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Fantasy The Order of Seven - accepting
- Thread starter SilverFlight
- Start date
MJ ._.
Nothing
“You make it sound like these toys have rained down from the sky. I was wondering what those who have decided about payments have been thinking.” Mina replied Alex. “Men and their endless appetite…” She grunted as the guy spoke of his stomach wishing for sweet smell of bakery. She then listened to conversation going on between their current rune master and the old vampire. On her part, she agreed that taking the tainted to meet kids wasn’t a good idea. After all, if those children had mothers they would never let any vampire or beast get close to them. But the group of hunters was going to meet and make happy some children who almost had no one to especial feel worried about them. Unexpectedly, Oliver turned and slid his glasses off letting her see that he was looking at her. "I'll be honest with you. Those who can raise a child most likely already have them. The rich have no intention of adopting either..it's much easier to simply donate to a orphanage for them, as a child is a burden to them. A child would merely cut into their precious parties and what-have-you." He explained the situation. The chocolate girl who had no idea of perspective of British families of a child was surprised. “They see a child as burden? I’ve not been into family life of European… but where I’ve been, children are blessing. Life is harsh and sometimes I think parents and guardians aren’t fair to young ones but still no one rejects a child who already can walk and talk.” He said and shook her head blamefully. Iona as well supported Olive’s set of mind and Mina nodded to have her know she gets the point. For rest of their trip they had to enjoy noises of sharing a thick blade with a stone.
As soon as they were out of the herds of carts and carriages worming in streets, and were free on the road out of the city, Iona’s face bloomed and she decided to feed her companions out of charity. Main took the loaf which was cold but not as cold as the air their breathed and parted a small portion out of before handing it to the guy next to her which would be Alex. She couldn’t comprehend what the other woman said about breathing minerals but assumed it to be her sarcasm and avoided questioning.
Just when she had started nibbling on soft puffy bread, an exaggerated call had her look up at the preacher and then observed the road ahead. She could see the shadowy creatures trying to block their way. “Does he mean we’re out to fight?” She asked Iona before pushing the morsel in her mouth and reaching into her pocket to grab on a vial of sacred oil and rub some of it on her forehead and hands. “Whatever they are, I can sense them now so I should be able to strangle and shatter them.” She added and stood up putting on foot on the edge of the cart getting ready to spring toward the opponent. Oliver too, had gotten his colt out to shoot ahead. He gave them instructions that raised questions for Mina. “We’ve to use silver? What are they exactly? They seem like tainted corpses or cursed souls to me.” She asked to make sure her oil was going to make her hands handy enough to crush some skulls.
After Iona’s command on using the cart as their fort, Mina stayed behind and let the men perform their show of skills. She noted to herself to thank Thad later for solving the riddle that had occupied her mind. “I wish we could get the summoner instead. But he or she shouldn’t close enough to be caught while nearby to watch our match.” She said then decided to try her chance and jumped forward to land on a dead horse right behind the undead rider. She grabbed wraith’s wrist from behind and used his own blade to cut his head off. Letting herself fall down with the head, she crushed the skull against the ground and the whole monster was turned to ash. As the werewolf had said, she found a small gem and collected it before backing off to the cart. “How many are they?” She asked while choosing her next target.
As soon as they were out of the herds of carts and carriages worming in streets, and were free on the road out of the city, Iona’s face bloomed and she decided to feed her companions out of charity. Main took the loaf which was cold but not as cold as the air their breathed and parted a small portion out of before handing it to the guy next to her which would be Alex. She couldn’t comprehend what the other woman said about breathing minerals but assumed it to be her sarcasm and avoided questioning.
Just when she had started nibbling on soft puffy bread, an exaggerated call had her look up at the preacher and then observed the road ahead. She could see the shadowy creatures trying to block their way. “Does he mean we’re out to fight?” She asked Iona before pushing the morsel in her mouth and reaching into her pocket to grab on a vial of sacred oil and rub some of it on her forehead and hands. “Whatever they are, I can sense them now so I should be able to strangle and shatter them.” She added and stood up putting on foot on the edge of the cart getting ready to spring toward the opponent. Oliver too, had gotten his colt out to shoot ahead. He gave them instructions that raised questions for Mina. “We’ve to use silver? What are they exactly? They seem like tainted corpses or cursed souls to me.” She asked to make sure her oil was going to make her hands handy enough to crush some skulls.
After Iona’s command on using the cart as their fort, Mina stayed behind and let the men perform their show of skills. She noted to herself to thank Thad later for solving the riddle that had occupied her mind. “I wish we could get the summoner instead. But he or she shouldn’t close enough to be caught while nearby to watch our match.” She said then decided to try her chance and jumped forward to land on a dead horse right behind the undead rider. She grabbed wraith’s wrist from behind and used his own blade to cut his head off. Letting herself fall down with the head, she crushed the skull against the ground and the whole monster was turned to ash. As the werewolf had said, she found a small gem and collected it before backing off to the cart. “How many are they?” She asked while choosing her next target.
ForgottenName
Has baby face, blushes when called cute
Edgar prepared for the fight charged one of the unholy creatures a inhumane hiss of fury being emoted at him as the Order member ran his sword through the bear's chest tearing out the summoning stone that bound it. The creatures bones crackles as the fiend began to fade into smoke like Thaddeus had mentioned.
"Thaddeus! Be careful!" He called now standing on the currently still galloping horse's saddle a sword drawn and noticeably another in his other hand drawn across his back whilst the other faced the enemies. "We have plenty to talk about. So why dont we cut this short?" He asked confidently slashing down another fiend with a well timed slash to the skull.
Edgar's strength clearly had been shown to return to quite a extent. He may seem to be show boating, but in reality wasn't. This We was pure skill he had learned and earned after much hard training to make himself known in the Order positively.
"Thaddeus! Be careful!" He called now standing on the currently still galloping horse's saddle a sword drawn and noticeably another in his other hand drawn across his back whilst the other faced the enemies. "We have plenty to talk about. So why dont we cut this short?" He asked confidently slashing down another fiend with a well timed slash to the skull.
Edgar's strength clearly had been shown to return to quite a extent. He may seem to be show boating, but in reality wasn't. This We was pure skill he had learned and earned after much hard training to make himself known in the Order positively.
SilverFlight
Tende altum, volare altius
Iona turned to see the Frenchman ride up, calling out to them haughtily. "Then come and help get us out of trouble you swaggering prat!"
The remaining wraiths were bearing down upon them now. Iona caught the first one to strike with her silver blade, the edge cutting through the rider's rib cage like butter, the silver slicing through the magic binding it. Two more approached the sleigh and the horses reared in terror.
ReverseTex
CerpinTaxt
MJ ._.
Thaddeus knew Edgar had a reputation, however to see him standing in the saddle of his galloping horse, devoid of all fear in the face of their enemies made him pause in appreciation of the skill.
His warning came just in time and Thaddeus dove into a bank to avoid the slash of another rider. In an instant he was a wolf again and lashing out, the rider danced back, sidled and slashed at Thaddeus' shoulder. He felt the blade bite and snarled, catching both the skeletal horse's hind legs in his wide jaws and yanking animal and rider to the ground. His paw found the skulls and crushed them into smoke.
ForgottenName
The leader turned his horse, it's horrific, grinning skull tossing on the length of vertebrae as it was spurred away from the Order members.
The few remaining began to follow, dashing away over the hill.
Thaddeus shrunk back into his human form, clutching his shoulder as blood soaked through the wool of his coat. He frowned at the wound.
"That...should be healing."
Removing the coat and parting the slashed fabric revealed the cut, black and oozing. It was a curse wound. He imagined that his lycanthropy was the only thing preventing the wound from spreading outwards and rotting his entire body alive. Untainted would likely be dead in minutes if cut by one of those blades.
"It needs to be purified." A voice called out, seemingly all around them, but when Thaddeus looked up there were two figures on horseback, standing several lengths away from the sleigh. The one who spoke was a man, tall and dark-haired, he could have been thirty or sixty. His face seemed ageless. Snow flecked his dark Russian kaftan and played in the mane of his white mare. The woman beside him was definitely younger, dark-haired like him but sat in her saddle with a fierce confidence. She was stunningly beautiful, her angular face softened by rounded cheeks, here eyes like starlit snow.
Besides the strange way they had appeared, the pair seemed perfectly human, however even as the Order members looked at them they might have been able to sense something otherworldly about them.
MJ ._.
CerpinTaxt
Fenris
MrBossMan
ForgottenName
The remaining wraiths were bearing down upon them now. Iona caught the first one to strike with her silver blade, the edge cutting through the rider's rib cage like butter, the silver slicing through the magic binding it. Two more approached the sleigh and the horses reared in terror.
ReverseTex
CerpinTaxt
MJ ._.
Thaddeus knew Edgar had a reputation, however to see him standing in the saddle of his galloping horse, devoid of all fear in the face of their enemies made him pause in appreciation of the skill.
His warning came just in time and Thaddeus dove into a bank to avoid the slash of another rider. In an instant he was a wolf again and lashing out, the rider danced back, sidled and slashed at Thaddeus' shoulder. He felt the blade bite and snarled, catching both the skeletal horse's hind legs in his wide jaws and yanking animal and rider to the ground. His paw found the skulls and crushed them into smoke.
ForgottenName
The leader turned his horse, it's horrific, grinning skull tossing on the length of vertebrae as it was spurred away from the Order members.
The few remaining began to follow, dashing away over the hill.
Thaddeus shrunk back into his human form, clutching his shoulder as blood soaked through the wool of his coat. He frowned at the wound.
"That...should be healing."
Removing the coat and parting the slashed fabric revealed the cut, black and oozing. It was a curse wound. He imagined that his lycanthropy was the only thing preventing the wound from spreading outwards and rotting his entire body alive. Untainted would likely be dead in minutes if cut by one of those blades.
"It needs to be purified." A voice called out, seemingly all around them, but when Thaddeus looked up there were two figures on horseback, standing several lengths away from the sleigh. The one who spoke was a man, tall and dark-haired, he could have been thirty or sixty. His face seemed ageless. Snow flecked his dark Russian kaftan and played in the mane of his white mare. The woman beside him was definitely younger, dark-haired like him but sat in her saddle with a fierce confidence. She was stunningly beautiful, her angular face softened by rounded cheeks, here eyes like starlit snow.
Besides the strange way they had appeared, the pair seemed perfectly human, however even as the Order members looked at them they might have been able to sense something otherworldly about them.
