other hand, he couldn’t shut her powers off. The fragment of the void that was within her had long since broken off, changed into something unrecognizable. She took a breath, before letting her lips settle into a smile.

“So what if I am? The fact of the matter is that I can do what I wish. None of them can stop me, and neither can you. Pretending to be human...Don’t you get tired of keeping these useless maggots safe? When they’d be much better off under the heel of people who can keep them in line? Stop them from destroying themselves?”

She let out a small chuckle, placing her hands on her waist, at least before she began walking towards him, and placed a hand on his cheek. Her lips curled into a smirk as she began to speak once more.

“Aren’t you going to be awful lonely once that little doll of yours finally kicks the bucket? She’s not immortal, not like we are. Surely, you can find it in your heart to take pity on a poor girl like me, right? From what I’ve seen about you, it’s certainly not wrong that you like your women like that. I can be whatever you want me to be.”

Zachary grabbed her wrist, though it clearly wasn’t him that was in control. His eyes glowed brighter, and his body changed, and his voice now sounded as if multiple people were speaking at once.

“We are not amused, child. We gave you our power to see if you could be a secondary vessel should this one not have worked, it is not a toy to do with as you wish. Alistair may not stop you now, but rest assured,  your price will be paid.”

The void had taken over, now? Now it was angry, judging by how the world around it began to react. The sound of voices screaming, the gradual essence of itself leaking from Zachary’s body. It gripped tighter, causing the woman to wince as she tried pulling herself from it’s grip. Instead, she was gradually bought to her knees, a growl emanating from her lips as she stared up at it.

“WE SHALL RIP THE VERY ESSENCE OF YOUR BEING FROM YOUR CORPSE. THERE SHALL BE NO AFTERLIFE FOR YOU. YOU WILL NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO ATONE. NO LONGER SHALL WE SIT IDLY BY WHILE YOU CHOOSE TO DESTROY. YOU MAY NO LONGER BE CONNECTED TO US, BUT WHAT WAS GIVEN, SHALL BE RETURNED.”

Zachary’s free hand reached out, and opened a tear in the realm. It was merely a portal to somewhere else in the world, it wouldn’t kill her, not permanently, but it would serve as a reminder as to what awaited her. Serina struggled more, a look of terror on her face.

“Stop! Stop it, damn you! Release me!”

She summoned her hat pin to her hand, beginning to stab at his wrist, but he didn’t budge, his grip remained strong. He dragged her over to the portal, and now he was in control once more, and glared down at the woman, at least before his face softened. She never asked to become a wraith, never asked to become an immortal that lived, died, and repeated the cycle for centuries.

“I pity you. Yer jus’ like me, angry at what was stolen from ya, feelin’ like y’needed to do more. Feelin’ like th’only thing y’could do was destroy. Yer what I could’ve become if I let m’anger control me. Maybe if y’had someone like Ji...Ya would’ve become somethin’ more.”

He watched as she struggled to maintain her balance, looking up at him with venom in her glare. He’d just have to let go, and she’d be whisked off to another part of the world. Where? He didn’t know, nor care. They’d meet again, he knew they would. Because now it fell to him to kill her. Her beautiful face twisted into an ugly snarl, and she began to shout again.

“Spare me your pity! I DON’T NEED TO PLAY AT BEING HUMAN, BECAUSE I’M MORE THAN THAT. AT LEAST I ACCEPT I’M A MONSTER WEARING A HUMAN’S FACE! YOU’RE A COWARD, NOTHING MORE THAN SCUM! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO DID THIS TO ME! WHY COULDN’T I HAVE STAYED DEAD?! WHY DID YOU-”

He said nothing as he released her from his grip, and watched her fall into the portal, her scream fading as the tear in reality closed. Maybe he was a monster, but it didn’t matter what she saw him as. He knew where he stood, and no matter what happened, he’d kill as many of his wayward ‘children’ as he had to. If it meant that Ji was safe, that the two of them could have peace...He’d do whatever it took.

“Maybe I am a monster...But y’know wha’? I can live with tha’. Because this monster won’t let himself become th’very thing he died to fight against when he was a human. I’ll set you free from this wretched existence. Tha’s a promise. Then, I can finally rest ‘nd one day, Ji ‘nd I can live a life where th’gods don’t interfere with us.”

