Fantasy Hunter's Moon [IC] [CLOSED]

[K0mori]

Mariette's expression was severe the entire time she was in Aleister's presence. At first the priest may have assumed that she was merely concerned for the Constable's survival, but in truth, she was equally dismayed at Aleister for milling about uselessly near the carriage. Every minute that Jakob spent bleeding and suffering from his wounds lessened the chances that he would survive, and yet Mariette had been forced to carry him all the way back to the road to seek out the other vampire's help. Her already low opinion of him fell even further, and the only thing preventing her from verbally decimating him was her grave attention to Jakob's condition. As the flesh began to mend, however, the anger turned cold inside her.

"Maybe next time, I ought to carry you to where you're needed and save us all some time," she hissed.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

A few minutes after Aleister used his divine magic to heal Jakob, the eyes of the constable slowly began to open. His breathing was heavy and difficult, as his entire body felt sore and in severe pain... but he was alive. And he owed it all to Mariette and Aleister. Jakob gently raised his head to look at both vampires who were standing near him.

"Man...I really have pretty guardian angels!" he said, jokingly, before coughing quite a lot and loudly. He continued as soon as he calmed down. "If I could, I'd hug both of you...you two saved me, you...didn't need to and yet you did." he said, with some difficulty. "...and I am forever thankful, to both of you." He looked to Mariette, and gave her a smile. "Thank you." he said, before pausing for a moment. "Thank you for not leaving us...and thank you for doing the right thing." He gave her a warm, friendly smile. He then looked to Aleister. "You're a good man, Germain... and you can be a lot more." He then attempted to get up, but a sharp pain shot through his side. "G-Guh...ouch ouch oh...okay. I'll just lay here then..." he said, painfully chuckling. Trying to hide the fact he was in severe pain, but he continued to smile. His breathing mixed with strange grunts.

 

[Viper Actual]

Galina made a satisfied nod as the werewolf collapsed next to the tree. She reloaded her weapon and then went to collect her rifle before setting her sights on another werewolf when she noticed that the enemy was retreating.

Galina lowered her weapon and looked around. "Did anyone see Wallace? We can't let that son of a bitch escape."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister kept his focus on Jakob and the healing magic. It was a rather strange visual symphony of light he had envisioned in his mind, of weaving colored currents of energy together from nothingness and into the man's body. He had to, in a way, tell the magic to heal the man rather than simply be forced into him and do nothing. Less experienced clerics and the like typically had access to light healing. Lay on hands could ease a little pain and even do away with some minor injuries. It was a useful treatment for farmers who slashed their hands in the fields, or children who got into a too enthusiastic fight and needed some mending. But magic of this nature, to heal a man from the edge of death back to life, was only developed after many years of practice and experimentation. He had read up on some conventional medicines and practices as he did, in a few ways, serve as a doctor for many people on his travels. Healing magic was excellent and life-saving. It was not permanently around to be accessed, however, and without him or another cleric everyone else had to make due with normal medicine. He did his best to advise what folks could do for wounds and illness, which typically covered him pointing out some herbs and substances to devour or otherwise use for their ailments.

However, with Undite's amulet, he could feel the magic this time respond far stronger and easily. What he saw as a process that should take over ten minutes was closing up to only a couple.

With most of his attention on Jakob, he could hear Mariette's voice over him like a distant foreboding glacier - cold and hard. He wasn't particularly in the mood to play games with the woman, not after the way she was acting now since the other night. It seemed she either missed his prior warning or ignored it, and regardless of which was clearly offended in her manner of speech and movement. When mortals acted this way, in many cases it couldn't be helped. It was expected and they would not change. When another vampire was hissing and spiteful, then it caught his attention more because they were of the same nature, and he could very well spit back as needed.

"So forward thinking of you, madam," Aleister said in a soft neutral voice, his eyes still closed as he worked on Jakob, "for you to charge forth into the fray so easily. Few people like to watch our backs, as I've learned, since the hotel. And with only less than six silver bullets left I don't think I'd be going through the brunt of the wave we had to pierce through. The carriage needed to be protected so that we can transport the wounded, and the horses as well. Had I been slain on the front line because I had no ammunition would prove rather miserable for myself... and the wounded who would promptly die without me. I figure a woman of your stature would understand that there are other things to be aware of in a battle. But I'll be sure to reprimand the carriage horses next for their neglect in not performing like charioteers."

