Fantasy Hunter's Moon [IC] [CLOSED]

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil positioned his blade to be at the same planar level as Cassandra's neck. He would aim for a quick, clean cut to relieve her head from her body. He was absolutely silent and precise in his work as he prepared himself, scarcely making so much as a hint of noise. However, more information was surely needed since she spoke of an "employer". This was definitely a curious remark, as this signifies more than one conspirator in this inquisitor-killing plot. He silently motioned for Aleister and Mariette to continue with their act, while still maintaining his killing blow to be ready.

We need a name. It is up to them to deliver it now. He though to himself in absolute silence.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille had crouched down near the stairwell, hiding in a small gap between the wall and railing just as Cassandra crept up the steps. She shook her head at the gloating over her fake corpse, simply giving the rest of a group a glance as she turned a single quill in her hand, pointing the sharp end downward to use as a future stabbing implement. Once things were set in motion, she quietly stepped up the stairs with her rapier drawn and level at Cassandra's silhouette in the distance. It would be wiser to steer clear of the lich, as she could see he was going to make an effort to decapitate her from the right side of her body. That had opened up the left for a stab through the vampire's heart with her rapier. No doubt that it would fail to kill her, however it should at least debilitate her for more follow up attacks. At the same time her weapon had the reach it needed for those with firearms to have a clear target to take her down.

The talk of an employer got her rather curious, and she would hope that the two could ask the proper questions to continue this impromptu interrogation. However the main goal would be slaying this vampire first, anything else would just be a bonus. Camille was able to move practically silently, her getting the drop on terrifying creatures was nothing new to the huntress. Twisting the thin blade on its side, she pulled her arm back and stared intently on where she would stab.

 

[K0mori]

Mariette felt a chill run down her spine as she reached for the vial Cassandra was offering. Her hand was trembling, and this time she was certain it wasn't fear, either for this woman or for the approaching collapse of her illusionary magic. Rather, she was somewhat awestruck. Here was something of an apex predator, a woman so powerful that an entire team of so-called vampire hunters would be needed to take her down, and may only due so thanks to ample trickery. Curse the whole world for making us enemies...

"The same gift... you mean..." Mariette took the vial and, stuttering, produced the most honest words she had yet spoken to the pureblood. "Madame, I would do... a-anything to be like you. Who are they? Where can I find them?"

 

[Infab]

As Aleister took the other vial, Cassandra smiled warmly at Mariette. "All will be revealed to you in time, my dear Mariette. For now, you simply need to wait." she replied, before reaching down into a pocket beneath her cloak. She drew out a silver pocket watch, exactly like Valeria's, and checked the time. "Oh! I must be going. I have more business in Tresomin soon." she said, raising an eyebrow before clicking the pocket watch closed. She slipped it back into the pocket beneath her cloak, before tipping her hat at the pair. "I bid you both adieu." she said.

A moment later, there was a brief blur of movement. Far faster than the human eye could comprehend, and barely noticable to those with enhanced senses like that of the vampires in the room. Cassandra moved from where she had been standing, stepping within inches of both Camille and Erwin, strolling across the room and slipping out the destroyed window.

Cassandra was gone before anyone in the room had noticed she had moved.

Valeria looked dumbstruck. "W-Where did she go? Did the illusion fail?!" she said, her voice cracking a bit. If Cassandra had found out it was an illusion, they would be corpses within the next few minutes. Rosanna's body emerged in the doorway, lever-action shouldered and ready.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob anxiously waited for any sort of sound, worried that his companions and headless friend might be in danger. But hearing the voice of the inquisitor made him raise an eyebrow. Carrying his shotgun on his shoulder, and holding Rosanna's head like a baby in one arm, he climbed the stairs slowly to see what was going on. What he found was the group standing there clueless. "W...w-what happened?" he whispered to the group, seeing no sign of Cassandra anywhere. "Where is she? Where'd she go?" he said, handing Rosanna's body her head back.

 

[K0mori]

"She's gone..." Mariette finally said. "The illusion held... I think." She seemed utterly stunned, taking an uncertain step backwards before nearly falling over, the exertion from casting combined with the intensity of the situation washing off of her gradually as she braced herself against the wall. A terrible fear appeared in her eyes, one she couldn't put into words as she slid to a seated position. What have I done? Oh, Gods, if I'm seen with these people again she'll know... she'll know I tried to make a fool of her. I have to leave this place, go home, hide...

