There was a heavy tension in the air, a pressure both of them could feel. Their wills were matched in a silent battle akin to the butting heads of bulls. Neither would back down, and they equally knew this. Integra may hold the power of his leash, but the No Life King was nothing to be trifled with. Alucard stood, waiting with an ever growing smirk as Integra controlled her shaken composure. The night's challenge was still playing out, and if he could break her will he would shatter the seal regardless of her refreshing it.

Integra released a held breath, letting her anger fuel every muscle and word. "Kneel," she commanded, one finger stabbing toward the ground at her feet. "That shouldn't be too difficult. You've been scraping yourself against the ground for decades now."
The vampire lowered his head, silken ebony hair cascading over his face. He wanted to resist her, but the seal would push him to obey taking the option to disobey from him. "Give me a power to bow to, and perhaps I will, girl," he replied in a dark, elegant hiss.

"This is your final chance," she growled, ignoring his bait. Tightening her grip on the whip's handle, Integra threw her arm forward. Like a snake, the lash rose to life, hissing across the stones as it rose and snapped out to the vampire's exposed skin.

Alucard snarled, eyes flashing bright, hot ruby as he flung himself to the side. A sharp crack echoed through the air as the whip bit into the empty space where the vampire had once stood. The sound brought old memories and a powerful fear to the surface. This was not Abraham, but a girl, barely beyond childhood and removed from Abraham by generations. Alucard growled darkly, shutting away the past with frustrated irritation.

She had seen his fear, the horror in his eyes as the whip had come for him. The emotion was there for only a moment before it was replaced by a hate she had not seen before this night. Integra chuckled, flicking her wrist to curl the lash across the stones behind her.

"You won't dodge the next strike, creature. Obey me and kneel. Now."

Keenly understanding he could no longer delay this order with anything in his favor, Alucard grudgingly slid to a knee, yet kept a smoldering glare locked upon her face. Most humans avoided direct eye contact with a vampire. Integra never broke his gaze, looking down at him with her back straight.

Integra began to walk around him, a metallic scraping sound following her as she dragged the lash across the stones. "You are cornered, vampire," the Hellsing observed. "Ensnared in magic, locked in a cage, and confronted by a force you loathe obeying but has every power over you."

The vampire kept his gaze forward as she walked around him, the hairs across his nape lifting as he heard her pause behind him. "I've been told similar things by many men in the past. Should I point out they are all dead now?" Alucard dropped his head, leveling his glare to the stones beneath him.

"I want you prostrate." Her words were spoken in a growl, a very fierce threat.

"No," Alucard hissed back, his reply quiet as he spoke a very damning word to a Hellsing master.

He could feel her rage, like a warm flame across the naked flesh of his back. It brought a grin to his face. She was using her rage as a tool, but too much and she would be blinded by it. There was a sound of shifting cloth and the whip's motion. Alucard was no fool, he anticipated this moment. As Integra began to bring the whip down against his back, the vampire rolled to his side, hissing as the silver lash slammed into the stones before him.

"Seems I've proved you for a lair," he barked, hooking a foot around her heel and pulling the girl's legs from under her. "The second strike missed as easily as the first!"

Integra grunted as she fell, sucking air through her teeth when her injured hand connected with the floor as instinct fought to break her fall. The whip was dropped, clattering to the stone, the sound weighing heavy on her chest. Alucard moved in a blurred motion, on his feet and kicking the hated tool to the far side of his cell.

The girl cursed, feeling her heart pound against her chest. "You delay the inevitable," she growled, pushing herself into a sitting position and dusting prison grime from her clothing. Integra kept her eyes away from the grinning devil before her, not wanting to give him the satisfaction to see how much his continued and very frightening defiance was unnerving her.

"Get on your knees," she snarled, cutting through the cell's dry air with a tone of bitter rage.

Alucard tossed his head back, leering at the Hellsing. She looked up then, witnessing him standing proudly, a shark toothed sneer decorating his face. He behaved like a damned stallion. This vampire was a proud king, a monster of monsters, she could see it in his eyes. Why should he bow to her? She would have to remind him why.

When he did not obey, Integra counted five seconds, taking her time in standing. Once to her feet, she closed the seal tight around him, searing his nerves with white hot punishment.

The scream which issued forth from his lungs was like nothing upon this earth. Integra nearly covered her ears to block out the agonized sound. Alucard dropped to the ground like a limp doll, writhing about and slashing at the empty air surrounding him as if he were fighting off an enemy only he could see.

Integra stood with her back against the wall, watching the suffering of her insubordinate servant. Closing her eyes, she worked to reign in control of her emotions. She understood all too well if she lost control of herself, reason and logic would follow in short order. It was a fatal flaw of her vampire servant, and one she refused to emulate.

Crossing her arms, Integra observed the vampire's punishment, a stern expression over her features. The brand over his chest glowed bright, and she swore there was a near invisible wisp of vapor rising from it. Alucard's dagger teeth had lengthened, black claws extended as sharp tools of death. She was witnessing, Integra realized, a desperate instinct of the vampire to free itself from pain. No amount of teeth, claws, or physical power could fight away ancient magic.

