RPG Shinigami Dance

[Rachmaninoff]

[CENTER][B]The Alleged Paradigm [/B][/CENTER]
?[B]I was beginning to think Patrick was never going to shut up.[/B]? Nall growled. ?[B]Now you?re late for your training session with Nathan.[/B]?

?[B]It can?t be helped. I couldn?t tell him that I needed to go after all.[/B]?

Nall snorted rudely, ?[B]You don?t have to be polite.[/B]?

?[B]I don?t have to be rude either.[/B]? Alex said firmly.

?[B]Hmph, if that bothers you so much you should tell him why you can?t stick around.[/B]?

?[B]I?[/B]?

?[B]Jeez Alex, I don?t know why you care if he knows or not. It?s not like he?s going to tell anyone. ?Sides, what you do in your free time is your business so no one will care.[/B]?

If that were true, why did he still feel reluctant to talk to Patrick about anything? The dinner had left him feeling uneasy. It felt like Patrick was prying, though that just made no sense at all.[I] I must be imaging things. [/I]

?[B]I?d rather not find out.[/B]?

?[B]What if he starts wanting to hang out more? What then?[/B]? Nall pressed.

?[B]We?ll worry about that when and if it actually happens Nall.[/B]?

Nall just snorted and said nothing else; they were almost too where Nathan would be waiting. As they came in to land, it took them a moment to realize that the Reaper sitting on the park bench next to Nathan was Adrian along with Astera. [I]I wonder why he?s here.[/I]

?[B]Alex! Nall![/B]? He paused as Astera came flitting over to greet them. He wasn?t really paying attention though and a moment later Astera and Nall were off in their own world catching up on what had happened since they saw each other last.

?[B]Sorry I?m late.[/B]? Alex apologized as Nathan stood up. ?[B]Dinner took longer than expected.[/B]?

?[B]Dinner?[/B]? Adrian?s eyebrow shot up.

?[B]Yeah. I thought Patrick just wanted to say goodbye, but he?s taking a vacation and sticking around for a bit.[/B]? Alex shrugged. ?[B]Makes no sense to me, if I had time off, I wouldn?t spend it here.[/B]?

?[B]Anyway, it?s good to see you again Adrian. I trust your training went well?[/B]?

?[B]You could say that.[/B]?

?[B]Perhaps sometime you could show me what you?ve learned.[/B]? Alex said wistfully. ?[B]If you don?t mind that is.[/B]? He added on hastily.

?[B]Speaking of training,[/B]? Nathan started with a grin as he explained what he had in mind.

?[B]What?[/B]? Alex exclaimed once he was done. ?[B]Are you serious?[/B]? He shot a glance at Adrian who was watching the exchange before looking back at Nathan. ?[B]Uh? I.[/B]? He closed his mouth, feeling stupider by the moment and then nodded his agreement.

[CENTER]-------------------------[/CENTER]
?[B]You sure put your foot in your mouth that time Alex.[/B]? Nall was laughing at him again, like always.

?[B]I was surprised by it, that?s all.[/B]? Alex asserted.

That was a total understatement. Once he had gotten over the initial surprise and Nathan had gone over what he expected of the two, the training session had actually been exciting. He hadn?t wanted to say anything, but the training had begun to fell a bit repetitive lately.

The various places they had raided over the years had provided the occasional challenge, but it just wasn?t the same as working on a regular basis with someone. By the end of the session it was obvious that though Adrian still had a clear edge on him, the style he had learned was different.

He had been surprisingly patient as well, something that upon reflection he realized was silly. He had never worked with him like that before so he had nothing to go on. Still, it was clear that he was different somehow, and not just how he moved when sparring.

?[B]So, about Patrick?[/B]?

?[B]Would you put a sock in it already Nall?[/B]?

?[B]It?s not that,[/B]? Nall sounded pained. ?[B]Look.[/B]? He indicated the roof to their building; sure enough he could see him sitting on the edge of the building, watching the city below.

?[B]I wonder what he?oh.[/B]?

Patrick was holding the book he had been reading. [I]I must have left it at the restaurant. [/I]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"][CENTER][B][SIZE="2"]Underneath It All[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER]
?[B]So what excuse are you going to use now?[/B]? Karl stretched lazily before sitting up. ?[B]We?re not out of tea after all.[/B]?

?[B]I don?t need one. You?re going to volunteer.[/B]?

Karl flattened his ears and stared at Gavrie. ?[B]What did you volunteer me for?[/B]?

Gavrie grinned innocently. ?[B]Oh nothing much, just some clean up duty.[/B]?

?[B]While you stay behind and sit on your butt.[/B]? Karl snorted in disgust.

?[B]Not this time,[/B]? Gavrie soothed. ?[B]I?ll be going with you.[/B]?

?[B]Same target or different locations?[/B]?

?[B]It depends. For some of it we?ll be splitting up, but the rest we won?t.[/B]?

Karl just stared at him for the longest time before he finally voiced what he was thinking. ?[B]They?re putting you on the outside aren?t they?[/B]?

Gavrie grinned since that?s what they thought they were doing. However, he was not the only one looking into what was going on. He had a few contacts of his own who were in a better position to pry into things. Letting them think they had put him out of the loop would work in his favor. He wanted to be on the outside, though they didn?t know that.

?[B]That?s what they think. Sometimes the best way to see what?s going on is to step back and see the whole picture.[/B]? Gavrie leaned back, placing his hands behind his head. ?[B]Right now, we can learn more Earthside; those in a position to gain information here are already in place.[/B]?

?[B]So how long will we be on the other side?[/B]?

?[B]A year or two at the longest.[/B]? Gavrie stood up. ?[B]And speaking of that? let?s get going.[/B]?

Karl hopped off the chair he had been sitting in to follow Gavrie down the front steps. He stopped, nearly running into him when Gavrie came to a halt and gave him an odd look.

?[B]Not like that Karl, you?ll need to be in your other form for this.[/B]?

?[B]Not until we get to the target,[/B]? Karl disagreed.

?[B]Now Karl,[/B]? Gavrie said sternly. ?[B]Until I say otherwise, I need you to stay in your human form.[/B]?

Karl resisted the urge to growl before he finally switched, cursing colorfully.

?[B]Jerk.[/B]? He finally spat before he brushed past Gavrie to head for the capitol.

?[B]Not.[/B]?

Karl came to a halt, whipping around to glare at Gavrie. ?[B]If you?re not, then tell me why it matters?[/B]?

Gavrie looked hurt, ?[B]Because listening to you whine over how hard it is to get cheesecake out of your fur hurts my ears.[/B]?

?[B]What?[/B]? He scoffed. ?[B]That?s utter bull, I haven?t even had?[/B]? Karl shook his head before fixing Gavrie with another glare. ?[B]That?s not good enough.[/B]"

?[B]Hmmm,[/B]? Gavrie tapped his fingers on his chin for a moment. ?[B]It?s easier to get information if you?re the one to talk to the humans?[/B]?

?[B]Eehhh?[/B]?

?[B]You?re cuter than I am.[/B]?

Karl sputtered, cursing under his breath. ?[B]Adrian was right,[/B]? He finally managed.

?[B]Oh?[/B]? Gavrie said innocently.

?[B]You?re an asshole.[/B]? He said flatly.

Gavrie just laughed. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][SIZE="3"][B]At The Gates Of Retribution[/B][/SIZE] [/CENTER]
Phaidra eyed the blue haired Shinigami sitting in the living room to her abode. It was the first time Lucia had asked to talk to her since she set up a ward for her. Lucia was holding herself stiffly instead of relaxing as she explained why she had come.

?[B]So you want me and Sarvel to come along to check for vampires?[/B]?

Lucia nodded. ?[B]I can?t sense them until I?m much closer, which means they can also sense me.[/B]? She was pretty sure that Phaidra couldn?t either, and so far their excursions had consistently proven that Sarvel was the first one to sense the 'dead spots' as she referred to them.

?[B]I need to get closer in order to hack into an Internet exchange point facility. If I force an entry from here, it?s possible that it would be traced to this city.[/B]? Lucia elaborated.

?[B]Internet exchange point facility?[/B]? Phaidra?s brow furrowed as she looked at Lucia.

?[B]Yes, it?s a facility with a physical infrastructure that allows different Internet service providers to exchange Internet traffic between their networks?[/B]? Lucia stopped at Phaidra?s confused look. ?[B]Never mind, that?s not important.[/B]? There was no point in explaining that to her, she started over.

?[B]I believe that the vampires are using the facility in question to pass on information. I came across bits of an encryption for a message that was sent. It was related to the first place we visited.

The message was using our technology or rather programming language to encrypt and direct it. When I tried sending out fake messages in an attempt to trace it, they?re diverted to the same location.[/B]?

?[B]I see.[/B]?

?[B]There?s no point in diverting messages or information to the same location unless someone is physically there or in the general area to receive it.[/B]? Lucia absent mindedly picked up the glass of water on the small table between the sofa Phaidra and Sarvel were sitting on and the chair she was reclining in. She took a sip before setting it back down.

?[B]The only reason I can think of for using our technology, even if it?s in a limited fashion,[/B]? Lucia snorted at the thought since it had been clumsily done. ?[B]Would be to keep the humans from being able to trace it.[/B]?

Phaidra nodded, ?[B]Makes sense.[/B]?

Lucia finally leaned back a bit. ?[B]If there are vampires in the area then we?ll know to keep our distance, I only need to be in the same city, not in the actual building.[/B]? She stared intently at Phaidra, ?[B]If there are too many, we?ll leave immediately of course.[/B]?

She waited while Phaidra considered her request and then smiled slightly at her response.

?[B]Alright, as soon as our schedules permit, we?ll come along.[/B]?

[CENTER]--------------------------------[/CENTER]
?[B]So that?s the place.[/B]? Sarvel nodded towards the building at the bottom of the hill the group was standing on.

?[B]Yes.[/B]?

?[B]If there are vampires in the area, they aren?t close enough for me to sense them.[/B]? Sarvel looked up at Lucia. ?[B]A couple of the humans in that place feel odd though.[/B]?

?[B]Tainted?[/B]? Phaidra asked.

Sarvel sat down. ?[B]That?s what it feels like. All of the others have felt the same.[/B]?

Lucia turned on her communicator and started searching for an entry point. ?[B]Let me see if I can get in from here, it would be better to be inside, but we can?t hide from tainted humans.[/B]?

?[B]That?s why they use them after all,[/B]? Ruby commented.

Lucia mumbled an agreement and focused on getting in. It didn?t take her long. It was a pity that her communicator lacked the range to hack into a system that was more than 150 Earth miles. It was better than what they could do with their technology but if she ever got the time, she knew she?d look into boosting that distance.

This would be simple though, they were within a mile of the facility in question. Once she was ready, she sent off another fake message to trace it to the actual location within the facility. She allowed herself to become focused on what she was doing as she searched for information, trusting in the others to keep watch.

?[B]You getting what you want?[/B]? Phaidra asked softly.

?[B]Yes and no.[/B]? Lucia tuned her out as she focused for a moment and then explained further. ?[B]I think I?ve found what I want, but the security on it is a lot tighter than anything I?ve ever seen. I could push my way through, but if they realize someone is in there, they?ll simply turn off the power and cut my access.[/B]?

?[B]So you don?t want to trigger the alarm correct?[/B]?

?[B]Correct, I?d like to get what we want without them realizing someone got a hold of the messages being routed through this location.[/B]?

[I]If the security is this tight, then you know it?s hiding something.[/I] Lucia smiled to herself. It was rather clever actually. Using the humans like that, if her program hadn?t detected the code snippets, she would have never known. If she had relied on human means of searching, that was something she would not have picked up on.

The question now was determining if this was another dead end or if there was anything or anyone of importance in the area. She had run into dead ends like this before. Where information was picked up and then manually moved to a new location to send it on. It made finding the connection extremely difficult. A soft chime told her she was into the files in question, the ones where the encrypted messages were being directed to. Lucia waited patiently for her program to finish pulling the files. [I] Just a little more? Damn.[/I]

?[B]Time to leave.[/B]? Lucia tucked her communicator into her pocket. ?[B]My access was just cut off.[/B]?

?[B]Were you able to finish getting what you came for?[/B]? Phaidra asked once they had taken to the air.

?[B]I got over ninety percent of whatever was being stored there, it looked like that is cleared out every couple of days too, so whatever I got will be recent.[/B]?

It was too bad she hadn?t gotten all of it; at least it would look like a hacker, she had been careful to have her programs also stealing other useless information, to help cover what she had been up to.

?[B]Once I?ve had a chance to look at it, I?ll forward what I?ve learned to Nathan.[/B]?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"][CENTER][B][SIZE="3"]Dream Yourself Far Away[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER]
?[B]You ready to join the others?[/B]?

Phaidra nodded, ?[B]I?d rather not but at the same time, if we don?t, who will?[/B]?

Phaidra hadn?t expected to have another location to check into so quickly, but when Chris had sent a message to both her and Lucia about looking into another ?thought to be? abandoned location she had agreed to go. She still didn?t like dealing with humans who had been affected by vampires, but she liked letting other Reapers or humans die even less.

?[B]You still thinking about what we discussed earlier?[/B]? Sarvel moved closer until the two were almost touching as they flew to where they were to meet Lucia, Ruby, Chris and her familiar.

?[B]Kind of, it?s not like I have a problem with doing this it?s just that?[/B]? She trailed off.

If anything these excursions had opened up more lines of research in addition to giving her hard data on actual fighting. She wanted to head back and question why it seemed like nothing was really being done, but she knew she didn?t fully understand what was going on. So instead, after lengthy discussions with Sarvel, she had decided to do what she could on this side, for now.

?[B]I still wonder if we?re doing the right thing.[/B]? She finished.

?[B]Why? The vampires are supposed to be dead, all were doing is cleaning up a mess that shouldn?t exist.[/B]? Sarvel snorted. ?[B]I don?t know why they keep it a secret though.[/B]?

Phaidra didn?t either, there was nothing saying that Shinigami couldn?t deal with vampires or the creatures that served them. So hiding it or saying nothing seemed pointless. Just as going back? maybe it was best this way, at least for now. If she went home now it was likely that her concerns would be dismissed. But if she waited until she had enough data to prove that Reapers were dying for no good reason? Phaidra sighed.

?[B]What?s the matter?[/B]?

?[B]I?m just wishing more was being done to address this. No matter how I look at it. It seems like people are being sent to die for no reason.[/B]? It was a thought that she didn?t like. The idea that their own Council would be so careless with their lives. It went against everything they believed in.