 

[Dmaster]

Camille scoffed as she lowered her rapier, affixing the quill in her hand back into its slot on her leg. "The silver did nothing to stop her speed. That was definitely not an ordinary vampire. However, she does believe the Senior Inquisitor and this inquiry are now dead." she surmises before sheathing her blade next. The woman then turns her head to look at Mariette in the midst of her breakdown, putting a hand on her hip as she looked on her with judgment. "And it seems that the countess has realized that has delayed an inevitable reunion, meaning that powerful vampire will know that Aleister and her fooled her. Such a shame that you won't be able to take her up on that most... tantalizing offer, I'm sure."

With those words she walked about the scene, mind racing as she thought on potential ways to face this opponent in the future. Rosanna's speed was far too great, and silver had proven to be incredibly ineffective. "Mademoiselle Witlock, have you or the church have any familiarity with methods to slay such a vampiric nuisance? It would seem we were woefully under-equipped for such a battle."

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob looked at Lady Mariette a bit confused. He went back to the stairwell to tell everyone the coast was clear, and returned a few moments later to where Mariette had fallen against the wall. He quickly moved to assist her alongside Aleister, but let him carry her. "M'lady? Are you alright? It looks like you've seen Adona himself." He looked to madame Camille for a moment after she spoke up. "M'lady, not now. She's in distress, can't you see?"

He then looked at the very confused Valeria. "Ma'am, me and the rest got rid of the ghoul problem downstairs. What now? What are our orders?"

 

[Breadman]

Theodore walked up the stairs after Jakob gave the all clear. He was initially confused by the commotion upstairs and continued to be as he could see no sign that vampire had been slain and that Mariette was visibly in distress about something. "Did the creature escape? How?" He murmured under his breath "If it could escape a room with so many hunters present and in striking range...this is not good."

 

[Infab]

Valeria stood up from where she had crouched, slipping her sword back into its sheath. "...This makes no sense at all." she muttered, walking back over to where her bed was in the room. She glanced to Camille as she spoke up. "That's the thing. We SHOULD have been equipped to fight someone like Cassandra. Something has changed." she stated, as she shifted her attention back to her equipment on the bed. As she laid her sword down, setting it atop her inquisitorial armor, she continued.

"Cassandra Bainbridge, from all the reports we have on her, should be your average vampire. Much like Aleister and Mariette, here. She has been shot before, and weakened by silver. The Cassandra Bainbridge we just encountered was obviously immune to silver's effects. She was nowhere near that fast before." she said, sitting down. "...She has been changed from your standard vampire into a pureblood. How? I don't know. It should be utterly impossible, but apparently it has happened. And the only information we have to go on is that she is under the employment of someone else. Likely here on Grimtham, and likely the one that gave her these pureblood powers. The other snipet she gave us is that she is going to Tresomin."

 

[Breadman]

"Curious. Someone must have a vendetta against the church as a whole to seek out a pureblood to do their bidding. But who would grant powers like that. And how does that happen." Theodore turned to look at the two vampires in the room. "Any insight into the dealings of your kin would be greatly appreciated right about now."

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil had stayed silent, disappointed that he was incapable of disposing of the creature. However, he did his job to keep her from killing them outright at the start of this, though admittedly he was outmatched by a small degree but out of surprise and not skill. He now was looking forward to a rematch. He then took a spot to stand next to Valeria.

"It would seem that I was taken by surprise as well. I did not expect to face a pureblood, mistress." He spoke calmly. "At least you are unharmed."

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob stood there, both arms folded as he looked between Valeria, Theodore, and the Lich. He patted the Lich's shoulder plate and said with a smile "I'm glad she didn't turn you into a blue colored dust cloud. You did fantastic." He then looked to Erwin, Rosanna, and Camille. "We all did. You three helped kill those things downstairs, and I'm thankful for that." Finally, he looked to Aleister and Mariette. "And you two probably saved us if I'm getting this whole picture right!" he said, with a big smile. "But now, its time to get the uniform back on and get the other constables here..."

Jakob looked back to Valeria. "Well, ma'am...while you and the others gather yourselves, I'll go get changed and see what we can do with the bodies." He looked towards the door for a moment. "Those poor people didn't deserve this at all...they were all having a nice evening and then...turned into monsters for a personal vendetta. Absolutely disgusting..." Jakob promptly left the room to gather his uniform and the rest of his equipment.

