Fantasy Hunter's Moon [IC] [CLOSED]

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob had a good afternoon, having enjoyed a nice meal and a few good songs in the Inn just before getting ready to go to sleep. He was a bit worried that he had to stay with Erwin and Aleister, really. Not because he'd be in danger, but because he was worried that Erwin might try and do something to the young vampire. After a few hours, when a sudden shot woke him up, Jakob jumped out of his bed and sprinted out of his room. In only his pants and a white tank top, revolver in hand, he darted towards Valeria's room.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister, unable to eat, confined himself to his shared room with Erwin and Jakob for the time being as he waited for the rain to die down before he could go out exploring during the night. He actually liked the rain, though preferably not when it was making his clothes and hair damp. Sure, he was a vampire, but he still had to put effort into looking so refined and extravagant.

He wasn't certain who picked the room for him. He wasn't too pleased to be lounging alongside the constable, who, while very respectful and kind, was a bit too much like a puppy dog in his opinion than someone with higher interests like... Mariette. It was clear they wanted to keep the two vampires separate, but there was little he could do about that. And Erwin... Erwin was a boar of a man and nearly as unpleasant as Camille to be around, though at least the maniacal Marquess was pleasant to look at.

There were a few penny dreadfuls in his luggage, as they were cheap and entertaining and available just about anywhere. He mailed the good ones home, and over the years, he had amassed a fair collection of the penny novels. He was midway through one telling the account of a heroic swashbuckling sailor on the high seas fighting all manner of mythical sea beasts when he sensed something a little off inside the inn. It wasn't unlike the feeling he and the others felt when dealing with the cavalry troops a little while ago. He looked up from his novel and paused, focusing in on the feeling. It was definitely someone not part of the group and they were inside the inn.

Aleister tossed the book onto his cot and pulled his revolver from his shoulder holster from beneath his coat. Silver may be needed for this. As he still had his white gloves on, he quickly but delicately pulled out three silver bullets from a leather pouch below the holster on the strap and loaded it into the revolver. Just as he closed the break-action, a gunshot sounded down the hall and woke up Jakob, who was quick on his feet and already out there door.

Damn, that jackrabbit can move, Aleister thought as the constable moved faster than he anticipated.

The vampire followed the constable outside into the hall with his revolver in hand, looking down the other end of the hall opposite of all the action. All the excitement occurring now could be a feint, or this could be part of an elaborate ambush. Making sure the area was clear visually and with his senses, he went down the hall toward Valeria's room, where others were already going.

 

[Breadman]

Theodore had buried his head in his books after a long day of investigating and ultimately coming up with nothing. After he had returned from the barn and given his report, the tutor headed straight to his room where his roommate was waiting. The sight of the lich was another surprise for the day, but rather than complain, Theodore took it as an opportunity to find out more. Documenting what he could from just observing him in the middle of the room. The creature unphased seemingly by the awkward silence of it all.

He was reading through 'Histories of cursed bloodlines' by candlelight when he heard the loud gunshot

"MERDE!" grabbing his revolver, he followed Ethraeil.

 

[Viper Actual]

Galina was sitting in her bed going through her journal. She had removed her light armor, cloak and overcoat but still wore her tunic, riding pants and knee-high boots. She looked at Rosanna.

"Things are not as they appear to be. That is the only thing we can be certain of for now. In time we w-"

Galina suddenly paused. She was frozen in place. Her eyes wandered to the wall behind Rosanna.
A pale blueish face had emerged from the wall itself. It was a young woman. Black silky hair was draped across her face like a shroud and her eyes were completely black.

She was crying tears of crimson blood.

"The inquisitorrr... GO!"

Then came the gunshot. Rosanna was up. Galina grabbed her rifle by the bed, pullee back the charging handle to ready a bullet and gripped the weapon tightly as she rushed out right behind Rosanna.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille could not provide much to the investigation other than her dispersing to question the locals about what they knew. It was a rather mundane task, but she fully trusted the scholar of the group to piece together the crime scene far better than she could. Still, despite how boring a task it might be she casually went from person to person and questioned them calmly and politely. Regardless of her feelings toward vampires she was most kind to regular citizens she came across, not giving them the ire or any rudeness aside from calling them peasants when they got crass with her for the line of questioning. A rather slow and unsuccessful day it had been, as most predictably had little or no information to offer her, so she took to circling back to the inn and having a meager meal before relaxing in her room for the rest of the night.