?[B]How did your meeting with the editor go?[/B]? Sarvel changed the topic.

?[B]Huh?[/B]? Phaidra stared at her blankly for a moment. ?[B]Oh, right. It went fine.[/B]?

Sarvel hadn?t shown much interest in her side project, other than the occasional outburst of irritation, though that had been settled a little while back. She thought about the meeting and smiled. It had gone better than she expected. Both of the tiny books were going to be combined into one. Unless something went wrong, the combined cookbook would be released in a few weeks.

?[B]Good.[/B]?

Phaidra chuckled. ?[B]I thought you didn?t approve of that.[/B]?

?[B]Eh? like you said before, it will keep them from calling your place so I guess it?s okay. Anyway, looks like the other two are already here.[/B]? She indicated the small city they were approaching.

Phaidra looked for them and then nodded when she finally saw the group waiting at the outskirts of the city proper. They turned to face her and Sarvel as they approached.

?[B]Sorry to keep you waiting.[/B]? Phaidra said as she joined them.[/FONT]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"][CENTER][SIZE="2"][B]Let It Out[/B][/SIZE][/CENTER]
?[B]So they?re sending out another group to die for no reason.[/B]? Adrian, along with the others was sitting in Nathan?s living room.

Adrian didn?t have to guess as to where Nathan had gotten the information, he knew. Nathan had already given them the details; another group was being sent in to deal with rouge vampires, just like they had been sent in after the Count. How Gavrie had managed to find out in advance was a bit of a mystery, but Adrian was positive they could trust the tip.

Gavrie may have been quiet about it, but it wasn?t that hard for him to put two and two together. It certainly explained why he had handed him over to Karl for the first three years of training. He had let Karl handle the basics while he was looking into what the hell was going on back home. Hindsight, as humans called it, was always crystal clear.

?[B]I?m sure there?s a reason,[/B]? Nathan asserted before grinning like he always did.

?[B]And I?m not sure if I really want to know.[/B]? Alex said softly. He looked up to see the others staring at him. ?[B]What I mean is[/B],? He started to explain, ?[B]I?[/B]? He sighed. ?[B]Never mind.[/B]?

?[B]You don?t have to skirt around it you know.[/B]? Adrian had his own ideas on what was going on. It didn't take too much to realize that someone was obviously up to no good. ?[B]Someone doesn?t give a damn if we die or if they are sending us to our deaths.[/B]?

?[B]I know that?s likely the case, but still?[/B]? He reached up to scratch Nall?s ears. ?[B]It doesn?t matter at the moment, what does is keeping it from happening again.[/B]?

[B][I]-I?ve turned into such a cynic haven?t I?- [/I][/B] Adrian laughed at himself.

[B][I]-You?ve always been like that.- [/I][/B]Astera said flatly. [B][I]?The others aren?t. Well, I don?t know about Nathan and Isen? or Lucia for that matter.- [/I][/B]She conceded.

?[B]No it doesn?t matter,[/B]? Adrian agreed. ?[B]At least not at the moment.[/B]? He looked over to Nathan and Isen, the latter merely shrugging slightly instead of saying anything.

?[B]Right, let?s get going,[/B]? Nathan looked to each one of them before he got up and took off, the others following along as he ghosted up and through the ceiling to his abode.

Adrian was excited. This would be the first time he would have the chance to truly test what he had learned without Gavrie or Karl around as a backup. Adrian glanced over at Alex who was flying to the right of him and then looked forward a bit to Nathan and Isen who were leading the way.

Well not completely on his own, it may have been seven years but he still remembered that spar between Gavrie and Nathan. There was no doubt in his mind that Nathan was as good if not better than Gavrie was. He laughed inwardly. It would still be fun to test what he had learned, just as it would be amusing to see Alex in action too. They had only gotten to spar a few times but it was clear that he hadn?t been sitting around doing nothing during the past seven years.

?[B]You ready for some fun?[/B]? Adrian asked Alex.

?[B]I don?t know if I?d call it fun.[/B]? Alex replied.

?[B]I would. I know what you?ve been up to while I was gone. It?s one thing to simply move in and clean up after the mess has happened and yet another to stop it from being a disaster in the first place.[/B]? Adrian grinned. ?[B]I didn?t ask for training just to come back to Earth and sit on my butt and do nothing after all.[/B]?

He paused for a moment. ?[B]So tell me something, why did you ask for training?[/B]?

?[B]I don?t want to die.[/B]?

?[B]Is that all?[/B]? Adrian pressed.

Alex stared at him for a moment. ?[B]I don?t want anyone else to die either.[/B]?

?[B]That?s what I thought.[/B]?

?[B]What do you mean?[/B]? Alex seemed puzzled.

?[B]In order to keep others from facing what we did, you had to get training to protect not only yourself, but others too.[/B]?

?[B]You make it sound nobler than it really is.[/B]? Alex answered him.

[B][I]-Adrian, I think we should?- [/I][/B]Astera started.

He didn?t need her to finish since he knew what she was thinking, and ironically he felt the same. He had always liked the kid and recent developments only reinforced that.

[B][I]-Yeah, I know. I think we can trust him.-[/I][/B]

?[B]I don?t think so.[/B]? Adrian countered. ?[B]By the way Alex,[/b]" He changed the topic, "[b]what do you know about bonding?[/B]?[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

[CENTER][B]The Final Countdown[/B][/CENTER]
Bonding? Why in the world was Adrian asking him about bonding? Alex didn?t really know much about it, other than it was a practice from the war with the vampires that had been discontinued. If he remembered correctly what little he had been told, the problem with a bond was if the other person died, then the one bonded to them also died.

There was something about a distance limitation as well, but other than a brief mention in the history book about finding a technique to safely dissolve the bond and then quit teaching Reapers how to form one, there hadn?t been anything else. He wasn?t sure why Adrian brought it up, but he told him what little he knew.

?[B]Have you ever heard about a second type of bond, called a lifebond?[/B]?

Alex shook his head since he had not. The conversation made no sense to him, but he listened as Adrian explained the difference between the two. Alex had never heard of a bond where it couldn?t be safely removed.[I] What is he getting at? Is he saying that?[/I] Alex looked at Nall who merely shrugged before turning back to Adrian.

?[B]Are you trying to tell me that you?re bonded to Astera and that it?s this other type of bond that you?re talking about?[/B]? It would explain why Adrian never went anywhere without her.

?[B]I am.[/B]?

?[B]Why are you telling me this?[/B]? The moment he asked, he had his answer. Being bonded would on some level change how they worked together, something Adrian confirmed.

?[B]We?re going to be working together and I have a feeling that this won?t be the only time. If you understand why I do things a certain way or seem to favor Astera, it won?t be a distraction in battle.[/B]?

Alex nodded. ?[B]True, just as it also explains why you never leave her behind.[/B]?

Adrian chuckled. ?[B]I couldn?t even if I wanted to.[/B]?

?[B]Hey![/B]? Astera protested indignantly.

?[B]Guys, we?re here.[/B]? Nall interjected. ?[B]What kind of vampire stronghold is that?[/B]?

Alex was inclined to agree, it looked like nothing more than a simple hotel on the outskirts of a smaller town among the vast forests of the state it was located in. Approximately three stories high and according to the sign in front open to members only. He followed Nathan and Isen who came in to land less than a few blocks from it. Already Alex could tell that something felt off, just as he was already picking up on vampires in the area.

It was hard to be certain, but there had to be at least fifteen of them, but some of the aura?s felt off, making him wonder if they were merely tainted humans instead of true vampires. He was wondering what to do next when Nathan fixed them with an intense look.

?[B]Take the south wing of the building while Isen and I cover the north. [I]Now[/I].[/B]? He barely waited for them to nod in agreement before the two took off.

Alex didn?t question it; he?d worked with him long enough to know there had to be a reason. With a brief glance at the others he made for the south end of the building, understanding dawning when getting closer revealed that the group sent to deal with the vampires was already in the building.

[I]Damn! We should have gotten here sooner![/I] It was clear the group wasn?t working together since the three at the south end of the building were separated. Alex looked to Adrian and pointed down, indicating that he and Nall would tackle the group on the first floor while they took care of the other further up. A return grin from Adrian was all he needed before they split up.

Nall moved off his shoulder just before he ghosted through the walls at top speed. For the first time he found himself feeling calm as he made straight for the trio of vampires relentlessly hounding the lone Reaper facing them. He raised both hands and took aim at the vampires who were attempting to turn and meet the new threat. Alex didn?t give them a chance.

Twin balls of purifying flames shot forward, one from each hand, catching the two vampires, who were half turned, directly in the chest. They barely had time to register surprise before the flames tore through and incinerated their soul sacs. The last one managed to get his short sword up in time to attempt to strike Alex, the battered Reaper he had been hounding, forgotten.

Alex let his momentum carry him forward, sliding in under the slash in his direction. He hit the vampire hard in the middle. The vampire gasped for air as he flew backwards, the short sword slipping from his grasp. At the same moment it hit the floor, Alex flew forward to hit the vampire with a swift upper cut. As his left knuckles dug into the vampires chin, he heard the grotesque sound of bones in his neck snapping.

As he brought up his right hand; fire began to form in his palm, roughly the size of a tennis ball. Alex launched it straight into the vampire?s chest, tearing through the soul sac. He let the body drop and whirled in place only to see the Reaper he had helped manage to finish off some tainted humans.

?[B]Who are you?[/B]?

Alex ignored him in favor of picking up the short sword the vampire had tried to use on him. He had run into these weapons that the vampires had that could affect them, and normally he?d just destroy it, but there was something odd about how this one felt. Instead of destroying it like he normally would, he retrieved the sheath for it and then tucked it into his tunic to give to Nathan later.

?[B]What?s wrong Alex?[/B]? Nall started to ask him.

?[B]Hey! I asked you a question, who the hell are you?[/B]?

?[B]Go home.[/B]? Alex ordered the Reaper who was challenging him. ?[B]You?re in no condition to fight.[/B]? He looked to Nall who nodded and then launched himself up to join Adrian and Astera who were on the third floor.

Adrian had already dealt with most of them and other than to help clean up a few stragglers, there wasn?t much to be done. One of the Reapers was severely injured, but nothing that time wouldn?t cure. He didn?t recognize the type of familiars with them, but they too seemed to be unharmed, a bit distressed, but other than that, they were alright.

He looked at Adrian who merely grinned a bit before they left the bewildered Reapers and headed for the last area where they could still sense vampires. Alex could also feel Nathan and Isen heading the same way. From the feel of things, it seemed like those two would get there first.

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"][CENTER][B]Going My Way[/B][/CENTER]
Phaidra wasn?t late, but she still hated to be the last person to arrive. It didn?t matter what the deal was, being prompt and on time mattered to her. The others didn?t seem bothered by it, but still. She put it out of mind since it wasn?t important and her tendency to worry over stuff like that was out of place.

?[B]We just got here,[/B]? answered Lucia. ?[B]I?m getting a scan of the area; as soon as I?m done we can proceed.[/B]?

?[B]My familiars are checking the area as well.[/B]? Chris didn?t actually smile, but her calm demeanor was far more welcoming than Lucia?s matter-of-fact nature.

[I]I don?t know if I?ll ever get use to that,[/I] she thought. [I]Though perhaps if I understood why? [/I]She put that out of mind too. As much as she wanted to pry, mainly because she couldn?t shake the feeling that it was more than a desire to be alone, it wasn?t the time for that either.

?[B]I don?t know where the building in question is,[/B]? Sarvel chimed in. ?[B]But I?m not sensing any dead spots in the area at all. There are some odd traces of magic, but that?s it.[/B]?

?[B]And I?m picking up some very faint energy readings as well.[/B]? Lucia added. She held up the communicator she had so the others could see.

A tiny map of the section of the city where the vampires had been was on the screen. The energy readings were marked by tiny little dots of a different color. One appeared to be just above the home the vampires had occupied with one on each side and two jutting out at the bottom.

?[B]Sarvel, take a look at this.[/B]? Phaidra moved over so she could float over and take a peek.

?[B]Interesting. We?d have to actually get closer to not only test it but see if that?s actually what it looks like.[/B]? She speculated.

?[B]What are you talking about?[/B]? Lucia demanded.

?[B]It?s possible that it?s either a ward or a type of magical trap.[/B]? Phaidra explained. ?[B]Those points where you?re picking up a slight reading, based on their actual location, could be the focus for either a powerful ward or a trap.[/B]?

?[B]I didn?t see anything like that for the ward you placed on my place.[/B]?

?[B]You wouldn?t, it?s too low key for that.[/B]? Phaidra explained. ?[B]The only reason something like this might show up is if the ward was designed to handle more than just a small section of the city or if it was holding the trigger or rather the actual trap.[/B]?

?[B]If you go back to the vampire wars,[/B]? interjected Sarvel. ?[B]Something like this would hide the fact that there are creatures like undead dragons or wraiths. It was also used to keep them pinned in a type of separate space altogether, so that when the trap is sprung, the target would find themselves surrounded by what had been hidden.[/B]?

?[B]There?s only one way to find out.[/B]? Chris? eyes narrowed. ?[B]Unless you wish to check that right here and now.[/B]?

?[B]It would be better if we were closer. It?s possible that what she?s picking up is something else after all. However,[/B]? Phaidra elaborated. "[B]If it is a trap and I trigger it by mistake, it could release what's being held into the city.[/B]"

?[B]Let?s get going then. We?ll be right behind you.[/B]? Chris said.

Phaidra nodded and took the lead; she couldn?t feel anything just yet. Sarvel?s ability to sense magic was much more attuned than hers was. She didn?t like it though. If Lucia?s scanner really was picking up on a ward or spell, it would have to be really powerful. At least she thought it would. [I]I need to find out just what that thing she uses is capable of doing.[/I][/FONT]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][B][SIZE="3"]Lost[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER]
Lucia followed along just behind Phaidra and Sarvel, though her mind was more on what she had picked up.[I] Now that?s an interesting thought I?ve never scanned for traces that are magical in nature.[/I] She hadn?t really considered it before. Other than Phaidra she didn?t really know many arcanists. Her research didn?t extend into that field, but if what she had picked up was from a trap that was magical in nature? she filed the information away in her mind, like she often did. It was something that would be worth looking into later.

The pair in front of her came to a halt when they were about twenty feet from the first point on Lucia?s scanner, the one just to the right side of the actual home. It was clear no one was living there anymore since her scanner wasn?t picking up anything at all, not even the residual traces that would indicate there was power running to the residence. The only thing it was missing was one of those 'for sale' signs the humans would put up. She looked over to Phaidra when she spoke.