 

[K0mori]

So badly shaken by events, Mariette couldn't bring herself to reply to Camille and point out that Cassandra would dole out an equally unfortunate fate to both of them should the ruse be exposed. Thinking over it, it seemed strange that Cassandra would hide the name of her employer if said contractor was eager for new recruits. Instructing her to wait as she did was practically a guarantee that they would meet again, or else another from the same web would make contact soon. The urge to flee the country only grew stronger. Mariette had lived for nearly 166 years, and for the first time in a long time, she felt fully vulnerable to the specter of death.

I could have become a pureblood.

The thought echoed in her head. It was almost as torturous as: I could have been queen.

To walk under the sun again... to be unafraid of hunters in night or day... Oh, Cassandra, are you merciful? Will you spare me? Will you tell me if you knew it was a trick? Or am I as much a fool as these humans, just another form of prey to you?

"I... I can't do this," Mariette said quietly to Valeria. "We cannot do this."

 

[Radley]

Erwin uncocked the rifle and looked towards the trembling Mariette, "Seems the feeling of being hunted by something your superior has finally dawned. Perhaps now you'll see this inquirys missions for what it is, and not just some maddened witchhunt that you have made it out to be." He said without any sympathy.

He looked at the vials that both the countess and the marquise were holding, "If anything is for certain, some of the required clues will be connected to those vials of blood. And indeed, that bloods very nature." He narrated, partly aloud as his own thoughts began working in regards to the nature of this potion.

"Romanov..." He muttered as he left the room and headed back to his own to pour over some of his personal notes.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille twisted her mouth at Valeria's explanation, remaining quiet for a moment even as the countess continued to break down near her. The huntress was fully aware of the danger she was in with the rest of the group, but she was hardly as frightened as she should be. Call it hubris or stupidity, she was the type of fighter who would only grow desperate and frightful when there were no other options left. But the Escarian always tried to find other options, she would always find a way to come out on top. After all, being a hunter meant that every fight with any creature of the night was an uphill battle, being so limited by her own humanity. That's just how she liked it.

"Get a hold of yourself, countess." she said with a scoff, rolling her shoulders back. Camille gave Jakob a nod to his compliments, staying with Valeria and Mariette as he left the scene. "Yes, I do agree with the man. That blood is inquiry property and you vampires are not to drink it, ever." She still did not trust them, but a powerful vampire gifting them an exotic blood cocktail did not seem safe even if they were the closest of friends and allies. "Purebloods are rare for a reason, that much is certain. Just like any disgusting parasite they can die if we know the secret to their slaying. I suggest we dedicate efforts to figuring out just how we can achieve that goal."

 

[Infab]

Valeria cut a look to Mariette. "...Do you understand that regardless as to what happens from this point forward, she will find out that you tricked her. And if she is a pureblood now, there's nowhere in the world you'll be safe from her if she decides to exact vengeance." she responded. There was also a chance that Cassandra knew it was a trick all along. Purebloods were rumored to be a bit resistant to magic, but it had never been confirmed as only five pureblood vampires had been taken down in recent history. And those kills required extensive planning and trickery.

"You slow them down or surprise them, and then you behead them. The past five purebloods were killed that way." said Valeria, turning her attention to Camille before looking towards Mariette and Aleister once again. "Indeed, there is likely something about those vials of blood she gave you. Pure werewolf, post transformation...Romanov...I'll have to check with Father Weston. He hunted werewolves for many years before switching to hunting vampires. He might know something about the House of Romanov. I'll also ask him to look into potential ways that someone could be turned into a pureblood." She glanced up to Ethraeil after a moment. "Don't worry about it."

 

[K0mori]

Hearing Camille give her an order as if she were a subordinate finally snapped Mariette out of her slide and the vampire responded with quiet fury. "You and I are equal in rank as far as this inquisition is concerned, Giguere. Unless Mademoiselle Valeria says otherwise, what's mine is mine. And... if I'm going to die, I'm at least going to have a rare treat before I go," she said. She then turned to Valeria. "Unless this team is somehow as well-equipped as those which killed the five purebloods you speak of, I can't imagine we stand any chance, given the speed at which she can move. Are we?"

 

[Infab]

"At the moment, you and Ethraeil provide our only advantage over purebloods. Magic works against them, though its rumored that they're a bit resistant to it. Your illusion spells can distract them long enough for us to behead them. The teams that took out the other purebloods used careful planning and trickery, and only had divine magic to assist them in the form of priests. Not full fledged magic like what you and Ethraeil use." explained Valeria. "Both of you are an important part of this inquiry."