Her impulsiveness was really rather annoying to deal with, especially at a time like this. Though it was hardly surprising. He already rebuked her once for going after the Duke to become a pureblood, and a second time for putting on an absurd display with Camille and loosing her head over it, literally. Still, he had supported her on other occasions but apparently that mattered little when an indulgent wastrel like herself was simply told no to something she coveted.

It was only less than a minute later that the magic he was channeling began to steadily fade as all the healing he could perform was done. The wounds on Jakob's flesh were closed up, but the skin was red and a little irritated - mostly from the coverage of blood, dirt, and swamp water. He needed a bath and a rest most of all now.

Aleister genuinely smiled at Jakob's words as the man came to. "You are a good man and a friend. Do not speak like saving your life is a hassle to us," he chastised teasingly and very lightly.

"I can ease your pain, but it will put you to sleep for a few hours. You'll be knocked out cold. I won't do so without your permission, but I would advise the rest."

He paused for a moment, his tone hardening as he looked down at the man stoically. "I must be clear about something. My magic can stop the spread of lycanthropy and vampirism once it is inside of you, but it is not a perfect guarantee that after taking so many bites that you have not... contracted the lycanthropic condition. I would need more meditation on you to know if I can sense it within you at this point. Otherwise, only time will tell."

 

[Infab]

As things calmed, Sergey introduced himself to both Camille and Erwin. A travelling doctor, it seemed, from Tsavania. Quite useful in their current situation. After Theodore arrived, they traveled back to the main inquiry group, meeting Ethraeil along the way. The light Aleister had cast into the sky was starting to fade now, much like that of a simple flare, but it was still bright enough to light the way back to the group.

Valeria walked about, followed by Rosanna whom was still riding her horse Rayham. They checked each of the werewolf corpses in the area around the carriage, making sure that they were actually dead and not simply wounded. There were a few still alive, Rosanna putting them out of their misery from where she sat. She had plenty more ammo than most of the others, as she had bandoliers and pouches loaded with it for her rifle and revolver.

One seemed to be trying to crawl away from the group, having been wounded by buckshot from a shotgun. Valeria didn't remember shooting the creature, so it must have been one of the others. Likely Galina, as she had seen her with a triple barreled shotgun before. Valeria simply strolled over, leveling her sawed off at the beast's head, before pulling both triggers. Its head disintegrated, buckshot and silver shards ripping it apart. Rosanna raised an eyebrow. "Bit brutal, don'cha think?" she said aloud. Valeria cut her a look, and Rosanna noticed a flash of...something. She couldn't quite place what it was. Just something about Valeria's eyes. "They're more than happy to show us just how brutal they can be." responded Valeria, ejecting the spent shells from her shotgun. She slipped two more fresh ones in, then flicked the weapon closed before slipping it back into its resting position in the small of her back.

Rosanna nodded. "Oh, I know. Still, a simple revolver shot would have done the job." Valeria didn't respond, simply walking by and heading towards the rest of the group. Moving mainly towards where Mariette and Aleister were with Jakob. As she walked up, she looked to both Mariette and Aleister. "Excellent work, you two." she said simply, before looking down to Jakob. "Are you alright, Constable? We tried to get here as fast as we could." she asked. She hadn't seen Jakob when Mariette first ran by, so she didn't see the extent of how wounded he had been. "You can rest in the carriage. One of the others can drive."

Surprisingly, Valeria looked genuinely worried about the man. Normally she would have been her usual stonefaced self.

------

Rosanna rode over towards where Galina was, and finally answered her question. "Wallace don' seem the type to get involved in shit like this. This is grunt work." she replied. "He's probably somewhere else."

------

Just like before, the soul appeared horrified by its current predicament. "I-I don't know! I swear! I was just supposed to head back to Peltragow after the mansion! The Colonel was going somewhere else! Something about needing to check on things somewhere!"