?[B]Please wait here for a moment. I want to take a look around.[/B]? She waited for both Lucia and Chris to nod in agreement.

?[B]It?s important that you don?t go in there. It feels like a trap, but I?m still not sure yet, just as I don?t know what would?[/B]?

?[B]Go on,[/B]? Chris interrupted. ?[B]We?ll wait until you?re done.[/B]?

Phaidra nodded and then with a quick glance at Sarvel, she started circling the place. Phaidra did so in a counter-clockwise circle while Sarvel did the same only clockwise. Both of them were being careful to avoid straying into what could be considered the actual trap zone.

?[B]Can you tell if it?s a trap or not?[/B]? Lucia asked Chris once the pair was out of hearing range. Other than what she had picked up on her scanner, Lucia couldn't feel anything at all.

?[B]You mean a magical one?[/B]?

Lucia nodded.

?[B]Usually I can identify a ward or trap.[/B]?

?[B]Usually?[/B]?

Chris continued to watch the pair as they moved around the home. ?[B]It depends on whether or not it has been cloaked or shielded.[/B]?

?[B]So, is this one?[/B]? Lucia prodded when she didn?t continue. "[B]A ward or a trap.[/B]"

?[B]I?m not sure,[/b]" Chris shrugged. "[b]There is something there, but it feels wrong.[/B]?

?[B]I don?t understand, what do you mean it feels wrong?[/B]?

Chris spared her a brief glance before looking back at the two who were almost finished circling the place, she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before responding.

?[B]It feels like a poorly made shield,[/B]? She turned and looked at her directly, grinning briefly, reminding Lucia of Nathan.

?[B]I?m sure we?ll find out soon enough.[/B]? She said before turning back to face Phaidra and Sarvel who were talking among themselves as they approached.

[I]What did she mean by a poorly made shield?[/I] Lucia wondered. [I]I really need to learn more about this kind of stuff.[/I]

?[B]Perhaps you should take the time to learn a little about how magic works Lucia,[/B]? Ruby said just loud enough for her to hear, echoing her thoughts.

?[B]What did you find out?[/B]? Lucia asked the pair the moment they were back.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"][CENTER][B]Aftershock[/B][/CENTER]
As part of her magical training, Phaidra had heard about and actually been taught the fundamentals behind setting up a trap. Her teacher at the time was a war veteran himself and was well acquainted with many of the nasty traps used back during the war. Sensing one was the easiest part, determining just what it was and how to safely disarm it was where the difficulty lie.

The more she studied it as she circled it, the more she got a feel for how it was constructed. There was a poorly made shield over it, but either the person hadn?t known what they were doing, or at the time they cast it, they had overextended themselves. There were some tiny errors in how it should have been tied into the trap, resulting in the energy leakage that was being picked up.

It should have been cloaking the residual energy from the ward, but instead it was actually keeping it in the area, making it easier to pick up on, at least to someone like her and Sarvel. Based on what she could see, she was pretty certain that she knew what it was and just what type of trap they were dealing with.

It was much like looking over a massive spider web, she could see the lines and what would happen when they snapped. Just as she could vaguely sense what it was holding inside. She pushed her glasses back a bit with her forefinger before extending her hand out to form a tiny arcane circle, about a foot in diameter. Phaidra sent the tiniest whisper of power through it to test the edge of the actual ward.

She pulled back immediately when one of the smaller lines holding the trap in place snapped. [I]So that?s the trigger. That means it?s for? [/I]She shook her head and finished her trip around the trap, being careful to not accidentally snap any more lines to the ward.

?[B]What do you think Phaidra?[/B]? Sarvel asked her when they were done. ?[B]We could trigger it, but that would let whatever?s in there out.[/B]?

?[B]I know, and it?s powerful enough, that we could find ourselves with a serious situation on our hands.[/B]? She folded her arms across her chest. ?[B]Considering what the trigger is, you know that whatever is in there, will be more than we can handle. The sheer amount of power wasted just to set and contain what?s inside it is staggering.[/B]?

?[B]Someone has noticed that we are checking into what?s going on.[/B]? Sarvel concluded. ?[B]The threshold for triggering it something no human is capable of, most vampires aren?t either. It?s clearly meant to catch Reapers.[/B]?

?[B]I know.[/B]? Phaidra let her arms fall to her side as they approached the group. She wasn?t surprised when Lucia immediately wanted to know what the deal was, so she told them.

?[B]So in other words, if we had entered the building, our presence would have triggered the trap.[/B]? Chris said flatly.

Phaidra nodded. ?[B]It?s designed so the lines will snap when they come in contact with someone who is in tune with their spiritual energy. Shinigami, by our very nature are very much so. Vampires do tap into it as well, but not to the same degree. The chance of a vampire or human managing to trigger this trap is pretty slim.[/B]?

?[B]What do you recommend?[/B]? asked Chris.

?[B]I want to collapse the trap, destroying what?s inside.[/B]?

?[B]Won?t that destroy the building as well?[/B]?

?[B]It will.[/B]? Phaidra confirmed.

?[B]What are you talking about?[/B]? Lucia interrupted.

Sarvel tilted her head to the side before answering, ?[B]When a trap is this large, it has an effect on the real world. If we turn it in on itself that will cause a disturbance since they are both occupying the same space. So as a result, the building will be crushed as well.[/B]?

?[B]I thought we wanted to check the place out. If we destroy it we?ll learn nothing.[/B]? Lucia pointed out.

?[B]So what your saying is there?s more in there than we can handle.[/B]? Chris smirked. ?[B]Or rather that it?s possible there would be more than we could safely contain.[/B]?

?[B]I am.[/B]? Phaidra asserted.

?[B]Fair enough,[/B]? Chris replied. ?[B]How are you planning on doing it with just the two of you though? Don?t you need to cover all five focus points for something of this size?[/B]?

?[B]Yes and no. If you, Lucia and Ruby are willing to hold the focus for three of the points that I set up, Sarvel and I can handle the rest.[/B]?

?[B]Alright.[/B]? Chris agreed.

?[B]Wait a second,[/B]? Lucia objected. ?[B]At the very least let me finish getting scans of the area, those are not spiritual in nature so that shouldn?t trigger the trap.[/B]?

?[B]The sooner we deal with this the better.[/B]? Phaidra said firmly. ?[B]You stay here to cover this spot Lucia, I?ll go and set the others up first, once I?m done, we need to deal with this.[/B]? Phaidra could see that Lucia wasn?t happy about it, but leaving a dangerous trap like that around was foolish. If another Shinigami in the area wandered into it by accident?

It wasn?t that difficult to get the others in position. Phaidra had each of them take one of the five focus points for the actual ward. She would be building the actual arcane circles needed for her and Sarvel to implode the trap on itself. Chris and the others merely needed to use their spiritual energy to keep the circle from collapsing before she could tie all of them together.

Setting Chris up was simple since it was obvious she was familiar with the concept. She tied her own energy into the arcane circle that was up between her and Phaidra without hesitation. With a brief nod she went to set up Lucia while Sarvel was working with Ruby. Lucia took a little bit longer, but not by much.

Then, once she was in place she quickly cast the circle at her end before sending out the lines of spiritual energy to tie into the others. To her eyes, she could see them as they formed and then flared as she, along with Sarvel immediately launched into casting the spell that would surround the ward and then force it in on itself.

Another thin line of energy raced from both her and Sarvel in each direction, to the person on either side, causing another circle to form just in front of the first one. Symbols from their language formed along the outer edge before flaring and then spinning slightly. Then the circles suddenly moved towards the center of the trap.

There was a brief hesitation when they encountered the actual edges of the trap, Phaidra could feel the resistance and poured more of her energy into the lines. [I]You will collapse![/I] She smiled slightly when she felt Sarvel doing the same. A split second later, a boom sounded as the circles overcame the resistance and swiftly converged on the center location. Upon hitting the home, the arcane circles tore right through it, resulting in another loud boom that sent debris into the air.

Most of it bounced off the first set of arcane circles that Phaidra and Sarvel had cast. As soon as the storm of debris settled down, with a nod in Sarvel?s direction, they dissolved the links. Phaidra smiled grimly. [I]That takes care of that.[/I] There were some lingering traces of the original trap, but they were fading quickly, indicating that it had been successful. Now all they had to do was check things over before heading back home. [/FONT]

[Allamorph]

[CENTER][B][U][FONT=Arial]Damage King[/FONT][/U][/B][/CENTER]

[SIZE="1"][align=justify][B]“Shit, man, this sucks balls.”[/B] The dark-haired man leaned back from his console and stretched his muscle-bound arms behind his head. [B]“There’s a goddamn bloodsport goin’ on upstairs, and they tell us to stay down and watch the entrance? Bullshit.”[/B] He glanced at his partner, who was rooting through a half-full box of donuts. [B]“I mean hell, the least they could have done is sent one of the sons of bitches down to us, for Chrissake.”[/B]

[B]“Mmm,”[/B] his partner grunted without looking up. [B]“There any more raspberry-filled in here?”[/B]

[B]“If there aren’t, you’ve probably eaten them all. I’ve only had two of the damn things since you brought the box in.”[/B] The dark-haired man snorted. [B]“Do you even care that you’re stuck down here?”[/B]

The other, a moderately-built redhead of shorter stature, shrugged. [B]“Not really,”[/B] he said around the cinnamon donut between his teeth. Setting aside the box again, he brushed some sugar dust off his slight ponch and bit into his treat. [B] “I get nervous around blood. Makes me feel strange.”[/B]

[B]“The hell?”[/B] The dark-haired man shook his head. [B]“You’re a goddamn vampire, and you get squeamish at the sight of something you drink. [I]That[/I] makes a shit-ton of sense.”[/B]

The redhead shrugged again. [B] “I don’t have to look at it while I drink it.” [/B] He took another bite. [B]“Now can we stop talking about it? You’re making me feel—oh hey.” [/B]

[B]“What?”[/B] The dark-haired man leaned out to look at his partner’s monitor. The redhead pointed at what had caught his attention.

[B]“Someone’s in the lobby.”[/B]

[B]“The lobby?”[/B] The dark-haired man stood. [B]“How the hell’d they get in—hot damn, man, that bitch is smokin’! And no receptionist on duty.” [/B] He smirked. [B]“Tell ya what. I’ll go see what she wants, tell her we’re closed temporarily, and . . . escort her out.”[/B] He strode for the door and opened it. [B] “Might be a few minutes....”[/B]

The redhead jumped as his partner’s body flew past him and crashed into the monitors on the back wall. He barely got turned around to see his assailant before a fiery dart tore a hole through his forehead, and he slumped n his chair, his head lolling to the side, right hand still clutching the donut.

[B]“Hmm,” [/B]said Nathan, stepping around the dead vampire to gaze at the camera displays. [B] “Conference room, third floor.”[/B] He grinned at Isen, who had joined him from the lobby. [B]“These people sure do like their arenas.”[/B]

She nodded. [B]“Fine by me. Up, then?”[/B]

[B]“Up indeed. Straight up.”[/B]

The two spirits rose into the air and passed through the ceiling.

[CENTER]---------------------------------[/CENTER]
Nathan blew that door open as well.

[B]“Okie dokie, arti-CHOK-ie!”[/B] he yelled from the doorway, [B]“why wasn’t I invited to this here shindig?”[/B] He fired a shot to the ceiling, sending the chandelier in the center of the room crashing to the floor.

[B]“Are you going to blow up everything in the place today?” [/B]asked Isen when no one answered.

[B]“I might,” [/B]said Nathan. [B]“I’m in kind of an explosive mood. Boom boom, you are done, sir. Besides, I think I got one with the light bulbs there.” [/B] He grinned at the shaken reaper whose assailant he had indeed crushed with the heavy light fixture. [B]“Always wanted to do that.”[/B]

[B]“What’s going on!”[/B] shouted one of the vampires. [B]“Who are you? Why are you here, and what have you done with the others?”[/B]

[B]“Hunh?”[/B] said Nathan. [B]“What others? We just got here, thought we’d drop by, give our friends here a break. Unless you mean Bob and Tom downstairs,”[/B] he added thoughtfully. [B]“I killed those two. Caught them leering at my lady friend.”[/B]

[B]“...what?”[/B]

[B]“Desmond and Rupert,”[/B] provided Isen. When Nathan glanced at her, she shrugged. [B]“I looked at their nametags.”[/B]

[B]“Rupert?”[/B] asked Nathan incredulously. [B]“[I]Seriously?[/I] Tom sounded so much better.”[/B] He shook his head. [B]“Who on earth names their kid ‘Rupert’? Anyway,”[/B] he went on, returning his attention to the vampires, [B]“playtime’s over. They’re out, we’re in.”[/B] He smiled. [B]“Been nice knowing ya.”[/B]

A vampire near the side of the room cursed violently.

[B]“The hell it has! We’ll kill these faggots and you, too!”[/B] He raised a sword over his head and swung for the shinigami on the ground in front of him.

Nathan grabbed his scythe and vanished, reappearing in front of the vampire and catching the sword with his blade. Jerking the weapon to his right, he sent his left fist smashing into the vampire’s cheekbone. The vampire reeled and rammed into a table.

[B]“Let me rephrase that,”[/B] the blue shinigami said icily. [B] “Reapers, fall back. We’ll handle the trash.”[/B] He looked slowly around the room. [B]“The next one who tries to stop them dies.”[/B]

None of the vampires in the room moved for a moment. As the stunned shinigami collected themselves and headed for the doorway, one of the vampires began hyperventilating.

[B]“Screw this,”[/B] he managed before fleeing for the fire exit.

With a snarl, Isen took two steps and hurled herself across the room, drawing midair and splitting the fleeing man at the waist. She sheathed her katana, turned, and glowered at the rest of the room.

Nathan grinned again.

[B]“As you can see,”[/B] he said sweetly, [B]“we’ve got all the exits covered.”[/B]

[CENTER]---------------------------------[/CENTER]
When Alex, Adrian, and their familiars made it to the conference room, the floor was littered with bodies and body parts. Two vampires had died right in front of the kitchen door, through which the reapers had entered, the main doors looked like they had been ripped off their hinges, and there was a grotesque bloody handprint on one of the other exits.

[B]“Good grief,”[/B] said Nall.

[B]“Looks like someone scared them shitless,”[/B] remarked Adrian smugly. [B]“I think they all died trying to escape.”[/B]

[B]“Something like that,”[/B] said Nathan, who was sitting on the only upright table in the room, cleaning his scythe blade with a napkin. [B]“To be honest, I think Isen scared them more than I did. Dunno why....”[/B]

The reapers surveyed the room for a moment in silence. The place had been completely demolished, chairs and tables and light fixtures strewn everywhere. Over by the destroyed front doors was Isen, who seemed to be talking to a group of recovering shinigami.