She glanced over towards Camille, before looking back to Mariette. "...Try not to drink that blood Cassandra gave you untill we determine what is so special about the Romanov bloodline. It could potentially prove toxic. We won't know till later."

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob eventually was downstairs again, now wearing his uniform. He approached Rosanna, and told her in a somber tone that he'd be going to get a few constables. He paused for a moment, looking at the various dead ghouls that littered the floor. Many innocent folks that had been trying to live a simple, honest life. Jakob kneeled next to the corpse of a woman, whom had a locket with a picture of a young boy in it. He let out a frustrated sigh, before walking out into the rainy night. He moved as fast as he could to the constabulary, the idea that Cassandra had escaped making him a bit paranoid. But he was ready to face the creature if need be. Pureblood or not, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

The walk took longer than expected, around twenty minutes on foot. When he arrived, he knocked on the building's front door and was greeted by a tall, rather slim constable with a thick bushy mustache. "Hello there, chum! How can I help you?" he asked. Jakob cleared his throat. "Hello there. I'm part of the inquisitor's group that arrived here earlier today. We've been staying over at Brisstone Lodge. There was a massacre there a short while ago. A vampire arrived and turned everyone inside into a ghoul in an attempt to kill everyone involved with the inquisitor." The face of the constable shifted into one of shock. "W-What?! Good gods! Archimides! Get everyone now!" yelled the constable, to someone else in the building. He looked back to Jakob. "Is everyone dead?" Jakob nodded. "Not a single fortunate soul besides us. All the ghouls were slain...but we need help to get the bodies out of there."

A few minutes later, Jakob was back at the lodge with a small posse of constables. Some were in shock by the amount of dead ghouls, with a young man puking at the sight of them. The mustachioed constable then gave out orders. "Alright, lads! We need to get the bodies into the carriage to be taken over to the mortician! Do whatever the inquisitor says, if she asks you do to something!" While the rest of the constables started to gather the corpses, Jakob headed back upstairs inside the inn. He returned to his room, where he eventually sat down and looked at pictures of his family. "You almost got killed today, you fool. Just like back in the war. What am I even doing here?" he asked himself, before putting his photos away and walking back downstairs.

 

[joshuadim]

"I had a few of my bones cracked, but apart from that I'm unscathed." Ethraeil responded to Jakob before turning his attention back to Valeria. "It all determines if whether or not I can hit them. She was... unusually fast. And her aura was extremely minute for a pureblood."

 

[Dmaster]

Camille merely chuckled at the soft scolding of the countess, turning her back on the group as she started to leave the room proper. "Goodness me, see one pureblood and you are shaking in your dress." she starts, before hearing Valeria say her piece. In truth she thought it would either be toxic or turn the vampires in the group into horrible monsters somehow, and willing as she was to put them down - their safety from a purely tactical standpoint was ideal. "Exactly as the Senior Inquisitor described, it is in your best interests to avoid drinking it. I did not say that to take away your precious treat." the huntress continued. "It is funny, I have lived a mere speck of time compared to you yet you are so terrified and complacent with your death. Meanwhile if anything wishes to end me it'll be in for a fight to the end."

With that she started to move downstairs, retrieving her silver quills from the corpses of the ghouls in a several hand-fulls. She'd be sure to wipe off the blood and inspect the blades more thoroughly later in the day, but currently she was much more concerned about how they would be moving forward next. Trickery is such a boring resolution, she thought. Camille would always prefer the head-on approach, besting her physical betters in a battle of skill, but she knew it would take something crafty indeed to take down a pureblood. And if there was a way to induce the creation of more of them? Things would get terribly dire indeed.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister quickly realized that in their little illusion, he was not to be a leading role alongside Mariette, but a supporting role to allow her to outshine all the competition. He backed her up to the best of his ability, nodding along and supporting her questions. It felt more natural that way, the Countess becoming the shining, heroic mademoiselle, and Aleister remaining her dutiful companion.

When Cassandra handed out the pure werewolf blood, his breath caught in his throat as he gingerly took one of the vials, giving a somewhat startled look at Mariette as she took hers in a trembling hand. This... was most unexpected. He slowly twirled the vial in his hands to allow the light to shine on the delicious crimson liquid, as if it were the nectar of the divine gods bestowed upon him.

