He hadn't noticed it before but something had moved in his peripheral vision... A person or the shape of some being. He was only mulling over it now, when the situation suddenly became dire, that the figure was small. A woman perhaps? Or a tiny man? Whichever it was, it moved face and form before he could clearly recognize it. It had moved so swiftly, as if driven by some sort of force to flee that he could have sworn it was, perhaps, a ghost, wraith, or just some hallucination his brain received caused by being in the presence of these corpses for too long. For some reason, of which was unknown to him, he felt quite at home with these bodies around him. He was sure he didn't commit this most gruesome scene; the details of his conscious memory were quite clear in that aspect... Or at least, he didn't remember doing any of this.
The figure, it left a presence, an imprint so to speak. It glowed, almost; it was as if the soul of the being, whoever it was, was beckoning him. He'd never come across a soul like that before and through his sights, the orbs able to detect forces that would go unseen to normal human eyes, it became more and more mesmerizing as he replayed the scene over and over again. He couldn't get over it's presence. It was, perhaps, the most alluring soul he'd ever witnessed thus far in his time on Earth. He had to have it.
But the thought of the figure he saw in the window lingered in his mind even as the group of guards burst through the room. Grave, startled, backed away before tripping over the corpse of the woman. The force of his weight hitting the floor caused the building to quake and unbalancing a few of the guards. He saw them, through the slits of his eyes, coming in closer, some guards slipping along the blood and others covering their mouths as if to keep vomit at bay. The last thing he hoped was that they would add more to the mess that was already here. Having him vomit would be like getting sprayed with acid. Grave barely found his mind again all the while he heard the lead guard, a woman decked out in gold-gilded armor and trying hard to show no fear, come in closer and unsheathe her sword.
"Don't try anything stupid," she said, face determined. "You're surrounded. Surrender now and we'll go easy on you!"
Grave crushed his face in a grimace, frowning intensely and grunting in response. The grunt was heavy and guttural. He crawled over the woman's corpse and stood tall, towering over the tiny people like the giant that he was. However this time he was coated in a layer of the blood from the floor. He dropped the knife on the ground, still backing away. There really was no where to run!
As she watched Grave stand, the soldier's jaw dropped in sheer surprise and shock. She was near speechless as she heard him growl and maintain his intimidating frown. "What the hell kind of a beast are you!?" she said, softly, throat gripped in the midst of fear. Her eyes widened further while she saw the vertical line of interlocking teeth along his belly open abruptly and emit an eardrum-splitting howl. The sound knocked her back but she caught herself in time. And the shock in her eyes remained as she saw the bright abyss lurking on the inside between the teeth. It was as if the hell inside the giant was calling to her and she nearly lost herself for a time. But the other guards behind her rallied and she called a battle charge aloud.
Grave, unsure exactly how to respond, cried out himself, uttering another ear-slitting howl but one that did not hold her back. He watched as she lunged forward, her sword aimed directly at his gut. Just then the mouth along his stomach opened wide and invited her inside. The sword entered first, swallowing the weapon whole, then her arm quickly followed afterward. The teeth closed at her shoulder, severing her arm off completely. A fountain of blood added to the mess of the slaughter about them all, complete with the cry of agony coming from the female guard.
"GODS!" she cried aloud, the blood drained from her face as she fell to her knees. "Oh...FUCK!" She writhed and tried to stop the blood, but with no luck. The other guards stood back in horror at the event. But Grave, standing back and with only one way out, wasn't about to waste time with inaction. He detached the massive X-shaped headstone from his back and threw it forward. Like a boomerang it tore through the guards, retracting and acting like a blender blade, grinding up any exposed limbs with its sharpened edges. He pulled it back, catching it, before tackling into the crowd and dashing outside. He growled severely, his legs pounding the cobblestone street down towards the other buildings. He was a caged animal and he'd made his escape.
The guards, despite their horror and losses, regroup and made chase after Grave. They rounded the corners of several buildings, following the haphazard trail of bloodied footsteps. Meanwhile, Grave, attracted to the smell of a nearby soul, was following that familiar presence. The figure... he thought momentarily. I must find the girl...or whoever that was.... The presence of the soul...it's glow, the imprint, left a trail. And he opened his eyes to better track it. It seemed it meandered here and there before straightening toward a building. He closed his eyes.
More guards joined the group, rallying each other to catch the bloodied beast running rampant through their city. They all had their weapons out, angry but wary of what they were up against. Other guards were filled in quickly about what happened in the shop and immediately, there was no doubt between them all that this man, giant, person, or whatever the hell it was, was indeed the culprit.
Grave dashed desperately into the building. And in a rare instance, he spoke: "Where is the girl!?" He knew the soul was in here... Now all he had to do was find it.