[B]“Man,”[/B] said Adrian respectfully. [B]“What the hell do you two eat for breakfast?”[/B]

[B]“Angst,”[/B] Nathan quipped. [B]“Angst and razor blades in a bowl, floating in tears of hopelessness. After that, a serving of the fruit of despair.”[/B]

[B]“What?”[/B]

[B]“I dunno.”[/B]

[B]“Oh!”[/B] said Alex suddenly. [B] “I have something you might be interested in, Nathan.”[/B] He pulled a sheathed sword from inside his tunic and presented it to the blue man. [B]“One of the vampires was carrying this. It feels different from the other weapons they’ve been using.”[/B]

[B]“Hmm,”[/B] Nathan pronounced, taking the weapon. He studied it for a moment, then glanced back to Alex. [B]“I’m not sure whether or not to be depressed that talking about angst in a bowl reminds you of things to give me.”[/B]

Adrian snorted.[/align][/SIZE]

[Rachmaninoff]

[CENTER][B]Fatal Error[/B][/CENTER]
?[B]Don?t you think it?s time I went back?[/B]? Patrick didn?t bother to turn and face the Reaper who had ghosted into his apartment. He kept staring out at the city, reaching up to first scratch Terry on the head and then Fiero.

He could hear the sound of footsteps as the non-descript grim approached and then stopped so they were just behind him and to the right. Patrick nodded to Terry and Fiero who took off, vanishing from sight as they took to the skies.

?[B]Are you tired of the assignment?[/B]?

Patrick frowned. ?[B]I?m not tired of it; it?s just that I haven?t picked up anything new in the past two years. The remains of that Count?s network are long gone.[/B]? He finally turned just enough to face him.

Not that there was anything remarkable about him, with short sandy brown hair and eyes. His medium build and plain workers clothing was something that would blend in no matter where he went.

?[B]I?ve been telling you how the others are as well, but they?re not even around at the moment and it?s not like their activities really matter. It?s obvious they?ve gone back fulfilling their normal duties.[/B]? He sighed and turned back to looking out.

?[B]Are you certain there aren?t any other vampires about then?[/B]? The Shinigami asked.

?[B]Of course not.[/B]? Patrick snorted. ?[B]I?m just saying that if there are, they?re either staying carefully hidden, or they?ve moved on. I can keep looking around but after two years of finding nothing but silly political backstabbing on the human?s part, I think I?m wasting my time here.[/B]?

?[B]In that case how about you take care of some other 'small' matters?[/B]?

?[B]Other matters?[/B]? Confused he turned to face him again, ?[B]What are you talking about?[/B]?

?[B]It?s really simple[/B],? he leaned forward, lowered his voice and told him.

?[B]You want me to do what?[/B]? Patrick pulled back in surprise, ?[B]Are you out of your mind? I thought that kind of interference was unacceptable.[/B]?

?[B]Normally it is,[/B]? the man soothed. ?[B]However, there are times when it?s necessary and this is why?[/B]?

Patrick could feel Terry and Fiero approaching as the Reaper quickly explained. It both made sense and didn?t make sense, but he had been told up front that he would have unusual duties this time around.

[I]The sooner I get this done, the quicker I can return to the other side.[/I] He wondered what Terry and Fiero would think of it though. He winced inwardly at the thought. Necessary or not, those two would not approve.

?[B]Alright, I?ll take care of it.[/B]? He said as Terry and Fiero entered the apartment.

The reaper didn?t bother to answer. He nodded in return and then simply took off, ghosting through the ceiling, a moment later and even the feel of his aura was gone.

For the longest time Patrick stared at the spot in the ceiling before he finally turned back to watching the city.

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"][CENTER][SIZE="2"][B]Wherever The Wind Blows [/B][/SIZE][/CENTER]
Karl didn’t mind being on Earth, nor did he hate being in human form as much as he let Gavrie think he did. Though he was sure Gavrie knew that. It was true that he preferred the other... okay if he was honest with himself he [I]always[/I] preferred it, but that was not uncommon among his kind.

The morning air was crisp and refreshing, and even the taint from human technology couldn’t spoil it. There was a brisk breeze scouring the small town and though the air had a distinct chill to it, both of them ignored it as they walked down the main street of the nearly abandoned town. Most of the tiny shops were locked with closed signs hanging in the windows.

“[B]Either they don’t understand the danger, or they can’t leave.[/B]” Karl commented when it became apparent that they were being stared at by the remaining inhabitants.

“[B]The vampires may be gone, but the ward keeping their pets under control hasn’t completely eroded yet.[/B]” Gavrie answered. “[B]So long as they stay in the town, they’re fine.[/B]”

Karl looked around though it wasn’t really necessary. He couldn’t outright sense humans in the same manner that Gavrie could, but it wasn’t too hard to pick up on little things that indicated others were about. Some were openly watching them from behind the windows of the few shops that were open. A few were out and about, though they shied away from the pair as if they expected trouble.

“[B]It doesn’t look like you’re going to get much this time.[/B]” Karl remarked. “[B]So what are we waiting for? It’s clear that the rats have already jumped ship.[/B]”

Gavrie had told him where they were, but he didn’t remember and honestly didn’t care. It [I]was[/I] pretty, with the endless rolling green hills and forests that stretched as far as the eye could see. Only broken by spurts of human habitation and the roads that connected the various towns.

Karl turned his attention to their target, an older millhouse just outside the town. The top of it could be seen above the tree tops. They followed the road as it left the town, meandered a bit, and then vanished into the trees. The moment they were out of sight, all pretenses at being human was dropped and they made for the mill at top speed.

[CENTER]-------------------------[/CENTER]
The scimitar in Karl's left hand came up in a lethal arch that started at the floor before effortlessly separating the undead dragon’s head from its body. Before the head had hit the ground it was split in half by Karl’s other scimitar. The pieces fell to the floor with a loud clatter as the rest of the body turned to ash. Karl looked up and over to the few remaining wraiths that Gavrie was in the process of dispatching.

How long had it been since he’d had a real battle? Even with vampires around, these kind of creatures weren’t that difficult to deal with. Only in this case, there weren’t even any vampires to take care of. [I]Pity.[/I] There were only a few groups left as they were making quick work of the creatures that were pinned up in the basement of the mill. [I]Let’s see…[/I] [I]Eeny[/I] - [I]Meeny[/I] - [I]Miny[/I] - [I]Mo…[/I] He took off, heading for one of the last cluster of wraiths, the blade in his left hand trailing along the floor but not quite touching.

At the last moment he pushed off the floor, flying to the right, his outstretched foot hitting the wall at the same time his left hand brought the blade up to cut the wraith in half from the floor up. He pushed off the wall with his right hand extended; the momentum propelled him forward to skewer another wraith as he landed on the ground.

Without turning, Karl raised his left hand out to the side, the blade held horizontal. The wraith, unable to halt its rush in time, impaled itself on the blade with a screech. Karl grinned, braced himself, and then pulled backwards yanking the blades from both creatures before they came apart. With a sigh he sent his weapons back to their resting place before turning to face Gavrie who was finishing up any cleansing that was needed.

“[B]Well that was rather, anti-climatic.[/B]” He couldn’t keep the disappointment from his voice.

“[B]I told you it was nothing more than clean up.[/B]”

Karl leaned up against the wall before reaching up to lace his fingers together behind his neck. He sighed. “[B]I know I was just expecting something a little more challenging, that’s all.[/B]”

Gavrie grinned. “[B]Perhaps I should have let you stay rusty.[/B]”

Karl snorted. “[B]As if you’d let that happen, slave driver that you are…[/B]” He trailed off and answered Gavrie’s grin with one of his own.

He pushed off the wall when Gavrie was finally done and followed him outside, the morning sun still shining brightly as they took to the sky. He halted and waited for Gavrie to take a moment to check for any new messages.

“[B]Well now,[/B]” Gavrie was pouring over something on the tiny screen of his cell phone. He looked to Karl, “[B]How do you feel about a detour?[/B]”

“[B]What kind of detour?[/B]”

“[B]To pay someone a visit.[/B]”

“[B]Ahhh, I see.[/B]” Karl shrugged. “[B]Fine by me.[/B]”

He waited while Gavrie spent a moment to send off a return message to whoever they were going to be visiting. Once he was done, he followed along as Gavrie headed towards their next stop.

“[B]So,[/B]” he dragged the word out slowly. “[B]Who are we going to see?[/B]”

“[B]Someone I can trust.[/B]” Gavrie answered.

Karl’s eyebrow shot up. “[B]Do I know this person?[/B]”

“[B]I’m sure you'll recognize him when you see him.[/B]”

“[B]Oh really?[/B]” He wondered who it was.

“[B]Well yeah,[/B]” Gavrie glanced at him briefly, a bit of a smirk gracing his face. “[B]It’s not every day you run into someone who has a thing for wearing blue.[/B]”

[I]Blue…?[/I] Karl opened his mouth to speak and then closed it shut with a snap. [I]Ohhhh, right. Him. [/I][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][B][SIZE="3"]Waiting for the Night [/SIZE][/B][/CENTER]
Normally Lucia didn?t care if humans saw her out and about. But since the floor to her place wasn?t quite large enough for the warm up moves and stretches she had learned, she had taken to using the open space along the lake shore. Humans did like to gather for walks and other reasons alongside the lake, but not here in the industrial district where the buildings were offices for various businesses. Nothing had been done to prepare the area for recreational use.

Still even if it had been turned into a more leisure area, she would have done the same. If Ruby hadn?t made such a nuisance of herself over her getting some form of training, she wouldn?t even be out here in the early morning. But here she was, running through first warm up stretches, and then the various moves she had learned followed up by practice with her scythe.

Lucia could have tried going back to her own original mentor to ask for assistance, but she positively loathed the woman. With her constant speeches on how it was such an honor to be chosen and so forth, all they had done was bicker. The constant arguments, since she had been trying to get her appointment dismissed, had nearly brought her to the end of her patience.

That had been another thing she owed Ruby for. She didn?t have a familiar yet, since she had not felt the need to seek one. Going to the other side, it was almost mandatory and in this case Ruby had taken it upon herself to practically order Lucia to accept her, backing it with the logic of telling her to wait a week and then she could say no. Logic was something she could accept and she had agreed to her demand.

By the end of the week she had ended up taking Ruby?s sage advice to not only accept her as a familiar but to accept the assignment and move on. It didn?t mean she had to give up on protesting it. It only meant she needed to stop fighting with people who had nothing to do with it in the first place. But that left her in the position of wondering who she could ask for help now that she required better training on how to fight.

Lucia didn't want to talk to the others. So instead, she had done like she did with the investigation process; she had looked into what the humans had to offer. In time she had found someone to get her started on the training Ruby insisted that she needed. She didn?t know if it was enough or not, so after learning what she could from one, she?d move to another.

The hardest part had been finding someone who would work with the odd shape of her scythe. To do so she had been required to make a replica since humans couldn?t touch a scythe; they were incorporeal by nature and nothing more than the focus of her will. But anytime she showed someone the replica, it had been met with an instant attempt to get her to use something more practical.

She couldn?t explain to them why she had to use that shape. Lucia didn?t fully understand why it took that form to begin with. She could see how other forms of the same type of weapon were better, but she couldn?t change the shape of hers. If doing so was possible, she had no idea how to go about it and she didn?t feel like asking around to find out.

It had taken a while, but she had finally found someone willing to do so. Once they had realized she was serious, progress had been made. At least she thought it was progress. The thought crossed her mind that perhaps talking to Nathan about it would be a good idea, but like always, she shoved it aside. Even though she was certain he would be able to tell her if it was doing any good.

Lucia didn?t bother to look at the balcony to her place; she knew that Ruby was watching like she always did. At least once she got use to doing it on a regular basis there had been a good side to it. Focusing on the moves and practicing resulted in stilling her mind in the same way that visiting scenic spots did. Though she never told Ruby that. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"][CENTER][B]Fireproof[/B][/CENTER]
Phaidra took a moment to twirl in place, studying her reflection in the trio of mirrors. The pleats in the dark green material that ran about five inches down from her waist were almost invisible. And if she stood with both feet no more than a foot apart, the wide flared material looked nearly identical to the ankle-length skirt she normally wore. It was only when she was moving that one could tell that what she had on was actually pants and not a skirt.

It was something she had been meaning to take care of for quite some time, ever since she had realized how limited her movements were. She had been working on something with Sarvel and when she took a step back to brace herself for a test shot, the material of her skirt had brought her up short, causing her to stumble.

The slight hesitation to right herself had resulted in the test shot hitting her before she could finish casting the appropriate barrier. It hadn?t hurt her seriously, but getting knocked head over heels had been very unpleasant. Poor Sarvel had been so apologetic but Phaidra was pleased to have discovered that problem now instead of during a real fight.

She took a moment to change back into her skirt and then purchased all six of the wide-legged dress pants that the store carried in her size. Four in the dark green she was fond of and then one that was a gold color that was similar to the tassel that fell from her left collar button. The last one was white.

Once she got back to her place, since she had needed to come to the city proper to find what she wanted; she would see to treating them so they would be resistant to magic, like the rest of her clothing was. Nothing serious of course, just enough to keep things from being affected by the day to day research that she did.

[CENTER]----------------------------------[/CENTER]
?[B]That didn?t take you long.[/B]?

?[B]I didn?t have to search, the first place I checked had what I wanted.[/B]? She set the package with the clothing down on the table in the kitchen before taking the rest over to the counter by the fridge. She started putting everything away.

?[B]That?s good. Did you want me to help you treat them?[/B]? She hopped up onto the table to take a look at what was in the bag.

[B]?Uhmm,[/B]? Phaidra finished putting the milk away and then closed the door. ?[B]Maybe later, I?m going to wash them first.[/B]? She wrinkled her nose in distaste, ?[B]They smell like chemicals.[/B]?

Sarvel paused in the act of putting her paw into the bag to nose around. ?[B]That?s disgusting[/B].? She sat down, pointedly ignoring the bag that was sitting before her.

?[B]That?s why I want to wash them first; I don?t want anything like that to be locked in by the treatment.[/B]? She started pulling out the necessary utensils for making some pie. Then she opened up the fridge and retrieved four of the peaches she had bought earlier.

There was nothing like making pie with fresh ingredients and peaches were in season right now. In no time she was humming softly to herself as she worked.

"[B]What are you making?[/B]" Sarvel finally asked her.

