NationStates Jolt Archive

A harvest moon shone bright and clear in the cloudless night, sending faint shadows dancing through the trees, where tall and wispy grass served as a ground covering beneath the branches of the lofty pines and oaks. Here, Sionan stole silently, forging a path through the sea of grass until she came to a lowlands. At the base of the opposite hill, a large oak had died several years ago. It had tumbled down the rock-laced slope and finally came to rest braced across a large stone. X marks the spot, she mused wryly and continued a rambling path in that general direction. With the recent feed still lending hints of color to her cheeks, she passed the landmark and disappeared down a hidden opening partway up the next hill.

The cave always reminded her somewhat of a rabbit warren, however the creatures harbored here would do far worse than destroy a few gardens. Absolute secrecy had been a way of life. Coming up the main run, she passed a pair of sentries and finally emerged into a large, candle-lit opening. She grinned sheepishly to whomever might be lurking in the big room before beating a path to her own quarters. Joshua was on her mind, and she would feel the old craving before this night was over.

OOC: The ooc thread can be found here: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=439960&page=3&pp=15

"Weak human...make it eathy on yourthelf, give up now" The snarling drooling creature pronounced 'human' in the same manner as 'Cattle'
"Oh come now Nosty, ye know you've made alot o' enemies, just fer once make it easy fer us all hmm?" Archer stood balanced on the balls of his feet with two silver stakes held lightly in his hands, it wasn't power he needed right now, it was agility. The creature leapt forwards putting it's full wieght behind the attack, bearing it's teeth and no thoughts of it's own defence. Archer nimbly used a hand to swing up around it's neck and onto it's back, plunging it deep into where he estimated the heart was and then using a kick to both push it deeper and launch himself away. When he turned back around, Nospherato as he twistedly liked to be called was getting back up, and he could see that although the stake he sunk deep, it was in the wrong place
"Mithed" The creature grinned with a glint in it's eye and pulled the tool out, ignoring it's slightly smoking flesh
"Oh come on, give a guy a break" Archer muttered to himself as Nospherato leapt up and rebounded off a tree like a bullet, he pinned Archer to the ground knocking his last stake away.
"Oh Nosty, please, wash and rinse fer the love of god" The creature replied with a snap of teeth hungry for his throat, Archer wrapped his hands around it's throat and squeezed slightly while desperatly managing to dodge the teeth. After a few seconds Nospherato began to slow down, and eventually slumped ontop of Archer to his disgust
"Sheesh, I was wonderin when mat hair here would let up. Must have pumped him wi enough poisen to kill three vampires" He released Nospherato's neck where there were hundred of puncture holes, Archers gloves were covered in needles, each no bigger than a hair. He got up and kicked the corpse in distain, it was an insult to the vampire community, thus he had been hired to....deal with it. It looked more werewolf than vampire in truth. The stories where that a vampire had taken to mixing the bloodlines and this was the result, well wherever he came from he was going to Archers benefactor now. He tied up the body and began to drag it out of the forest, his foot brushing the more foolish vampire hunter who had got here before Archer. He had also been out for Nospherato's skin, he wouldn't listen and Archer had never been one for complications.
"Pity, he looked like a promisin lad too"

“Damn.”

Brown eyes stared at the newspaper and a hand placed a few peanuts in the waiting mouth. Joshua sighed and grabbed his pint of Guinness from the bar and took a sip of the dark liquid. He was wearing a pair of dark navy blue slacks, a light blue long sleeve button-up shirt, with a plain grey tie. He knew he wasn’t one to give fashion advice, but thankfully he was in the position that no one could complain about his clothes.

Joshua was sitting in his usual after work hangout, The Griffon Pub. A row of booths stretched halfway down the wall from the door opposite the bar before stopping and round tables taking their place. Joshua sat at the bar as usual with a pint of Guinness and munching on peanuts till he got a corned beef sandwich with chips.

“I thought I did good.” He muttered.

“Hey mate, you played the stock game…you lost. Face it. Besides, it was only a few dollar drop.”

Joshua looked up at his friend sitting across from him. Hank Richards had been Joshua’s friend since he had moved years ago. Hank’s black hair was neatly cropped and his dark brown, nearly black eyes stared back at him; before shifting up to the news blaring from a TV above the bar. Joshua shrugged. “Well, there are always my home stocks with LMC and a few other places. They are doing fine.”

“For Christ sake’s Josh. It was what? Two dollar drop in prices…that is nothing. The stocks are still very healthy. No need to go in a panic state.”

“Hank, you sound like my mother. I see my stocks as a bail out. If I do poorly, like get fired by the owner…I can sell a few high priced stocks to help me out till I get another job. Thought I would have gotten a bit more money with a few stocks here.”

“Always expecting more Josh. When will you learn the world isn’t nice? But, look at it this way…it isn’t the end of the world.”

Joshua nodded. He swung in his chair and faced his corned beef sandwich on wheat with potato chips that had just come. He bit into his sandwich and washed down the first bite with the last bit of Guinness. He ordered another and continued eating. Joshua looked around at the others in the pub, some playing darts, some cards, others watching TV or conversing in small groups. Joshua noticed a man, not a regular, sitting along munching on a sandwich and drinking a pint off in the corner; probably just passing through. He thought how strange it was he was the only person in the room to know of the existence of vampires. He of course didn’t hunt them, he was the complete opposite; a donor for one.

As Joshua bit into a potato chip he wondered if Sionan would call him on his cell or intercept him at his house or before he got there. He liked the vampire, though she was as old as his father. He didn’t mind letting her bite him and feed every once in a Probably the primary reason he was happy about being a donor was that he was safe for the most part from being preyed upon by other vampires.

Joshua had his plan for the evening, finish dinner, maybe have a third pint of beer before walking ten blocks to the metro station for a fifteen minute ride out to the suburbs. Another fifteen minute walk before he reached a development of townhouses, he would take his dog out for a walk before relaxing on the sofa and enjoying some TV before bed.

Joshua finished his meal and paid the bill. Saying goodbye to his friends, he picked up a slim black leather suitcase and left the pub. He checked his cell phone and pager, no messages from Sionan or anyone else. He looked up into the now dark sky and sighed. Hopefully it doesn’t rain.

Looking at his watch Joshua turned and headed towards the station.


Karl Tauber ate his sandwich quietly, thinking of the vampire he had in his sights. It had been over a year since he had been attacked by the female vampire. He had her picture stored on a small digital camera that was slightly smaller then a pack of cigarettes. White hair and violet eyes, the vampire’s two features which stuck her out from the rest of the pack. As he drank some of his beer, he thought about that night in a city park, he had become the hunted and nearly dinner for the creature. A bite on the arm was evidence of the attack; he always kept it covered with a jacket.

During the short brawl, he had managed to snap a photo; the flash had apparently affected the vampire’s sensitive eyes and allowed him to make his escape. Now, he was on the hunt for her. From what he had heard from several hunters he knew, a vampire fitting her description was spotted in the area.

Deciding to relax for the time being, Karl relaxed in his chair and continued with his meal.

As the man wandered down the street, mildly inebriated now, Mikael Kreoss followed at a safe distance, waiting for his chance to strike. They continued walking for a while, but despite the time there were still too many people on the street. Finally the streets cleared and as the man began to pass by an alley, Kreoss struck.

He bounded forward silently and grabbed the man from behind, easily dragging him into the alley, a safe shelter from any passing cars. The man was almost able to shout out, but by the time the word "help" was forming in his vocal cords Kreoss was already crushing his windpipe. As the man began to struggle Kreoss stared him down, his green eyes boring into the the mans dull brown. Slowly the man ceased his struggles and Kreoss released his throat and bit into him, draining his lifeblood away. He feasted for a time and stopped as the man neared death.

Kreoss stood, wiping his mouth, and quietly left the alley, his black trench coat and dark hair blending him with the night. He wasn't worried about the man back in the alley, he would recover fine and would not remember anything by mornning.

As he slowly meandered back towards the abandoned warehouse he currentyl called home he caught sight of another slightly inebriated man who appeared to be on his way home, but this was more than your average drunken human, Kreoss could feel the aura of another vampire on him. Evidently he was a blood donor for another vampire. It was forbidden to feed on anothers donor but Kreoss realized that this could be his connection into the local vampire society. He decided to tail the man as long as he could, discreetly, and try to find the vampire who fed off him.

Genesis’ beautiful hazel eyes carried specs of autumn in them, reminiscent of gold leaf memories. She scanned the street, and bit down on her light rose lips gently. Her cheeks were lightly flush in contrast with her pale alabastor complexion. Her brow was lightly arched, and her long dark brown hair was pulled back into a clip, and the straight tendrils flicked at her back. She wore a baggy pair of olive cargo pants, and a white tank top underneath a dark grey jacket. She pulled a cigarette out of her pocket and lit it, inhaling deeply.

She looked up at the full moon, and smiled lightly. Elegant, aristocratic and regal, the Shentavo are the proudest families of the Three United Empires. The Shentavo family would, of course, have things no other way. In the tradition of noblesse oblige, must lead the other clans for their own good. They have always been the strongest family of the nation, dating back to Ravelyn Shentavo, Daja Desuray, and Corothisia Tempest. Genesis Shentavo was no exception. She wasn’t given the name Genesis by birth, it was Victoria. However, she had so much reminded Quissera of the former dear psion Genesis that she took up the name. The only form of psionics she actually held was fire, which is expected of all the Shentavo women.

She exhaled, and sat down a park bench, enjoying the night.

Nikoli exited the dark circular elevator onto an open office floor. A lone desk stood near the vast window shilding the oom from the outside world. As Nikoli aproached the desk, his thick black boots clicked against the cold blake tile of the floor. He stopped 10 feet from the desk and clicked his heels.

"You rang, master Takk."