 

[joshuadim]

On the outside, it seemed as if Ethraeil was idling nearby as there was no danger. But in reality, he was still interrogating the soul within his own mind.

"Where?" Ethraeil spoke coldly as he held the soul in place. "Any hint? Or any clue as to his direction?"

 

[KRIY]

Wesley listened to Cassandra's story. thoroughly maintining a neutral expression (although he slightly panicked when he heard of her rage) throughout the story. when she finished up, Wesley merely nodded.

"It was a hard decision to make. but I'll reap the benefits soon."

The story has intrigued Wesley a little more than what he expected. to him. Cassandra was a bit of an anomaly. a "dangerous, but has a place for feelings" type of anomaly. Wesley decided to ask more for the sake of curiosity of the feminine vampire in front of him.

"You... you wouldn't mind about your life before becoming a Vampire? Its okay if you don't want to talk about that part of your life or if you don't remember it clearly. I don't want to open any old wounds." Wesley giving a smile. to show that he was on set on learning more about her.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob remained quiet when Aleister told him about the severity of the bites. He was lost in his own thoughts for a few moments, before snapping back to look at Valeria as she spoke to him. "I fought almost twenty of those fuckers, and I'm alive...I couldn't be better ma'am!" he said, with a big grin. Despite his carefree attitude, though, the fact that he might turn into a werewolf was clouding his mind. He tried to get up once again, despite the pain, and managed to get back on his feet with some difficulty. "I...could be better but...nothing a hug couldn't fix!" he said jokingly, as he rested his back against the carriage.

After a few seconds, he looked to the Inquisitor again. A somber look on his face. "...Ma'am, I might turn into a werebeast." He looked back to Aleister and Mariette. "If...If I turn and I can't control myself...If I get lost in that feral rage...I trust you all to put me down without any second thoughts." he said, while trying to smile again. "N-Now! I could...use some water to wash this muck off, then I'll take that nap you suggested Al!" he said, chuckling painfully while looking to Aleister. He then slowly made his way back to the back of the carriage to wash himself off with some of the water the Inquiry had been carrying on it.

 

[The_Rifleman]

As Sergey fired his revolvers, the bullets found their mark. The last werewolf stopped in his tracks, before falling to the ground, bleeding and dead from their wounds. The man also stopped in his tracks, confused, before turning to face Sergey. The man had a look of confusion and anger on his face. Seygey put his hands in the air, pointing his pistols towards the sky as he stood up, to show he wasn't a danger to him, "I'm not a threat!" Sergey yelled out to the man, "I was traveling nearby when I heard the shots. Are you alone?" He soon learned there were others, as the man was joined by a noblewoman, who was armed with knives and rapier. She too was a bit wounded from the werewolves. How many were here, and from where did they come? He'll soon learn the answer.

He looked around and noticed it was all quiet now, probably all of the enemies dispatched. He reloaded his guns before putting them in their holsters and walked up to the man and woman, introducing himself. "My name is Sergey Chaykovsky, from Tsavania. Former army medic, and current doctor. Also practicing researcher of beasts, but that's another matter." The others introduced themselves as Erwin and Camille, soon followed by Theodore, another one of their group. He learned they're part of an inquisition team, tasked with discovering and combating vamperism on the island, and it hasn't gone exactly according to plan. Sergey couldn't help but smile, surely fighting werewolves in the middle of swamp isn't part of the plan to fight vampires, but than again what did he know. He's curious to learn about this inquisition's history.

The light in the sky was now dying, apparently it was from one of the group's magic. Magic? Just one surprise after another. It was time to head back and meet the others, and hopefully he could help with some of their wounds. He has plenty of supplies in his pack, and he was excited to meet some magic wielders. It didn't take as they came across Ethraeil. The lich was the first Sergey has seen in person, and he was amazed. Made of bones, with a powerful, blue aura about him. He seemed to be in a trance, and they continued on to the rest of the main group, stationed around a stage coach. One of them like he took quite a beating. When they arrived, everyone gave him a weird look and he knew it was probably suspicious that he just arrived out of the woods. He nodded to all them, "Hello. My name is Sergey Chaykovksy, traveling doctor and former army medic from Tsavania. I was traveling towards Porthcrawl to help with the quarantine when I heard howling and gunshots. I've delt with my fair share of werewolves so I advanced into the swamp before coming across Erwin," he said nodding towards the man, "Helped him dispatch some of them and then figured I'd come back with ya'll. I came to this island initially after hearing rumors of...magic and mass vamperism. Rumors traveling far that otherwordly things are happening here and I wanted to see for myself. Couldn't find anything other than a suspicious mansion fire back in Tresomin, until now. Ya'll know anything about that?"