Phaidra smiled, "[B]Peach cobbler.[/B]"[/FONT]

[Allamorph]

[center][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][b][u]Business As Usual[/u][/b][/font][/center]


[font=calibri][b]â??Good to see you again,â?[/b] Nathan called to as he strode through a wall into the empty loading bay. Gavrie gave a lazy salute of a wave in return; Karl did nothing, standing with his hands buried deep in his coat pockets.

Nathan had considered holding the meet in the park, but he hadnâ??t wanted any of the other Reapers to overhear the exchangeâ??for now, the information the group had uncovered was merely that, carrying no implications along with itâ??so he had chosen an out-of-the-way place, on the industrial side of the city. The shipping company that used the building had not yet taken to round the clock business yet, so there was no danger of assignments, the only possible reason one of the others could have to be in a position to eavesdrop.

Nathan beckoned to the pair while he walked, altering his path to head for one of the bay doors. Gavrie and Karl moved and intercepted him, and the stern-faced veteran spoke first.

[b]â??You said you had something for us?â?[/b]

Nathan nodded.

[b]â??Something we found recently that I wanted to run by you,â?[/b] he said, [b]â??and didnâ??t trust to encoded transmissions. I think it might be interesting.â?[/b]

[b]â??You think?â?[/b] asked Gavrie, raising a thick eyebrow. [b]â??You donâ??t know yet?â?[/b]

[b]â??Nope.â?[/b] The discrepancy didnâ??t seem to bother the blue man. [b]â??Our tech expert told us she found something significant, and I told her not to send me any information through normal channels. I sent her some message paper, and Isenâ??s retrieving it right now.â?[/b]

Gavrie chuckled as they ghosted through the wall and into the freight station. [b]â??A bit paranoid, arenâ??t you?â?[/b]

[b]â??I dunno who could be tapping us,â?[/b] replied Nathan. [b] â??Even though most of our information-swapping is done through her crystal stuff, thereâ??s still the off chance that someone could pick up on the pattern.â? [/b] He shrugged. [b]â??I donâ??t want to take chances. First, though, here.â?[/b]

From the inside of his blazer, Nathan withdrew a small sword. The black metal of the blade gleamed in the moonlight.

[b]â??I know what that is,â? [/b]said Gavrie. [b]â??Iâ??ve seen more than enough already.â?[/b]

[b]â??Soâ??ve I,â? [/b]countered Nathan. [b] â??But this oneâ??s different. Take it, check it out; see what I mean.â?[/b]

Gavrie did as Nathan suggested. His eyes narrowed as he reached for it, but still he hefted it and spun it in his hand, giving it a few test swings to either side.

[b]â??Hunh,â? [/b]he said thoughtfully. [b]â??Itâ??s just a normal blade, but thereâ??s something....â?[/b]

[b]â??Yeah,â?[/b] said Nathan. [b]â??It feels different somehow.â? [/b]

He paused.

[b]â??I think theyâ??re using human souls.â?[/b]

Gavrie stared at him.

[b]â??I know,â? [/b]said Nathan. [b]â??Weâ??re supposed to know about that kind of thing. But Iâ??ve had a suspicion for quite a while that there was some kind of testing being done on human spirituality, and the feel of this blade makes me think whoever weâ??ve been tracking may be trying to restart the forging.â?[/b]

Gavrie nodded. [b]â??And that would be...?â?[/b]

[b]â??Youâ??ll know when Isen gets here,â?[/b] said Nathan. [b]â??Although I have a feeling weâ??re thinking in the same direction.â?[/b]

He glanced over his shoulder at Karl, who was following a few paces behind the two men.

[b]â??That one yours?â?[/b]

Gavrie nodded.

[b]â??Karl. Had him since the War,â?[/b] he said. [b]â??Good kid. A bit thick-headed now and then, but heâ??s mostly a good kid.â?[/b]

Now Nathan chuckled. [b]â??You seem to like the thick-headed ones.â?[/b] He seemed to think for a moment. [b]â??Good-looking cat. He carries himself well.â?[/b]

[b]â??Well, I have spent almost three thousand years training him,â?[/b] Gavrie mused. [b]â??I should think heâ??d have learned something by now.â?[/b]

[b]â??Yeah,â?[/b] Nathan laughed. [b]â??I guess . . . oh wait, here she comes.â?[/b]

Above the freight yard, Isenâ??s figure was descending from the direction of the city. She touched down a few meters away from the men, though Nathan walked ahead to meet her, closing the gap quickly. As she handed him the paper she carried, she gave him a curious look.

[b]â??Are you sure this was necessary?â?[/b]

Nathan shrugged. [b]â??Just a precaution,â?[/b] he told her while the other two approaced. [b]â??It probably wasnâ??t necessary, butâ??â?[/b]

He started at the werecatâ??s sudden hiss. Isen shoved him behind her and dropped into a defensive crouch, her left hand up by her opposite shoulder and her right arm in draw position. Her teeth were bared, and she was staring straight at Karl.

The male werecat took an involuntary step back; Gavrieâ??s scythe-staff flashed into existence as he stepped in front of his familiar, his face troubled.

[b]â??Nathan...?â?[/b] he said uncertainly.

[b]â??I donâ??t know!â?[/b] answered Nathan while he attempted to get past his partner. Isen drew her sword and stood, leveling it at Karl while she used her left arm to hold Nathan back.

[b]â??Traitor!â?[/b] she spat at Gavrie. Her glare intensified. [b]â??What is the meaning of this? Why do you protect this filth?â?[/b]

[b]â??Nathan...,â? [/b]Gavrie repeated, a touch more demanding this time. His grip tightened.

[b]â??Stand aside, Reaper!â?[/b] Isen ordered, taking a slow step forward. [b]â??Let me dispose of it, as is my right.â?[/b]

[b]â??Isenâ??whatâ??grraaaah!â?[/b] Nathan wrested past the incensed werecat and ducked under her blade, arms out as if to separate her from the others. [b]â??This is Gavrieâ??s familiar, Isen. Stand down.â?[/b]

[b]â??He isâ??â?[/b]

[b][i]â??STAND DOWN!â?[/i][/b]

Silence fell after Nathanâ??s roar. Sullenly, Isen bit off her reply and sheathed her sword. The blue reaper scowled, looking back and forth between Isen and the men behind him .

[b]â??Now,â? [/b]he said slowly, drawing out the pause. [b]â??...what in the [i]hell?[/i]â?[/b]

Isen glowered at the pavement.

[b]â??He is Marked,â?[/b] she fumed, crossing her arms without releasing the hilt of her katana. [b]â??His face shows it. He is the thrall of a vampire.â?[/b]

[b]â??That vampire is dead,â?[/b] Gavrie retorted, as Nathan turned a querulous gaze in his direction. [b]â??I killed him myself. No one owns this beast.â?[/b]

[b]â??Sheâ??s right?â?[/b] asked Nathan

Isen gave Gavrie a piercing stare. [b]â??He is free?â?[/b] she asked?

[b]â??He is free,â?[/b] answered Gavrie.

[b]â??Do you speak the truth, Reaper?â?[/b] she pressed. [b]â??Do you swear to this?â?[/b]

[b]â??He is free,â?[/b] insisted Gavrie. [b]â??I have known him for nigh as long as you have known yours. I believe I would have noticed.â?[/b]

[b]â??So she was right,â?[/b] repeated Nathan.

[b]â??Then I am sorry,â?[/b] Isen said, letting go of her weapon. [b]â??I have not heard of anyone escaping a Marking and yet retaining their will, much less their sanity.â?[/b] She stepped forward and gave Karl a slight bow. [b]â??Forgive my hostile actions; I did not know.â?[/b]

Karl stood with his mouth slightly open, a glazed expression on his face.

[b]â??...sure,â?[/b] he managed.

Nathan huffed. [b] â??Look, will someone pleaseâ??oh, nevermind. Iâ??ll find out later.â?[/b] He held up the paper Isen had given him. [b]â??You know, I did have a reason for calling this meeting, and it wasnâ??t so we could try and kill each other. So can we maybe get back to that now?â? [/b]

He waited for a response from the others. When there was none, he nodded.

[b]â??Good,â?[/b] he said. He lowered his hand. [b]â??Jeez....[/b]

[b]â??So weâ??ve uncovered a few interesting things about this entity weâ??ve been tracking, like I told you earlier,â?[/b] he continued. [b]â??Recently our tech girl ran across a data dump that was larger than normal, and...,â? [/b] He opened the paper. [b]â??...she says the man behind this organization is someone named Shou Jian.â?[/b]

[b]â??Oh, now thereâ??s a name that rings a bell,â?[/b] said Gavrie.

[b]â??Yeah, same here,â?[/b] agreed Nathan. [b] â??But I thought we wiped them out.â?[/b]

[b]â??Tsat is what most everyone tsinks.â?[/b]

Four heads snapped around to find the source of the silken voice. On the roof of a nearby building, casually silhouetted against the moon, stood Victor Lâ??Envers.

[b]â??Whoa, whoa!â?[/b] Nathan threw himself in front of Gavrie and Karl, who had both summoned their weapons and were preparing to assault the trespasser. [b]â??Easy! Heâ??s okay!â?[/b]

Gavrie paused. [b] â??What?â?[/b]

[b]â??I would do as your friend suggests, shinigami,â?[/b] Victor counseled calmly, leaping lightly down to ground level. [b]â??It would be a shame if tsings became messy.â?[/b] The vampire was dressed in a white dress shirt unbuttoned to three buttons, a light, precisely tailored blazer, denim jeans, and square-toed leather shoes. In complete contrast to the ensemble, a rapier with an oversized blade dangled from his left hip, the blade running down and over the basket guard.

Victor smiled at Isen.

[b]â??How charming of you, my dear, to stand by and leave all tse troubling effort to your partner.â?[/b]

Isen rolled her eyes. [b]â??Why are you here, Victor?â?[/b]

[b]â??Always tso cold,â?[/b] Victor murmured, glancing at the two uncomfortable spirits behind Nathan. [b]â??She is not always like tsis, is she?â?[/b]

[b]â??Iâ??m beginning to wonder,â? [/b]quipped Nathan grimly. [b]â??Now answer the question, or Iâ??ll let these two have a go.â?[/b]

[b]â??And we tsertainly donâ??t want tsat,â?[/b] Victor agreed. [b]â??Well, I was just out for an evening tstrollâ??â?[/b]

Isen coughed.

[b]â??â??when I happened to overhear a name tsat I wass familiar wiss.â?[/b] He tilted his head slightly. [b]â??Jian, I tsink it wass? Shou Jian?â? [/b] When no one answered immediately, he chuckled. [b]â??I tsought as much.[/b]

[b]â??As it happens,â?[/b] he went on, [b]â??I know a little tsometsing about monsieur Jian. For instance, at tse moment he is quite tse powerful businessman....â?[/b][/font] Edited May 16, 2012 by Allamorph

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"][SIZE="2"][CENTER][B]Sometimes…[/B][/CENTER][/SIZE]
It wasn’t the first time someone had realized that he was Marked. And every time it reared its ugly head, Karl either ignored it, or said nothing since usually no one believed that he was free and had been for nearly three thousand years, except for the Shinigami. People would listen to Gavrie saying he was free, but not to him. So he did like he always did, he said nothing as Gavrie interceded on his behalf. He knew it was necessary, but he still hated it.

He managed to respond to Isen’s apology but other than to accept that she wouldn’t kill him on sight, he knew perfectly well that she would never trust him. Not that it mattered, he was use to that. He was trying to recover his composure when Nathan mentioned the name of the one behind the organization they were investigating.

[I]What the hell? He can’t be alive, he can’t be! [/I]

He was barely paying attention when another voice interrupted their meeting. A vampire! [I]Shit![/I] In an instant he was armed and only Nathan’s sudden interference stopped him from launching himself at the intruder.

He tried to get his racing heart to slow down as he let his weapons go. [I]What the hell is going on here?[/I] He took a deep breath and let it out, cautiously keeping his distance from both Isen and the intruder. He was too preoccupied to really pay attention though.

[CENTER]-----------------------------------

[SIZE="2"][B]…I Can’t Breathe[/B][/SIZE][/CENTER]
There was only the three of them, Karl, Oran and Huy. They didn’t need more to deal with the humans at the outposts for the vampire clan in their area. One to serve as a lookout, in this case Huy, while the other two dealt with the humans inside. They were manned by a group of six to eight humans.

“[B]How long do you think it will take them to start re-enforcing their outposts?[/B]” Huy whispered, barely louder than the softly falling rain.

Karl shrugged. It didn’t matter since even in human form, dealing with eight guards was a simple task. They lacked the strength, agility and power that all werecat’s shared. If there were more, all one had to do was simply up the ante. Karl preferred to stick to human form though; at least when he was where it was possible someone might spot him. A stray human traveling was nothing to worry over, but a stray werecat; that attracted attention they didn’t need.

“[B]By the time they think to increase their garrisons, well be long gone so it doesn’t matter.[/B]” he finally answered, “[B]And unless they make them big enough to hold a lot more humans, it’s nothing that can’t be handled.[/B]”

Oran snorted, “[B]You mean we can’t handle,[/B]” he corrected, “[B]The others would rather hide in the shadows and let the Shinigami deal with the vampires.[/B]”

“[B]And we’ve seen just how effective that is,[/B]” Karl retorted. “[B]They’ve been failing to stop them for what, nearly forty years now?[/B]”

He sighed, “[B]How much longer are we going to have to put up with the damn vampires and their attempts to force all free creatures into subjugation and slavery?[/B]” He clenched his fights in anger, pausing only long enough to brush aside some low branches that were in the way.

The first hints of the approaching dawn was starting to give definition to the trees, not that Karl needed it. So long as there was some light, he could find his way. “[B]Serving the Shinigami isn’t much better either.[/B]" He added on, almost as an afterthought.

“[B]It’s not like the Shinigami are the same though,[/B]” Huy pointed out. “[B]They don’t resort to torture, experimentation and other underhanded means to gain cooperation.[/B]”

“[B]You still have to give up your freedom if you become a familiar.[/B]” Oran was unconvinced. “[B]We don’t need their help.[/B]”

“[B]You still have a choice in the matter,[/B]” Huy insisted stubbornly.

No one disagreed with him since what Huy said was true. But the truth, no matter how much they might hate it, was that only the Shinigami were better equipped to deal with vampires. Unless you were lucky enough to inflict a serious wound, vampires were extremely difficult to kill.