When she slept her rapier was not far from her side, and while she unclasped her bandoleer of quills from each leg they were also close by for her to use. The Escarian huntress was not one to be unprepared or easy to sneak up on, and she made constant sure of that. When she heard the gunshot and later shouts down on the far end of the hall she gasped, awaking with a start and reaching for her sword. As she affixed her silver daggers around her legs, she heard the movement of the other honorary inquisitors barreling out of the door. No use huddling the hallway in a rush with them, she figured, and she decided to quickly get dressed for the incident taking place. Having shed her cloak, jacket, and boots earlier she put them on at a brisk pace before opening the door and stepping through the threshold into the hallway proper. Slowly she unsheathed her rapier, stepping toward the group with not a run but a fast pace to her walking.

"What a splendid thing to wake up to." she muttered to herself, standing off to the side of the group as she swept her rapier in front of her and pointed the blade back downward, currently at rest at her side.

 

[Radley]

Erwin had laid on his bed vigilant, not content with going to sleep before the campire in the room had. When Aleister suddenly pulled out a revolver, Erwin quickly retreived his own gun from under his pillow and put his hand on the hilt of his cutlass, which was hanging on a chair close to his bed.
To his surprise, the vampire did not fire the gun but instead began loading it. Confused for a brief moment, Erwin studied the priest before the gunshot rang out and Jakob woke up as well.
Setting any ill intent from his roommate aside, the three emerged in the hallway, weapons drawn. Erwin wielding both his 5 shot, silver loaded revolver as well as his cutlass, as more and more of the party made their apperance in the corridor leading towards Valeries room.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister was near the back of the gathering group that was rushing to the inquisitor's room, and he saw Camille exit her room just nearby. The hallway was already getting crowded.

"Camille, our focus is being drawn this way - we need to watch out backs, too. You may have more room with that rapier without anyone blocking you if we watch the rear," he explained, glancing back down the hall to wherever it led. He pressed his back up against the wall to allow for Erwin and others to move by.

"I can think of no better trap than squeezing us into one spot. Even a blind man with a gun could sweep this hall," he said to Camille, now turning fully and heading the opposite way of all the action.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob ran towards Valeria's room as fast as he could. Once there, he found the door wide open, and entered hurriedly. Inside stood a woman he had never seen before, across from where Valeria was standing with a smoking sawed-off shotgun. He gave each a confused look, while aiming towards the unknown woman. "Who are you!?" he asked, staring down the top of his revolver at her.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille would have said something to Aleister in the vain of how idiotic or disgusting he was, but he actually made a fair point. "I had no intention of getting in too close otherwise. This hallway is much too cramped for my liking." she replied at a volume just above a whisper, turning to her side so that she could watch both angles of the room and react accordingly.

"I'll let you folk jam your bothersome gun barrels into the doorway, don't mind me."

 

[K0mori]

Mariette had not been in the room with Rosanna or Galina when the incident began. Only minutes earlier, she had declared a need to refresh herself and had departed for the washroom without her overcoat or weapons, aside from the grimoire, which was irreplaceable. She had no need to request privacy, as the inn patrons who hadn't been scared off by the sudden appearance of vampires and a lich at the site still steered clear of her whenever possible. Halfway through her daily routine of washing with soap and perfuming with flower oil, she felt a sense of otherness creeping near, although she couldn't place exactly what it was she was feeling. By the time she had dried and fully clothed herself, there was a gunshot just down the hall. She opened the door to find a crowd of her contemporaries gathered to see what was happening in Valeria's room, while Camille was closer by and guarding the rear.

She took out her grimoire and a hidden vial of animal blood she kept for spellcasting and joined them in trying to make sense of the chaos.

 

[Infab]

As others filled the hallway, and both Jakob and Ethraeil had barged into the room itself, they found Valeria standing across from an unknown woman. In Valeria's hands, a sawed-off double barreled shotgun. Both barrels had apparently been discharged, faint smoke wavering from the muzzle. The woman across from her, however, seemed unfazed by the mass of silver shards jutting out of her stomach. As Jakob demanded to know who she was, she let out a chuckle as she grabbed and pulled several of the silver shards out. They dropped to the floor with numerous klinks, the jagged silver pieces coated in rich red blood.