The chair behind the desk spun around to face Nikoli. The man seated in it was black haired and his face wore the signs of many years in power, only slightly conceled by a full mustashe and gote.

"Da, i did. Velcome Nikoli. How vas your trip?"

"Productive, as always."

Nikoli tossed a yellow evelope on the desk. A few pictures scattered out of the top flap; pictures from various angles of a body.

Markus Takk clapped lightly as his eyes trailed across the photos.

"Vell done Nikoli. You're service to me may well be at an end soon. Take awhile off, enjoy life as a civilian. Just dont make me come bail you out again."

Nikoli gave a small but grateful smile and bowed before turning on his heels and retreating to the elevator. As the doors closed, his smile dropped from his lips, a snarl taking its place.

"Oh goody, another person in this world who's better than me is dead. woopy." Paranoid sack of buracratic trash. he thought to himself.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Nikoli re-donned a neutral face and walked out of the Takk Corp. Building and turned right towards the forest. He picked up a few necessities along the way and walked into his house; a fair sized building just a bit outside the city. The only street leading to it was his own driveway. But that suited him just fine; He didnt own a car. The lights in the entry way and living room lit at the sound of his entrance. he depossited the groceries in the closet and walked into the spacious living room with its 2 story glass wall looking into the forest. He sat down on the couch faceing the wall and watched.

In her quarters, Sionan took some time to get herself cleaned up. A frivilous gesture, she realized, but it was easier to avoid unneccessary attention without blood on her clothing. Her usual hunting attire colored her as one of Kilasser's many patrons there to enjoy the night life. Beneath a form-fitting black jacket meant to ward off the night's chill, she looked the part.

Quietly she made her way back to the main annex and nodded a farewell to her brethren before taking her leave. Stealing quietly through the forest once more, she took a circuitous route back towards the city. This was the one thing she would never be careless about. The lair must be kept secret at all costs, and disguising a path to and from the place was a primary concern. With the lights of the city twinkling through the trees in the distance, she continued on, intent upon satisfying a growing addiction.

You are weak, you lack true vampire lust.

Jacen sighed, he’d had enough of that. The voice in his head was slowly beginning to irritate him. “For the hundreth time Mister, I am a vampire and I have true vampire lust,” he protested.

To anyone who might have seen him, he looked like a complete nutcase talking to himself and having pink hair. He didn’t care, he just put down to being eccentric, but in actual fact insanity was the curse of all Malkavians.

I hate having to put up with you weakling.

“Then leave,” Jacen yelled.

And go where?

“Anywhere but in my head,”

It was dark, as a vampire Jacen couldn’t go out in sunlight. Of course he didn’t mind, with a vampires mind he was very much nocturnal now. Though unusually for a vampire he looked very young having only just turned sixteen when he was sired. Since then he had left his clan, following orders from the voice in his head and somehow found himself in Kilasser. He knew no one in the city.

He leaned against a wall and placed his hands in the pockets of the long black trench coat he wore. With black jeans and a black t-shirt he looked like a typical stereotyped vampire from some film. That would be until anyone saw his hair of course. Concealed about his person was a katana, which he could just about wield, and dual guns. He was much better with the guns then he was with the katana, which he guessed was probably the best idea really.

Looks like you have a new city to explore.

“I know,” Jacen replied. “Fuck knows how I ended up here.”

Joshua got his second glimpse of the man following him in the sideview mirror of a parked car. Joshua continued on his path towards the metro station, but the fact the man apparently had pale skin gave the human a shiver. If the man was a vampire, it was very possible he could be hunting Joshua. Or he could be a hunter who knew of Joshua being a blood donor for a vampire. At any rate, Joshua knew the man following him knew what he was doing. He had only emerged from the shadows a few times and only during quick breaks in the small swarms of night lovers had the human caught the man.

Joshua crossed the street and a second later a bus drove past, hopefully blocking any attempt to follow for a few seconds. The human was unarmed, though at home he had a Smith & Wesson Model 67 .357 Magnum revlover. The closest thing he had to a weapon was a silver college ring on a finger. He remembered that many vampires had a weakness of silver, so it would be something.

Looking behind him, Joshua did not see anyone following and as he turned back, he found himself in the park. He walked deeper, deciding to cut through. He looked around, hoping to find a building to hide in in case his hunter was still following. Spotting a woman smoking on a bench, he walked up to her.

"Excuse me. I know there are a few bathrooms around here, but I don't know exactly where. Could you point me in the direction?"

“I actually have no idea,” Gene said softly, not turning her eyes to meet the man’s. She continued to smoke her cigarette as she turned to look at him with a priceless expression. Her pale, autumn eyes engulfed him entirely. She had fair skin with a hint of velveteen in her languid voice. She flicked the cigarette on the ground, near the man, and it flared up quite a bit as her eyes glittered at the sight. It went out, and the woman stood up.

“You do realize you have someone following you,” she whispered to him quietly, her eyes glancing around. She looked at Joshua carefully, and then checked her watch. It would be hours until sunlight, for sunrise had just fallen. “If you care that I accompany you, I would do so. I see the scars you hold within may profit me in a way, if you will.”

"Shit," Kreoss muttered under his breath. Either the man had caught on or fate was just being a bitch, the man had just ran across the street and had been given cover by a passing bus and Kreoss wasn't quite sure where he'd gone.

Trying to make the best of it, Kreoss dashed across the street, attempting to follow the man. His inhuman speed would allow him to catch up quickly, if he could only figure out where his target had gotten to.

Kreoss continued down the sidewalk at a quick walk and a glance to his left showed him a park. If his target knew he was being followed he may well have tried to hide in there. He sped up his pace, hoping to get his target in sight before he could hide.

As he turned onto the parks path he found things would be much easier than he had feared, the man had apparently been waylaid by another who enjoyed the night. Kreoss stayed back, in the shadows, hoping his target wouldn't notice him. But after a moment he noticed something odd, the woman the target was talking with seemed to have an aura. He moved a bit closer and was able to read her as a vampire clear as day. This might be the chance he was looking for, a connection to the locals.

He stepped from the shadows and called out to the pair: "Hey there!" He approached closer and continued. "I'm a little lost, could you help me out?" he asked, as he approached to the point where they shouldn't be overheard.

Joshua stared at the woman in front of him as her words washed over him. He knew he had made a mistake, the woman was a vampire. Mentioning the scars gave her away. He ran a finger over his neck, he felt nearly two invisible bumps where Sionan usually bit him. The marks were nearly invisible to the human eye and he knew that Sionan's smell and the bite marks are thigns only a vampire would notice. It made sense to him, the vampire stalking him was probably her fledgling and had moved him towards his sire.

Still, Joshua would try to slink off. He slowly took steps back and spoke in a nervous tone.

"Uhh..no thank you ma'am....I am perfectly alright."

As he backed up he turned to see the man who had been stalking him approach. This was his last chance to escape from being vampire chow.

"Sorry mate, I hafta run and get home to my dog. She knows this place better than I though."

With that, Joshua started down the path at a brisk pace towards the other side of the park. He knew it would take him about ten minutes to cover its length, then about another five to ten minutes to the safety of the metro station.

Kilasser limits officially extended about 3 miles into the woods on this side of the city. She was well within the boundaries now, and showed no signs of slowing. Her hands rested casually in her pockets as she travelled along a little-used road towards an eventual goal of city centre. Sometimes she arranged her meetings with Joshua, but tonight was one of those nights where it might be more interesting to surprize him. She smiled darkly and glanced to the road behind her, an habitual reassurance of solitude.

Gene looked toward the ground and chuckled a bit. Her eyes lit up as she saw him run, narrowing on him. Now if you hadn’t have run, you wouldn’t have provoked me. she thought silently, got up, and looked at the other who had approached. “Maybe you should find someone else who can help you with directions. My date just took off,” with a eerie grin she shot off across the park, following Joshua. Where are you… she sighed softly. She hadn’t been referring to Joshua, but to her sire. Her sire had been missing for several years, and it was through the victims of other vampires she tried to track him down again. She didn’t understand why he would leave her after all they had been through.

She was catching up on him quickly. She felt a deep heat arise within her. Not yet, she repeated to herself. As all Shentavo women, an elemental of specific nature was always in their blood. There were no physical signs that she was a vampire visible, and she could blend easily in with the crowd. With a flawless grin, she persisted, getting closer in every second.

Nikoli tossed the day's newspaper back on the table; "Forest Ghosts" being the cover story.

Those bloody fools have no idea what's in these woods.

As he shook his head in iritation a flash of movement in the forest caught his eye. He stood from the couch and grabbed his full length brown duster, complete with 2 holstered Desert Eagles, and walked back out of his house. The lights shut oh behind him, the door locking immidiately. Nikoli wrapped the duster around himself and made use of the many buckles in front to strap it tight to his form. He took a second to channel his mind, and then he was off, running silently as the wind itself.

perhaps tonight i will be able to catch on of these "forest ghosts."

A slight smirk crossed his face as he carried on, keeping a good distance behind the movement, but keeping it in his sight.

"Come out and play little one. I don't bite." he spoke just quietly enough for someone across that distance to hear. "But i'll bet you do." he added to himself.

Sionan nearly paused in her stride as something just above a thought seemed to strike her. A string of words, but little else. The smile fading from her face, she glanced over her shoulder again and kept to the side of the road. She maintained a steady pace, if not increasing it slightly. Everything was dangerous at night. The only difference was in who played the part of the hunter, and who the prey. This road was no exception, and she did not favor the possibility of being followed. The sooner she reached the city, the better, but she focused on her senses nonetheless, reaching with them. Probing the darkness.

Just stay calm, she reassured herself. Remember the old lessons.