 

[Viper Actual]

Galina looked up at Rosanna, cursed and spat on the ground. "Fucking coward. No real man or soldier would leave his men to die a pointless death."
The Tsavanian hunter returned her shotgun to its scabbard and grabbed hold of her rifle. It was a bit muddy but otherwise fine.

On their way back to the group Galina, who was still visibly angry, shuddered for a bit. For a mere second Galina's face blurred out and turned into a pale blue transparent spectre when another sudden movement forced the face to return to normal.

Galina shrugged as if she had fought of something nasty but appeared otherwise normal.

Once they returned to the group Galina looked deeply concerned as the group was gathered around Jakob.
She scratched her chin. "You may not want to hear this but it is possible to live a normal life with the Gift of the Wolf."

"Not everyone succumb to the Call of the Ancestors."

 

[Radley]

Erwin had a certain emptiness in his eyes, muddied and muddied and disheveled as he was. Fortunately he had avoided being nicked even once, since Jakob had so bravely taken the brunt of the assault himself. He truly owed him his life, or at least his health. When Sergey mentioned helping him out, he did not acknowledge the statement.
Erwin glared at Galina as she began preaching the disgusting Tsavanian doctrine, but didn't say anything. Instead he walked up to Aleister and but his hand on the preachers shoulder.
"How certain are you he has avoided contracting the lycanthropy?" he whispered in a grave tone, lacking his usual malignance towards the vampire.

 

[Dmaster]

With Erwin found and Sergey accompanying them Camille wasted no time making her way back to the rest of the group, though of course she chose to do so with a brisk walk rather than a dead sprint like before. While she was not a stranger to pushing herself more and more, even the Escarian huntress knew when to take a moment of rest when she could find it. The trio had been greeted by Jakob and the rest of the inquiry surrounding what would be the carriage he'd start his recovery in. She chose to stand off to the side for the most part, not wanting to get in the way of the proceedings and discussion.

To her it was a miracle the man survived, having to take on that many werewolves alone required an extreme amount of grit. Camille would have like to think that she could summon such resolve when she truly needed to, but such a fact did nothing to lessen how impressed she was with the constable. The rather grim news of his very likely affliction was quick to reach her, and her expression twitched ever so slightly at such a realization. As Galina spoke on how lycanthropy was a 'gift' she could only roll her eyes, gritting her teeth tightly behind her lips yet her facial features remained stoic as ever. Such talk was similar to how vampires saw their affliction, delusions of a curse being something to be thankful for. Upsetting as that was, she was at least able to focus on both Erwin and Jakob speaking some sense.

"I will be on the lookout for such behavior, Jakob. To preserve you as the man you are now, I will not hesitate in the event of you losing yourself." she comments, turning her head to look to Sergey. Her weapons were still drawn, but her stance was rather relaxed. Knowing her she wouldn't put them away until they were out of the swamp or things were far more relaxed.

"The mansion fire was us, yes. Though the Senior Inquisitor is liable to disclose what happened there rather than any of her honorary inquisitors, oui?"

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister helped the constable up and around as needed, and frowned ever so slightly at his fatalistic talk on his potential turning. While it was indeed a rather... wild... condition, it was still relatively manageable. It wasn't necessarily something that had to result in his putting down. Of course, others may see it that way, but he did not.

"Rest easy, Jakob. It is the soul that makes a man, not the body. Even should the condition take you... it may not have to be the end."