"Oh, pardon me!" she said, looking up to Jakob and giving him a wide smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Senior Inquisitor Cassandra Bainbridge, of the Vigilant Order." she said, before giving Jakob, Ethraeil, and the others a deep bow. Valeria grunted, as the shotgun popped open and ejected two spent cartridges. "You're no inquisitor, Cassandra. You haven't been an inquisitor in years." she muttered aloud, as she slammed two more shells into the weapon from her coat on the bed.

Cassandra straightened up and looked back towards Valeria, her eyes fading from their previous green to a burning vampiric red. "Several centuries, in fact!" added Cassandra, waving her free hand off to the side. She then looked back to Jakob once again. "Aren't you a cute one. Sweetheart, if that shotgun didn't stop me, that pop gun you have will be like a mosquito bite." she commented, shaking her head and motioning to the revolver in his hands. She then glanced to the lich, whom had also entered the room. "Oh my, a lich! How scary!" she said, giving him a terrified expression before giggling.

She looked to the others in the doorway, before raising a gloved finger to her chin. "Hmm, now I sense there's two more of your supernatural friends out there. Two vampires, yes? My, I didn't think the magnificent 'Red Inquisitor' would run with that she hunted so viciously!" she said, glancing to Valeria again. Valeria's eyes narrowed. "And I didn't think you'd be way up here in Grimtham. Business must be slow for you to try to lure people out here." she said, to which Cassandra flashed a fanged grin.

"It worked, didn't it? Atkins is dead, two priests are dead, and now you're going to be dead along with alllll your friends here. Even the lich. I might spare the vampires, though. Maybe the constable, too. I'll need a snack for later." she said, pointing her rapier's tip towards Jakob. "Oh, and that strapping young lad named Wesley out there in the hall! I think I heard someone in the inn below say that he was a new hunter! Perhaps I might show him just what life is like on the other side."

 

[K0mori]

Now, even from the rear of the group, it was clear to Mariette what was happening. A powerful vampire was in the room with Valeria- a former Inquisitor, in fact, named Cassandra. Mariette was filled with a sense of fear and dark admiration. She's a killer; I can't trust a word she says... but how could she live so long, and be so bold to as to just walk in here like this? Is she a pureblood?

Her hands were shaking. There was no telling, if a silver-laden blast didn't kill the mysterious woman, then what good could her magic do? There was no point seeking out the revolver she left behind on her night stand, and instead Mariette was tempted to retrieve her coat and boots so that she could travel- either away from this place to safety, or under the rule of this powerful malign entity. Either way, she was determined to survive, and fighting the elder vampire herself seemed to decrease the odds of doing so.

 

[Radley]

Erwin filed in behind the group in the hallway and listened to Cassandra.
It was pointless to make a move, he thought, as the shotgun blast had barely affected the woman. A higher vampire, to be sure.
He looked back at the trembling countess, and grabbed her arm
"You were not pleased with my intentions earlier" he said in as low a voice as he could muster, "Now is your chance to earn your trust. If you can weaken this woman sufficiently, I'm certain a number of hunters here can dispatch of her."

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil paid no heed to the threats levied by the... being in the room. He carefully eyed over Cassandra in an attempt to deduce what exactly she was, though nothing was coming at the moment to him. What really worried him was her close proximity to Valeria, and by extension his phylactery around her neck. He slowly took a few steps towards Valeria, keeping his eyes fixed on Cassandra. "Are you alright, Mistress Witlock?" he said calmly as he moved forward, although it was more rhetorical than an actual question. She was unharmed at the moment it seemed, and he needed to focus on what was the greatest immediate danger. He desperately tried to scan the aura around the enemy, looking for any sign that would give way for a clue as to what she was.

"It is not wise to threaten me. I have survived countless attempts on my life, they all have failed. And in their failure, they knew nothing of the peace of death." he said menacingly to Cassandra. "That is until I grew bored of them."

 

[Dmaster]

Camille winced at the sound of the gunshots sounding again, absolutely detesting the operation and sounds of those terrible firearms. Yet still she could see through the crowd of hunters and vampires to witness the assailant not even flinching from the blow. Of course the Senior Inquisitor was smart enough to load all of her weapons with silver, and she was well aware that a vampire would at least register a stronger reaction to being attacked with such weaponry. This got her to raise her eyebrow in curiosity, the thoughts of this woman being a rumored pureblood being all too prevalent in her mind. Yet the Escarian huntress did not quake with fear, instead leveling her rapier toward the doorway as she stepped a few paces closer.