MJ ._.
CerpinTaxt
Fenris
MrBossMan
ForgottenName
CerpinTaxt
A Man With No Face
Well, the bullet was more effective than he figured it would be, sending one of the creature's heads right off. Not a killing blow, but it would keep the thing busy for a while. Thaddeus' remark about them being summoned made Oliver sigh to himself, now realizing he'd either have to get up close, or shoot the gem. Well it would be a nice test of his accuracy. "Oh, here you arrive. Our knight in not so shining armour!" He called out to Pascal before the two wraiths had began to make their approach on the wagon.
"Oh, this is just dandy." He whispered to himself before firing off two shots into one of them, striking the gem and causing it to either be flung off or explode. Oliver didn't look to see which one it was, as he'd turned his attention to the other one and grabbed his ax. He waited a few moments, waiting for it to get a tad closer to the wagon before jumping from the wagon and towards the wraith. A decisive strike had landed on its collarbone and Oliver pulled on them, yanking them from their horse and onto the snowy ground with Oliver landing not far away from it. A quick yank on the gem had freed it with the burst of black smoke telling Oliver that he'd finished the thing off.
Oliver rose up to his feet, watching as the remaining assailants had made their retreat. "Hmph. Hopefully they're just regrouping for an attack later and not going off to find a new target. Perhaps they're returning to their 'owner'." Oliver had begun to make his way back to the wagon when he spotted the two newcomers. His eyes narrowing underneath his glasses and he pulled the hammer of his Colt back once more. They looked normal, but then again so did many other tainted. No..he jut felt something was off about them. Clearing his throat, he continued his trek back to the wagon and climbed aboard. "I do hope I'm not the only one who feels off about these two abrupt arrivals. Iona?"
SilverFlight
ReverseTex
"Oh, this is just dandy." He whispered to himself before firing off two shots into one of them, striking the gem and causing it to either be flung off or explode. Oliver didn't look to see which one it was, as he'd turned his attention to the other one and grabbed his ax. He waited a few moments, waiting for it to get a tad closer to the wagon before jumping from the wagon and towards the wraith. A decisive strike had landed on its collarbone and Oliver pulled on them, yanking them from their horse and onto the snowy ground with Oliver landing not far away from it. A quick yank on the gem had freed it with the burst of black smoke telling Oliver that he'd finished the thing off.
Oliver rose up to his feet, watching as the remaining assailants had made their retreat. "Hmph. Hopefully they're just regrouping for an attack later and not going off to find a new target. Perhaps they're returning to their 'owner'." Oliver had begun to make his way back to the wagon when he spotted the two newcomers. His eyes narrowing underneath his glasses and he pulled the hammer of his Colt back once more. They looked normal, but then again so did many other tainted. No..he jut felt something was off about them. Clearing his throat, he continued his trek back to the wagon and climbed aboard. "I do hope I'm not the only one who feels off about these two abrupt arrivals. Iona?"
SilverFlight
ReverseTex
MJ ._.
Nothing
“Never mind… we’ll count summoning gems we’re going to collect later…” Mina dashed to the battled field again. She dodged a blade and punched the holder in chest with enough strength to break through the ribcage and shoot the gem implanted there out from its back. Next wraith came up and she danced it around then crushed the bones down with an uppercut. On the other side, Thad was fighting like a beast. He picked out riders which were harder for her to take down with one below. It was probably due to his strength that the enemy fell back. But then, it was revealed that the werewolf was bleeding. She ran toward him as he regained his human form. He took his bloody coat off to uncover a horribly cursed wound eating on his life. “Heavens…” She gasped. Without taking her eyes off the dark wound, she reached for the vial of oil in her pocket. Taking it out, she poured the sacred oil on the wound. “Hold still…” She whispered as rubbed the oil on the wound trying to squeeze tainted blood out of it. Suddenly, a strong voice echoed in her ears. She stopped and looked around for the owner of the voice. It was a man, mounted a horse along with a female rider beside him. They both had pale skin and dark hair. Mina couldn’t read much from their faces but they didn’t look like regular faces she met every day. “Who are you?” She asked then took a few steps closer. “How can we purify his wound?” She called out again expecting a clear answer from the man who had already interrupted.
SilverFlight
SilverFlight
The Gunrunner
Elder Member
Prenkus Lohmeyer
Prenkus fires again and again, keeping close to the carriage to protect both himself and those inside. The revolver clicks empty, and in a quick motion it is holstered and replaced with the other - In mere seconds, a new iron faces the cold and begins spewing its lead protest. They were summoned, apparently, but Prenkus is not a close quarters fighter. He keeps his distance, playing what would hopefully be a support role for the other combatants.
Eventually, the lead horse turns from them and gallops away. The others follow. Prenkus lowers his revolver, releasing a cloud of white air in a sigh. He looks down to the weapon, pulling spare cartridges from inside his coat. With practiced fingers he slides the new rounds into the cylinder, the piece clicking as it turns. The weapon is quickly put away, loaded once again, and the hand is instead filled with his spare, empty, piece. Three rounds are loaded before the voice sounds out around the party, earning the barrel of Prenkus' revolver - He scans around him, eventually catching sight of the two around Thaddeus. The weapon lowers, albeit slowly, on seeing they are unarmed.
Prenkus tucks away his firearm, pulling the coat closed to better block out the cold before moving the horse closer. The two had something off about them, something less-than-human. It wasn't something he could point down, but it wasn't something he felt he needed to; wildlanders need to trust their instincts. He keeps something of a distance, waving to them with a gloved hand. "Purified, you say? It seems like you know something more about these entities than us."
SilverFlight
Prenkus fires again and again, keeping close to the carriage to protect both himself and those inside. The revolver clicks empty, and in a quick motion it is holstered and replaced with the other - In mere seconds, a new iron faces the cold and begins spewing its lead protest. They were summoned, apparently, but Prenkus is not a close quarters fighter. He keeps his distance, playing what would hopefully be a support role for the other combatants.
Eventually, the lead horse turns from them and gallops away. The others follow. Prenkus lowers his revolver, releasing a cloud of white air in a sigh. He looks down to the weapon, pulling spare cartridges from inside his coat. With practiced fingers he slides the new rounds into the cylinder, the piece clicking as it turns. The weapon is quickly put away, loaded once again, and the hand is instead filled with his spare, empty, piece. Three rounds are loaded before the voice sounds out around the party, earning the barrel of Prenkus' revolver - He scans around him, eventually catching sight of the two around Thaddeus. The weapon lowers, albeit slowly, on seeing they are unarmed.
Prenkus tucks away his firearm, pulling the coat closed to better block out the cold before moving the horse closer. The two had something off about them, something less-than-human. It wasn't something he could point down, but it wasn't something he felt he needed to; wildlanders need to trust their instincts. He keeps something of a distance, waving to them with a gloved hand. "Purified, you say? It seems like you know something more about these entities than us."
SilverFlight
ReverseTex
Old Timer
Fenris
Howling Tempest
Mina's response evoked an embarrassed chuckle from beneath his scarf, reminding Alex to keep his tongue as well as stomach in check. “I can hardly argue the point...” He admitted before drifting off in his own thoughts and wondering whether the white specs dancing in the wind would remain individual flakes or turn into a thick carpet hindering their progress.
Despite guiding his mount closer to the cart and considering himself a competent rider Alex could barely keep his posture as the beast swayed and whined while guns went off in an attempt to greet the spectral forms bearing down on them. Reigns in one hand, saber in the other, Alexander worked hard to keep the shades in check without losing control of his horse. If only he had a moment, maybe there was a canticle or formula to banish these beings but before anything came to mind the sudden assault faltered. As quickly as they had appeared the ghastly riders departed without pursuit, escaping the bite of blade and bullet.
While Pascal's timely arrival was a relief the pair of strangers seemed to instill a sense of unease in him. Why did they not aid or flee from the scene and now easily identified the sickly black wound Thaddeus had received? His blade lowered but not yet sheathed Alexander guided his mount a few steps in the newcomers direction. “Well met, stranger! You appear more friendly than the bunch we've just dealt with. May I ask your identity?” The hunter's eyes were still mustering them warily, as both the sudden appearance and oddly carrying voice had set him on edge.
SilverFlight
MJ ._.
Despite guiding his mount closer to the cart and considering himself a competent rider Alex could barely keep his posture as the beast swayed and whined while guns went off in an attempt to greet the spectral forms bearing down on them. Reigns in one hand, saber in the other, Alexander worked hard to keep the shades in check without losing control of his horse. If only he had a moment, maybe there was a canticle or formula to banish these beings but before anything came to mind the sudden assault faltered. As quickly as they had appeared the ghastly riders departed without pursuit, escaping the bite of blade and bullet.
While Pascal's timely arrival was a relief the pair of strangers seemed to instill a sense of unease in him. Why did they not aid or flee from the scene and now easily identified the sickly black wound Thaddeus had received? His blade lowered but not yet sheathed Alexander guided his mount a few steps in the newcomers direction. “Well met, stranger! You appear more friendly than the bunch we've just dealt with. May I ask your identity?” The hunter's eyes were still mustering them warily, as both the sudden appearance and oddly carrying voice had set him on edge.
SilverFlight
MJ ._.
Proletariat
Hater
Jakob ReiterLondon, Order Headquarters
A lone figure stood at the large doors of Westminster Abbey. He was dressed in a thick trench coat that nearly went down to his steel reinforced boots. He was so thoroughly saturated in armor, leather, and equipment that it seemed to be a miracle that he bore the weight of it all. Though his expression was masked by his face cover and the low brim of his hat, his eyes wore a haunted expression. In general the figure looked worse for wear, his coat was covered in scratch marks that tore the fine leather; his boots looked so worn out that the sole might fall out any minute. His shoulders sagged with disappointment, he carried news of defeat.
As Jakob pushed his way through the heavy wooden doors to the Abbey, he was met with curious glances, even a gasp or two. A few in the Order thought he was dead in Hungary, or captured at the very least. He hadn't written a report in three months, it had been seven since he first arrived in Budapest. The papers to send an agent to Hungary to track him down were being written at the time of his entrance into the Order headquarters. For him to arrive unannounced was surely a queer sight. He made no attempt to explain the situation, he didn't even make eye contact with anyone that attempted to talk to him. Instead Jakob stormed to his father's office with the brim of his hat held low over his eyes. His heavy foot falls produced echoes throughout the halls of high vaulted ceilings about the Abbey and his equipment clanked against his cuirass like an automaton.