He watched the constable head around the carriage to clean up, making sure he wasn't going to collapse. The others began to arrive, all looking fairly safe and sound, and he offered to heal anyone who needed it. There was also a newcomer with them. He eyed the man somewhat suspiciously, wondering what he could be doing out here all alone in the swamp when a troop of werewolves were romping about the mire, but they weren't far from the dirt road they had been traveling on through. A traveler here wasn't necessarily suspicious.

"I am Aleister Germain, priest to the most holy Undite and Gyasis. A pleasure to meet you, Doctor Chaykovksy," the vampire said to the new man. He flashed a simple smile to show his fangs, and then studied the man with a simple glance over.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned, one finger twitching slightly with a claw in case he needed to gouge someone's eye out. No one in this group was the touchy sort, aside from perhaps Jakob. Seeing Erwin's covered visage meant it was either trouble or business, and thankfully the latter.

"There are some factors to notice. The amount of bites, and how long it has been since treatment. He has been treated within... I'd say less than half an hour of being bitten. Chances there aren't so bad. If it was over an hour, I'd be a little more concerned. However, more bites introduces more vectors of infection, so to speak, meaning there is more of it getting around inside of him. I think chances are... fair that he has avoided the condition, but I would guess that there is... perhaps a thirty percent chance, at most, that he may have the condition," Aleister replied back in a similarly low but clear tone.

 

[K0mori]

((Sorry for the late/out of order reply. I was working.))

Aleister's reply was just as inexcusably full of unwarranted condescension as usual, and Mariette was done listening to it. "Ah... How silly of me," she replied sarcastically, "to assume that you were a vampire, and not some sniveling little slug of a man. There are humans, Aleister, in the fray, fighting with swords, mind you. And if you needed silver bullets, ask anyone around you. I have more than enough to share. But I want to be clear, priest, since you didn't kindly take the hint: there was no guarantee that I would have recovered Jakob at all, or that I would have been fast enough. Your decision to hang behind might have meant the carriage you care so deeply about wouldn't be transporting the wounded at all, but the dead..."

Mariette went silent as Jakob came to, and merely smiled innocently as Valeria and the others began to trickle into the scene. Galina's referral to lycanthropy as a gift was certainly interesting, but Mariette wasn't about to comment on it now and possibly cause yet another rift between herself and the group.

In truth, she hoped Jakob caught the affliction. It would be nice to have some supernatural company that didn't irk her so badly. Outwardly, she simply assured him, "a good man is a good man, no matter what burden he bears. I believe in you, Constable. You'll shine through."

 

[Radley]

Erwin nodded slowly and let go of Aleisters shoulder before making his way back to carriage where Jakob was using the water canister to wash away the muck. The constable was a grizzly visage to gaze upon, the many scars that adorned his for were not unlike his own. He'd bear them for a long time as a dear reminder.

"How are you holding up, brother?" he asked.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

((No problem.))

Aleister nodded to Erwin as the man departed, and turned to Mariette when she spoke back up.

"Ah, so the insults come freely now," he said with a mocking half-smirk. "What has gotten in to you, Countess? Do you despise me so much because I have a shred of restraint within my body when you do not? I have supported you on a number of occasions, but I suppose that doesn't matter when I don't fawn over you like one of your court sycophants over every thing you do. What is this about, exactly? Disappointed I turned you down on the stairs at that mansion, or is it that I didn't go through all the pomp to revive you when the decision was not even mine to make? I did my absolute best to protect your soul from being puppeted - I would have killed to stop that from happening. But again, it matters not to you, does it?"

He shook his head, equally exasperated. "Most of the others here have all made their living on the field killing and slaying beasts. I have precious little experience with werewolves, and I was not going to create a liability by committing myself to a situation that could result in others getting harmed in my stead. Had I died, or been temporarily incapacitated, Jakob most likely would have gone too, and anyone else who would have been critically injured beyond conventional care. Why do you choose to pick a fight over a situation that has, for the most part, gone exceedingly well is beyond me. What is the point on dwelling on these ridiculous hypotheticals?"

 

[K0mori]

"The decision to revive me wasn't yours to make... Oh, but you would have killed to save me from the necromancer. Save me your theatrics, Aleister. Am I supposed to respect a man who wouldn't even speak on my behalf when my life was on the line? No, you were ready to bury me, and I'll never, never forgive you.