"A mad vampire, wasting time with ceaseless babble rather than getting to the point." Camille calmly stated, left hand slowly reaching to her side to produce three silver quills from her bandoleer. Each blade was quietly held between her fingers as she narrowed her eyes at her target. The silver was in her, but she did not know if a potential pureblood needed more to eradicate their unholy speeds. "I suppose it would be far too much to ask for these horrifying creatures of the night to be mute, non?"

 

[K0mori]

Having her arm clutched by Erwin deeply offended Mariette- as a noble, a woman, and a proud vampire, there was scarcely anything which could offend her more than to be grabbed by a man of such low character. "She frightens me," she said in a breath-filled, hissing whisper, "but you best never touch me again if you expect my assistance, you filthy animal." She glared at him, as if to remind the man that she was inhumanly strong, and, if anything, the lack of trust between them ought to worry the man more than it did. If her allegiance was as weak as Erwin suspected, then he was in far greater danger than he probably believed himself. For now, however, she was still committed to the mission. She flipped through her book of spells with one hand and located a useful hex, but the timing would need to be perfect for the attack to work.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob stood there, staring at the vampire. He was unfazed by the suggestive tone she had, especially when she mentioned making him a snack. "I'm already another lady's snack, madame." he said, while maintaining a serious tone. "Nobody has to die, madame, drop your weapon now and we can talk this through." He stood ready to unload the revolver on the vampire if need be.

 

[Radley]

Erwins eyes were filled with one emotion. He didn't care how he was perceived as a character, how his alleged social class dictated he act. He was simply looking to gain a upper hand and survive.

He had heard of the countess before, and what she was rumored to be capable off. Mariette could read his facial expression and body language. To him they were only two individuals who by circumstance had been thrust into a dangerous situation. And now, whether they wanted or not, their survival would be more likely if they simply did what they claimed to to best.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister remained near the back not out of cowardice, but from genuine fear of a trap. Living life as he has compounded the firm belief that one should always be aware of all exits regardless of the situation, and with their attention drawn to whatever was happening in the inquisitor's room, they were incredibly vulnerable from all other directions. Had he been running this show, he'd have henchmen close in on them right about now. A hallway was a terrible place to be trapped.

He couldn't see into the room as he was still down the hall a little ways, but he could barely make out some snippets of the conversation. He mostly had to figure out what was happening based on everyone else's reaction, and that of Mariette. It was clear that there was some powerful woman, some vampire, in that room with Valeria and whoever else entered while the others held ready in the hall. If all of them couldn't take the vampire, he certainly wouldn't be much more of an addition with three silver bullets.

Unusually nervous, he kept his back against the wall in the hallway so he could easily look either way - either into the crowd of people, or back the other way which was currently empty. If anyone appeared down the empty side of the hallway, he would be able to sense if they were supernatural. And at the moment, he was more inclined to shoot first and ask questions later. If things went further south... he could probably dash into one of the rooms and out a window.

 

[Infab]

Cassandra giggled at Jakob's statement. "Madame? How cute. And also, lover boy, I hope you do understand that I can rip your throat out with my bare hands." she said, twirling her rapier in a horizontal figure eight before her. "This is just more fun to use." She then looked to the lich as he spoke up. "And I've killed more of you than I can remember. Necromancers are always trying to ice skate uphill. And from the way you're hugging close to Valeria here...she has your phylactery. I'll let you watch me kill her. Then, you die next."

And then Camille spoke up. Cassandra smiled. "Ah! The Raven shows herself. Tell me, Raven. Have you ever been stabbed by your own sword? Trust me, it hurts. And you'll know how it feels when I take that rapier of yours and shove it down your throat!" she said, with a bit of a cheerful tone at the end.

Eventually, there was a noise from downstairs. First, a few screams. Then, inhuman growling and gurgling. Cassandra raised a finger. "Ah! My guests have arrived! Well, they've finally turned anyway. I didn't exactly say I'd be killing all of you personally, of course. Just some of you. You, in particular." she said, pointing her finger towards Valeria. "I hope you like ghouls! Because there's quite a few of them coming up the stairs right about now."