Are you kidding me? Kreoss thought, exasperated, it seemed like fate had dealt him a bad hand this night. A curse left his lips as he started into a run, tailing the other vamp and his prey.

"No, you see, I really must have those directions," he called out as he ran, becoming extremely irritated. He continued forward, trying to catch the vampire or his original target. He really did need get in contact with the local vampires, it could really help him out. So he put his best into run as he continued.

Nikoli kept to the shadows cast by the trees. He had a sense that his query knew he was there, and thus began looking for alternate ways of making contact.

alley way... no, dead ends. too dark to duck back into the forest. that building there... yes, that will do.

Nikoli made sure the the person ahead didn't look back, then he dashed to a one story shop. with acrobatic ease he jumped up, caught the lip of the roof and rolled himself on top. He dropped to a crouch and monuvered in the shadow of the chimy, gained a better vantage point on the street ahead.

Joshua continued to move at his present pace and weave through crowds of people. Home; that was the only place he could really think of. Under his bed on the third floor of his town house was his .357. Though he had never visited Sionan's coven, he had requested her to get him several silver bullets, just in case this kind of situation occured. Two silver rounds were sitting with four hollow points in a small box next to the gun. All he had to do was get home.

Joshua looked behind him and through the crowd he noted with horror that the female vampire was still moving after him. As he looked further back, the male vampire was weaving through the crowds. A sweat broke out, the pair were still chasing him, the metro was now only a block or two away. He could make it.

Joshua moved across the street towards the station. He took a breath of relief as he entered the car filled parking lot and made his last few meters towards the walkway that would carry him over the tracks an into the main terminal. A two long flights of stairs down to the platform and he would be on a quick ride to the suburbs.

Joshua did not bother looking behind him as he quickened to a jog.


Karl was observing a couple across the street who had just entered a nightclub. He was sitting on the top of a roof armed with a high definition digital camera. From his experiance, he could tell they were both vampires, probably one was the fledgling on its first hunt and the sire was there to show the proper way. A Heckler and Koch MP-5k-PDW was hidden under his coat.

As he scanned the street with the lense, he noticed a man he had seen in the pub rushing down the street. Curious, he moved the lense further back and saw the same vampire who had bitten him moving after the man. It was her. Moving the lense back, he snapped a picture of the human and quickly stuffed the camera into his coat. Moving down the fireescape, he hit the alley and moved across the street. But during those few minutes, they were gone.

Cursing angerily, Karl would just have to wait to kill her. In the meantime, he would destroy the vampires who had entered the nightclub.

Archer finally got to his destination under the flickering lamplights, it was an almost unremarkable place, a rare books shop that was tucked between a warehouse and a drycleaners. Niether ever had much traffic. He opened the door and dropped the heavy corpse on the floor, then streched his aching muscles. Just as he was raising his arms to get life back into them he was caught around the neck by a huge hand and slammed heavily against the wall
"Wh-th..." He tried to grip the appiration around the neck with his poisen gloves, but all he got in return was the sound of snapping needle-hairs. He brought his knee up sharply, but all he got for that was an explosion of pain in his kneecap
"Let him go Remoth" A dusty voice came from further back in the darkness
"As you say master" The slow deliberate voice like the toll of a bell boomed infront of him, and the huge hand uncurled from his neck. It stepped back into the dim light of a lamp to reveal what looked like an early century suit of armour
"Remoth?" Archer rubbed his knee
"The last time I saw ye you wer nothin but a cloud o fairy dust" He scowled
"Ah liked ye before"
"Remoth has the ability to manipulate objects around him to give himself a form usable on this plane of existance. I found it neccecary. There have been....disturbances here recently" The dusty voice spoke again, and a lamp flared on to reveal a stick thin librarian. His skin was almost the pallur of the pages he meticulously dusted and oiled every day in his beloved library. Stien was Archers contact in the area, an old family friend who knew everything and talked to everyone. He was the one who had informed Archer about the contract on Nosferato. But Stien under threat was not a thought Archer wanted to think about. Well, he did have a soft spot for the old vampire, but it was more the fact that noone threatened Stien, you could make altogether too many enemies that way. The entire underworld was his bodyguard.
"Who on arth would threaten ye?"
"Not threats my friend, goings on. Rumours have it that somthing important is going on in this town."
Archer paused waiting for the important bit, but nothing came forward
"Somthing important. Wow. Thats some rumour ye got there"
"Archer think of it from our point of view" Stien got up out of his chair and walked over to Archer, the light framing his face "We are long lived, immortal, some of us are more than thousands of years old. We do not take the word 'important' lightly. This is serious Archer."
"As long as it doesn't intefere with business it doesn't concern me" Although deep inside, the seed of worry had implanted itself. This seemed big, and nothing big was ever good for everyone.
"I er..." Archer shuffled his feet and looked embaressed for the first time
"I got ye another volume. The final verse of that book o poetry ye were wantin" He passed a book over
"Found it in the ruins of a place I had a contract in" He didn't mention he had had to give up almost all his reward to purchase it.
"Ah yes...exellent condition. You know, I'm suprised it kept so well in the damp of the ruins, as you say.." He raised an eyebrow
"Yes...well er, ye know how books are. I'll see ye round Stien" He walked out of the shop
".....take care of yourself Archer" He heard just as he closed the door. He was getting too attached to the old man he knew, bu with no human family left, alot of the vampire world had become his family. Stien was like an old uncle he rarely saw but still enjoyed meeting up with once in a while.
"Goin soft" He muttered. He wandered out through the city and into the park just to be up at nightime. He was wearing an exeedingly dark green trenchcoat. Usually he didn't like wearing a trenchcoat, it screamed vampirehunter, but it was useful to carry all of his stuff. It was dark green because that was the true colour of the night. People thought it the night was pitch black, when really it was the darkest of purples, greens and greys. To an eye that was used to the night black showed up like a shadow that was a little too dark.

Inside her pockets, Sionan lightly dug her fingernails into her palms with agitation. She knew she was being watched, but damned if she could discover the source. That simple fact sent up a number of red flags.

Finally, the road led past a few darkened buildings and then into the edge of the city proper. This was better than being out in the open. She sensed movement behind her and froze, eyeing the road and a low rooftop evenly. But the motion did not repeat itself, so with a growl under her breath, she continued towards city centre, and Kilasser's night life.

She knows i'm here. Damned if this girl isn't smart.

Nikoli abandoned the hiding place behind the chimney and ran to the edge of the roof and slid down the drainage pipe. Once back on the ground he gave up stealth and walked out into the street, aparently just another night owl out for a stroll.

There you are..

She stole a discreet glance over her shoulder, but continued on, seemingly unaware. Or more likely, unthreatened. The metro station lay only a few blocks ahead, and from there, any number of opportunities presented themselves. Let her follower make the first move. That was generally the best course of action.

Ironically, the city of Kilasser really came alive at night. It was an old and decently sized town, but the night life was renowned in this region of Gaeltach. A mecca for the nation's youth, it seemed, if they weren't too busy getting into trouble in the north. Yes.. plenty of opportunities.

Jacen wrapped his trenchcoat around him as he walked through the streets.

You're lost, fucking typical

Jacen scowled at the voice in his head and tried to ignore it. Usually that was a bad thing to do, but right now he really didn't want to attract attention to himself. Too many people around as he headed towards what looked to be a metro station.

Gene stopped short, and shook her head. She chuckled a bit, hoping he was afraid. It was worth far to little to continue to chase him. She watched the other shoot past her, and continued to laugh. She took another cigarette out of her pocket, and sparked a small flame in her hand, lighting it and inhaling. These humans, so predictable. It makes me sick. The covens have run amuck in my family’s absence. Secrecy, secrecy… She looked around, and sighed, standing outside. Now taking blood dolls and feeding off of them, never killing them, always leaving them for ties.

She smiled, and inhaled once again. She ran her free hand to her brunette hair, and taking out the clip, letting the long dark strands fall down the back of her jacket.

Nikoli knew the value of patience. If he where to try to catch up with the woman, she would either run or, more likey, turn and confront him. That was not something he wished to happen. Dispite all of his trainings, if this woman was what he thought she was, he wouldn't be able to do much against her strength. So he changed his role from stalker to observer. For the first time he took his eyes off the girl and began to note the suroundings. There where a few groups of people roaming the side streets. Occationally a pack would venture out onto the road, which helped him seem to blend into the background. He noted that the metro station was close and assumed thats where most of the people where going; lively as the nightlife in the town was, it wasn't everywhere. So Nikoli contented himself to shadowing the people rather than the woman; but he did make sure that she stayed in his sight.

Sionan found half-hearted distraction in emersing herself in the crowds. Youth brought with it a vibrant energy, and it seemed to pulsate and electrify the night air. The place was just teeming with life and energy, one couldn't help but drink it up. Ahead and across the large square was An Roisin, a club where she often caught up with Joshua, and she adopted a more casual pace.

She stopped abruptly in her stride as a stranger nearly shouldered her in his inattention.

"Damn tourists," she muttered under her breath with a soft growl. "Must be lost."

Sidestepping, she took notice at once of the distinctive lack of life in him. This man was different than the usual crowd to frequent this place, but not so different from an underground society which shared the night streets. Withdrawing one hand from her pocket long enough to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she fixed him with a narrowed, sideways glance.

"You should be more careful."

Joshua paused in the metro parking lot and looked behind him, the female vampire was thankfully gone and he couldn't see the male. He knew he could relax, they probably decided on a more oblivous prey. He heard a deep rumble and ran to the edge of the parking lot where a high fence seperated the lot from the tracks below. The train was just pulling out of the station. Joshua cursed, but another train should arrive within fifteen to thirty minutes. Sitting down on a bench, he closed his eyes and decided to rest till he heard the next metro train come in.

Jacen raised an eyebrow at the woman, was she talking to him? He wasn't sure as he ran a hand through his pink hair.