Unlike humans they were more like the werecats, stronger, more agile and instead of growing weaker with age, they only grew stronger. In that respect, they were stronger than his kind, though most refused to see that. It didn’t stop them from doing what they always did when the vampires got too close, leave the area. Attacking the outposts, depending on who you asked, either was or wasn’t necessary. Karl knew he wasn’t the only one who wanted to get rid of the damn vampires, but the majority of the clan did not agree.

If only they had more silver. Karl reached down and back a bit with his left hand, gripping the hilt of the silver dagger strapped to his waist. It was the one thing that could kill a vampire without fail, provided one could actually get close enough to stab one in the heart with it.

One could do so with other weapons, but silver worked the best. It was so effective that they had taken the time to steal it from the humans. Werecats, at least his clan, had never learned how to forge the precious material.

They didn’t understand why, but silver was lethal to vampires, even a simple touch was enough to burn their skin and make them recoil in pain and so far, every single vampire he had stabbed in the heart had died almost immediately.

“[B]So,[/B]” Huy spoke up as the first hints of shadows for the small tower became visible, “[B]We’ve dealt with three outposts so far, are we going to join up with the others when we’re done here?[/B]”

Oran frowned, “[B]Are you kidding? So long as we keep choosing them at random, there’s no reason why we can’t torch a few more before we do that.[/B]”

“[B]It’s still only a matter of time until they catch on to what we are doing,[/B]” Huy stopped. [B]“If we’re not careful, we’ll end up with them following the clan for revenge.[/B]”

Karl doubted that, unless it was convenient for them the vampires tended to focus more on humans and dealing with the Reapers. The former being much easier prey. The reapers being a much greater threat to their very existence. They had of course heard tales of other clans running into grief with the vampires, but since they had always moved whenever they got too close, they had had very little in the way of conflict.

He had heard tales, of horrible things that had happened to those who had tried to push the intruders out, but they spoke of a time before he had been born. And when Karl had tried to learn more, he was always pushed away. He knew that he was still considered young, even though he was nearly twenty years old, but in all the time he could remember, all they had done was run, like cowards.

With a start he realized that the others were watching him and Karl raised his left hand, palm facing the others. “[B]How about we discuss it after we’re finished here, fair enough?[/B]”

Their answering nods was all he needed, he turned his attention back to the small tower that could be seen through the trees. It was just light enough that he could see the shadow of a human patrolling the top of the building, safely behind the walls that came up to mid-chest. He grinned, at least the human [I]thought [/I]it was safe.

There was still too much underbrush for them to see the human who would be patrolling around outside on the ground, but if they listened, they could hear the occasional scuff on rocks or rustle of leaves. Humans, especially ones under a vampire’s control, were very clumsy.

Karl looked to Huy and nodded. With a feral grin Huy melted into the trees and vanished. He watched him for a moment, marveling at how well Huy could move without making a sound. It was to be expected, but for a werecat, Huy was massive. Standing at nearly seven feet tall with broad shoulders and a thick mane of black hair, he was menacing even in human form.

Oran with his lighter brown hair and slimmer stature wasn’t anywhere as imposing, only coming up to about five and a half feet. Even Karl with his dark chocolate brown hair and medium build, just under six feet tall, was more imposing than Oran. Still even if he was on the small side for their clan, he was still just as lethal. He grinned at Karl once Huy was gone and then briefly took the lead as they cautiously approached the outpost.

The small stone tower was carefully built on a small rise in the area. The first story would have the barracks along the back. The front part would hold the kitchen area and small room for downtime. A set of stairs, the out jutting in the stone clearly visible from where they were crouched, ran up the side and into the second area.

Karl couldn’t actually see inside, but so far the layout had been identical in every single outpost they had dealt with. At the top it would have a door leading into the room overlooking the area. He couldn’t quite see into the tower room since the rain made seeing through the glass panels difficult. With one on each side, it made seeing the surrounding countryside easy.

The corners were blind spots and to get around that, there was always one human on the top roof patrolling and one on the ground. Oran motioned for him to halt and Karl did so, waiting for Oran as he pulled out a slender reed; yet another invention of the humans. It only took him a moment to take aim and then hit his mark.

The human slapped at his neck and then shook his head when he didn’t find anything. Ten minutes later, he pressed his hand to his forehead before slumping down. It was only a substance that would make him sleepy, nothing more. Though it was a sleep he would never wake from.

The two of them waited for the human on the ground to be facing the other way before covering the gap quickly. Karl caught his neck from behind and twisted, snapping his neck before the guard could cry out. He lowered him to the ground and then took his keys.

They were careful to keep up against the building so those above wouldn’t see them. In another moment they were inside the building, the sound of laughter reaching their ears, telling them that no one had noticed. The small interior room led to another door that was open. Karl looked at Oran and he flashed a grin in return. He would go to the barracks while Karl would handle the lookout.

Oran went first, slipping out of the anteroom and then down the hallway towards the doors leading to where the men slept. Karl took the path to the right. The door to the kitchen area was open and a huge pot of soup was hanging over the fire, surprisingly no one was there. He bypassed it and headed for the door to the stairs.

With a feral grin Karl was up the stairs swiftly and silently, pausing at the door leading in to the observation room, taking a moment to assess the situation. He was slightly surprised to see six humans instead of the usual two and he wondered if the increase was in response to the outposts they had destroyed in the recent months.

Karl thought about retreating to tell the others and then snorted mentally. Humans were weak, and prone to sloppiness; six of them would be no challenge at all. He could deal with this mess and still be back to the others in no time. Decided, he moved to take them out.

He had taken only a handful of steps when the faint thuds of something landing behind him coupled with the sound of a sharp twang of something being released from above was heard.[I] Hell![/I] Frantically he whirled, far too slowly. At the same moment he saw the two vampires between him and the door he had just entered, a hefty net landed on him, the weight causing him to stagger back a pace.

He pulled the silver dagger free as the humans grabbed the edges of the net and pulled him to the floor. Karl could hear the footsteps of the vampires as they approached. He struggled wildly as he tried to cut his way free. White powder was flung into his face, the attack happened so suddenly that he breathed some of it in before he could stop himself.

It burned painfully, making his eyes water. [I]Shit! What the hell![/I] He struggled more violently, terror giving him strength. He tried to shrug the net off but the humans held it down. Another rush of fear and panic hit when an odd haze began to fill his mind, giving him a brief moment of true horror as he realized that his body was not responding like it should; and then - he fell into darkness.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"][CENTER][B]One of the Hunted[/B][/CENTER]
So Lucia wanted to go and check out another location, something she had learned about from the facility they had visited. It seemed reasonable enough but the trap they had encountered at the last place had her feeling a little leery of the idea. What if they encountered one that she couldn?t detect until it was too late?

She knew she was worrying too much but it didn't stop her from changing into the new clothing she had gotten. She was so use to always wearing ankle length skirts that until she came to Earth, she had never worn anything else, ever. They were comfortable, but she still preferred the feel of skirts and always changed back after training or doing research, though if she really was worried about ending up in a fight... [I]I should get rid of my skirts. [/I] She doubted a vampire would politely wait for her to change before attacking.

Lucia was supposed to be free later that evening since the message had asked them to come by after ten o?clock. She was asking for their assistance again since Lucia wanted to check out another point in the line of communication. Given that their schedules agreed, Phaidra, after talking to Sarvel, had sent her a message agreeing to the trip.

?[B]Are you still worrying about that?[/B]? Sarvel asked her as they headed to meet Lucia.

She frowned slightly, ?[B]Of course I?m concerned. Setting up a trap like we saw before takes a lot of work. Whoever did it will know that it failed.[/B]?

?[B]Is that why you?re wearing the new pants you bought? In case we end up in a fight?[/B]?

?[B]Of course. That is why I bought them after all.[/B]? Phaidra shrugged. ?[B]It?s not like I expect anything to happen, but they?re good for training and research too so?[/B]? She stared at Sarvel when she snickered in her direction.

?[B]It?s not funny.[/B]?

?[B]Of course it is you?re worrying too much. It?s just a shipping warehouse and avoiding any tainted humans or vampires will be easy.[/B]? Sarvel sounded sure of herself. ?[B]It?s not like that other place that Lucia hacked into.[/B]?

She nodded reluctantly since that was probably true, the security for the last place, even though it was by the humans, had been pretty tight. [I]I need to stop worrying so much. [/I]

Phaidra came into land just outside the door to Lucia?s place. Even though she had told her it was fine to just come in, she couldn?t bring herself to do so. She knocked and waited for Lucia to open the door, letting her and Sarvel in. Like always, Lucia got straight to the point.

?[B]Did you have any questions before we head out?[/B]? Lucia asked her.

?[B]Not really, your message explained what you have in mind.[/B]? Phaidra looked down to Sarvel who merely shrugged. ?[B]Is it in the same city that Internet place was?[/B]?

Lucia nodded. ?[B]If we leave now, we?ll get there shortly after midnight. The humans tend to work in shifts and the night crew is usually a lot smaller.[/B]?

?[B]We figured that would mean less vampires or tainted humans,[/B]? Ruby explained further. ?[B]If there are too many then like before, we?ll just get what we can and leave.[/B]?

?[B]Alright,[/B]? Phaidra clapped her hands together. ?[B]Shall we get going then? The sooner we get there, the sooner we?ll be done.[/B]?

"[B]I need to take care of something real quick, it won't take long.[/B]" Lucia said.

Phaidra nodded and then waited patiently while Lucia pulled out the crystal she used for communication and other stuff. She didn?t know what she was doing, but a moment later she finished and then stuffed it back into her pocket.

Then with a brief nod she and Ruby took off, ghosting through the walls. She paused only long enough to make sure that her and Sarvel were following before taking off into the night sky. [/FONT]

[Horendithas]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="Indigo"][CENTER][SIZE="2"][B]Going Under[/B][/SIZE][/CENTER]
It seemed to take forever to climb out of the darkness that Karl had fallen into. Twice he got far enough to realize he was being taken somewhere. But his captors only let him wake up enough to take care of a few basic needs, before forcing him to breathe in more of the same white powder that had gotten him the first time. He tried to refuse but he was too drugged to resist.

The next time he started to wake up, he was aware of all sorts of new sounds. Boots shuffling across stone, the creak of leather and metal along with short gasping sobs mixed in with screams of pain. He could hear voices as well, but they seemed to be coming from a great distance. It took him a while to realize that he was lying on his back, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Everything that had happened started running through his mind, making him feel dizzy as he fought to shake off the effects of the drug. Karl struggled to get up but all he could manage to do was roll onto his right side.

He was at the top of a short flight of stairs, in one of a series of cells along the far wall. It over looked a massive room full of devices that could only serve one purpose. Karl had been told that both the humans and vampires would use torture to get what they wanted. He had never seen it though. He tried to get up but the effects of the powder made it difficult to see straight let alone do anything. At the moment there was only one group in the room that he could see.

They were around a large table with someone strapped down to it, but he couldn?t see who it was since someone was in his way. They were dressed in the finest clothing he had ever seen. Richly adorned silver gray robes with patterns woven into them that reminded him of tapestries he had seen in the human settlements. His movements reminded Karl of a hunter, in spite of the long flowing hair that reached to the stranger?s waist. It gave off a silver purplish glow in the light provided by the torches ensconced along the walls. Armed guards were assisting him, though to what purpose Karl didn?t know.

He didn?t need to turn around for Karl to know what he was; the stench of a vampire was unmistakable, even over the heavy sent of blood in the air. He could see parts of what looked like an arcane circle carved into the stone floor, running around the table. The elaborately dressed vampire was chanting something in a language that he didn?t recognize as he walked over to the right side of the person on the table. A moment later, he could see who was strapped down.

Karl was shocked as their face came into view. [I]Oran![/I] He looked around but saw no sign of Huy. Karl tried to shake off the haze so he could change forms, but it was like trying to draw a straight line using a mirror as a guide. It should have been as easy as breathing, but it danced maddeningly out of reach. He struggled to grab the bars and pull himself up into a sitting position, managing to do so just as someone standing at the head of the table held out a sheet of paper with a design in blue drawn on it.

Confused, he watched as another set of guards brought in a different vampire who was struggling wildly, crying out for mercy. None was given. At a nod from the one who seemed to be in charge, they killed the distraught vampire on the spot. Karl watched in horrified fascination as the blood splashed onto the floor, only to be absorbed by the arcane circle that was starting to give off a faint reddish glow.

[I]What. The. Hell?[/I] He looked back up just as the vampire stabbed the forefinger of his left hand with a small dagger, and then applied his own blood to three spots on Oran?s face before doing the same on the design drawn on the paper. A cold feeling ran through Karl, making him feel sick as moments later the design literally lifted up off the paper and hovered over Oran?s face.

Then it snapped into place, eliciting a scream of agony from Oran as it seared into the flesh of his face, marking him. [I]Oh gods...[/I] Bile rose, making him gag and choke as Karl shook in fear. He looked away, closing his eyes tightly, but he couldn?t tune out the screams. [I]Oh gods?[/I] He shook harder. Had they marked Huy as well?

Fear paralyzed him and he couldn?t stop shaking, even when the screams finally stopped. He opened his eyes and looked back in time to see them taking the unconscious Oran down one of the hallways leading away from the room. Movement drew his gaze back to the group at the table, and he froze when the cold amused eyes of the vampire met his. [I]Shit![/I] Karl pulled back when the guards came for him, but there was nowhere to go.
[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Allamorph]

Benedictus

A midnight breeze whispered its way through the city park. The trees swayed gently as it blew, the rustling of their branches chasing away the night's silence with a quiet murmuring. The grass rippled in soft waves; a squirrel paused in its rummaging and straightened, looking sharply about before dashing for shelter. A few stray leaves skittered down the concrete path towards the park's fountain, where the falling spray was caught by the wind and drifted out into the night air.

If anyone had been around to pay attention, they might have thought that, for just an instant, the mist changed directions, or that one of the leaves on the path was caught for just a moment in an eddy against the current. If anyone had been around, they might have noticed a tree shake out of rhythm with the others, or a patch of grass that skipped an undulation. But even if they had, by the time they looked again the disturbance would be gone.

Sixty yards from the fountain, about two blocks from the park's edge, a blonde shinigami in a white shirt and capris appeared out of the air, dropping to one knee, her breathing labored. With an effort, she straightened, drew in a lungful of air, set herself, and disappeared.

Chris reappeared twenty yards further on, midstride. She stumbled and crashed to the ground, gasping for air. Violent coughs racked her body as she struggled to her hands and knees, retching blood. A frustrated cry escaped her lips, her balled-up fists crushing blades of grass in her struggle to bring her body under control.