[shackledsculs-remade]

“Ah, no offense but...th’bar doesn’t serve minors. M’quite fond of th’place ‘nd I’d hate fer one of the staff t’get arrested.”

Zachary didn’t feel the need to tell the other that he was the owner, and posed more as a concerned citizen. Then again, compared to others, he was more along the lines of some strange, ancient elder. Still, the Raven’s Nest was his bar. Well...Maybe stolen from a mafia member who owned it and instead he ended up rebranding the place and clearing out the rabble that had infested it before.

@little-dxvil

[shackledsculs-remade]

" ... I thought I'd be the only one up here." A sigh filters the artificial's lips, legs drawn in close to stave off some of the autumnal chill. The sight of the illuminated skyline was breathtaking. And Reia could only assume they'd been drawn in by the view from the rooftop as well.

“Indeed. I like comin’ up here t’get away from all th’noise of th’club.”

Zachary looked out to the skyline, he had long since gotten used to the view up here. After all, where else would he have gone before he met Ji? She wasn’t here now, rather she was waiting in his office for him. Though he came up to the rooftop just so he could relax a bit, at least before he joined her. They often shared views like this with one another, and the thought was comforting to him.

“You shouldn’t stay up here too long. Y’might catch a cold.”

@vacuitas

[shackledsculs-remade]

“Is there somethin’ I can help y’with?”

For once, Zachary wasn’t at one of the many clubs he owned. Instead, he wanted to be around strangers, if only because he wanted some peace and quiet when it came to his drinking tonight. Though it seemed that wasn’t meant to be.

@musehorder

[shackledsculs-remade]

“How is it that you seemingly have everything together, Akutagawa-san?”

“I wouldn’t say that. After all, the first person I’ve ever loved in centuries is under the servitude of a man claiming to be the father of all vampires. And even among you all, I stand out like a sore thumb since I was bought back without needing revenge...Well, not entirely. I relate to Serina in such a manner. Which, given her track record...Is rather terrifying.”

“Hey, I’m right here. You might not like my methods, but the fact of the matter is that I gave all the women under my employ a choice of whether or not they wished to continue their jobs under me. I allow them to take the lion’s share of their pay, I hire people to protect them, and most importantly, I kill for them. That’s more than their former pimps would’ve done.”

“While that’s true, you also have a body count in the low thousands. You’re aware that back in Victoran era London, you were something of an urban myth on the level of Jack the Ripper. Something about how you tempted the most noble of men and stole their souls.”

“Respectfully speaking, but...Don’t we all have a kill count in the low thousands? Even Shiori-kun has managed to rack up a body count with how many bandits she froze solid.”

“Why did we all agree to a cease-fire of sorts? Was it not prudent that we destroy Serina before she can add more people to her list?”

“I ordered a cease-fire because each and every one of us is capable of leveling entire cities if we fought. Not to mention that with Serina and I tossing the void around, there’s a chance something awful happens. We’re all centuries old. The least we can all do is hold civil conversation.”

“That and if you have a fight at my inn and destroy it, I promise to freeze every last one of you solid for the next three centuries.”

[shackledsculs-remade]

“Gotta love th’possibility tha’ a part of th’eldritch being inside of ya has had a part split off and started stickin’ it’s cock everywhere it could t’make more nightmare creatures.”

[shackledsculs-remade]

“Honestly...In the thousands of years I’ve been alive, I’m not quite sure how th’fuck you all end up on conversational topics like this.”

[shackledsculs-remade]

“So, we’ve established tha’ being a walking, talking eldritch abomination. Tha’ said eldritch abomination has spread out its essence to create more people in my image. By which none of them can actively imitate what I can do, but I can imitate their powers. And not all of them are exactly balanced in a healthy manner.”

[shackledsculs-remade]

“...Son of a bitch yer righ’.”

[shackledsculs-remade]

“Life sure is fuckin’ strange when y’realize tha’ technically, yer th’father of an entirely new class of supernatural beings.”

[shackledsculs-remade]

Zachary Tag Dump 

[shackledsculs-remade]

“Gods, buncha assholes if y’ask me. They love t’prattle on ‘nd on ‘bout how they can’t interfere with th’affairs of ‘mortals’, but they sure love t’preach about their purity or their plans when people don’t want t’listen. On top of tha’, they can’t even do their fuckin’ jobs ‘nd keep each other in line. So as far as m’concerned, they’re not worth a damn, ‘nd I pray to none of ‘em.”