"I may be impulsive, but if Jakob had died because you were too cautious, too much of a coward, then I would not hesitate to give you a taste of what I experienced beyond the end. You say I lack restraint, but I promise you, I promise all of you that you are deathly wrong."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister crossed his arms, shaking his head again. "I would have petitioned for it, of course, but I was rather preoccupied with attempting to keep your soul from being defiled and your head carried around like some macabre football. But you are right. I was ready to bury you. I've buried many folks in my time, and I do so as needed. There are perhaps three people in this inquiry who would even support you in any case, and now you are wanting to make it two over an affair that has, once again, gone well enough and is over? I didn't want you dead, though again, another fact you want to forget. Even up until now I would still support you, but I can see any faith in you would be misplaced. I've not known you long enough for unconditional support, though I was rather hoping to at some point."

"And you would have tried to kill me had the constable perished? How charming, truly," he said dryly with a roll of the eyes. "Of all the people in the group, it would be my fault for not rushing into the swamp to save Jakob when you clearly had the capability with your new found powers. Every person has a place on the field. What if we lost someone else because I wasn't back there to kill several of the werewolves? Then it would be my fault for charging forth. What if someone had a slit throat while I was away like a gallant knight, and I was not there to save them within the seconds they had left? These hypotheticals, as I said, are ridiculous."

"I do appreciate the candor, however. I know now to watch you as closely as the dear Marquess. I think she may be on to something."

 

[Infab]

Valeria stood nearby, listening to Aleister and Mariette's feuding for a few moments as she shut her eyes tight and rubbed them with her fingers. Heheh. If they keep this up, your comrades will kill one another instead of any of the Duke's men doing the job. I bet all this makes you...angry, doesn't it? Valeria groaned. Fuck off. Not Now. Eventually Valeria opened her eyes. "Aleister. You are a vampire and a priest. You have far more weaponry at your disposal than just silver bullets. You are stronger and faster than any of us, and you have divine magics that can easily stop or kill things. Next time, fight. Don't just sit there. I appreciate what you did with the light, but you could have done far more than you did. And if you actually needed ammunition..." she said, before pointing to Rosanna on her horse nearby. "She's got bandoliers full of it. Ask her for bullets."

She then turned her attention to Mariette. "Countess, I understand your frustrations with the group. Necromancy is fucking dispicable, and I would have shot Theodore if he attempted it with your corpse. I promise you that. I was the one that made the call to revive you. You are alive with us. Please, focus on other matters. Instigating fights and arguments with the others over what they did or didn't do is not helping to keep this group together." The tone of her voice was becoming far more angrier. She then looked about. "While I'm settling things, let me move on to someone else. Camille. I get how you feel. You hate everything undead, and you have good reasons for it. I chose to revive Mariette despite your obvious hatred towards her. Blame me for whatever happens afterward. I honestly don't give a shit, because I'm focused on the here and now. Whatever the Duke has planned is far bigger than anything Mariette could do to you or your homeland."

Anger was seething through her words now. "I am trying my damnedest to keep this inquiry together. We stay together and work together, we survive. We fight and bicker among each other, and we'll run head first into our own graves. Dug by the men and women we should be focused on stopping. So please, for the love of all that is holy, WORK TOGETHER AND CUT THE SHIT. Once this is all over, most of you will never see one another again."

Finally, she turned to Sergey, the expression on her face filled with rage. She took a moment to calm down a bit, taking a deep breath before replying. "...Yes, that mansion was us. Colonel Wallace and his men, the military garrison on this island, is working with a hostile pureblood and the Duke of Peltragow in an attempt to overthrow the governments of the world and bring about a new world order. They killed several humans and other vampires in that mansion fire, and tried to kill us as well. We escaped, but they captured two of our own in the process. I thank you in assisting us with their rescue. If you would like to join us in this inquiry, you may. We could use a doctor."