After a few minutes Chris's fit had all but subsided. Sitting back on her heels, she sighed and drew an arm across her eyes, the athletic tape on her forearm soaking up the tears that had sprung disobediently from them. She gave one last light cough, tightened the bandages on her chest, and rose to her feet, leaning forward on her knees to take a series of deep breaths. Her eyes closed in concentration, and in between breaths she chanted a series of phrases in a graceful, flowing tongue.

Satisfied, she raised her eyes, looking intently down the remainder of the park's lawn. She remained this way for a momentâ??breathing and staringâ??and then arched backwards in a long, laborious stretch, her torso snapping forward at its conclusion. Taking a few measured strides, she resummoned her scythe-daggers, which had vanished upon her collapse a few minutes prior. Her jaw set, and snapping her arms to either side, she vanished again.

A second later she reappeared briefly four stories in the air, hovering inches from the edge of the roof of the tenant-building across the street from the park. A grin split her face, and she disappeared. Edited December 2, 2013 by Allamorph

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][SIZE="3"][B]Silver Blaze[/B] [/SIZE][/CENTER]
?[B]So we?re looking for actual documents instead of electronic messages.[/B]?

?[B]Correct.[/B]? Lucia answered Phaidra. She had already explained that they were looking to track messages that were being delivered by a courier. The group was hovering in the air several hundred feet above and away from the warehouse in question.

The information she had collected had enabled her to track down a couple of places that were being used for passing coded messages from one set of hands to another. The level of secrecy was, in her opinion, overkill. Though she supposed that depended on what they were hiding.

It was obvious that organizations like the Count?s and others they had dealt with, found using illegal drug running among the humans an effective means for raising funds. The only thing that truly bothered her was why. She didn?t completely understand the drive humans had to acquire absurd amounts of money and for vampires to do the same made no sense either. At least not yet.

?[B]My information indicates that one of main supporters behind what we?ve been tracking is in this area.[/B]? Lucia turned her communicator off.

?[B]If we?re going to see who the message is delivered to so we can follow them, we?ll need to be inside to make sure we have the right person.[/B]? She looked over at Sarvel who was focusing on the location.

?[B]There are a couple of humans that feel slightly odd, but that?s all.[/B]? The fox looked back at the group. ?[B]So long as we don?t get too close, we should be fine.[/B]?

She seemed to frown slightly, though with her fur it was hard for Lucia to tell. ?[B]Let?s go then, my information indicates that the next messenger is due in fifteen minutes, if we miss it we?ll have to try another time.[/B]?

She headed for the warehouse, Lucia didn?t have to look to see that the others were following along. She couldn?t tell if a human was tainted very well but she could sense their presence along with anyone else just fine. The warehouse was nearly empty, with only a handful of humans hanging out on the west side. She headed for a spot not to far from where they were located.

An odd tingling sensation ran across her skin as she ghosted through the walls. [I]What the?[/I] That had never happened before. She stopped and turned to look at Phaidra and Sarvel who had also stopped. It reminded her of the ward that Phaidra had placed on her apartment.

?[B]What happened?[/B]? She turned her communicator back on and started scanning.

?[B]I?m not sure,[/B]? Phaidra answered. ?[B]It felt like a ward, but until we passed through it I didn?t detect it at all.[/B]? She turned around and reached out to touch the wall. She had barely done so when she suddenly snatched her hand back as if she had burned it.

?[B]Sarvel.[/B]? She said grimly.

?[B]I know.[/B]? The fox growled back, her fur standing up.

?[B]What?s wrong?[/B]? Ruby asked.

Phaidra turned back to face the pair. ?[B]We?ve triggered trap. In this case a barrier. We?ll have to punch a hole in it or find the source and disable it.[/B]?

?[B]Just a barrier?[/B]? Ruby asked while Lucia continued to check the area with her communicator. ?[B]That doesn?t seem like much of a trap.[/B]"

?[B]I?m not picking up any energy distortions either, well other than the barrier.[/B]? Lucia looked up. ?[B]I assume that whoever set it will know we triggered it?[/B]?

Phaidra nodded. "[B]It's designed to notify whoever set it.[/B]"

?[B]Damn.[/B]? Lucia exclaimed. ?[B]We?d better get out of here then.[/B]?

?[B]Right.[/B]? Phaidra turned and started talking to Sarvel.

Lucia continued scanning since she didn?t understand the magic stuff they were talking about.[I] So much for that line of investigation,[/I] she thought. She was about to go back to concentrating on her scan when a nasty thought occurred to her.

?[B]Wait, how did we trigger the barrier?[/B]?

?[B]That?s easy,[/B]? an unfamiliar voice said from the shadows. ?[B]It only responds to someone like you.[/B]?

Startled the group spun to look for the source of the voice. [I]Why aren?t they showing up on my scanner?[/I] Lucia frowned and then stepped back in surprise when further out in the warehouse, a shadow dropped from the ceiling to the floor and then started walking slowly towards the group.

[I]What the hell? I can?t sense them either? [/I] her head jerked back in surprise when the stranger got close enough for her to finally sense what they were.

[I]A vampire!? How did Sarvel miss that?[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"][CENTER][B]Dark Side Of The Moon[/B][/CENTER]
Phaidra tensed, summoning her staff when the voice called out. She tried to remain calm, but everything was happening too fast. First the barrier trap that had been properly shielded to keep it from being detected. And then a vampire had shown up. They were also shielded, but Phaidra felt the slight snap of them dismissing it. It was clumsy done in comparison to the shield that had concealed the trap.[I] I wonder?[/I] her brow furrowed slightly.

[I]How am I supposed to take care of the barrier with them here?[/I] She didn?t have to look down to know that Sarvel was equally as tense. She glanced briefly over to Lucia who was focusing on that communicator thing of hers. [I]How can she be so calm?[/I] She caught herself grinding her teeth in frustration and stopped. [I]Ignore that, think on how to break the barrier so we can get out of here.[/I] She was finding it hard to concentrate.

The approaching vampire came to a halt about twenty feet from where they were standing. Her outfit was a bit odd in Phaidra?s opinion. It consisted of black worn out canvas shoes; a short tattered skirt of dark black jean material, held up by a leather belt with metal studs along part of it. Her shirt was nothing more than what looked like a black bra. She was wearing a jacket that was as tattered as the skirt, with the collar hanging down past her shoulders.

Blue eyes stared at them from under her messy blonde bangs and hair that was chaotically cut. Short uneven strands hung around her face; the rest was pulled into a thin ponytail at the back that hung to her waist. She wore no makeup and only a plain set of silver earrings. A pair of gauntlets made of leather and denim material was on each wrist and she was casually toying with a pair of dirks.

Phaidra didn?t know anything about fighting with short blades like that, but her movements seemed to indicate that the woman was familiar with the blades.[I] Now what?[/I] She had never come across a vampire like this. Without someone along who had better hand to hand combat skills than she did.

?[B]I was expecting someone a little more interesting.[/B]? The blonde vampire said in a cynical voice and then continued when neither of them said anything. ?[B]Why do I always get the boring ones?[/B]? She half mumbled to herself as she flipped one of the dirks up into the air and then swiftly caught it on the way down. She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward a bit, cocking her head to the side.

?[B]So,[/B]" She dragged the word out. "[B]Anything to say before I kill you all? Not that I give a damn.[/B]? She smirked. ?[B]But do go ahead and get any useless taunting out of the way, I hate boring speeches during a fight.[/B]?

Phaidra ignored the taunt and started running the phrases through her mind for the spells she knew. Sarvel was doing the same, focusing on the shields she was familiar with. She was getting ready to start and jumped slightly when Lucia spoke up.

?[B]I dislike boring speeches period. They waste time.[/B]? Lucia said coldly as she tucked her communicator into her pocket. ?[B]But since you started it by being [I]dull [/I]and doing it in the first place, I must assume you desire it in spite of your protests to the contrary.[/B]?

Lucia snorted. ?[B]It?s simple really, whoever has the better skill will win and boasting like an adolescent child changes nothing.[/B]? She ignored the flash of irritation on the vampire?s face and instead tossed her hat aside before undoing her cloak and letting it fall to the ground as well. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small tie and swiftly bound her long blue hair into a ponytail at the base of her neck.

?[B]We can start whenever you?re ready, unless you wish to grace us with more [I]boring[/I] speeches on how you?re going to kill us.[/B]? Lucia mocked her as she held both hands in front of her as if inviting the vampire to strike first.

[I]What is she doing?[/I] Phaidra hesitated, feeling a little unsure. [I]Why hasn?t she summoned her scythe?[/I] She was at least better dressed for a fight. She was wearing long black pants with low heeled black boots that came half way up her calves before folding down a bit, the edges lined with red trim that matched her cloak. Lucia?s black shirt was a double breasted affair that went down a good foot past her waist; the buttons lined with red trim.

It reminded Phaidra of the server shirts used for catering with the lack of a high collar and the wrap around her waist in red with the black square material hanging down in front, red trim lining it as well. A thin white line ran along it from her waist down to the top of the triangle shaped edge along the bottom. Black gloves that ran halfway up her arms before folding back down, red trim running along them as well completed her outfit.

?[B]Fine.[/B]? The vampire said shortly, holding her right hand out in front of her.

Phaidra felt something odd stirring as a dark ball of energy formed in the vampire?s hand. Before either of them could react it quickly spread, heading out in all directions from where their opponent was standing. Phaidra vaguely heard Lucia?s sharp little gasp as she stepped back and Ruby called out her name in panic.

She ignored it and watched what the energy was doing instead. Everything it was touching was vanishing. No. That wasn?t right. Everything was being shifted out of phase with this dimension. If that were to hit them... The energy was less than three feet away when quick as thought; she erected barriers in front of her and Lucia.

It slammed into them, and sparks flew as the energy fought to burn through the shields and then died. Phaidra breathed a tiny sigh of relief, if that had hit them, it could have destabilized their connection to their own world. Theoretically, losing that could result in them dying within a very short time. [I]What kind of spell is...[/I]

?[B]Phaidra![/B]? Sarvel cried out, snapping her attention back to the fight and the now empty warehouse, though the stuff was still there, just slightly out of phase.

[I]I wonder if she can reverse what? Stop thinking about that! Now is not the time! [/I]The vampire was rushing her and she dropped the shields in favor of sending fire balls in her direction. But the woman was impossibly quick as she dodged them and then leaped into the air, soaring over the top of Sarvel?s hastily erected shield.

Her foot was only a few feet away from Phaidra?s face when she twisted in midair to meet Lucia?s rush, her blades slashing sideways. Lucia slammed into her and the pair was sent sprawling into the concrete floor. The two started pulling apart as they came to their feet. The woman had a hold of Lucia?s left hand and moved to pull her towards her, aiming her blade at her stomach, but Lucia pulled her hand free of the glove and back flipped out of range.

The vampire tossed the glove aside and grinned. ?[B]I take it back, you just might be interesting after all.[/B]? Her grin broadened as she rushed Lucia, keeping her between her and Phaidra.

?[B]Phaidra![/B]? Ruby called out as she settled on her left shoulder.

?[B]I know,[/B]? Phaidra said tersely. ?[B]I can?t get a clear shot like this. You?ll have to help me by driving her away from Lucia.[/B]?

?[B]Right![/B]? Ruby took off, shimmering as she changed forms in midflight.

Phaidra took a deep breath to steady herself and then launched herself into the fight, trusting in Sarvel to handle defense while she looked for an opening. [/FONT]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"][CENTER][SIZE="2"][B]Resolute Dissension[/B][/SIZE]
[/CENTER]
The humans had a phrase that, to Karl, fit where he was perfectly. Hell. On. Earth. Werecats did not believe in the concept of Heaven and Hell like the humans did. At least his clan did not, but he found the concept fitting. As if the marking hadn’t been bad enough, making him feel like he was losing himself in the pain as it did something to him from the inside out; the following weeks hadn’t been any better.

Karl didn’t know how they had done it, but the ability to change forms was gone, as if it had never existed, leaving him stuck in human form. He also found that no matter what he tried, he couldn’t remove the mark on his face. He couldn’t even cover it with dirt since anything he put on it refused to stick. Without the ability to change back he lacked the strength to break the chain that kept him fettered to the cell wall.

He tried to resist but quickly found that he was powerless to stop them from subjecting him to all sorts of experiments. Whether or not it hurt him was irrelevant, the louder he or anyone else screamed in pain, the more the vampire with the cold eyes smiled. If there were no experiments to be carried out then the vampire, Jian Tsu would amuse himself by torturing someone.

If Karl wanted it to stop, all he had to do was give them his true name and incidentally give them total control over him in the process. He had refused, declaring that he would die before he would ever do that. He would never serve a vampire, [I]ever[/I]. He was still worried that like the mark, they’d find some way to force him to.

It was a thought that haunted him, especially when Tsu’s brother, Shou would show up to check up on the progress that Tsu was making with his experiments. He was far crueler than Tsu ever was. Whenever he showed up, the other prisoners would become uncharacteristically quiet, huddling back against the far wall of their cells in hopes that they would go unnoticed.

Karl eventually lost track of how long he had been in this hellhole. He thought it wasn’t more than a few months, but he was no longer certain. All he knew, as they were taking him back to his cell after another[I] session[/I], was that little by little he was getting weaker. He hadn’t seen Huy at all and he hadn’t seen Oran since that first day.

For all he knew they were dead, or worse; broken by the vampires. Something inside him snapped and he flew into a rage, attacking those who were taking him back to his cell. It had been several weeks since he had tried to escape and for a split second he caught them by surprise.

Karl managed to shove one of his captors face first into the nearest wall. He heard the satisfying sound of the guard’s skull breaking before he slide to the floor. A powerful blow from behind sent him to his knees. Before he could recover, the remaining guards ganged up on him, beating him nearly senseless. Only a curt order from one of the other guards stopped them from killing him on the spot.

[I]I really am going to die[/I]. He despaired as they picked him up and carried him away. It took him a moment to realize that they were putting him in a different cell when they opened the door and dumped him unceremoniously onto the floor. He laughed weakly when they shackled his feet and his hands before fastening him to the wall. They were afraid of him!

They left him lying there on his right side and he laughed again when he realized that someone was actually standing guard outside the closed door. [I]As if I could break these chains.[/I] A soft rustling sound caused him to freeze as he realized that he was not alone. He turned as quickly as he could to look. It was another prisoner. The man was leaning up against the far wall.

Karl had never seen anyone so battered and bruised and yet still alive. Nor had he seen anyone so weighed down by shackles and chains. A set on his ankles, wrists and even one around his waist and neck. They were all connected together by another one that was fastened to the wall. The chains had an odd black color to them that he had never seen before. There was something else about him that was off. Karl started at him for the longest time before he realized what it was.