------

And sure enough, there were a cluster of ghouls coming up the stairs out in the hallway. Most of them appeared to be other guests of the inn, whom had remained downstairs while the rest of the group had retired to their rooms. There was even a constable or two among the group, though they lacked the clubs and weapons they usually carried.

 

[Radley]

Upon noticing the ghouls, Erwin pushed Mariette so that the two switches places. Mariette was now closer to her target while Erwin held her back against the onslaught of bloodcrazed filth that crashed up the staircase.

After all, he had never fought a so seemingly powerful vampire, but ghouls he could handle.
Along with him against this menace was Wilch, Theodore and Aleister. The priestly vampire was closest to the new threat, and hadn't the situation been so dire, Erwin would have snapped a remark about putting his money where is mouth had been the previous days.

But there was no time for that, so he took aim and set to work trying to dispatch the fiends with his honed marksmans skills, taking care not to hit his compatriots in their backs.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister could hear the maddened scrambling of the ghouls before he could see them, and he leveled his pistol down the hallway with one hand as he reached for his pouch of bullets with the other. Three silver bullets wasn't going to cut it, not by a long shot. He popped the action open and managed to load only one more bullet for a total of four before the first ghoul appeared from the stairs. He slammed the pistol closed and aimed with both hands now at the approaching threat. Ghouls weren't too much of a danger to him, but he'd rather not have his good clothes torn up, his body scratched, and hair pulled. Still, he was relieved that he had the foresight to watch the party's back.

He did his best to target the quickly rushing ghouls one by one, not wanting to squander his bullets by shooting them twice. Aleister also fired after Erwin, alternating, so that they wouldn't hit the same target. He had a little dagger in his boot that he would draw if need be, though his claws should be more than enough to handle these foul beasts. It was simply unbecoming to have to fight these creatures with bare hands, though, and he dreaded making a mess of his attire.

 

[Dmaster]

"A few stab wounds here and there." she said, being quite frank. It was ill often that she was struck fatally in her duels but even masters slip up from time to time. Still, it was clearly evident that Camille was not terribly intimidated by the ghouls moving to them, taking a few steps backward to increase her distance between the encroaching hoard and the back room. Depending on the width of the hallway she was confident enough to funnel them and stand her ground, though Aleister's wariness for a back up plan or escape route would likely prove useful. With a smirk she flashed her own rapier, an elegant motion that quickly had the weapon swipe across the air before she leveled it again.

"You are all so predictable. I've cleared entire courtyards of these bottom-feeders you are so inclined to use." the huntress spits back, shaking her head. This was the typical vampire psychological profile, same long-winded nonsense of how her death was at hand that she would bite back at. It was mostly a formality at this point, but with the crowd of other hunters moving in to do their work she found it had been getting formulaic. Vampires always got cocky and played with their perceived meals, after all. "Peak out from that door frame any time you wish, mademoiselle. You'll find me ready." If this woman was found to be a pureblood this would be one hell of a fight, Camille's heart was racing from the terrible danger they all might have been in. Yet the glory of having such a kill under her belt... it was unparalleled, and she felt very little fear for her life. It had all been replaced with utter excitement.

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil seemed unfazed at the comments made by Cassandra, but in truth he was frozen stiff. Shit, I should've expected that. he thought to himself. He needed to act, fast, before she made good on her promise. Time seemed to still for him as a flurry of emotions entered his head, within what seemed a second he calculated his many options. A spell? No, would take too long. Create an ice lance? No, I might miss still from this range. A frontal assault? Maybe... if I can lunge in close enough... the window.

He decided his choice quickly, the blue flames from his body grew more intense within a fraction of a second, just as he lunged himself at Cassandra at an incredible speed. He would try take her out of the room altogether.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob kept aiming his weapon at Cassandra, but he could hear the horrendous sounds coming from downstairs. "Y...you gods damned monster. What did you do to those people!?" he said, while shifting his aim towards her head. He then heard Erwin and Aleister attempting to fend off the horde of monsters approaching. He calculated his next move, knowing that a being like this woman would have the power to kill him almost instantly, but then out of nowhere the lich charged at the beast with unclear intent. Jakob took the chance to then rush to Valeria. "Ma'am! We gotta get out of here now! You are the target!" he said, grabbing Valeria's arm.