Stuart Greene, retired and honored demon hunter, sat in his office reading something important written on yellowed paper when his son came bursting through his door. Stuart's eyebrows lowered with disapproval. He did not doubt his son like the others, but he was concerned about him with the lack of letters over so many months. Unlike himself, Jakob was a very diligent letter writer. The lack of weekly reports gave hesitation, though he never suspected death or capture like some of his cohort.
"What's this then boy, no letters for three months and ya barge into my office like nothin'?" Stuart said with his heavy Liverpool accent. He saw something in his boy's eyes that reminded him of when Jakob was just a child in an orphanage in the Alps.
"Papa.... Hungary hast gone to scheisse." Jakob said in a near panicked voice.
Stuart twisted his mouth, "Well shut the bloody door son, the ole' world can ear' you out there. Sit down for God's sake. I haven't eard' from ye in months. Start from the beginning." The retired hunter leaned forward and interlocked his fingers to the knuckle.
Jakob awkwardly shut the door behind himself and took off his hat. The brunette hair beneath was unwashed and matted down due to his head gear. The Austrian clanked over to his father's desk and sat down with a heavy thud. He released a prolonged exhale then looked in his father's eyes. "Very well papa, I will start from the beginning."
Jakob went on to describe that he arrived in Hungary investigating leads that suggested demonic activity. At first he only found breadcrumbs of a trail, no locals were saying anything and the Hungarian authorities wanted nothing to do with him. After a month he found evidence of a satanic cult meeting in the Carpathian mountains to perform unholy rituals of summoning. Upon following up with that lead, Jakob discovered the cult was real and that they had successfully summoned a few demons. Unfortunately for the cultists, they did not understand that most demons need hosts to get into the mortal world. Many of the cultists became possessed and the others were held captive to become hosts for more demons.
Jakob took a breath from his continuous stream of hurried words. His father sat in silence. "As you know papa, most demons are aware of their limited potential in our world. They act with subtlety, mit vorsicht. They try to take over their host's life in a way so that no one notices. They know that otherwise we will notice, the Catholic church will send a priest to exorcise them from this world... but these demons.." Jakob swallowed hard, fear crept into his voice and his accent became thicker, he slammed his gloved fist against the desk. "Verdammt, these demons are reckless, they are on a murder spree. For the first time in my life I became the hunted, not the hunter. They found out I vas unto them and they chased me across the foothills of the Carpathians, cutting a swath of destruction in their wake. Whole villages destroyed, vile corruption spread in the forests, hundreds of peasants dead. At first I thought I could outmaneuver them like I always do, but there were too many, they were too powerful for me to handle alone..."
Jakob hung his head, clearly ashamed, "So I fled Hungary, I barely made it out alive. They were determined to chase out anything that was a threat to their rampage. I convinced the Hungarian nobles in the area to block the roads leading into the mountains, but I am not sure how long that will last. Soon the demons will run out of easy targets and they will start acting more boldly... In all my days I have never seen a pack of demons working together like this." Jakob raised his head, he had desperation in his eyes. "Vater, you must allow me to return to Hungary, with Order members at my command. We must eradicate them before they become too powerful, we must-."
Stuart finally raised his hand, "Quiet now boy! Quiet! You've been through a lot these last few months, seen a hell of a lot worse. What you're saying is troubling, and we do need action quickly."
Jakob's eyes widened, he felt like his father understood the situation exactly as he did, like he knew he would.
Stuart's voice lowered, "However, with demons working together, with something of that magnitude, we need a proper plan and a proper team. Not a gang of thrown together misfits, but a proper team capable of dealing with the level of threat that the Hungarian situation entails."
"Vater, we must not delay, we must act-" Jakob began to protest, his words running into one another.
Stuart interrupted with his low and gravely voice, "Listen here Jakob, I've listened to you, and I hear you, but now it's time that you hear me. Fifteen years ago I'd have been right there with you, I'd grab my pistols, hop on the ferry, and we'd be on our merry way to go hunt some demons. Thing is, sitting on this side of the desk makes ye a hell of alot wiser, it makes ye more concerned about the lives of those in yer charge. We can't just react to this sort of thing, we need to make sure when we get to Hungary that we're prepared to deal with the threat." Stuart saw that Jakob was not enthusiastic about his sentiment. "Now I won't have any more of it Jakob, I just won't. Trust me, we'll get those bastards, we'll send em back down to hell, but we're gonna do it the right way. There's nothin' ye can do about it right now anyway. So why don't ya go and get yerself some tea- and a damn bath. I'll take care o' things on my end. You just rest here at the headquarters and wait for the London team to return, then we'll talk about strategy. Ye understand?"
Jakob bit his tongue, he could not believe that his father was denying his request to return to Hungary immediately. He knew what those demons would do in the spare time. The last of the Reiter's nodded and rose out of his seat. He shoved the chair back into the desk and hastily retreated from his father's office into the Abbey. He just happened to spot an orderly passing by and he grabbed him by the arm.
"You there, I am in need of a room, a place to stay for the next few days." Jakob commanded.
The orderly, who was shocked initially, swallowed their surprise and acquiesced, "Oh! Um, certainly sir, I can have that arranged... forgive me but, who exactly are you?"
"Jakob Reiter, I work from Vienna usually." The hunter gave the orderly the benefit of some small bit of detail. His true Austrian accent worked convincingly.
"Very well Mr. Reiter, we'll have your room ready just as soon as we can. For the time being you're welcome to the lounge.. or.. well I suspect you know your way around. Good day to you sir." The orderly spoke nervously, something about Jakob made common folks very nervous. He gave off an aura of graveness, it felt like whenever he was around trouble was sure to be nearby.
A lone figure stood at the large doors of Westminster Abbey. He was dressed in a thick trench coat that nearly went down to his steel reinforced boots. He was so thoroughly saturated in armor, leather, and equipment that it seemed to be a miracle that he bore the weight of it all. Though his expression was masked by his face cover and the low brim of his hat, his eyes wore a haunted expression. In general the figure looked worse for wear, his coat was covered in scratch marks that tore the fine leather; his boots looked so worn out that the sole might fall out any minute. His shoulders sagged with disappointment, he carried news of defeat.
As Jakob pushed his way through the heavy wooden doors to the Abbey, he was met with curious glances, even a gasp or two. A few in the Order thought he was dead in Hungary, or captured at the very least. He hadn't written a report in three months, it had been seven since he first arrived in Budapest. The papers to send an agent to Hungary to track him down were being written at the time of his entrance into the Order headquarters. For him to arrive unannounced was surely a queer sight. He made no attempt to explain the situation, he didn't even make eye contact with anyone that attempted to talk to him. Instead Jakob stormed to his father's office with the brim of his hat held low over his eyes. His heavy foot falls produced echoes throughout the halls of high vaulted ceilings about the Abbey and his equipment clanked against his cuirass like an automaton.
Stuart Greene, retired and honored demon hunter, sat in his office reading something important written on yellowed paper when his son came bursting through his door. Stuart's eyebrows lowered with disapproval. He did not doubt his son like the others, but he was concerned about him with the lack of letters over so many months. Unlike himself, Jakob was a very diligent letter writer. The lack of weekly reports gave hesitation, though he never suspected death or capture like some of his cohort.
"What's this then boy, no letters for three months and ya barge into my office like nothin'?" Stuart said with his heavy Liverpool accent. He saw something in his boy's eyes that reminded him of when Jakob was just a child in an orphanage in the Alps.
"Papa.... Hungary hast gone to scheisse." Jakob said in a near panicked voice.
Stuart twisted his mouth, "Well shut the bloody door son, the ole' world can ear' you out there. Sit down for God's sake. I haven't eard' from ye in months. Start from the beginning." The retired hunter leaned forward and interlocked his fingers to the knuckle.
Jakob awkwardly shut the door behind himself and took off his hat. The brunette hair beneath was unwashed and matted down due to his head gear. The Austrian clanked over to his father's desk and sat down with a heavy thud. He released a prolonged exhale then looked in his father's eyes. "Very well papa, I will start from the beginning."
Jakob went on to describe that he arrived in Hungary investigating leads that suggested demonic activity. At first he only found breadcrumbs of a trail, no locals were saying anything and the Hungarian authorities wanted nothing to do with him. After a month he found evidence of a satanic cult meeting in the Carpathian mountains to perform unholy rituals of summoning. Upon following up with that lead, Jakob discovered the cult was real and that they had successfully summoned a few demons. Unfortunately for the cultists, they did not understand that most demons need hosts to get into the mortal world. Many of the cultists became possessed and the others were held captive to become hosts for more demons.
Jakob took a breath from his continuous stream of hurried words. His father sat in silence. "As you know papa, most demons are aware of their limited potential in our world. They act with subtlety, mit vorsicht. They try to take over their host's life in a way so that no one notices. They know that otherwise we will notice, the Catholic church will send a priest to exorcise them from this world... but these demons.." Jakob swallowed hard, fear crept into his voice and his accent became thicker, he slammed his gloved fist against the desk. "Verdammt, these demons are reckless, they are on a murder spree. For the first time in my life I became the hunted, not the hunter. They found out I vas unto them and they chased me across the foothills of the Carpathians, cutting a swath of destruction in their wake. Whole villages destroyed, vile corruption spread in the forests, hundreds of peasants dead. At first I thought I could outmaneuver them like I always do, but there were too many, they were too powerful for me to handle alone..."
Jakob hung his head, clearly ashamed, "So I fled Hungary, I barely made it out alive. They were determined to chase out anything that was a threat to their rampage. I convinced the Hungarian nobles in the area to block the roads leading into the mountains, but I am not sure how long that will last. Soon the demons will run out of easy targets and they will start acting more boldly... In all my days I have never seen a pack of demons working together like this." Jakob raised his head, he had desperation in his eyes. "Vater, you must allow me to return to Hungary, with Order members at my command. We must eradicate them before they become too powerful, we must-."
Stuart finally raised his hand, "Quiet now boy! Quiet! You've been through a lot these last few months, seen a hell of a lot worse. What you're saying is troubling, and we do need action quickly."
Jakob's eyes widened, he felt like his father understood the situation exactly as he did, like he knew he would.
Stuart's voice lowered, "However, with demons working together, with something of that magnitude, we need a proper plan and a proper team. Not a gang of thrown together misfits, but a proper team capable of dealing with the level of threat that the Hungarian situation entails."