Of course she's talking to you, you dumb fuck.

Perhaps the voice in his head was right, had he walked into her while not paying attention to the world around him. It would seem so.

"Umm... if I walked into you, sorry," he apoligised.

Vampire's never apologise.

"Hn."

She looked him up and down with a critical and appraising eye, then spoke in a lowered tone.

"No. I meant, you should be more careful. Alert. This town isn't safe at night.."

Coldly, she flickered a glance over their surroundings, almost as if by habit. And with a last piercing look to the pink-haired stranger, she moved off into the crowds once more at a slow, almost savoring pace.

Stupid bint

"Hey she was just concerned," Jacen said as he walked off. "I think."

Who knew what else would happen tonight. Right now he felt a little peckish, he wondered about the best place to pick up a victim was. There were plenty of people around but the area was too public. Instead Jacen headed off in search of a tavern or something similar.

Alex stumbled out of the pub, feeling very muzzy after a foolish cocktail of a couple of pints of bitter and the painkillers he was taking after his operation. Kilasser wasn't a bad place, he decided with the , as the beer was cheaper than at home. Staggering back to his lodgings was decidely difficult, especially with the way his head was spinning now, as well as it being a relatively unknown city after dark. Aex had been here for over a month, although he'd orginally planned for a few days before his plane left, but after stepping in front of a taxi on the way to the airport had lengthened his stay. So close to going home, and he forgot for a split second which way to look at a road crossing! He cursed his stupidity, and lashed out at a bin with his foot, drawing strange looks from a couple out late as they passed him. Alex stumbled down an alley, attempting to remember where the hell he had to turn to get back to his room. Then into bed, then that weird job tomorrow morning. Ah, well.

The girl paused to talk to a man with pink hair for a moment, which gave Nikoli a bit of time to catch up a good deal. Now less than 30 feet behind her he debated his next course of action.

Willen liked this place. He didn't much care for its name, or its appearance. The music was bad - trite lyrics being poorly sung - and played at that annoying level where you couldn't quite hear, but couldn't quite blot it out. The beer was weak and warm, and the meat in his sandwiches had gone off. The seat was greasy and uncomfortable. But it was dark: a good, strong gloom, just light enough to see the flash of prying eyes. Yes, Willen liked this place.

He bit again at the sandwich, and dropped the stale crusts to the plate in disgust. He grumblingly choked down the stinking flesh, and eased himself back with a slight creaking in his back. He sat for a while in absolute static silence, his mind totally blank. Finally, he scraped the thick tankard across the table and drained the last few soapy dregs. He could taste chemicals, not oats. But it was still beer.

Out in the street a cold, damp mist was settling in, and Willen hugged his long jacket to his body more tightly, dragging deeply on his cigarette. He was alert, of course, but he knew that ultimately no amount of ear-twitching or shoulder-glancing would help him. The creatures of the night moved quietly. He tightened his grip on his weapon, and moved on, his heavy boots rapping the cobble floor. He had yet to take down one in this city.

But the night was young.

Karl watched as the male vampire flirted with his prey in the alley. He smiled, laughed, and kissed the young woman he had constantly. The vampire was so wrapped up with toying with his meal, he did not see nor sense Karl come into the alley. He turned and a look of shock registered on his face before a long line of soft thumps announced Karl's silenced MP5k firing. The vampire screeched as silver slugs tore into his body, he stopped as a bullet greeted his skull and decorated the wall with his brain matter.

The girl turned, obvliously drunk and looked at Karl. The girl's vision was blurry and she could not make out any defining features. Karl smashed the woman across the forehead with his machine-pistol, knocking her out. The hunter turned to the vampire. The entrance wounds smoked as the silver burned his flesh. Karl pulled out a small digital camera and took his picture, knowing that there might be a bounty out there in the hunter community for him. The hunter had already disposed off the vampire's fledgling, he had let her take him into an alley and instead of getting blood in her mouth, she got the cold metal of his silencer.

Opening a manhole cover in the alley, he dumped the corpse down into it, the same way he did to the female vampire. Picking up the would-be victim, he put her down out front on a bus stop bench.

With two vampires dead, he felt a bit better. Karl next turned his sights on finding the vampire who had bitten him.


Joshua looked at his watch, he still had time to wait before the next train arrived. He thought about what had happened, after being stalked by two vampires and nearly getting eaten, he felt a bit jittery inside. Joshua stood and walked over to a line of vending machines and got himself a Diet Coke and a Snickers bar.

Sitting back down, he kept a watchful eye on the parking lot, in case he saw one of his hunters.

Near the edge of the square the crowd thinned a bit. Sionan took the time to take in the sights and observe the people around her. There was a group of young females, all wearing disposable wristbands distributed by different bars to assure if certain patrons were of drinking age. A couple walked hand in hand, merely strolling. A few people walked alone. Quite unexpectedly, she spotted Joshua sitting on a bench adjacent to the metro station.

"Long day?" she asked quietly once she approached within earshot.

The way he bounced his leg with nervous energy did not escape her notice. She folded her arms casually with a cryptic little smile.

After hearing some strange noises, not least the sound of a silenced gun nearby, Archer walked quietly into an alley, keeping to the shadows. There was the acrid smell of gunshot recently fired, but somthing else aswell
"Blood" Archer muttered. He looked around for the telltale shine on the floor to reveal where it has settled, and when he found it smeared across the floor near the wall he knelt down to take a look. It was red yes, but not the rich red of humans, the more pale red of vampires who had less iron in thier blood. He took his glove off and carefully dipped two fingers in it.
"Warm" He looked over, there was too much blood here for just one vampire to have died, two or more must have shed blood here, both vampires. So perhaps that was what Stien was afraid of; hunters, hunters who didn't work for vampires against vampires like Archer but against them for humans. As a rule he ususally liked other hunters, good company and exchanging stories was a hunter favourite, but he also did not like it when they threatened the balance of power too much. Vampires only take what they need, Acher reasoned, so we should do the same. He also noticed that the trails of blood were smeared in a trail into a manhole. An efficient hunter. Archer sighed and wiped his hand on his coat, then walked out of the alley trying not to look too suspicious to the wandering night walkers of the town.

Joshua looked up at the familiar voice and saw Sionan. He sat there for several seconds, not registering it was her; it was the first time she had come to him without calling since he had become her donor. He stood and gave a nod.

"Yeah, it has been a damn long day, Nearly eaten by two out of city vampires. Though I think one was interested in the location of your coven."

He drained the rest of his soda and tossed it into a garbage can nearby. Joshua turned back to Sionan.

"This is the first time that you have come to see me without calling...any reason? Some coven members a bit pissed that you have a donor or something like that?"

She narrowed her eyes at this news. As much as she disliked strangers in their territory, she could tolerate them if they behaved themselves. Forcing herself to relax, she laughed softly as if to brush off his comment.

"Just a change of pace, mo ghrá. But let's not speak of such things in the open.."

She was still guarded after being tailed earlier tonight, and unneccessary risk seemed foolish.

Alexius walked up to the door of his lodgings, feeling a lot more sober after his walk in the cold night air. He was putting his key in the door of the rented flat, when he heard a small clink of metal in the air. He pulled out his lighter, sparking it up as he bent down to investigate the floor. His questing hand touched a warm cylinder, and he picked it up and pulled it into the small halo of light around his Zippo.

"Christ!" It was a shell casing. A quick search revealed more of them, and a pool of blood. Alex felt the bile rise in his throat, and he lent against the wall until the feeling passed.

Once the nausea had gone completely, he had a good poke around in the alley, but not before fishing a knife out of his rucksack. Nothing else was about. Something was on the edge of his hearing. Sirens.

Police. Looking around himself, Alex realised that he now in an obvious crime scene, with a gun on him. Sighing, he grabbed his stuff, and ran into the street at the end of the alley, attempting to get away from the area, before anything could be attached to him.

As he continued to chase his target he noticed that the other vampire had vanished. He cursed himself for not paying more attention to her and paused to look around. He saw no sign of her, just what seemed to be the usual night life crowd. He turned back to continue the chase and cursed out loud, drawing some stares, as he noticed that even his original target had eluded him.

He stood for a minute, unsure of what to do, disrupting the flow of traffic around him. Where would he go? he thought to himself. There was no point trying to find the other vampire again, not in this crowd, but he might be able to guess the human's intention. What would I do were I persued? he questioned himself, he was different from humans now but he should still be able to outguess them. As he thought he continued to look around and something cuaght his eye. He saw a staircase that led down from the street and quickly recognized it for a metro station. There! he seized on the idea, that's where he's going.

He quickly hurried to the metro station and practically ran inside, hoping to catch his prey before he made the train. He was waylaid, as he had to pay for a ticket, but he quickly paid for it and shot down the next set of stairs, onto the platform. He spotted his quarry, who was talking animatedly to a woman. He slowly made his way over, hoping not to draw any attention.

Karl had turned back and was now going at a jog to the alleyway. He had forgotten the most important thing besides cleaning up the vampire corpse, getting his spent casings. He spotted a figure emerge from the alley and take off in the opposite direction. Unsure of who he was, Karl ran after him, his leg pumping and once he got into range, pulled out his MP5k and leveled it at the man.

He had a stolen police ID with his picture in place, so it would be easy to trick him.

"FREEZE! POLICE!"

Joshua nodded in agreement with Sionan. It probably would be best for the pair to go to his home and talk. Joshua got her a ticket and the pair went into the terminal, down the stairs and onto the platform. He looked around nervoulsy, wondering if the vampire stalking him would make an apperance.

"Do you see any more of your kind?"

Nikoli tailed the woman at a distance until she met up with a man on a bench. They talked, then went into the station.

Damn. Closed spaces are not good for discretion.