 

[Dmaster]

Camille seemed to allow the peaceful noises of the swamp and the various insects descending on the carrion around them as a sign to lower her guard, her rapier sheathed and blades holstered. Just in time to begin listening in to the two vampires bickering among themselves, the huntress' arms cross over her chest as she listens rather intently, not weighing in for the moment. Such bold words coming from the countess confused her initially, as she seemed to be creating a rift between one of the only real allies that she had in the group, even so brazenly threatening to kill Aleister himself. That only got her to scoff, rolling her eyes as she stepped just a bit closer to the two of them. Killing one of your kin in a desperate bid to prove your restraint? What sense did that make? That didn't quite seem like 'doing the right thing' as she had been preaching about so tearfully moments earlier. It had told the Camille everything she needed to know about Mariette - the huntress had her pinned from the very start.

Before she could open her mouth to say anything, she turned her head toward an uncharacteristic outburst from the Senior Inquisitor. That got her to raise her brow, turning on her heel slightly to look at the rest of the inquiry's reactions. Curious indeed - but her words were nothing new to her, a hand trailing to rest on her hip as she turned back to Valeria.

"I trust you fully, Witlock. Never have I said otherwise. My concern stems from your... sometimes rash decision-making. I can understand leading such a fragmented group is difficult, but I do not seek to stray from our goal when what lies ahead is far more important." she says, looking among the other members of the group. "You have my cooperation, and I assume you have everyone else in the inquiry's as well - what happens after this is all settled will be for us to decide, and that blame may very well be cast on you in the future. For now, we have a Duke to kill, non?"

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob was thankful that everyone in the inquiry seemed to worry about his safety. It showed that despite their rough exterior, these people were kind and understanding. He nodded at Galina as she talked about the Gift of the Wolf. He smiled at her and responded. "Oh, I know...but I'm just tellin' you all that...if I do get lost in that animal instinct to not feel bad about me, and don't hesitate...the last thing I want to do is hurt any of you if my mind vanishes." Jakob cleared his throat at the idea of becoming a savage werebeast. "If...I'm a beast, then I'll try my damnedest to control it. Don't worry, Galina!" He then smiled at Aleister and Mariette. "I know! Don't worry, if I'm afflicted but still able to control it...I can still be the same man and still be your friend!" He gave them a big smile.

As he made his way to the back of the carriage, he nodded at the newcomer whom seemed to be an interesting Tsavanian doctor. He'd talk to the man later, after washing the muck off. Once behind the carriage, he opened a flask of water to wash himself. He could hear Mariette and Aleister fighting, to which he simply sighed in frustration. He was surprised to see Erwin coming to his side to ask about his state, though. Jakob looked to Erwin with a forced smile. "I won't lie to you, Erwin..." He looked down, lowering his voice. "...I'm afraid." His voice cracked a bit. "N...not afraid of becoming a werebeast...but afraid of turning into a monster, you know?" Once he finished cleaning himself, he grabbed his constable uniform from the carriage. "I don't want to be like those werebeast hermits...or the savage packs in the woods. I want to be able to control it...I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if I went insane and killed a friend." Jakob continued to hear the vampires arguing and grunted a bit.

He then patted Erwin's shoulder and looked to the man. "Promise me you'll put me down if I turn into a savage." He gave him a smile. "If we come across a tavern or a hamlet...I'll get you that beer." Once in his constable uniform, the two made their way back to the scene. Jakob was surprised to see Valeria actually snap like that, but he was trying his best not to grin. The group finally had a leader.

 

[Radley]

Erwin followed Jakob back to the group. He took what the constable had said to heart. Through his life he had lived through many perils. Sunstroked, frozen, maimed, almost hanged and his back whipped to shreds, none had been enough to get the best of William Van Cleef. But such a treatment had also hardened him. Like heated steel almost at its most brittle, Jakobs sacrifice had tempered this hot blade in cool water. Uncaring he had been through the years, extorting vagrants and cripples and killing for coin. Even as he set the Erhlander estate ablaze and the counts three daughters, the youngest who was but 5 years old, burned a slow death he had felt no remorse.

But when Jakob asked to put him down, should he turn feral, he felt a stinging in his heart. An emotion unfamiliar to his senses for so many years. He knew that of Jakob had contracted the lycanthropy, it was not a matter of if the deed had to be done.