"Vater, we must not delay, we must act-" Jakob began to protest, his words running into one another.
Stuart interrupted with his low and gravely voice, "Listen here Jakob, I've listened to you, and I hear you, but now it's time that you hear me. Fifteen years ago I'd have been right there with you, I'd grab my pistols, hop on the ferry, and we'd be on our merry way to go hunt some demons. Thing is, sitting on this side of the desk makes ye a hell of alot wiser, it makes ye more concerned about the lives of those in yer charge. We can't just react to this sort of thing, we need to make sure when we get to Hungary that we're prepared to deal with the threat." Stuart saw that Jakob was not enthusiastic about his sentiment. "Now I won't have any more of it Jakob, I just won't. Trust me, we'll get those bastards, we'll send em back down to hell, but we're gonna do it the right way. There's nothin' ye can do about it right now anyway. So why don't ya go and get yerself some tea- and a damn bath. I'll take care o' things on my end. You just rest here at the headquarters and wait for the London team to return, then we'll talk about strategy. Ye understand?"
Jakob bit his tongue, he could not believe that his father was denying his request to return to Hungary immediately. He knew what those demons would do in the spare time. The last of the Reiter's nodded and rose out of his seat. He shoved the chair back into the desk and hastily retreated from his father's office into the Abbey. He just happened to spot an orderly passing by and he grabbed him by the arm.
"You there, I am in need of a room, a place to stay for the next few days." Jakob commanded.
The orderly, who was shocked initially, swallowed their surprise and acquiesced, "Oh! Um, certainly sir, I can have that arranged... forgive me but, who exactly are you?"
"Jakob Reiter, I work from Vienna usually." The hunter gave the orderly the benefit of some small bit of detail. His true Austrian accent worked convincingly.
"Very well Mr. Reiter, we'll have your room ready just as soon as we can. For the time being you're welcome to the lounge.. or.. well I suspect you know your way around. Good day to you sir." The orderly spoke nervously, something about Jakob made common folks very nervous. He gave off an aura of graveness, it felt like whenever he was around trouble was sure to be nearby.
St. Boethius
The Pious Philosopher
Kouki could sense something was wrong as he walked the streets of London searching for the necessary supplies he needed to craft his tailsman. Even after a year of getting oriented to the British Kouki could still hardly find his way around. The way they pollute the air and desecrate the earth made it quite easy for the Omnyouji to understand why the spirits were more hostile in this city. The English people seemed much more preoccupied with their progress than properly respecting the very place they call home. As unpleasant as Kouki’s stay in Londen had been so far he wouldn’t trade it for anything. The experience he has earned from leaving his home had been invaluable.
Because of his affiliation with the Order there was absolutely no reason for Kouki to venture out of HQ for lodging or magical supplies, and yet Kouki had so far refused to lean on them. As much as he may hate it Kouki was beginning to run out of options. He could ask his family for help. Not only was it a matter of pride, but they hadn’t returned a single letter he had sent them. Kouki was fairly certain they were trying to freeze him out, and force him home, and he was much more willing to lean on the Order than his family at this point. Nonetheless He had made it a point to live away from the HQ in a segregated portion of the city. He had been able to scrounge the paper and ink he needed to craft his tailsman,but lately the shops he usually gets his supplies from had not gotten any sorts of restocks.
Rather than focus on his personal issues Kouki decided to focus on the strange feeling of dread he had been sensing recently. Pulling out a wind tailsman Kouki pressed the paper against himself subtly and recited a prayer. The tailsman glowed as the spell activated and a gust of wind spread outward from Kouki in a circle. At the edges of his divination spell he found what he had sensed. Spirits, humans, one halfling, probably a werewolf, and a familiar presence: Iona Grey. Kouki senses great anger within the spirits that seemed to be retreating from the group. Typical of how the order and other Englishmen leashed the spirits. For Kouki it was the perfect distraction from his personal problem. Making his way it would take him several minutes but when he arrived, clearly out of breath, he noticed that the halfing was injured.
“ You Alright? Anyone else hurt?”, asked as he approached.
SilverFlight
MJ ._.
Fenris
Because of his affiliation with the Order there was absolutely no reason for Kouki to venture out of HQ for lodging or magical supplies, and yet Kouki had so far refused to lean on them. As much as he may hate it Kouki was beginning to run out of options. He could ask his family for help. Not only was it a matter of pride, but they hadn’t returned a single letter he had sent them. Kouki was fairly certain they were trying to freeze him out, and force him home, and he was much more willing to lean on the Order than his family at this point. Nonetheless He had made it a point to live away from the HQ in a segregated portion of the city. He had been able to scrounge the paper and ink he needed to craft his tailsman,but lately the shops he usually gets his supplies from had not gotten any sorts of restocks.
Rather than focus on his personal issues Kouki decided to focus on the strange feeling of dread he had been sensing recently. Pulling out a wind tailsman Kouki pressed the paper against himself subtly and recited a prayer. The tailsman glowed as the spell activated and a gust of wind spread outward from Kouki in a circle. At the edges of his divination spell he found what he had sensed. Spirits, humans, one halfling, probably a werewolf, and a familiar presence: Iona Grey. Kouki senses great anger within the spirits that seemed to be retreating from the group. Typical of how the order and other Englishmen leashed the spirits. For Kouki it was the perfect distraction from his personal problem. Making his way it would take him several minutes but when he arrived, clearly out of breath, he noticed that the halfing was injured.
“ You Alright? Anyone else hurt?”, asked as he approached.
SilverFlight
MJ ._.
Fenris
Last edited:
SilverFlight
Tende altum, volare altius
Iona gave the two figures a wary look. The man in the Russian kaftan and the woman, who could have been his daughter.
"You're right Oliver. Something tells me they're not entirely human..."
That being said, they didn't appear to be overly hostile either, not like the ghoulish black riders that had just attacked them.
"I would keep your blades ready." Iona spoke in a low tone to her team. She did not sheath her sword.
She gave the Frenchman a warning look.
CerpinTaxt
ReverseTex
A figure appeared behind them, racing up from the road of London. Iona turned her attention from the strangers for a moment and a smile of recognition appeared on her face. "Kouki!" She waved him over. An elementalist from the Orient Iona had read his profile and requested him specifically. The ships coming from the East were unpredictable by days and Iona was glad to see his hadn't taken more than a week's delay.
"We're all right, but there are strange things afoot...this was supposed to be a quiet mission."
St. Boethius
Thaddeus tried not to squirm as Mina treated him. The oil smoked as it touched the poisoned flesh. The man looked on and when she asked how the wound could be purified he bade her look at the cut again. The curse seemed to have vanished with the oil and Thaddeus' skin was knitting back together before their eyes. He let out a relieved breath.
"Water or oil blessed by your churches or your order will suffice." The man said, his voice seemed to Thaddeus to attune to the winter wind.
MJ ._.
ForgottenName
He turned to Prenkus and Alexander, spurring his horse into a slow walk to come up to them. Upon closer inspection Iona could see that they were both dressed very finely.
"We know enough to help you." It was the first time the woman had spoken. "My name is Snegurka...it is..an old name, if you have trouble, please call me Snow." She seemed to realize the oddity, "This is my grandfather, Morozko."
The Gunrunner
Fenris
@ everyone
Thaddeus had been listening from his place in the snow. After graciously thanking Mina he stood up, slightly confused.
"Not Morozko the winter king? He's a fairy tale."
Morozko turned in his saddle, seemingly amused, "And yet you have fairies serving your order." Thaddeus shut his mouth. He had him there.
"The things that fell upon you are spirits of the dead. They have...crossed back it seems." A somewhat guilty expression fell over the man's face, as if that was a personal failing on his part.
"There is much to explain, but we cannot speak here. The dead riders will regroup in greater number. I think you have seen what their blades can do. A mortal will have no chance against the rotting poison that coats their blades."
He turned his horse and lead the way. "Come. I will escort you to your destination."
Iona made a face, but it was clear Morozko wouldn't say anymore here. She urged the sleigh horses onward as Snow fell into step beside them. Her own horse was a dapple grey and when Iona looked down she was surprised to see the animal's hooves alight perfectly on top of the freshly-fallen snow.
"Thaddeus, what do you know about these two?" Iona asked as they walked.
"Morozko is an old Russian fairy tale." The werewolf began, "In the stories he's the master of winter, but he's also something like a spirit of death. He's charged with taking souls across to the other side. In some stories however, he's likened to Father Christmas, Ded Moroz. His gandaughter, The Snow Maiden, helps him."
It was dark by the time they reached the small town where the orphanage stood, lonely on it's low hill. Most of the windows were dark, though the light of a small fire could be seen through the frosted windows. The bells of their sleigh brought a herd of tiny, frightened faces to the window, but they brightened when their eyes landed upon the sleigh laden with stacks of bright boxes. The children rushed out of the door before the matron could even light a lamp.
Iona couldn't help but smile as the herd of children dashed toward them, she gestured for her companions to begin handing out the toys, while Thaddeus started to unpack the food, lamp oil and firewood they had also brought.
"I can't thank the order enough for this generous gift!" The matron sniffed, tears forming in her soft, grey eyes. She was not old, but years of hardship had lined her face. Crows feet played at her tired eyes. "Please, come inside."
CerpinTaxt
ReverseTex
MJ ._.
ForgottenName
St. Boethius
The Gunrunner
Fenris
A nervous servant trotted down the halls of the London HQ, a letter clasped tightly in one hand. He had only been given a description of the man he was supposed to find. He nearly ran straight into Jakob rounding a corner and squeaked, clearly intimidated by the figure he saw in front of him.
"Y-you're Jakob?" He thrust the letter out before him.
"This came from Chancellor Cartwright. You've been assigned to a team currently out on a mission. You're to meet them at the Evergreen orphanage in St Albans, 20 miles North of London. She's requested that you leave immediately."
Proletariat
"You're right Oliver. Something tells me they're not entirely human..."
That being said, they didn't appear to be overly hostile either, not like the ghoulish black riders that had just attacked them.
"I would keep your blades ready." Iona spoke in a low tone to her team. She did not sheath her sword.
She gave the Frenchman a warning look.
CerpinTaxt
ReverseTex
A figure appeared behind them, racing up from the road of London. Iona turned her attention from the strangers for a moment and a smile of recognition appeared on her face. "Kouki!" She waved him over. An elementalist from the Orient Iona had read his profile and requested him specifically. The ships coming from the East were unpredictable by days and Iona was glad to see his hadn't taken more than a week's delay.