With a slight sigh and a mumbling of irritation, he pulled his coat around himself a bit tighter and walked down into the station.

"Do you see any more of your kind?"
She looked around with a stoic expression, scanning the crowd for a few telltale signs, and suddenly feeling watched again.

"No.." She was uncertain, but wouldn't admit it to avoid making him more nervous than he already was. "But that does not mean they are not here."

Freeze! Police!

The words echoed around Alexius' head, and he risked a glance over his shoulder. There was a dark-clothed man holding a vicious looking looking machine pistol. He slowed to a jog, thinking wildly. What were his options? Run away from the man, and risk several shots in the spine? Or stand here and risk getting caught for a crime that he had nothing to do with?

Bugger, Alex thought. Between a rock and a hard place. He slowed to a walk, and turned round to face his pursuer, with his hands in the air. Better to be safe than sorry.

Kreoss kept the pair in site and made his way over slowly, trying not to be noticed. As he drew nearer to them he removed his hands from his pockets, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. He thought the woman with his target was a vampire, but he wasn't sure, he approached anyways.

"Excuse me," he started, "but I have a rather important matter I'd like to discuss with you. Do you thinkm you could spare some time?" As he spoke a practiced eye could spot the tell tale sign of fangs. He really hoped they'd hear him out, instead of running. He had no wish to do any more chasing tonight, espescially as the woman was a vampire, or so he was almost sure.

"Speak of the devil," she whispered and watched the man approaching them.

Sionan stood protectively between Joshua and the stranger. Narrowing her eyes, she gave him a once-over before deciding on a course of action. The train was still a few minutes out, and there was no convenient place to run, should the need for it arise. She folded her arms casually and shifted her weight.

"Well now, that would depend on what exactly this matter is."

On getting back to his apartment, Archer slumped tiredly in the chair he kept facing the door and aligned to have the sun shining on it on a warm day. In his hand he held a box Nospherato had been carrying in his pocket. Stien said the contract spoke of nothing about the creatures possesions and so Archer had kept it to look at out of intrest, perhaps to find out why he had come to this town in the first place. He opened the hinged box, blood red mahogany wood glistening slightly in the moonlight from unidentified moisture, and peered inside. Inside there was an odd looking vial with what looked like a drop of blood inside, and a small diary with it's pages yellowing with age. Archer sat up with interest and took out the journal.
6th arbiter zieneth of the moon, year of the rat. I have researched the strange condition further that has affected my father, he says he has never felt better after feeding on the man, increased reaction time and strength. This appears to be true, and since I can find no other explanation to the occurance I have decided to seek out the source....
Archer frowned, increased reaction time? Improved strength?
8th arbiter zieneth of the moon, year of the rat. The blood contains a rare condition, a difference in the composition and a new substance I have been unable to identify in the plasma. I believe it was produced in the body to combat an obscure form of desease, and is kept in the genetic information to protect the subject from further infections. The substance nevertheless has an effect on the vampire biology that speeds up the metabolism and improves stamina for the muscular sytem tenfold, like a drug for vampires with no ill effect.....
He flipped over a few pages, as the paper had disintegrated beyond recognition in some places
2nd arbiter zieneth of the moon, year of the snake. The subject has taken it's own life by fire. Presumably to keep me from my further investigation into his condition, and to stop me divulging the secret of what makes the blood contained within his form so potent to vampirekind. This is a setback, but I have discovered the location of the last known descendent of the subject, and my findings have shown that the condition is indeed passed down the bloodline.
He turned the page again carefully, but that was the last entry. Could Nospherato have been looking for the descendent of 'The subject' when he came here? Was all of that really true? If a group of vampires had found a was of creating a drug from this persons blood that improves strength, stamina, it would mean war for everone. That was what Stien must have meant, somthing big. Well he had no idea. Ten minutes later he was knocking on the door of the rare books shop.
"Stien?"
"The master is out" Came a deep voice. That must have been Remoth. He puased, then slipped the journel under the door.
"Give this ter him when he gets back. It's important"
"I shall"
After delievering the journal he found himself wandering the streets aimlessly, thinking about what this meant. New things did not come easy for a species that lived for far longer than hundreds of years. He stopped when he heard a distant sound..
"Stop! police!" He shrugged and carried on walking. His direction would take him to where the voice was coming anyway. Anything to distract him from his thoughts.

Jacen wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Didn't taste the same as it did back home, was that really home?

Tasted like shit.

"Tasted different actually," Jacen disagreed.

He left the alleyway and headed off down the street. Now that he felt refreshed, he didn't have to worry about feeding for a while.

Joshua stared at the vampire as Sionan got between the two men. He found it odd a woman would have to defend a man; though he knew it was a great interest of Sionan to protect him. He decided to let the vampires talk it out, Sionan would know what to do.


Karl kept the machine-pistol leveled with the man as he walked forward. He noted the rucksack and quickly removed it from the man. Doing a one hand pat-down, he quickly removed the man's weapons. Knowing the police would not be in that area for another few minutes and knowing the man was not a vampire, Karl deemed it safe to talk.

"Who are you and why are you in my city?"

It would seem my quarry has another pursuer.

Nikoli stood against a wall, far enough away to avoid attention, but still close enough to evesdrop. He casually reached around his back inside the jacket and checked the safty on both his pistols.

From a short distance from the alleyway, Archer saw two men. One levelling a gun at the other. As a rule Archer did not use guns. There were two reasons- One, he found them unpoetic and rather crude. Not to mention loud.
Two, the attachments and new devices he had found to affect vampires could not be easily attached to a bullet. He used a small but high powered crossbow that he tucked into the lining of his coat. Yes it was old fasioned, but he felt a certain pleasure when he hunted the same things as his forebears with the same weapons in the same dark of night as they had done. Well, with a few new tricks he admitted. All the same he disliked having a gun aimed at him as much as the next man and so he hung back. One of them looked like a vampirehunter, and another looked like he could be, he couldn't tell from this distance. If two vampirehunters were around that probably meant more vampires were around, and that was what he wanted to know about. Vampires would know more about this "Subject" than anyone else.

"Who are you and why are you in my city?"
Watching the gun, not wanting to take his eyes off it in case the man moved suddenly, Alex answered the man's question.

"I was on a round-the-world trip, sort of a once in a life time experience. I stopped in Kilasser to take a 'plane back home. Other than that, nowt, mate." Alexius started to have a feeling that all was not right.
Was this man really a copper? He thought. Best not to challenge him, though. He has got a gun.

"Do you know what happened, here, officer?"

"Who are you and why are you in my city?"
Watching the gun, not wanting to take his eyes off it in case the man moved suddenly, Alex answered the man's question.

"I was on a round-the-world trip, sort of a once in a life time experience. I stopped in Kilasser to take a 'plane back home. Other than that, nowt, mate." Alexius started to have a feeling that all was not right.
Was this man really a copper? He thought. Best not to challenge him, though. He has got a gun. Damnit, but he needed his bag back. His ankle was starting to play up again, and he had painkillers in one of the pockets.

"Do you know what happened, here, officer?"

Karl looked at the man and gave a grunt and nod. He moved his gun to his hip, keeping the barrel firmly fixed on the man and his right hand holding the grip. Picking out of his left pocket was the police ID he had stolen. He flashed it long enough for the man to see his picture and the Kilasser Police Department insignia on it before it reentered his pocket.

"You are taking a 'round-the-world trip eh? Well, are your tickets inside the bag? Also...back there is a scene of a possible homicide. Mighty strange that I see a man running from the scene instead of calling for the police. That doesn't look too good and definantly puts you on my radar."

"Well now, that would depend on what exactly this matter is."

"Well, you see, I'm new in town and I really don't know anyone around here. I could use a place to stay perhaps, or at least some contact with the locals," Kreoss stated in an innocent manner, flashing his fangs pointedly as he did so. Once he was close enough to talk without being overheard he continued, "I always find having contact with the local society to be useful. It's best to get into contact with the local organization before hunting. You wouldn't believe how pissy some vamps are about who you bite."

"Heh. Well you are a bold one, now aren't you?"

She flashed a half-smile over her shoulder at Joshua before adopting a less threatening posture.

"But at least you aren't stupid. We have a few more rules here than most places and the penalty for breaking them is rather.. grave. We should talk where there are less people. Care to join us?"

She turned as a train rumbled into the station and followed Joshua, half-watching the stranger expectantly.

Picking a newspaper off of a nearby bench, Nikoli boarded the train, through the doors adjacent to the one used by the girl and her company.

What are you doing Nikoli? You know better than to get yourself into a corner.

As he mentally chided himself, he ignored all his common sense on the matter and followed his intuition. He took a seat facing back towards the woman, still close enough to observe, and flicked open the paper, pretending to read through it.

Crap. Suspicious bloody copper.
"I haven't bought the ticket, yet. That's why I was, uh, running. To get the airport to get the ticket back home. I'm finishing it up in Kilasser." Alex turned and gestured back down the alley. "I don't know anything about that lot, I just came back to the flat I'm renting, and the place was covered in blood and some bullet casings." The man obviously didn't believe a word he was saying, or was a good actor. "Look, officer, if you check my gun, you'll see it hasn't been fired." The man raised his eyebrows at the mention of "my gun", leading Alex to talk some more. "I've got the thing for self-defence. I don't usually do weapons, but you don't know what you'll run into out here."
Alex's had moved towards his pocket, and the man's gun barrel flicked towars him again.

"I'm getting a cigarette out. Anyway, aren't you going to 'cuff me or something?" I really shouldn't cheek a man with a gun, he thought as he put the bent cylinder in his mouth and lit it.

"Heh. Well you are a bold one, now aren't you?"

She flashed a half-smile over her shoulder at Joshua before adopting a less threatening posture.