She mentally counted a full sixty seconds before she released him. He lay like a stricken animal, half curled with his back to her, trembling and panting as he fought to recover. Integra allowed him no time to recuperate. Her strategy was to keep him occupied with either a choice to obey and be rewarded, or disobey and feel her wrath.

"Sit up," the Hellsing sternly instructed. There would be no room for him to delay with threats or games, not anymore.

His reply, strained and tinged with a growl, wasn't in English, but the tone told her all she needed to know.

"Haven't had enough yet? So be it." Again the vampire's agonized cry crashed into the stones when Integra constricted the seal about him, her expression a mask of unbroken will. "I can do this all night, servant," the Hellsing's voice rose over his misery. "I doubt you can hold out that long."

Counting two minutes, Integra repeated her missive upon releasing her creature from his punishment. "Sit up."

Still half blinded by pain, Alucard offered no resistance, verbal or otherwise, as he pushed to sit himself upright. Swaying, he fell to the side, collapsing in a fit of dry heaves.

Integra was impressed. For him to be in such a state the pain must certainly be intense, and yet he still found the energy to fight his masters. However, she did not let up.

A slight push on the seal sent a jarring reminder of her order. Grunting, Alucard panted, controlling his body's trembling as he pushed himself into an upright, albeit stooped, sitting position.

"That was for disobeying my order to kneel," she snapped. Pushing away from the wall she had been leaning against, Integra boldly approached him, fists clenched at her sides. "Because of your obstinate behavior, my whip is across the room." She paused before him, looking down to the still slightly shaking creature. His head hung low, face turned to the ground. Crouching, Integra reached out, tangling her fingers into the wild, black mane adorning his crest and snatched his head up to face her.
Despite what he had just been subjected to, his demon eyes glowed bright, fire shades shifting about in his burning rage. Staring straight into his eyes, Integra saw the vampire's elliptical pupils narrow as he focused on her. She had his full attention.

"Fetch it," she growled into his face, their noses a bare inch apart. "Fetch it like the damned dog you are, and bring it back to your master."

Shoving back as she released her grip, Integra smirked as he nearly lost his balance, a coughing growl issuing from his throat. Alucard had no intentions of delivering the item which he hated most into her hands. They both knew it. Nothing showed a master's control or a slave's position more than being required to retrieve a device of punishment.

Integra had effectively placed him into a very difficult position. He must either defy her by remaining where he sat and fight the inevitable agony or he must submit and by action of returning her whip, admit he was hers. Neither option was especially desirable. Integra moved to the very back of the cell, continuing to face him as she crossed her arms and waited. Alucard shifted, his panting falling silent as he looked over his shoulder to where the whip lay at the base of the doorway steps.

Tonight's game would be over once it was back in her hands, and there would be nothing left but to face a reckoning. Swearing under his breath, the vampire rolled to his feet, swaying on the first step but growing stronger with each remaining. With great trepidation, he approached the whip, crouching to wrap thin, clawed fingers about the handle. His hackles rose at the feel, smell, and sight of it. Carefully avoiding any contact with the woven silver lash, he carried it to her, dragging the silver behind him.
Integra felt a swelling of victory in her chest as she watched the vampire slowly move toward her. She had quelled his resistance for this night. Alucard stopped several feet before her, and she held out a waiting hand. Head low and eyes downcast, Alucard extended the handle to her, but relaxed his grip just before the ivory touched her fingers. The whip clattered to the floor at her feet, Integra's surprised expression all the reward he needed.

"As you commanded," he replied, a gloating half smirk growing across his face.

"Indeed," she bit in reply, crouching to gather the whip, though she picked up the lash end. Kneading her fingers around the woven silver, Integra glared daggers at him. She sensed he was much less aggressive at this point, however he still displayed considerable disrespect and obstinance.

Integra smirked at him, gathering lash into her hands. "I'm pleased to see your behavior is improving. Now you just need to be reacquainted with your position."

Alucard frowned, leaning back as she stepped forward, closing the short distance between them. Raising her hands, she threw the looped silver lash about his neck, keeping hold of both ends as a leash and pulling the improvised collar snug against his throat. The vampire screeched and pulled back as he tried to retreat but the Hellsing kept a firm grip.

"Down," she ordered with a snarl, not waiting for him to obey. Crouching, she placed a foot on the leash and used her grip on the end to pull straight up. Alucard was snatched to the ground, on hands and knees as he clawed wildly at the whip lash around his throat. An audible hissing and vapor emanated from the contact, blood beginning to drip to the floor.

"Very good!" Integra mocked. "I've never seen you jump to obey so quickly unless it involved killing someone."

He fought and pulled against her hold, but given all his strength he was at her mercy caught as he was. Integra was sure several of his stranger cries were frenzied invectives from languages she could only guess upon. The vampire's claws scraped at the silver coils, but burned his hands each time he fought for a grip.