"We're all right, but there are strange things afoot...this was supposed to be a quiet mission."
St. Boethius
Thaddeus tried not to squirm as Mina treated him. The oil smoked as it touched the poisoned flesh. The man looked on and when she asked how the wound could be purified he bade her look at the cut again. The curse seemed to have vanished with the oil and Thaddeus' skin was knitting back together before their eyes. He let out a relieved breath.
"Water or oil blessed by your churches or your order will suffice." The man said, his voice seemed to Thaddeus to attune to the winter wind.
MJ ._.
ForgottenName
He turned to Prenkus and Alexander, spurring his horse into a slow walk to come up to them. Upon closer inspection Iona could see that they were both dressed very finely.
"We know enough to help you." It was the first time the woman had spoken. "My name is Snegurka...it is..an old name, if you have trouble, please call me Snow." She seemed to realize the oddity, "This is my grandfather, Morozko."
The Gunrunner
Fenris
@ everyoneThaddeus had been listening from his place in the snow. After graciously thanking Mina he stood up, slightly confused.
"Not Morozko the winter king? He's a fairy tale."
Morozko turned in his saddle, seemingly amused, "And yet you have fairies serving your order." Thaddeus shut his mouth. He had him there.
"The things that fell upon you are spirits of the dead. They have...crossed back it seems." A somewhat guilty expression fell over the man's face, as if that was a personal failing on his part.
"There is much to explain, but we cannot speak here. The dead riders will regroup in greater number. I think you have seen what their blades can do. A mortal will have no chance against the rotting poison that coats their blades."
He turned his horse and lead the way. "Come. I will escort you to your destination."
Iona made a face, but it was clear Morozko wouldn't say anymore here. She urged the sleigh horses onward as Snow fell into step beside them. Her own horse was a dapple grey and when Iona looked down she was surprised to see the animal's hooves alight perfectly on top of the freshly-fallen snow.
"Thaddeus, what do you know about these two?" Iona asked as they walked.
"Morozko is an old Russian fairy tale." The werewolf began, "In the stories he's the master of winter, but he's also something like a spirit of death. He's charged with taking souls across to the other side. In some stories however, he's likened to Father Christmas, Ded Moroz. His gandaughter, The Snow Maiden, helps him."
It was dark by the time they reached the small town where the orphanage stood, lonely on it's low hill. Most of the windows were dark, though the light of a small fire could be seen through the frosted windows. The bells of their sleigh brought a herd of tiny, frightened faces to the window, but they brightened when their eyes landed upon the sleigh laden with stacks of bright boxes. The children rushed out of the door before the matron could even light a lamp.
Iona couldn't help but smile as the herd of children dashed toward them, she gestured for her companions to begin handing out the toys, while Thaddeus started to unpack the food, lamp oil and firewood they had also brought.
"I can't thank the order enough for this generous gift!" The matron sniffed, tears forming in her soft, grey eyes. She was not old, but years of hardship had lined her face. Crows feet played at her tired eyes. "Please, come inside."
CerpinTaxt
ReverseTex
MJ ._.
ForgottenName
St. Boethius
The Gunrunner
Fenris
A nervous servant trotted down the halls of the London HQ, a letter clasped tightly in one hand. He had only been given a description of the man he was supposed to find. He nearly ran straight into Jakob rounding a corner and squeaked, clearly intimidated by the figure he saw in front of him.
"Y-you're Jakob?" He thrust the letter out before him.
"This came from Chancellor Cartwright. You've been assigned to a team currently out on a mission. You're to meet them at the Evergreen orphanage in St Albans, 20 miles North of London. She's requested that you leave immediately."
Proletariat
Saavedra
Junior Member
Orphanages in London tended to be owned by wealthy industrialists. Most of them were working houses where children would earn their food and a roof over their heads. But if a child was lucky, he would be sent to an orphanage sponsored by someone with a wealth in morals, as well as money. A place where children would receive some sort of education, because the owner of the orphanage or a charitative sponsor would want them to lead a proper, productive life. If you left the city, orphanages would most often be partially repurposed manors, generously ceded for reasons unique to those who allowed their use.
In such cases, the sponsors would not pay to have the manor running as if they were living there themselves. An orphanage needed little more than beds, a kitchen, a classroom, and the fields around it so the children could go play around, grow their greens or whatever the sponsor thought good and proper for them. This meant that even with generous donations, and those could be rare and reliable indeed, it was most likely that certain areas or even whole buildings would have their accesses blocked so the children could not run rampant in them, thus preserving them for future use.
Such was the case with the library. It had been agreed upon when the orphanage was established that the children would not be allowed inside, in case a relative of the actual owner of the place ever grew an interest in the rather sizeable collection inside. There were also some interesting family heirlooms that warranted locking the doors and boarding up the windows. After all, no one would want a child to sneak in and cut themselves with a sword, get crushed under a suit of armour, or shoot themselves in the foot (unlikely as that was given the condition of what little gunpowder remained, even if any child had known how to make use of it).
Therefore, the orphanage´s library made for an excellent retreat for Lady White. A reasonably quiet place where she could rest from her expeditions into other planes. It was dark even during the day, so she would be impossible to sense if she remained inside. It also gave her the chance to employ her resting time in a useful manner by having a look into the orphanage´s records. Late at night, when everyone slept, she would go into the headmistress´ office, become corporeal, and take the small book in the second drawer under the desk, sit down and read it. There were the names of the children and where they came from. Sometimes, with some luck, she could discover that one of the children was not so alone in the world as everyone thought. Sloppy work on the headmistress´ part, the Lady suspected, perhaps motivated by an interest in attracting children to the institution in the hopes of using them to pull at the heartstrings of her employer and keep the place `open for business´, so to speak. However, there was little the woman could do if the relatives of an orphan showed up and demanded the child be handed over to their care. A rare triumph, certainly, but undeath had left Lady White with few innocent pleasures such as this.
The last week had borne no fruit, though. The two weeks before that, the Lady had been busy with one of those cases that she kept to herself and her fellow ghosts, since it would be... unsafe for common minds to delve into such depths. She had been thinking up a report on it for the other members of the Order that shared her condition when the noise downstairs broke her out of her meditation. It was quite annoying. Lady White could not write down what she had found out because the issue was important enough that she would not dare put it down on paper for anyone to find, so she had to memorize the report in her mind and hand it over through her own voice. Being distracted midway through the effort was potentially dangerous. Little details could escape her memory, and that would not do.
Still, the Lady wondered what was going on downstairs.
No one other than herself had entered the library in two years at least, and she always came in through the door... without opening it first. Therefore, Lady White felt safe enough to stand in front of the window and look down into the courtyard. Her invisible breath fogged up a circle in the window as her cold eyes surveyed the scene below. Her nature allowed her to see without light or darkness bothering her, and she did not like what she saw. The members of the Order were easy to recognize, for Lady White knew them all well enough from observing them covertly as well as openly, not to mention she had access to their files. There was an Asian man that was perhaps a late addition, but other than that... Lady White knew them all. She also knew that none of them should have been aware of her presence here. Only two or three of the Order´s members had that information, none of them was present at the moment, and yet... here was this group. Had they been told to come seek her here? Or was it just coincidence?
No matter the truth, it was too late to hide. Pascal had clearly spotted her already, a general glance at the manor becoming a stare in her direction. Though Lady White had an easy time hiding, tainted, like vampires, could still see her misty, gray silhouette if she did not make a conscious effort to hide. Though the dark library behind her might have hidden that, her cold breath on the window was a dead giveaway. And once Pascal had seen that, even if he did not tell anyone else, Oliver would see her as well.
Not caring anymore about her breath, she stepped closer to the window and rested a hand on it. It materialized briefly, leaving a cold shimmer on the glass as she continued watching. The Lady counted heads and mounts, and quickly came to the conclusion that there were too many mounts. It was clear to her that the carriage they had brought with them must contain something. Curiousity had the best of her, and the ghost was soon gliding down through the floors and towards the entrance, careful to remain invisible this time. She would have to find a way to talk with the others without letting the matron and the children sense her.
In such cases, the sponsors would not pay to have the manor running as if they were living there themselves. An orphanage needed little more than beds, a kitchen, a classroom, and the fields around it so the children could go play around, grow their greens or whatever the sponsor thought good and proper for them. This meant that even with generous donations, and those could be rare and reliable indeed, it was most likely that certain areas or even whole buildings would have their accesses blocked so the children could not run rampant in them, thus preserving them for future use.
Such was the case with the library. It had been agreed upon when the orphanage was established that the children would not be allowed inside, in case a relative of the actual owner of the place ever grew an interest in the rather sizeable collection inside. There were also some interesting family heirlooms that warranted locking the doors and boarding up the windows. After all, no one would want a child to sneak in and cut themselves with a sword, get crushed under a suit of armour, or shoot themselves in the foot (unlikely as that was given the condition of what little gunpowder remained, even if any child had known how to make use of it).
Therefore, the orphanage´s library made for an excellent retreat for Lady White. A reasonably quiet place where she could rest from her expeditions into other planes. It was dark even during the day, so she would be impossible to sense if she remained inside. It also gave her the chance to employ her resting time in a useful manner by having a look into the orphanage´s records. Late at night, when everyone slept, she would go into the headmistress´ office, become corporeal, and take the small book in the second drawer under the desk, sit down and read it. There were the names of the children and where they came from. Sometimes, with some luck, she could discover that one of the children was not so alone in the world as everyone thought. Sloppy work on the headmistress´ part, the Lady suspected, perhaps motivated by an interest in attracting children to the institution in the hopes of using them to pull at the heartstrings of her employer and keep the place `open for business´, so to speak. However, there was little the woman could do if the relatives of an orphan showed up and demanded the child be handed over to their care. A rare triumph, certainly, but undeath had left Lady White with few innocent pleasures such as this.
The last week had borne no fruit, though. The two weeks before that, the Lady had been busy with one of those cases that she kept to herself and her fellow ghosts, since it would be... unsafe for common minds to delve into such depths. She had been thinking up a report on it for the other members of the Order that shared her condition when the noise downstairs broke her out of her meditation. It was quite annoying. Lady White could not write down what she had found out because the issue was important enough that she would not dare put it down on paper for anyone to find, so she had to memorize the report in her mind and hand it over through her own voice. Being distracted midway through the effort was potentially dangerous. Little details could escape her memory, and that would not do.