"But at least you aren't stupid. We have a few more rules here than most places and the penalty for breaking them is rather.. grave. We should talk where there are less people. Care to join us?"

She turned as a train rumbled into the station and followed Joshua, half-watching the stranger expectantly.

Kreoss followed, quickly drawing abreast of the two of them. "Yes, I would like to join you," he said as he followed them to the train.

Joshua felt uncomfortable with another vampire coming to his home. He didn't mind taking Sionan home, it was the new vampire he didn't trust. He lead them into a community of townhouses and walked up to his three story one situated between another two; his was the only one with a garage, but nside his garage was a little used Honda hybrid, he mostly used it for storage. The entrace was at the bottom floor and Joshua let the pair in before closing.

Several seconds later, a low growl was audible and a full grown Doberman Pincher emerge from behind a coat rack. It growled for a few seconds before sneezing and running up to its master. Joshua petted the dog and the creature sniffed Sionan, the snub of a tail vibrating fuirously. It then froze and bared it teeth at the second vampire.

"Tirpitz...easy boy...easy."

The dog calmed down and Joshua led the vampires to a set of curling stairs that led up to the second floor. It was his kitchen, family, and living room crammed into the area. The stairs stopped here and another flight continued next to it up to the third floor and his rooms. Joshua went over to the kitchen and sat at the bar, staring at the male vampire as Tirpitz kept a close eye on the newcomer.

"So...why were you stalking me?"

Nikoli got off at the same stop as the rest, then turned and fumbled with a random door long enough for the group to pass out of earshot. He jumped and caught the eves of the townhouse and pulled himself up, then jumped, catching the eves of the next house down the street. He contenued doing so, keeping to the darkness and chineys for cover, until he reached the house that was across from the house next to the one that the girl and men had entered. He crouched down behind the chimney and watched and waited.

Sionan and the stranger had engaged in a few sparse words of small conversation, but otherwise discussed nothing of importance. The prospect of having another vampire here with unknown intentions was strangely intreguing. She scratched Tirpitz generously behind the ears but turned an occassional glance out the front windows, searching for her partner in the game of cat and mouse.

"Why? Simple, you had the mark of a vampire on you. A certain aura, connecting you strongly to another vamp. As I'm new in town I was hoping you'd lead back to the one who's been feeding on you and I'd be able to introduce myself to the local society. As I said before; you wouldn't believe how pissy some vamps are about who you bite." was Kreoss's reply.

I knew i should have grabbed my ear-shot.

Nikoli chided himself as he could only atch the few dark figures in the front window of the townhouse. It was clear to him that the distanced observation technique would not work here. He looked around his surroundings for a moment, trying to come up with a plan. The moon came out from behind a cloud behind him, casting a dim light over the roof top. He looked back at the moon, then down at the window, and an idea formed; a crude idea, but one that would most probibly draw a reaction of some sort, especially if the girl was what he thought she was. He slipped out from behind the chimney and stood silhouetted against the bright moon, and in perfect view of the front window of the townhouse.

"Why? Simple, you had the mark of a vampire on you. A certain aura, connecting you strongly to another vamp. As I'm new in town I was hoping you'd lead back to the one who's been feeding on you and I'd be able to introduce myself to the local society. As I said before; you wouldn't believe how pissy some vamps are about who you bite." was Kreoss's reply.
Sionan smiled in open amusement, but flickered her gaze between the stranger and the window.

"I am Sionan," she replied simply. "And Joshua here is my donor."

And a special and extraordinary one at that. Her gaze lingered on the human a moment, with an expression hinting at something left unsaid. But abruptly she returned her attention to the window, where motion had caught her eye.

"I seem to have found my shadow. Excuse me, but I must see what he wants. Feel free to tag along, stranger. You may find a meal yet."

Crossing etherally to the door, she pulled it open with an unnatural silence and merely stood on the front step, watching the man on the roof openly.

Knew that would work. The question is, what now.

Nikoli watched the woman slide out the front door. For a moment, he stood there, his gaze meeting her's, then he descided that since stealth wasn't effective, prehaps the opposite would. He walked to the edge of the roof and dropped off, catching the eves as he fell and swinging onto the balcony of the townhouse. From there it was a simple 1 story drop to the pavement. He landed lightly and gracefully, then stood upright across the street from the woman.

Your move...

Kreoss saw the glance between Sionan and Joshua and made a note to investigate later, he thought there was something more here. But alas, now was not the time for questions, there may be a hunter outside, and what fun that would be.

Kreoss smiled to himself as he advancced behind Sionan, standing further back in the doorway, with any luck, unseen. There he waited for things to escalate, his hands sliding to various knives concealed about his person. I knew I should have brought the guns, he chided himself, still smiling with the thought of the conflict to come.

She grinned impishly, watching the display of acrobatics and grace. With a slight sigh, she crossed her arms and shifted her weight, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"Well now, aren't I the lucky girl? Two surprizes in one night... Care to enlighten me on why you have been following me all evening?"

She had been good-natured enough in regards to the circumstance, but her patience would only stretch so far. The poor man might find himself in a rather unpleasant situation shortly.

Archer wandered further on with mild disinterest for a while, mulling over his thoughts. He wasn't the best of deducters he knew, he left that to those who had a better suited mind to it. Nevertheless, every hunter needed a grab bag of guile cunning and deviousness that could pass off as intelligence if not scrutinised too closely. After walking for a while he heard the light sound of somone's boots hitting the ground, carefully he added as both feet were timed to each other, he knew the trick as he used it himself. He saw the scene of the woman- he guessed to be a vampire, they had a cold beauty that was impossible to mistake by moonlight -and someone he had never seen before. He could be a vampire of a lower order or a hunter, or who knew, perhaps in the great stew of this city there were those who were not interested in vampires and also had the skill to drop off a one storey drop without harm. He threw his head back and laughed into the night.
"It's just rainin men now"

Here goes nothing.

"Call it idle curiosity."

Nikoli spread his arms out wide and took a few steps forward into the street, signalling he had no hostile intentions. After a moment, he put his arms down, still a fair distance from the woman. He noted that one of her companions had appeared behind her, but didn't acknowlage it. A sound from down the street caused him to take his eyes of the girl for a moment, and he saw another man standing at the sorce of the sound. He cocked an eyebrow and alternated between watching those he had followed and the new player at the end of the road.

Karl stared at the man and snarled. He lowered his machine-pistol, produced a pair of handcuffs and handcuffed him. Karl heard the police were almost there, he grabbed the man's bag and shoved the man through an alley towards his car. He tossed him into the back of a 1990 Saab 9000.

Karl sat in the front and produced a Beretta automatic and leveled it at the man's face.

"Tell me boy, do you believe in vampires?"


Joshua thought that the vampire's response was plausible. Though he had never been approached by another vampire about it; it seemed smart enough. He turned as Sionan went to the back door that looked over a tiny exuse for a back yard. There were waist high wood fences and Joshua clearly saw a man in the street, his arms raised slightly. Aw damn, more vampires. Joshua went upstairs, closly followed by his dog and grabbed his revolver. Loading the two silver rounds first, he put the four lead rounds in and slammed the reciver back in place. Joshua placed the pistol in his belt on his back and went downstairs.

He stood behind Sionan when a laugh drew his attention, at first he thought it was the neighbor's kids, but knew it was very late. A man standing in the middle of street, halfway down the block was visible.

"Who the hell is he?"

"Just another jellicle cat," she replied cryptically to Joshua.

"It's a regular party out here. But where are the refreshments?"

She stepped slowly off the stoop and into the street, strangely amused by both strangers. Both of them held secrets, and while potentially dangerous, it might be fun to extract those secrets.

Nikoli fought the urge to crack a joke about himself being a refreshment.

"Well, it won't do for me to show up to a party without properly introducing myself."

He bowed shallowly, keeping his eyes on the woman.

"My name is Nikoli and I am a creature of the night, though prehaps a different breed of creature than yourselves."

He righted himself and looked relax, while keeping his weight on his toes, should he need to move quickly. After all, if he was correct, the woman and prehaps a few of the other "party guests" might not enjoy being probed about their natures.

"Tell me boy, do you believe in vampires?"
"Christ, no. Well, apart from weido goths who say they're vampires, we don't get much of that sort of thing where I come from." The way the man then looked at him, Alex knew that was probably the wrong answer. Mortally afraid for his life for at least the second time in what was rapidly becoming the worst day in his life. The pistol was waved in his face again, and he began to babble about always believing in vampires after all, before being told to "Shut the f*ck up!". Sitting back, Alex fidgeted with the 'cuffs, but gave himself up to what ever fate held him.

"A party? Miss, if this is a party then ye have some strange friends." He laughed again, some people had told him they were slightly unnerved when he laughed, it was the laugh of somone who had seen slightly more than they had.
"But all the same, I'm afraid the buffey is not on me" He bowed
"Archer, ladies and gentleman, Vampire serviceman extraudinaire. And I can also do this very funny trick with a balloon and a lampshade, have ye seen it? It's...never mind." He placed his hands on his hips and took another look at the situation. He raised an eyebrow
"Shall ah leave ye to it? Look te me like ye have yerselves a situation. Come on lad don't be afraid." He gestured to Joshua "I won't bite. Ye see, in that way, I'm different te her" Her looked pointedly to the vampire woman next to him and laughed again.

Karl shrugged and screwed a silencer to his pistol.

"Guess you won't mind her."

There was a brief pause before the rear window exploded in a shower of glass and Alex was yanked out of the vehicle with inhuman strength. He was faced with a woman in black tight latex pants an even tighter red latex shirt and a black biker leather jacket. Her skin was pale and as she smiled, a pair of fangs were visible.