"House Romanov.... I... I... see," he said with a slight stammer, his mind then catching on the second tantalizing offer. The same gift she was granted... surely she doesn't mean what I think....

And just like that, Cassandra was gone in the blink of an eye, quite literally. He saw her slowly blur into movement and disappear. "A-adieu..."

It took him another second to realize that the pureblood was actually gone and not playing a trick of her own, and finally, the others began speaking again. He looked down at the vial of blood, and then at Mariette who looked on the point of exasperated collapse. He drifted towards her to lend her his support once more, not for some illusion, but true solidarity for an ailing compatriot. Especially after what they had just been told, along with the realization now that Cassandra had escaped and would certainly realize the ploy soon - if she hadn't already.

He gave Mariette a gentle reassuring touch on the arm as Jakob entered and helped to make her comfortable as well, and he nodded to the man his thanks at his compliment on the pair's acting for the illusion. "I suppose we did... we wouldn't have walked out of here alive if we had to fight that... woman," he said to Jakob before the man left once more. Aleister remained with Mariette to keep her calm and comfortable, and when Camille ran her mouth again, he gave the Marquess a hooded look.

"You are truly most foolish if a pureblood does not concern you, especially one that has been duped and has lived to return another day. Even the greatest Tsavanian hunter would have a moment's pause when standing face to face and unarmed with a rabid grizzly bear," he said firmly. "This is no simple inquiry any longer, we have clearly stepped into something very, very serious. Your asinine vainglory and arrogance will get you, or someone else, killed very quickly. You slip up once, only once, with a pureblood, and you are dead or worse. And what we just did... I don't know if we just slipped or caught ourselves just in time."

"However, on the matter of this blood... I do have to agree with the inquisitor's assessment," he said, giving Mariette another gentle, deferential touch on the arm as he knew she was unhappy with that prospect of giving up the blood. He was too. "There is no telling what this kind of treat... er, blood... could do to us. I've not supped from nor have intended to do so upon a transformed werewolf. I rather not sprout a tail and ears."

Aleister then leaned in and whispered in Mariette's ear. "If it pleases you, I do have one small special vial in my luggage that I have been saving for a special occasion... nothing fancy compared to this blood... but a small delight nonetheless, if you would so like it. Not werewolf, but of a long gone noble line."

He straightened back up and cleared his throat. "Madam inquisitor... while I do not doubt the capabilities of this team, and we do certainly have a fair chance with Mariette, the lich, and some of my divine magics... we must be very careful with our next steps. I know that seems obvious but I cannot emphasize it enough. I would suggest attempting to maintain our illusion but we cannot pretend everyone is dead, unfortunately. We need more magic. The Church has a great many things locked away. With your status as a senior inquisitor, we could perhaps pen a letter... or something... I can co-sign as a priest, and I know plenty of clergy large and small who could lend support. If I must pull strings, I will. Even the word of an archbishop or cardinal may lend us some considerable sway in obtaining, well, literally anything that can assist us."

Aleister then looked back at Mariette. "I think, my dear Countess, we are committed. Cassandra seems... eccentric, to say the least, and if I am being honest I am not so certain if she is of the truthful sort... if you understand my meaning," he said with a slight nod. While he would very easily like to betray this motley group for the chance at becoming a pureblood, it was only that. A chance. And he had an image to maintain. Alongside that, not everyone in this group was even bad, and betrayal was incredibly distasteful. Betrayal at any point would not do for him. If he had to wait several centuries to become a pureblood by this most curious method, then so be it - it seemed Cassandra was rather venerable. There was no point in risking things to rush it. Hopefully Mariette understood his meaning, though he knew they needed to speak privately at some point.

 

[joshuadim]

"Perhaps it is best not to draw attention to the situation right now. As far as Cassandra knows, we are all dead save for the vampires," he said as he quickly glanced towards Aleister and Mariette before switching his gaze back to Valeria. "As of now, we have the element of surprise. She won't expect us. We can use that."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister gave a slight not to the lich. "For the moment, yes. I suppose if we rode hard to... Tresomin? We may be able to extend the ploy for a short time longer, but I suspect Cassandra and her employer have eyes posted about. All I can think of is perhaps dressing you lot as constables to give an illusion you are chasing us out of town. From a distance, it should hold up. The weather is already rather dreary, cloaks and constable coats should stand up to scrutiny from any prying eyes."