Still, the Lady wondered what was going on downstairs.
No one other than herself had entered the library in two years at least, and she always came in through the door... without opening it first. Therefore, Lady White felt safe enough to stand in front of the window and look down into the courtyard. Her invisible breath fogged up a circle in the window as her cold eyes surveyed the scene below. Her nature allowed her to see without light or darkness bothering her, and she did not like what she saw. The members of the Order were easy to recognize, for Lady White knew them all well enough from observing them covertly as well as openly, not to mention she had access to their files. There was an Asian man that was perhaps a late addition, but other than that... Lady White knew them all. She also knew that none of them should have been aware of her presence here. Only two or three of the Order´s members had that information, none of them was present at the moment, and yet... here was this group. Had they been told to come seek her here? Or was it just coincidence?
No matter the truth, it was too late to hide. Pascal had clearly spotted her already, a general glance at the manor becoming a stare in her direction. Though Lady White had an easy time hiding, tainted, like vampires, could still see her misty, gray silhouette if she did not make a conscious effort to hide. Though the dark library behind her might have hidden that, her cold breath on the window was a dead giveaway. And once Pascal had seen that, even if he did not tell anyone else, Oliver would see her as well.
Not caring anymore about her breath, she stepped closer to the window and rested a hand on it. It materialized briefly, leaving a cold shimmer on the glass as she continued watching. The Lady counted heads and mounts, and quickly came to the conclusion that there were too many mounts. It was clear to her that the carriage they had brought with them must contain something. Curiousity had the best of her, and the ghost was soon gliding down through the floors and towards the entrance, careful to remain invisible this time. She would have to find a way to talk with the others without letting the matron and the children sense her.
St. Boethius
The Pious Philosopher
Kouki return the smile with a bright one of his own as well as a small bow to his recruiter as well as the rest of the group, "Unfortunately things rarely go as we like them to." Kouki commented as a different man approached with his granddaughter. Kouki remained silent as the lot traveled for what seemed like hours. Kouki was never much a talker anyway, but he kept quiet mostly because he didn't think it was his place to talk. Fresh off the boat being quite the understatement at this point Kouki thought it better to just go with the flow and help where he could rather than speak and sound like a fool. Although he said nothing Kouki listened intently to the werewolf Thaddeus as he recounted some interesting lore that seemed to surround their escort.
Kouki's face couldn't help but light up when he saw the children clamoring outbid their shared home in excitement and wonder. As the Omnyouji drew closer to the Mansion he could sense the faint presence of a spirit nearby, it was a fleeting presence and just as Kouki located the presence of disappeared from his mind's eye. With that Kouki's smile grew wider for it brought him great comfort to know that the little ones had not one guardian, but two watching over them.
Kouki's face couldn't help but light up when he saw the children clamoring outbid their shared home in excitement and wonder. As the Omnyouji drew closer to the Mansion he could sense the faint presence of a spirit nearby, it was a fleeting presence and just as Kouki located the presence of disappeared from his mind's eye. With that Kouki's smile grew wider for it brought him great comfort to know that the little ones had not one guardian, but two watching over them.
Proletariat
Hater
A nervous servant trotted down the halls of the London HQ, a letter clasped tightly in one hand. He had only been given a description of the man he was supposed to find. He nearly ran straight into Jakob rounding a corner and squeaked, clearly intimidated by the figure he saw in front of him.
"Y-you're Jakob?" He thrust the letter out before him.
"This came from Chancellor Cartwright. You've been assigned to a team currently out on a mission. You're to meet them at the Evergreen orphanage in St Albans, 20 miles North of London. She's requested that you leave immediately."
Jakob ReiterLondon, Order Headquarters
Jakob had only just begun to head for the exit when a scrawny boy clumsily knocked into him. Not being in the kindest of moods, Jakob had half a mind to strike the boy in order to teach him a lesson about watching where he was going. Before the demon hunter could say anything, the boy thrust a letter into his hands and essentially detailed its contents to him. His first thought was, 'Why in the hell are you reading my letter?,' and his second thought was, 'Leave immediately, Chancellor Cartwright, hast she verlor ihren verstand, lost her mind? I never take orders from the Chancellor, always from vater. What is the meaning of this, so shortly after I have arrived.. how did she even know I was here?'
After contemplating for a moment and staring at the letter, Jakob's gaze shifted to the servant. He did not look pleased. "Have a horse made ready for me, I suppose I'll be riding to Saint Albans." His voice carried obviously restrained anger. It was too soon to be reassigned. Especially given the circumstances of the assignment. Jakob in a group mission in England, he would be totally out of his element. Considering that in addition to his foul mood and he didn't plan on being of much use to anyone.
After following the servant to the stable and waiting around, brooding for a couple of minutes, the weary looking hunter climbed up onto his brown and white mount.
"What is its name?" Jakob called to the stable master.
"Her name is Serenity," replied the stable master.
Jakob looked down at his new mount's mane and stroked it with a gloved hand. "Alright Serenity, let us ride to Saint Albans then, and see what batch of misfortune we've been haphazardly tossed into." Jakob made a clicking noise with his tongue and lightly spurred the horse forward. They were on the road out of London.
SilverFlight
"Y-you're Jakob?" He thrust the letter out before him.
"This came from Chancellor Cartwright. You've been assigned to a team currently out on a mission. You're to meet them at the Evergreen orphanage in St Albans, 20 miles North of London. She's requested that you leave immediately."
Jakob ReiterLondon, Order Headquarters
Jakob had only just begun to head for the exit when a scrawny boy clumsily knocked into him. Not being in the kindest of moods, Jakob had half a mind to strike the boy in order to teach him a lesson about watching where he was going. Before the demon hunter could say anything, the boy thrust a letter into his hands and essentially detailed its contents to him. His first thought was, 'Why in the hell are you reading my letter?,' and his second thought was, 'Leave immediately, Chancellor Cartwright, hast she verlor ihren verstand, lost her mind? I never take orders from the Chancellor, always from vater. What is the meaning of this, so shortly after I have arrived.. how did she even know I was here?'
After contemplating for a moment and staring at the letter, Jakob's gaze shifted to the servant. He did not look pleased. "Have a horse made ready for me, I suppose I'll be riding to Saint Albans." His voice carried obviously restrained anger. It was too soon to be reassigned. Especially given the circumstances of the assignment. Jakob in a group mission in England, he would be totally out of his element. Considering that in addition to his foul mood and he didn't plan on being of much use to anyone.
After following the servant to the stable and waiting around, brooding for a couple of minutes, the weary looking hunter climbed up onto his brown and white mount.
"What is its name?" Jakob called to the stable master.
"Her name is Serenity," replied the stable master.
Jakob looked down at his new mount's mane and stroked it with a gloved hand. "Alright Serenity, let us ride to Saint Albans then, and see what batch of misfortune we've been haphazardly tossed into." Jakob made a clicking noise with his tongue and lightly spurred the horse forward. They were on the road out of London.
SilverFlight
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CerpinTaxt
A Man With No Face
"Hmph..I'm not sure how to feel about their smell." Oliver's eyes narrowed as he kept his focus on the two as they explained who they were. Considering all the things he'd seen through his life, who the claimed to be wasn't exactly the most far fetched answer. Doesn't mean he had to believe it. "You're certainly going to make things a bit more interesting Pascal. Just don't shoot me." The group continued their trek to the orphanage after that with Oliver keeping his eyes focused on the two strangers the entire journey.
It was smooth sailing as they made their way into the town, most certainly a relief to everyone, which gave Oliver some time to reload his Colt. Digging any pieces of the remnants of the percussion caps and filling the empty cylinders with powder and a lead ball. A quick press downwards with the loading lever secured the loads into place, and Oliver finished up by replacing the caps and returning the revolver to its holster. He finished just in time to spot one of the windows become a tad foggy, as if someone were breathing on it. Then an ethereal hand resting on that same window. He wasn't able to see just who that hand belonged to, but it was a reason for him to not enter the orphanage. It wasn't that he was afraid of ghosts, he just hated when they moved through his body. It was bloody cold enough as it was.
While everyone was busy getting the toys and other items from the wagon, Oliver stayed put and sat at the bench of the wagon. "You mind if I stay out here and keep watch, Grey? I'll just scare the kids if I go in there." He knew the likely answer she was going to give, and what Pascal would certainly say to him. Perhaps claim that Oliver was afraid of ghosts. "Actually..never mind." Oliver wasn't going to give the Frenchman an easy opening for an insult, Pascal would have to work for it. He stepped off of the wagon, using his enhanced strength to carry some of the firewood into the building.
SilverFlight
ReverseTex
Saavedra
It was smooth sailing as they made their way into the town, most certainly a relief to everyone, which gave Oliver some time to reload his Colt. Digging any pieces of the remnants of the percussion caps and filling the empty cylinders with powder and a lead ball. A quick press downwards with the loading lever secured the loads into place, and Oliver finished up by replacing the caps and returning the revolver to its holster. He finished just in time to spot one of the windows become a tad foggy, as if someone were breathing on it. Then an ethereal hand resting on that same window. He wasn't able to see just who that hand belonged to, but it was a reason for him to not enter the orphanage. It wasn't that he was afraid of ghosts, he just hated when they moved through his body. It was bloody cold enough as it was.
While everyone was busy getting the toys and other items from the wagon, Oliver stayed put and sat at the bench of the wagon. "You mind if I stay out here and keep watch, Grey? I'll just scare the kids if I go in there." He knew the likely answer she was going to give, and what Pascal would certainly say to him. Perhaps claim that Oliver was afraid of ghosts. "Actually..never mind." Oliver wasn't going to give the Frenchman an easy opening for an insult, Pascal would have to work for it. He stepped off of the wagon, using his enhanced strength to carry some of the firewood into the building.
SilverFlight
ReverseTex
Saavedra
MJ ._.
Nothing
"Water or oil blessed by your churches or your order will suffice."