She had him now, Integra well knew. More so than minutes before, he was at her mercy. Leaning close to his ear, the Hellsing sneered. "Heel, boy." With that, she stepped back to the wall, pulling him with her. As they reached the wall, Integra raised him to his knees and, with a knee pressed between his shoulders, held him there while dropping the leash ends of her whip. Working quickly, for she knew he could throw her off given any chance, she grabbed one of the vampire's wrists, lifting it over his head and secured it in one of the old wall manacles fastened into the stone. Repeating the same motion with his remaining wrist, Integra backed away from him, removing the whip from around his throat.

Alucard swallowed, wincing as he shook his head in some effort to ease the burning encircling his neck. Integra observed the effected skin was blackened, as if badly burned by flame. Bits of it had peeled away when the silver was removed. Blood oozed and ran in thin trails across his shoulders and back. Several veins had turned black with poisoned blood and were visible beneath skin leading away from the burns. Silver was certainly a great enemy to the vampire, a poison to the creature's existence.

He didn't seem to realize it at first, only when he tried to touch the wounds at his throat did Alucard discover he was on his knees, shackled by wrists and facing the wall. Snarling, the vampire pulled hard at his bindings, throwing his body from side to side, a slim hope that the old metal may break or its fastenings crumble. This night was not a night of luck for the vampire, for everything held secure.

"God dammit," he hissed, tensing as he heard Integra move behind him. The sounds of her gathering the whip into a hand froze his blood, bound hands clenching into fists.

Gritting his teeth, Alucard flinched when he felt her fingers brush through his hair. She crouched behind him, brushing several locks of hair away from the fiend's slightly pointed ear.

"You are a servant to this house and this country," she began in a soft, yet stern tone. There was a hidden rage, an oh so slight tremble to her words which foreshadowed to him the misery he had yet to endure. "You are a slave to me, Alucard. My orders are your law, which will, from this night forth, bring swift and merciless punishment when ignored or broken."

Running her fingers through his mane, she tilted her head back, her own blond hair falling in a lightly tangled mass over her shoulders and chest. "Let's review your behavior tonight, hm?"

Alucard rested his forehead against the stone wall, glaring his frustration into the very rock itself. "Why not just whip me until you feel vindicated?"

Integra rested the curled whip on the floor beside her, hooking one hand around the vampire's jaw to forcefully tilt his head back against her shoulder while her free hand continued to stroke through the silky strands of his hair. "I certainly intend to," the Hellsing replied. "It will happen on my terms, however. Remember, vampire, I am your master."

Her hand slid from his jaw, palm sliding across his chest. She could feel the scar tissue from her family's binding seal engraved there, pausing as she felt the sigil's center beneath her hand. Alucard snatched to the side, a savage growl reverberating in the air. Her free hand dropped from his hair, curling over his shoulder to once again take hold of the creature's jaw in a firm grip. Holding his form against her chest, keeping her palm pressed into the sigil's center, she could feel a pulsing of power answering her touch.

"I do believe it recognizes me as the master now, you God dammed beast." Integra continued to hold him, sensing direct contact of her flesh against the creature's exposed mark of magical binding was bringing Alucard great discomfort. "Now it's your turn. This time, I don't think I'll miss."

Releasing him and gathering her whip, Integra stood, taking several steps away from him. "You entered my room without permission, sought to end my life, and defied me on multiple accounts. Am I missing anything, servant?"

Alucard grit his teeth, shifting as the uncomfortable burning in his chest began to fade. "I wasn't aware you needed reasons, Master," he growled, dropping his head and pressing his forehead into the wall.

Integra smirked, rolling her shoulder and snapping her arm to send the whip lash biting deep into the vampire's back. He snarled, throwing himself to the side but was held tight in his restraints. There was no escaping or dodging now. Allowing him no moment to recover, Integra struck a second, third, and fourth time. Lines of blackened, bleeding flesh crisscrossed over his shoulders and upper back. As she continued without comment, his roars of anger began to shift into cries of misery and pain.

Only when her body cried for relief with stiffening muscles, did she let the bloodied lash hiss across the floor to rest curled around her feet. Blood puddled beneath the vampire as he hung limp, soft sounds of a wheezed panting reaching her ears. Stepping directly behind him, she began to curl the whip, watching him flinch weakly at each sound as it scraped across the stone and was lifted into her hands.

"Who do you belong to?" she asked, leaning over his limp form, resting her whip wielding hand against the stone where he could easily see it if he were to tilt his head to look up at her. As it turned out, the subtle threat was not necessary.

"You, my Master," he whispered hoarsely, a powerful tremor passing over his frame.

"See to it you remember that in the future," she replied, tone quite pleased as she moved to release his wrists. "You will remain here until I feel you've had enough." With that, Integra turned on a heel and strode from the cell, slamming the door in her wake and leaving Alucard in the pitch darkness of the cell, which made little difference to the vampire.

Falling to his side, Alucard trembled in the throes of pain as the silver wounds across his mangled back continued to torment him. "Hell hath no fury," he chuckled, coughing as pain stabbed through his spine. "Ahh, and here I thought you would be no fun at all, my Master Integra," the vampire's insane voice whispered in amusement though the darkness. "What a great game we played, I could have desired no better ending." Shifting, Alucard grinned toward the door. "We will play these sweet games again, make no mistake on that. For you enjoyed them as much as I."