“[B]You’re a Shinigami.[/B]” He stared in disbelief. How could they keep one such as him a prisoner? Karl struggled until he was able to sit up, leaning against the wall.

“[B]And you’re a werecat,[/B]” the stranger stated, startling Karl momentarily. Of course a Reaper would know what he was. It was still… unsettling.

“[B]How…?[/B]” He started to say.

“[B]Do they keep me here and how do I know what you are?[/B]” He finished for Karl. He reached over with his left hand, putting it through the wall until the shackle on his wrist hit the stone wall keeping him from going any further. “[B]They’ve learned how to make steel that we cannot pass through.[/B]” He pulled his hand back.

“[B]They have stolen the knowledge of how to create a seal from us,[/B]” He reached up, touching the mark on his face, “[B]to keep me from being able to summon my scythe or use purifying fire. As I am now, I cannot destroy these chains.[/B]” His hand dropped back to his lap.

“[B]Knowing what you are is easy enough. Your aura is quite different from a human, even with the seal on you and your current form.[/B]”

“[B]Seal?[/B]” Karl was confused.

“[B]It’s a type of spell. Seals place something upon the target permanently, and only the caster and whoever they key into the spell when its cast can remove it. You’ve surely noticed by now that you can’t get rid of the mark on your face correct?[/B]” He waited for Karl to nod.

“[B]The vampire’s ability to use a seal is crude, but it can also be used to limit one’s abilities, in your case, the ability to change back to what you really are. In my case, most of my abilities as a Shinigami have been locked away.[/B]”

Karl stared at the Reaper, unable to think of what to say. He had thought the ability to change was gone, he hadn’t known that it was sealed away. He had never heard of anything like that before. [I]If Tsu is the only one who can remove it, I’ll be stuck with this as long as he’s… [/I]He shook his head.

“[B]I’ll kill him. If it’s the last thing I do.[/B]” He declared flatly.

“[B]It won’t matter. Seals are permanent even if the one who cast it dies.[/B]” He looked at him sadly. “[B]I’m sorry. I wish I could do something for you but I can’t.[/B]” He looked away.

“[B]I don’t need or want your pity.[/B]” Karl snapped. He wasn’t angry at the stranger, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.

He looked back at Karl. “[B]I’m not offering it. It is my [I]duty[/I] to help the humans and other species when necessary, just as your duty is to your clan.[/B]”

Karl was taken aback by the intensity in his gaze. There was no lie there; somehow he was certain of that. He had only seen that kind of look a few times in his life and he found himself wondering if all of the Shinigami were like him. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Allamorph]

[center][b][u]To Tell The Trust[/u][/b][/center]


[font=calibri][b]â??So he [i]is [/i]the same vampire.â?[/b]

Gavrie had relaxed after Victor had spoken for a moment, though his body language said he was still ready to strike at a momentâ??s notice. Nathan felt the same, since he was poised to fend Gavrie off of Victor, Isen off of Karl, and everyone present off of anyone else who decided to crash the eveningâ??s party, all while trying to look unconcerned about any of it.

[b]â??Yess,â?[/b] the suave vampire replied. [b] â??He managed to escape tse destruction of hiss clan wiss a few family memberss and tseveral dozsen loyalistss.â?[/b]

[b]â??How?!â?[/b] Nathan exclaimed. [b]â??I was at the siege of the Jian shogunate. I led the south garrison! I can almost understand one person fleeing, but we hunted for days after the raid. How did such a large group get past us?â?[/b]

Victor shook his head.

[b]â??I am not sure how master Shou managed to escape,â?[/b] he said, [b]â??for I was occupied across tse continent at the time, and word of tse fall of tse Jian did not reach me until much laterâ??but what I do know is this.

â??Shou dared not move until he was certain that the shinigami were no longer looking for him. I think he remained completely in hiding for several centuries. After he began moving once more, he still remained extraordinarily cautiousâ??so much so that even I wasnâ??t aware he had survived until many years later. I was surprised to learn he still lived, naturally, but not as much at his success in remaining invisible. After all, he was not one of the ruling vampire lords for nothing.

â??As human culture flourished in Asia once again, Shou began slipping his hands into various commercial and political affairs. His primary focus, from what I could tell after I became aware of him again, was in rebuilding his clanâ??s numbers; but he went about it very slowly, only ushering new faces into his family in singles or pairs, usually with at least a decade between acceptances.

â??By the time of the European Renaissance, Shou had gathered to himself a respectable shadow organization and had begun infiltrating or assuming background leadership of profitable trade relations, which was about the time I decided to assess his situation more fully. We met and shared a few evenings together, but it turned out that our goals were . . . incompatible, and so I left him to his devices. I have kept a spy or two close to him since then, and over years I have leaked a small bit of information here and there to your Council, but....â?[/b]

Nathan abruptly noticed that Victor had been speaking for some time in Etruscan, and all trace of his former accent had vanished. The language had been dead for millennia; Nathan wondered why he hadnâ??t heard the transition.

Victor was studying his fingernails.

[b]â??...unfortunately, it seems that it was a mistake to handle him as I did.â?[/b]

[b]â??Really.â?[/b]

Nathan glanced left. Gavrie had fixed Victor with his demandingly inquisitive stare; apparently he had also noticed the language shift. Nathanâ??s eyes flicked past him briefly, then returned to Victor, who had uttered a quiet andâ??surprisinglyâ??almost nervous-sounding laugh.

[b]â??Yes.â?[/b] The vampire was speaking Latin now. [b]â??Some of what he desires conflicts with my own agenda, and because I believed my information would have him found out and dealt with, I saw no reason to risk my own people in hampering or obstructing his movements. And now....â?[/b]

Nathan sighed.

[b]â??Vic,â? [/b]he said tiredly, [b]â??will you stop trailing off and speak already? You wouldnâ??t have taken the time to find out what I was doing or come here at all if you didnâ??t have something to say.â?[/b] He eyed Victor testily. [b]â??Say it already,â?[/b] he demanded.

Victor stopped and smiled to himself.

[b]â??Very well,â?[/b] he said, in English once again. [b]â??I came to offer tsis advice: tse man you seek iss, as I tsaid before, a very powerful businessman, wiss influence and reach into almosst any country he wishess. He has unbelievable resourcess at hiss disposal, and hiss close companionss are those wiss whom he etscaped many yearss ago. Tsey will not betray him easily, or be easily dealt wiss. And now tsey are much greater in number."

"Anything else?"[/b]

Victor nodded. [b]"Do not treat Shou Jian as you treated tsat inept Count upstart. Shou is a vampire lord, and tse son of a vampire lord. He was a fair match for any Shinigami when you knew him, and he hass not grown weaker tsince tse fall of hiss clan. And,â?[/b] Victor added, [b]â??he holdss a very long grudge. If you mean to go after him, I tsuggest tsat you hold notsing back.â?[/b]

[b]â??Is that it?â?[/b] asked Nathan and Isen in unison.

[b]â??Yess, tsat â??is itâ??,â?[/b] said Victor, amused. [b]â??And now I shall leave, tsince it appears I have long tsince outstayed mytself.â?[/b] He smirked and leapt lightly into the air, landing back on the roof where he had appeared. He swept a grand bow, his right arm crossing his stomach. [b]â??Au revoir, my lady cat,â? [/b]he offered before strolling out of sight.

When Nathan looked down again, Gavrie was attempting to stare a hole in his head.

[b]â??Nathan. That was a [i]vampire[/i].â?[/b]

[b]â??Yeah,â?[/b] sighed the blue reaper. [b]â??And boy, donâ??t you just want to [i]murder [/i]him sometimes....â?[/b][/font] Edited May 16, 2012 by Allamorph

[Rachmaninoff]

[CENTER][B]Beyond Windows[/B][/CENTER]
Alex wasn?t really sure what prompted the decision to test how closely Astera and Adrian were bonded. He had been discussing just what was possible with Adrian and next thing he knew, they were out in the countryside carefully setting up a maze made only of white paint on the grass.

People would perhaps see the paint, but they wouldn?t be able to see them. Adrian insisted on the isolation to keep any vampires from seeing it and that was fine with Alex. He?d rather not run into any of them period. If he had a similar bond with Nall, he wouldn?t want others knowing about it either.

He turned his attention back to Adrian who was navigating the painted maze. He was carefully blindfolded and relying on Astera, who was sitting on the top of a small grain tower, to tell him how to proceed. Adrian was just over halfway through the maze when he came to a halt and just stood there. Alex imagined he was talking to Astera.

?[B]He?s going to end up in a dead end if he goes straight.[/B]? Alex noted.

?[B]I wonder if he?s deciding which exit to take.[/B]? Nall was sitting on his left shoulder. ?[B]If he takes the path to the right, it?s quicker than the one to the left.[/B]?

Alex shrugged. ?[B]I?m not sure why he wanted to do this to show that the bond works like that. I won?t deny that I was curious to see it in action though.[/B]? Adrian had started up again, heading to the right.

The moment he was free he pulled the blindfold off and turned to look back at the maze as the others joined him. There wasn?t a single smudge of paint on his shoes and Alex wondered what the humans would think when they came across the paint maze.

?[B]So why did you hesitate?[/B]? Alex asked as Astera rejoined the group.

Adrian chuckled. ?[B]She wanted to take the left path and I wanted to take the right. We were arguing over which path was the quickest.[/B]? Astera folded her arms across her chest and snorted.

?[B]So remind me why we?re bothering with this again?[/B]? She said pointedly to Adrian, though the gleam in her eyes indicated that she hadn?t forgotten.

Adrian?s eyes flickered over to her briefly before returning to Alex and Nall. ?[B]One of the things I learned on the other side was how to work when Astera is? unable to respond.[/B]? He shifted nervously.

?[B]Dealing with the vampires at the resort went smoothly, but you never know if we?ll end up separated.[/B]?

Alex nodded. ?[B]True, we were separated by the Count. Did you have something in mind?[/B]?

?[B]I think we should create some training runs through the city itself. Only instead of just working with our familiars, I think we should mix it up.[/B]?

?[B]Like Nall going with you and Astera with me or even those two together?[/B]? Alex couldn?t think of anything for making a course but he figured Adrian at least had an idea of what to do. ?[B]Wait, I thought you didn?t want the vampires to see what?s going on?[/B]? He stopped as he finally got what he meant.

?[B]You want to use them as a point to avoid, since their movements are unpredictable.[/B]?

Adrian laughed. ?[B]Well only as part of it, we?d still make courses and determine time limits. No matter what we do,[/B]? His expression hardened. ?[B]They?re going to know we?re training.[/B]? Adrian looked away. ?[B]It?s best that we avoid any confrontations anyway.[/B]?

That was true, he hadn?t seen him since coming across Victor at Nathan?s apartment, but Alex was sure he was still around the city somewhere. His ability to pick up on vampires hadn?t changed and it seemed like the range was actually increasing.

He didn?t really want to test it. Though the image of asking one to slowly walk away from his location so he could see when he couldn?t sense them anymore just made him want to laugh. Alex pushed the image aside.

?[B]True.[/B]? Alex found himself wondering just how many there were in the city, not that he really wanted to know, at least not at the moment.

?[B]I think nighttime would work best. Unless you want more people around, in which case we could do both?[/B]?

Adrian looked up at the moon and then motioned for them to leave with a jerk of his head towards the city before he took off.

He waited for Alex to catch up. ?[B]We can figure that out later. Let's start by doing timed runs from one side of the city to the other as a group.[/B]?

Alex just nodded.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][B][SIZE="3"]Once And For All[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER]
There were all sorts of what if?s running through Lucia?s mind as they fought the vampire. What if she had asked Nathan for training? What if Phaidra hadn?t stopped the spell that the vampire had used? What if they lost? What if? What if? What if?? They flooded her mind like an unstoppable wave, all the things she could have done or might have happened. She ignored them as best she could, focusing on trying to deal with their opponent.

Lucia couldn?t tell if the woman was faster than the Count or not. It seemed to her that they were fairly similar, though she wondered if that was because of what she had learned since dealing with the Count. She had picked up a lot since then, something she was sure Ruby would gloat over. They had the advantage of numbers but that didn?t guarantee that they would win.

Lucia felt like she was holding up well, in spite of the slashes in her tunic and along her arms. She still hadn?t summoned her scythe, using her increased mobility to avoid the vampire?s attacks. Lucia felt that using short bursts of purifying flames were more effective for cracking a hole in the woman?s defenses, allowing her to strike. She could see a tiny bit of sweat starting to form on the woman?s skin, and her expression changed from being more carefree to being more focused and slightly irritated as they fought.

She couldn?t resist a slight smirk when a fireball lightly grazed the left side of the woman?s face, singing her hair in the process. A small chuckle escaped as she moved in - taking advantage of the distraction, landing a solid kick to her stomach, sending the vampire flying. [I]Now if we can pin her down long enough to finish her[/I], Lucia thought as she raised her hands above her head and rushed forward, her scythe appearing in her hands.

[I]If I can just land a solid blow[/I], she thought as the scythe started its downward arch, [I]we can end this[/I]. But the woman allowed the momentum of the kick to carry her head over heels and to her feet before Lucia could complete her strike. Both blades came up to meet her scythe, halting the attack less than a foot from her face. Lucia barely had time to register that the vampire was muttering something under her breath when purplish lighting arched from the woman?s hands. It ran along the blades before running along her scythe and then into her, burning painfully.

A flash of movement around her left wrist tugged at the corner of her vision and she ignored it as she fought through the pain to force the vampire back. For a moment they were staring directly at one another and then with a jerk the vampire pulled free, dancing back out of range. It took Lucia a split second, as she stumbled forward slightly, to realize that another strike was coming from the right. She abandoned her scythe as she dove for the floor, barely avoiding Phaedra?s attack.

[I]This isn?t working! We?re not as coordinated as we need to be.[/I] She glanced briefly at Phaidra as she got back up. They weren?t use to working together and there was no time to figure out a strategy. The vampire was leading them on a chase around the warehouse. [I]At this rate, she?ll wear us down. We have to put a stop to it somehow.[/I]

[I]If only we had time for wards to guard against magic.[/I] She thought as she and the others moved to follow their opponent. Without some form of ward, Phaidra?s magic could and would hurt her if it hit. It was her fault. Ruby had lectured her about not isolating herself from the others, just as she had lectured her about getting some form of training. [I]I should have listened.[/I] Just getting some training on her own wasn't enough. As soon as they were done here, she was going to have a talk with Nathan. [I]If I survive this[/I]. [/FONT][/COLOR]