Said the elder stranger. Dispite of his cold voice, his words warmed Mina’s heart. She looked back at Thad’s wound and smiled. “Thanks God… that could be worse… Get up lucky guy, today you won’t die!” She encouraged him to pull himself together. There was an eastern guy, probably a member of order, joining them but he didn’t introduce himself and more important matters were to be concerned about so she had to ignore him for a while. As she had relaxed about werewolf’s condition, gave his attention to the weird couple in old fashioned outfits. Although their customs went back to her grandfather’s era, they still looked elegant since the material and sewing patterns of them were of high quality. It was like watching a painting of previous generation of wealthy merchants. She was curious to know more about them and as her teammates had already asked it from different aspects, she only waited for their reply. “Crossed back?” That was something she couldn’t believe although had seen those wraiths a minute ago. She preferred to use other term for describing such beings. Anyhow, she joined Thad and Iona to hear more about new comers. “I thought Russians have made this folklore due to pressure of long and freezing winters reaping them mercilessly. Now that I can see them in person… I should stop looking down at folklores!” She said as Thad told them the myth of Morozko. “In that case, if you upset him he will freeze you to death~” She added in whisper.
***
“Wow… kids’ invasion!” Mina said as many children dashed out of their foster house to get their gifts of new year. Thad and Iona distributed packages quickly and soon each child was busy with a brand new item for their fresh year. Then not much had been left but to accept invitation from the patron and going inside the building to warm up with a cup of tea. Meanwhile, she looked at the asian guy and then at Iona. “I was hoping that someone would introduce this gentleman… am I the only one who doesn’t know him?” She asked her.
SilverFlight
St. Boethius
Saavedra
Said the elder stranger. Dispite of his cold voice, his words warmed Mina’s heart. She looked back at Thad’s wound and smiled. “Thanks God… that could be worse… Get up lucky guy, today you won’t die!” She encouraged him to pull himself together. There was an eastern guy, probably a member of order, joining them but he didn’t introduce himself and more important matters were to be concerned about so she had to ignore him for a while. As she had relaxed about werewolf’s condition, gave his attention to the weird couple in old fashioned outfits. Although their customs went back to her grandfather’s era, they still looked elegant since the material and sewing patterns of them were of high quality. It was like watching a painting of previous generation of wealthy merchants. She was curious to know more about them and as her teammates had already asked it from different aspects, she only waited for their reply. “Crossed back?” That was something she couldn’t believe although had seen those wraiths a minute ago. She preferred to use other term for describing such beings. Anyhow, she joined Thad and Iona to hear more about new comers. “I thought Russians have made this folklore due to pressure of long and freezing winters reaping them mercilessly. Now that I can see them in person… I should stop looking down at folklores!” She said as Thad told them the myth of Morozko. “In that case, if you upset him he will freeze you to death~” She added in whisper.
***
“Wow… kids’ invasion!” Mina said as many children dashed out of their foster house to get their gifts of new year. Thad and Iona distributed packages quickly and soon each child was busy with a brand new item for their fresh year. Then not much had been left but to accept invitation from the patron and going inside the building to warm up with a cup of tea. Meanwhile, she looked at the asian guy and then at Iona. “I was hoping that someone would introduce this gentleman… am I the only one who doesn’t know him?” She asked her.
SilverFlight
St. Boethius
Saavedra
St. Boethius
The Pious Philosopher
Kouki was thankful when the group was finally ushered inside the orphanage. Though before entering he was sure to shake off whatever snow and mud had accumulated on the soles of his shoes. It was as Kouki crossed the threshold that the culture shocked really set in for him. As if the exploitation of filthy air and disrespect for nature weren’t enough now Kouki was seeing the smaller differences between the English and his own Culture. For one they wore their shoes inside the house. Sure Kouki had done his best to clean his shoes, but it’s better safe than sorry. As Kouki took a moment to remove his shoes he heard the woman’s question of who he was. Kouki’s face contorted with surprise and embarrassment, how could he have forgotten to introduce himself!
“Very sorry about that, My name.... Ayumu Kouki... please call... Kouki.” The young man managed as his embarrassment got the better of him and he began fumbling his English as he gave a bow to the woman. Taking a moment to regain his composure and allow time for everyone else to get out of the cold Kouki continued his introduction with much better English. “ I’m a Shinto Priest and a sorcerer able to wield modest control of the elements. My affinity with youkai... spirits is quite high as well. I even have a spirit under my command.” Kouki explain with a bright smile. He only stopped talking for fear that he was rambling. “ May I have your name? The only one I know here is Grey-san, er... Miss Grey.” If the ghost that Kouki sensed earlier were to take a good look at him it would no doubt notice the Nue, a lightning beast spirit, sealed inside him in the form of a tattoo on his back.
SilverFlight
Saavedra
MJ ._.
“Very sorry about that, My name.... Ayumu Kouki... please call... Kouki.” The young man managed as his embarrassment got the better of him and he began fumbling his English as he gave a bow to the woman. Taking a moment to regain his composure and allow time for everyone else to get out of the cold Kouki continued his introduction with much better English. “ I’m a Shinto Priest and a sorcerer able to wield modest control of the elements. My affinity with youkai... spirits is quite high as well. I even have a spirit under my command.” Kouki explain with a bright smile. He only stopped talking for fear that he was rambling. “ May I have your name? The only one I know here is Grey-san, er... Miss Grey.” If the ghost that Kouki sensed earlier were to take a good look at him it would no doubt notice the Nue, a lightning beast spirit, sealed inside him in the form of a tattoo on his back.
SilverFlight
Saavedra
MJ ._.
SilverFlight
Tende altum, volare altius
Iona smiled as events unfolded. When Oliver requested to stand guard she nodded. "That's a very good idea. If what our new friends here say is true, then we might have to expect more company."
She glanced back at the two winter spirits. They stood, silent and placid in the flurries of falling snow. The children and the matron didn't even seem to see them. They were like ghosts then, only appearing to tainted and trained hunters.
Iona was accosted by three young girls as she filled her arms with baskets of fresh food, blankets and toys. She gave them each a small bundle to carry, and some oil and matches to an older boy and told him to light the lamps in the house.
CerpinTaxt
ReverseTex
She looked back at Mina from overtop the load in her arms.
"I met Kouki during one of my brief visits to Asia. He's a brilliant hunter, and I'm proud to call him a friend." As she said this she went to hand off the things in her arms to the man before filling her arms with more.
"Let's get inside! I've already lost feeling in my toes!"
MJ ._.
St. Boethius
Thaddeus stayed out a moment longer to see to the horses. He had been directed to a small roofed enclosure where he could stable them for the night.
"I'll give them a brush down and get their feed together." He offered. The cart was left empty by the main path while he took all of the horses round back.
They snorted gratefully as he distributed their buckets of food and stood munching contentedly as the werewolf brushed their coats out and set their rugs on their warm backs.
ForgottenName
Morozko and Snow stayed outside as well, and to Oliver and Pascal the frost spirit held out his hand.
He had been holding the black gems they had collected from the vaporized corpses of the ghouls they had fought, only now the gems were white crystal.
"We can purify the crystals, but soon we must uncover the source of the magic that is dragging the dead back into the world of the living...I sense an evil presence in this village...something is not right."
CerpinTaxt
ReverseTex
The Interior of the house was ancient. Frayed, threadbare carpets covered creaking floors and though everything was cleaned very well, the age of it all showed through obviously. From the hall the stairs to the rooms rose up on the right, while light from the fireplace spilled against them from the grand room on the left. In one corner of the room a Christmas tree had been set up, cut fresh from the forest, the space under it's bows depressingly bare. Iona began by dumping her load of gifts under the tree.
"I'll need everyone who know how to cook, let's start dinner. The rest of you? Help the children with their gifts, and...make sure things are safe."
The wording was subtle, but Iona knew her team would draw the true meaning. Make this house defensible, in case the ghouls returned. If their poison was weak to blessed elements, perhaps they were as well.
St. Boethius
MJ ._.
Saavedra
Proletariat
Fenris
MrBossMan
The Gunrunner
((At this point you guys can move your characters wherever you like about the house or the village. Interact, have fun :3 The ghouls will be along shortly, when I write them appearing you all have free reign over them.))
She glanced back at the two winter spirits. They stood, silent and placid in the flurries of falling snow. The children and the matron didn't even seem to see them. They were like ghosts then, only appearing to tainted and trained hunters.
Iona was accosted by three young girls as she filled her arms with baskets of fresh food, blankets and toys. She gave them each a small bundle to carry, and some oil and matches to an older boy and told him to light the lamps in the house.
CerpinTaxt
ReverseTex
She looked back at Mina from overtop the load in her arms.
"I met Kouki during one of my brief visits to Asia. He's a brilliant hunter, and I'm proud to call him a friend." As she said this she went to hand off the things in her arms to the man before filling her arms with more.
"Let's get inside! I've already lost feeling in my toes!"
MJ ._.
St. Boethius
Thaddeus stayed out a moment longer to see to the horses. He had been directed to a small roofed enclosure where he could stable them for the night.
"I'll give them a brush down and get their feed together." He offered. The cart was left empty by the main path while he took all of the horses round back.
They snorted gratefully as he distributed their buckets of food and stood munching contentedly as the werewolf brushed their coats out and set their rugs on their warm backs.
ForgottenName
Morozko and Snow stayed outside as well, and to Oliver and Pascal the frost spirit held out his hand.
He had been holding the black gems they had collected from the vaporized corpses of the ghouls they had fought, only now the gems were white crystal.
"We can purify the crystals, but soon we must uncover the source of the magic that is dragging the dead back into the world of the living...I sense an evil presence in this village...something is not right."
CerpinTaxt
ReverseTex
The Interior of the house was ancient. Frayed, threadbare carpets covered creaking floors and though everything was cleaned very well, the age of it all showed through obviously. From the hall the stairs to the rooms rose up on the right, while light from the fireplace spilled against them from the grand room on the left. In one corner of the room a Christmas tree had been set up, cut fresh from the forest, the space under it's bows depressingly bare. Iona began by dumping her load of gifts under the tree.
"I'll need everyone who know how to cook, let's start dinner. The rest of you? Help the children with their gifts, and...make sure things are safe."
The wording was subtle, but Iona knew her team would draw the true meaning. Make this house defensible, in case the ghouls returned. If their poison was weak to blessed elements, perhaps they were as well.
St. Boethius
MJ ._.
Saavedra
Proletariat
Fenris
MrBossMan
The Gunrunner
((At this point you guys can move your characters wherever you like about the house or the village. Interact, have fun :3 The ghouls will be along shortly, when I write them appearing you all have free reign over them.))
MJ ._.