It was only a matter of when.

Like the first rains of summer, a tear streaked down from Erwins eye. He quickly wiped it away under the pretense of cleaning his face with the arm of his dirty shirt.

 

[Breadman]

Theodore remained silent as the two vampires bickered between each other. Him downright being called a necromancer was something he expected from the priest, but not Marriette. Looks like she was filled in on what had transpired, but that was to be expected. He couldn't exactly do it himself or risk getting torn to shreds on the spot, but it would have been better had he tried instead of wasting time with the pompous dullard parading himself as a man of virtue.

The outright statement that he would be shot without questions asked he did not expect. He wanted to say something, no outright yell in the inquisitor's face of what she was saying. But he bit his tongue. No doubt she would want to make him an example in front of the group later on, but if she thought she would have it easy with him as some submissive introvert like some of the rest of the scholars were, she would be in for a rude awakening. Instead he turned his horse to walk over to where Erwin and Jakob were.

"How are you two holding up?" He already hazarded a guess about Erwin, but would let the man speak for himself, the constable however, he was more concerned about "Anything you think I can assist you with, I can try and provide, monsieur Jakob."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister held his tongue in response to the inquisitor. As if all he did was stand around doing nothing. It was rather infuriating to have to deal with, as if he were the one in the wrong here. He was a priest. Not a hunter, not an inquisitor. He had killed plenty of humans, and a number of vampires, but werewolves were an unfamiliar enemy to him. And here he was being chastised for not doing more. It was one thing it if was plain advice, but this tripe with Mariette was irritating, and for Valeria to seemingly take her side was enough to make him want to walk away. She requested his help. Not the other way around.

"Of course, inquisitor, I'll keep that in mind," he murmured, turning away and heading towards Rosanna. He held out his bare hand. "Some silver bullets for my pistol, mademoiselle, please."

He showed her what type it was, wondering if she even had the correct caliber. Wouldn't that be amusing if she didn't.

 

[The_Rifleman]

The noblewoman that introduced herself as Camille and walked back with him, responded to Sergey first. The fire at the mansion was the group, and they were all inquisitors, meaning there was also a senior member among them. Before he could ask who it was, one of the men in a priestly outfit addressed him, before barring his fangs. A vampire was nothing new to Sergey, he's traveled with a couple before and even had to put some of the more rabid ones day on occasion back in the army days. He bore no hatred towards them, they are animals just like any other. Some can blend in with society others can't. As long as they don't pose on threat he didn't care much. His research focus was werewolves anyway. He almost chuckled though and held it back, a vampire priest is almost too funny of an irony. Before Sergey could respond, the man he was with before, Erwin, took the priest's attention away, talking about the risk of lycanthropy. He figured he could chime in with his actual statistical research on turn rates...but figured against it. It might be too early to reveal everything.

His urge proved right soon after the senior inquisitor addressed the entire group after a small argument broke out between the vampire and another one of the group, another noblewoman. The inquisitor spoke of necromancy, raising the dead, purebloods, and the problem of saving the world on their heads. Once again, Sergey feels like he got more than he bargained for. He's also happy he shut his mouth long enough to know the group isn't the sort to take kindly to messing with bodies of any sort. Maybe they're more of the religious type, but he can't take any chances. So much for more "samples", and he'll have to be careful about disclosing his findings. He couldn't help but keep one arm around his pack, almost protectively.

"Thank you for the warm welcome senior inquisitor. I will be more than happy to help and stay with the group, if you would all accept me. I would feel safer riding with all of you, instead of alone, after what happened out there. Plus I never mind aiding in something bigger than myself such as inquisitions. Wouldn't be the first time. As a doctor I also have many supplies with me, along with some back-ups at my horse. If anyone needs any pain killers, blood coagulators, or anything to fight infection just let me know. Sadly, nothing to cure lycanthropy or vampirism," he said with a smile. "Speaking of my horse, he's tied to a tree on the dirt road toward back that way," He said pointing from the direction they came. "With your permission I'd like to go get him and the rest of my supplies. I left him there after I heard the first shots ring out."