Inside the car, Karl put the picture of the human he seen in the streets earlier into a small computer database to track him down. Then, calmly, he climbed out of the car to find the woman bent over Alex, ready for the kill. A soft report from his pistol caught her attention as a silver nitrate bullet hit her thigh. She hissed and did a back flip, it carried her up to the top of a seven story building next to them. She clung to the side of the building as two more bullets punched her flesh as she tried to run.

The corpse fell and Karl exchanged nitrate rounds for solid silver. He leveled it at the vampire's skull and pulled the trigger several times. Dark crimson chunks splattered the ground near Alex as the bullets took off large portions of her skull.

Karl knelt next to Alex and pulled a silver bullet from a spare magizine and pressed it against the vampire's palm. Even though dead, the flesh began to cook and its smell reached Alex's nose. Karl also moved the woman's shirt so Alex could see the now sickly yellow color sking and the small vibrations from inside as the silver nitrate continued to burn.

"This is a silver bullet, now...as you can see she had no cables and a human could not of gotten up that high AND...humans are not hurt by silver like this. Now, you have just become one of the few humans to know that vampires really exist."

Alex was speechless. He had just witnessed what most people see in his country only see in horror films. He wiped the gore off his face, and staggered to his feet, reaching into a pocket for a pre-rolled homemade. The cigarette had been broken by his fall.

"Shit, so there seriously are vampires, and you weren't just being mad back there?" Alex turned to face the ex-vampire on the floor. "You could do me a really big favour and give me back my gun..."

"I believe you gentlemen have me confused with someone else.."

Something inside her seemed to harden and bristle with coiled energy. She tossed a look to Joshua, urging him to stay inside the doorway. Another subtle glance appealled to the new vampire behind her in the unspoken language of all vampires.

Feeling up to a little exercise, friend?

"You, Nikoli, might be in over your head here. I ask you a final time. Why have you been following me?"

She inched forward, unfolding her arms and fixing him with a direct and unwavering gaze.

"And then there's the 'serviceman.' Who might have even more explaining to do than this poor lost Nikoli."

Joshua, she began, opening a mental link with her donor. I may need you for a small... demonstration.

Might be? I was in over my head an hour ago.

Nikoli sighed and crossed his arms behind his back, then leveld his gaze on the woman in front of him.

"So its the direct approach then. Very well. Thruthfully, I do not know exactly why I followed you. Or, rather, I didn't know what I should do once I caught you."

Stop babbling like a scared schoolboy you idiot.

Nikoli unclenched his hands behind his back, ready to move if needed, and took in a breath to boost his confidence.

"I believe that you are more than you seem; something more than human. And i do not believe that you are the only one. I've seen you, and a few others emerge from the woods by my home on more than one occation, only to return the next day before dawn, which most of the time just happens to coinside with that days that victims of 'sever puncture wounds' are found dead or nearly dead."

It wasnt a question really, but his implication was unmistakable. He knew she was a vampire, even though he knew that such things didn't exist. And such was the real reason he was there that night; to get an answer, one way or another.

Kreoss watched the scene unfold before him and his hands tightened on two knife hilts, ready in case of action.

Of course, I'm always ready for some excersise.

Karl looked at Alex. The man seemed competent enough to follow orders and work well. He remembered that human and he walked back to his car and looked into window and read the address off the computer. Got ya. Turning to Alex, Karl walked up to him.

"I'll release you, but I am going to need your help with something. Resuce a human from a vampire stalker or at the least see where they go to. I pay very well, vampire hunting is a lucrative business. Even if you chose to only stay on long enough to get the human out of the vampire's reach...you will get thirty five hundred American. Sound good?"


Joshua backed up a little towards the doorway. He stood at the door, ready to get inside if things got too far out of hand. His right hand reached behind him and he felt the hard handle of the pistol. He knew at the range between him and the newcomer named Archer he would probably miss. Still, he could throw it to Sionan.

He heard her voice in his head and looked at her. Though he lacked any type of telepathic ablity, he could let her read his mind.

What kind of demonstration?

"Sounds very good. I'll give you a hand." US$3,500 wasn't to be sniffed at, especially as Alex was in dire need of cash. Although be lucrative, the man possibly meant that most applicants were forcibly retired fairly quickly. "Where can I get my hands on some silver bullets? I imagine that this lot," Alex gestured with the bullet he was placing in the cylinder of his .44. "aren't really up to the job in hand, as it were." He finished loading the pistol before shoving it into his belt, due to lack of holster for the weapon. Vampire hunting? Sounds bloody dangerous, with or with out a gun...

"Where we headed first, then?"

Oh, just the usual kind, luv.

"I believe that you are more than you seem; something more than human. And i do not believe that you are the only one. I've seen you, and a few others emerge from the woods by my home on more than one occation, only to return the next day before dawn, which most of the time just happens to coinside with that days that victims of 'sever puncture wounds' are found dead or nearly dead."

She smiled darkly and decended the steps, allowing Kreoss to keep an eye on Archer. Her steps fell unnaturally silent against the pavement while the chill of death touched her gaze. It was all a game, after all, and one she enjoyed emmensely.

"You hold some dangerous beleifs, Nikoli. You believe I am a killer, yet you follow and engage me. I think there is something more compelling than idle curiousity at work here."

While she spoke, she circled him slowly. Sionan remained just out of reach, knowing full-well that her agility was all she would need to close within strike range.

"The lass likes te play the game. I like it" He grinned
"Well miss, lets say that suppose one vampire doesn't like another. Now usually he'd just kill the other guy outright, but if he wuz important? Oh no, big no-no. Everyone would know it wuz him and he'd be in all kinds o' trouble. But now thats where I come in handy, a back payment, a stake in the back" He smiled at the bad word play
"And it's over. No blame. No mess. Well...unless the guy struggles. Then they tend to spray a little...So anyway. Noone can blame the employer caus all it was was some slayer. Noone can blame him fer that, the guy should have been mare careful etc etc." He tossed a silver stake high in the air where it span gently and made a whum whum noise.
"I'm sort of like a mechanic miss" He toed a cross in the dirt infront of him and the stake landed squarely on it, sticking in the ground
"The least pressure put in the right place te get the results ye want."

"If you are implying that I am here to kill you, you are gravely mistaken."

Nikoli watched the woman circle him for a moment, then turned his head back and looked straight ahead. For some reason, he wasn't afraid, though he knew that more than likely he'd be dead by the end of the night.

"I am not your enemy."

She eyed Archer a moment, then let that thought simmer in the back of her mind in favor of the current situation.

"Not my enemy. A snack then?"

Her tone was almost in jest, but a hard edge belied the conveyance. She flicked a smile, baring the slightest tips of her fangs before closing her teeth with a snap.

"If that is what i am destined to be, than so be it. The question i pose to you then is this. What good am i to you dead? Sure, you have a few days of norishment, or however long it takes for a kill to go sour, but what then?"

Nikoli looked back at the woman, his gaze unwavering and confident, but not to the point of arrogance. He seemed to broadcast his lack of fear, though not intentionally.

Karl opened his trunk and revealed to Alex boxes of magizines and bullets, several compact assault rifles, machine-pistols, and a few pistols.

"First, we take a drive and I'll tell you what you need to know."

When the pair had climbed in, Karl carefully manuevered the vehicle out of the alley and through the streets.

"First thing you must know, toss out all that shit from horror films about vampires spare for they drink blood, have super human speed and strength, and are vunerable to sunlight. Crosses, holy water, garlic, stakes...toss them right out the window. What I have found is most vampires are hurt by silver. Silver nitrate rounds in largers calibers like .40, .45, .44 Magnum...any large rounds since they carry more of the liquid. Nines are okay, but it might take three to five before a lethal enough dose is inside."

Karl paused and fished out a pack of Red Apple cigarettes and put one in his mouth and lit it up.

"Next, is that vampire hunting is obviously dangerous. In my profession there are some underground organizations financed by unknown backers. Most of our work is freelance, kill a vamp, take a pick, and bring more evidence to get paid. On average....maybe three to eight grand a vampire. Still, don't let the money fool you. Most hunters get bitten a few times during thier careers."

Karl looked at Alex and drew deeply on his fag. "Any questions?"



Joshua was now very nervous. Sionan appeared to be getting hungry for blood and had decided to feast upon the other vampire. He stood there and kept an eye on the man named Archer and what Sionan was doing. A simple evening had become a mess. Joshua then flashed his eyes to Kreoss, hoping the vampire didn't suddenly get an itchy finger and spark off a street fight in the middle of a residental area; then again he knew anyone of them could start one off.

"If that is what i am destined to be, than so be it. The question i pose to you then is this. What good am i to you dead? Sure, you have a few days of norishment, or however long it takes for a kill to go sour, but what then?"

Nikoli looked back at the woman, his gaze unwavering and confident, but not to the point of arrogance. He seemed to broadcast his lack of fear, though not intentionally.

"Lad what she's tryin te say is, that after, ye'll be dead. That's the idea" He put a hand up defensivley with a grin
"Just a point" He picked up his stake, levelled it against the wall and pressed a button. The stake extended into the wall biting deeply, and Archer used it as a foothold to hop up onto the wall.
"Well don't let me interrupt ye" He sat down with the air of someone who was about to enjoy a mildly amusing show.
"So then" He looked over to Joshua
"Whats her name?" He nodded to Sionan
"Never seen her around here. I assume you two are er-" He smiled suggestivley and winked. He seeming almost ignorant of the fact that there was nearly a fight going on.

Feeling incedibly nervous, Alex drew his pistol again, and checked the action on the weapon. Lack of maintainence and use were probably begining to take their toll on the battered gun, but he hoped that the thing would hold up this time. He pocketed the pistol again, and taking a deep breath to help calm his nerves, prepared to ask a few questions.

"A few. By bitten, you mean blood-sucked, right? Umm, I think I'd be pretty adverse to that. Would it be a good idea to get our hands on some body armour or something? 'Cos I bet the vampires don't take kindly to being hunted, right?"