Nothing
"It's a pleasure to meet you Kouki." Mian watched the boy staggering on his words. Iona explained more and asked them to get inside, then once warmed up, Kouki explained more about himself. "You've got a strong skill and useful talent. I look forward working together." She said with a fine smile. "My name s Mina. I can see ghosts and talk to them but my fighting skill is that I know ways to touch all sorts of tainted and knock them out by my own hands." She introduced herself. "You emit a strong but strange aura... I wonder... is that the spirit you said you command?" She asked curiously. Meanwhile, Iona gave them some orders before leaving them in order to prepare dinner. "Ghouls... Wraith... you didn't see them, did you? I guess you arrived when they'd retreated. Morozko says they are corrupted souls back from death... as if it's a jar you can pull candy out of it... anyway, they might track us and invade the orphanage. I wonder why we're putting lives of these poor children in danger... at least we should put some barrier. You must be able to do it. What's you method? Mine is simple; sap hie with prayers written on them and pour sacred oil around the building." She had already started a conversation about their duty.
SilverFlight
St. Boethius
SilverFlight
St. Boethius
St. Boethius
The Pious Philosopher
Kouki listened eagerly as this woman who introduced herself as Mina told him a little about herself as well as asked some questions about him. He couldn't help, but perk up when she mentioned being able to see spirits, but he would go into that later. "My method is similar to yours. I can use these talisman to create a barrier around the house. From there, and with the patrons permission I can...consecrate this home make it holy. If all goes according to plan everyone will be able to meet my spirit. " Kouki explained. Kouki took a moment to help with presents and laughed as the kids delighted. When he returned to Mina's side Kouki said, " I'm sure you've noticed the spirit dwelling within the home then. I'll make contact with it and see if it mind's my turning its home into a shrine. " With his plan explained Kouki walked to the children with a beaming smile, "Alright children would you like to play a game of hide and seek while we wait on dinner? I've got to warn you though I've never lost~." Kouki said in a song songy tone. Whether the children wanted to play with their new presents or with him it didn't really matter to Kouki. Either way he would travel through the house and place his tailsman. At least this way he could entertain the children.
"Oh! I almost forgot your gift! In my country it's rude to enter someone's home without a gift!" Kouki exclaimed as he produced. .. What looked to be marbles, each one inscribed with the same Japanese character on it.
To anyone supernaturally inclined they would notice that each marble was imbued with the same power that came from his spirit. These would serve as locators for Kouki so that he could keep track of the children as well as a way to protect them from the wraiths.
"See this squiggly thing?" Kouki asked the children as he pointed to the word inscribed on one of the marbles. "This word is Arashi, it means fortune. If you ever get scared all you have to do is say Arashi and Kami-sama... I mean God will protect you." Kouki explained his beaming smile never faltering. " now can you repeat it back to me? A-ra-shi? " Kouki asked in a playful manner.
SilverFlight
MJ ._.
Saavedra
"Oh! I almost forgot your gift! In my country it's rude to enter someone's home without a gift!" Kouki exclaimed as he produced. .. What looked to be marbles, each one inscribed with the same Japanese character on it.
To anyone supernaturally inclined they would notice that each marble was imbued with the same power that came from his spirit. These would serve as locators for Kouki so that he could keep track of the children as well as a way to protect them from the wraiths.
"See this squiggly thing?" Kouki asked the children as he pointed to the word inscribed on one of the marbles. "This word is Arashi, it means fortune. If you ever get scared all you have to do is say Arashi and Kami-sama... I mean God will protect you." Kouki explained his beaming smile never faltering. " now can you repeat it back to me? A-ra-shi? " Kouki asked in a playful manner.
SilverFlight
MJ ._.
Saavedra
Last edited:
ReverseTex
Old Timer
MJ ._.
Nothing
Mina listen to Kouki with more interest than usual. "Your method doesn't sound simple... but it's surely very handy and effective." She said and added a gentle smile to the end. "There is a ghost in this orphanage? That's quiet probable since this building seems like a comfortable place for ghosts. But I can't notice it unless it's somewhere that I can see it. Also, I don't think English ghosts car about shrines." She continued their conversation about a spirit in the house. She watched the young boy going to play with children and decided to do her part while he was busy with arming kids with charms.
As she went out to the front yard, freezing wind of winter stole warmth of her chocolate colored cheeks. She observed the stamped snow, still being able to recon two pairs of foot prints leavings the yard and making their way toward the buildings shortly away from the orphanage which probably belonged to a village or a town, she couldn't tell. She dipped her head as Morozko and Snow who still were waiting nearby, as a sign of thanking. As long as the old person was there she wouldn't have fear for wraith to tainting children. That would be a nightmare. In order to fulfill her part as a member of order, she took the vial of oil out her pocket and poured some on her palm then rubbed it on the ground by sticking her hand down into the snow. She kept the ritual on till a circle around the orphanage was completed. After that, Mina hung a few saphie charms on utter sides four walls before reentering.
As she closed the door behind her to keep the cold outside, found Kouki still trying to teach children to say Arashi. She decided to have a look at other parts of building and left to hall behind to enter the corridor.
St. Boethius
SilverFlight
Saavedra
As she went out to the front yard, freezing wind of winter stole warmth of her chocolate colored cheeks. She observed the stamped snow, still being able to recon two pairs of foot prints leavings the yard and making their way toward the buildings shortly away from the orphanage which probably belonged to a village or a town, she couldn't tell. She dipped her head as Morozko and Snow who still were waiting nearby, as a sign of thanking. As long as the old person was there she wouldn't have fear for wraith to tainting children. That would be a nightmare. In order to fulfill her part as a member of order, she took the vial of oil out her pocket and poured some on her palm then rubbed it on the ground by sticking her hand down into the snow. She kept the ritual on till a circle around the orphanage was completed. After that, Mina hung a few saphie charms on utter sides four walls before reentering.
As she closed the door behind her to keep the cold outside, found Kouki still trying to teach children to say Arashi. She decided to have a look at other parts of building and left to hall behind to enter the corridor.
St. Boethius
SilverFlight
Saavedra
Saavedra
Junior Member
Lady White liked children. From a general, theoretical point of view, anyway. Children represented potential. A future for mankind in general, for France and Great Britain on national terms, and for the Order of Seven in a more specific manner. It was just everything else she did not have time for, or cared about. She considered they were in good hands in the orphanage, if not as good as they could be, and the Order of Seven members could only improve things.
Unless...
The ghost drifted lazily through the corridors, allowing the incoming sounds to guide her toward the foyer. Of course, she had been here long enough to learn her way through the building, but she hoped to avoid the children and talk to one of the Order of Seven in private. The chance came in the form of a woman exploring the building. She could sense the woman´s breathing from the inside, hear it make its way to her lungs before coming out. There was a curious smell to her that was definitely not very... English, so to speak. Nevermind the uncommon aura around her. Both of these details told her she must have been one of the members of the Order that came with the vampires. And of course, she could also hear her steps. However, Lady White chose to avoid the corridor, in case the children followed her. She preferred to keep her presence discreet. Instead, the Lady stepped through a wall into one of the rooms the corridor connected to, then moved to the door. Her hand materialized in the air like a cloth of silk and frost to open the door ahead of Mina. Appropriately enough, the door squealed. Another little detail of the many that proved to Lady White that the matron was not as mindful of her duties as she should have been, and which she would have to talk about with her... if she ever decided to bother with it, and did not think the woman might die from the shock.
The ghost moved away from the door as the shimmer of her corporeal hand vanished in the darkness, the frost turning to drops of water on the doorhandle and on the floor. As Mina came closer, her aura acquired a quiet strength to it that made it quite distinct to Lady White´s otherworldly senses. She knew then that not only was she no common human, but that she would have to be careful not to be seen. Lady White prepared herself with a single, deep breath that made no sound or motion on a body that had stopped breathing long, long ago... and which rested in a grave in another country, anyway. As for her spirit, it diffuminated.
When Mina came in, she could see the silhouette of Lady White´s shoulders and hair, as if someone had torn a spider´s web and left it hanging according to the whims of the wind. Very little light came through the window, but someone with supernatural powers would know immediately that the spider web was like a cloak on a person very definitely standing there.
Yet Lady White said nothing, watching the new arrival coldly instead.
MJ ._.
Unless...
The ghost drifted lazily through the corridors, allowing the incoming sounds to guide her toward the foyer. Of course, she had been here long enough to learn her way through the building, but she hoped to avoid the children and talk to one of the Order of Seven in private. The chance came in the form of a woman exploring the building. She could sense the woman´s breathing from the inside, hear it make its way to her lungs before coming out. There was a curious smell to her that was definitely not very... English, so to speak. Nevermind the uncommon aura around her. Both of these details told her she must have been one of the members of the Order that came with the vampires. And of course, she could also hear her steps. However, Lady White chose to avoid the corridor, in case the children followed her. She preferred to keep her presence discreet. Instead, the Lady stepped through a wall into one of the rooms the corridor connected to, then moved to the door. Her hand materialized in the air like a cloth of silk and frost to open the door ahead of Mina. Appropriately enough, the door squealed. Another little detail of the many that proved to Lady White that the matron was not as mindful of her duties as she should have been, and which she would have to talk about with her... if she ever decided to bother with it, and did not think the woman might die from the shock.
The ghost moved away from the door as the shimmer of her corporeal hand vanished in the darkness, the frost turning to drops of water on the doorhandle and on the floor. As Mina came closer, her aura acquired a quiet strength to it that made it quite distinct to Lady White´s otherworldly senses. She knew then that not only was she no common human, but that she would have to be careful not to be seen. Lady White prepared herself with a single, deep breath that made no sound or motion on a body that had stopped breathing long, long ago... and which rested in a grave in another country, anyway. As for her spirit, it diffuminated.
When Mina came in, she could see the silhouette of Lady White´s shoulders and hair, as if someone had torn a spider´s web and left it hanging according to the whims of the wind. Very little light came through the window, but someone with supernatural powers would know immediately that the spider web was like a cloak on a person very definitely standing there.
Yet Lady White said nothing, watching the new arrival coldly instead.
MJ ._.
MJ ._.
Nothing
A door cracked open. Mina halted. Was a child playing there, she wondered and looked closely for a pair of little hands but what she saw was only a moisture knob; a paranormal symptom? She had to check it out. Surely nothing dangerous roamed inside the orphanage. Was it really unnatural for a door the open slowly by its own? Kouki had told her that a ghost lurked in the building. That could be it. She had to see by herself. She approached the door and entered. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust with darkness and then she could recognize a head, a neck and shoulders. It couldn't be seen clear but couldn't be ignored too. "Hello?" She had to make sure that it was a ghost who was trying to hide herself. "Didn't you just try to invite me in?" She asked.