Joshua stared at Archer, unsure of how to respond. He just stared at the man blankly, deciding not to give out Sionan's idenity. He adjusted himself slightly so Archer could see the loaded revolver cylinder tucked behind him; just in case he had any ideas.


Karl shrugged and dropped some ashes out the car window.

"Best protection I can offer is hit them before they see you and kevlar vests with ballistic plates. Neck guards like something from that American movie...uh...what was it....oh yes John Carpenter's Vampires; I have tried those. Personally I think it restricts my movement and a vampire could easily rip it off...and possibly your head with it."

He typed up on the computer and turned it to face Alex.

"Man we are going to see about. Joshua Buchanan, lives on the other side of town. So, are you still willing to come along on a little adventure?"

"What then?" she echoed, calmly responding to Nikoli. "I'll find another. We always do."

The naive confidence was refreshing for a change. She decided to accept the bluff for what it was and opted not to attack. For the time being, anyhow. She had been about to voice a question of her own when Archer moved near Joshua, sparking in her a protective aggression. She growled under her breath and watched him, with the slightest glance to Kreoss.

"Yes I supose that's true."

What a brilliant stratagy; talk yourself into a corner. I knew there was a reason I didn't go into politics.

Nikoli smirke inspite of himself and took his eyes off the woman; the sense of hostility he got from her was no longer directed soley at him. Rather, he turned and regarded the odd man on the wall, but spoke in a voice low enough for only the woman to hear, and possibly her companions if any of them where vampires as well.

"I know why I'm here, but why is he?"

Archer placed a look of mock innocence on his face after hearing the comment from Nikoli with his trained hearing and seeing the other two make threatening gestures at him.
"Can't a man take an innocent evenin stroll?" He placed a hand on his heart and looked offended, then he smirked
"No, sorry ladies and gents, I only kill on contract. I'm just yer average innocent bystander" He thought about that phrase
"Well...a bystander. Well I'm just here by accident ok?" He threw up his hands in exasperation to find the right words.
"That's not te say I don't appreciate the company found" He jimmyed himself up so he was standing on the wall above them, and he walked along theatrically.
"So what are ye and lover boy over there doin? Quiet lad in'n he? Or do ye go fer that kind?" He laughed again and winked at Sionan this time.

Alex nodded. "I'm still willing. Just getting a bit more nervous. But we ain't going to go in all guns blazing, right?" Again, he drew the pistol and checked it's working and if the cylinder was full; knowing that it would be, he closed it shut and slid the gun back.

"Just the man, right? He ain't a vampire, so we aren't going to run into any?"

"Hopefully we won't need firearms, but you never know. There should be a pair of silenced M4 carbines in the back; we'll use those and hope that the vampire has broken off the chase."

Karl droved steadly towards Joshua's house. From the intel on his computer and map there was a metro station that seperated the city from it. Though there was a hill on the city side, he could not see Joshua's neighborhood from there; so he would have to move in a bit blind.

"I'll park behind his neighborhood and we'll sneak in. Stay in the shadows and don't make any unneeded noise. We should be there within the next few minutes."

Alex nodded, stubbed out his cigarette, and followed Karl into the shadows, taking one of the M4's. So this was Kilasseran suburbia? Nice, but like back home. He had a sudden twinge of homesickness, which he shoke off as a Metro train clattered through the station. Alex repositioned the unfamilar weight of the carbine, trying to keep the weapon hidden on his side near the wall.

Thank God it's night. I wouldn't like to be doing this during the day... Alex thought to himself. He also hoped he wouldn't have to fire the thing. He didn't have any formal weapons training, so he didn't really know how to handle the think. Ah, well, we live and learn...

"Why are we following this bloke anyway? Is he conected to the vampires in this city, yeah?"

"I know why I'm here, but why is he?"
Sionan growled quietly. She was not one to be played, but he had a valid point.

Joshua... come over here please.

"Gentlemen... what we have here is a situation with many questions and few answers. You," she began, addressing Archer, "are seeking employment from what I can tell. Perhaps my kinsman in the doorway could think of a use for you."

Do with him as you like. I'll take you to the coven later tonight. The thought was directed at Kreoss.

She then circled behind Nikoli and placed her hands on his shoulders. "You seem to have jumped off a cliff thinking it only a few feet high. Perhaps we can shed some illumination on this..."

As Joshua approached, she reached one hand towards him. Beckoning, in the ancient way.

Joshua kept an eye on Archer and one hand resting on the end of his revolver as he walked to Sionan. He then turned from Archer to the vampire and took her hand. He stared into her gray eyes, those same eyes held some power in them over him from the first moment he saw them and the women that they belonged to.

"What are you up to Sionan?"


Karl led Alex quietly around the edge of Joshua's devlopment. Both were carrying the silenced carbines and Karl led the way with a pair of night vision goggles. Finding a hill behind a row of houses, it just allowed them some viewing of the lit street in front of the houses. No one was there. Karl removed the goggles and spotted several people in another street that was facing them. Pulling out a pair of binoculars, Karl zoomed in on a pair. He recongized Joshua and that he was holding hands with a vampire.

Karl handed the goggles to Alex. Unless he guessed the others were probably vampires, but the way the human was moving, it was apparent to the vetran that he knew them. The pair had perfect cover, unless the vampires were activly seeking them, they could remain hidden.

"Take a look at the pair in the middle of the street." Karl whispered into Alex's ear. "That human is what we sometimes call a pet. A human who lets a vampire feed on them, make love and get things for them during the daylight hours."

"Illumination huh. Sounds fun."

NIkoli closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Within seconds he had slowed his heart to just below a resting pace. Though his body was at rest, his mind was sharper because of it. He turned his head to the side and watched the woman behind him as she called over one of the men she was with.

Here's where we find out if I hit paydirt or just keep falling.

"Just the same old game on a different night.."

Maintaining a loose grip on one of Nikoli's shoulders, she brought Joshua's hand to her face, savoring his palm and exposed wrist as if they held a rare and intoxicating scent.

Ready?

The tips of her fangs brushed over his skin teasingly before finally piercing the flesh, and she tightened her grip on Nikoli slightly.

She isn't drinking arterial blood. Wonder what that means...

Nikoli stood firm, refusing to show any sign of discomfort as the pressure on his shoulder increased.

Joshua's fingers flinched as the tips of Sionan's fangs brushed along his arm. He remembered night she had revealed her true nature to him; if it wasn't for his ribcage, his heart would have been halfway to Anartica. As always before she bit, his heart pounded and his adrenline valves were wide open. His body stiffened as they entered his flesh but he relaxed shortly afterward.

Joshua knew what she was doing, he knew that human blood strengthened vampires so he guessed she wanted to show her full strength after feeding. Though, for some reason, his blood seemed to help her more than a normal human's would.

Just remember, don't take enough to make me unconsious.


Karl cursed. The vampire was already feeding, it was bad, but also a good sign. She would be distracted. A new idea popped into his head and he grabbed Alex and dragged the man quickly back to his car. Putting Alex in the driver's seat he took a position in the back.

"Drive right to the street and towards them. I'll grab the guy and as soon as I do hit the gas and take us out of here. Back to the alley."

Come now.. when's the last time I did that? ...barring last week of course.

She closed her eyes to better focus on the fiery liquid burning through her own system. Yes, there was something special indeed about this one. And of course, the demonstration would serve dual purposes. Replenishment and a show of strength, as well as instilling some modicum of fear into her next would-be victem.

When she felt Joshua begin to weaken, she slakened her thirst and withdrew, her free hand grabbing him near the shoulder for support. Just in case.

By the time the woman finished her meal, Nikoli's shoulder had adapted to the pressure from her hand and the pain deminished. He flicked his eyes over to the man that he had just witnessed being drained and, to Nikoli's suprise, the man wasn't dead; he hadn't even lost consiousness. He quirked a brow and looked back at the girl.

"Full?"

He averted his eyes from the drinking, it was impolite to watch.
"Well then, so ye lookin te hire me?" He looked over the the vampire in the doorway.
"Price varies on the job. I've just got off a big one so think of this one as on the house" He smiled and leant against the wall nochalantly. He was still curious about so many vampires in one place, or rather in one place at this place.

Alex felt revulsion from when he saw that the vampire was feeding on the man.

"That's f*cking disgusting. How can he let them do that? Although, I suppose people often don't have a choice..."

He put the car into gear, and drove slowly towards the "target".

"You said he's a "pet" of hers, right? Like a f*cking cow or something..."

Joshua swayed slightly after Sionan fed on him. He pulled out a hankerchief and wrapped it around the wound; it should stop bleeding within a minute or two and just two barely visible dots would be visible. He clearly remembered a week before in his house of her still drinking even with him trying to push her away as he grew weaker. He had lost consiouness and woke up in mid-morning.

He smiled at her. Crimson coated her lips, teeth, and a small trail coursed its way down from her lips. "You have red on you."


"Cow, donor, pet, best friend..whatever you want to call them." Karl said to Alex. "Sometimes it is a vampire who just turned and asks an old friend to help them out. Some a human meets a vampire without knowing the other is a vamp, they form a relationship, and sooner or later the human becomes a donor. Other times it is a vampire who picks a human off the street to take back to thier coven to be a sex toy and a blood bank. The latter two seems more common."

Karl readied himself and as the car neared the street, he smiled as Alex punched it. He readed his carbine.


Joshua heard the squeal of tires and looked up. Damn, I will have to tell Jaret to get his damn kids under control. It was only when the car fully revealed itself and was halfway to him did he realise it was not his neighbor's rowdy kids. He dodged the car, but it screeched in front of him, the door flung open and a man grabbed him and pulled him in.

Karl fired a burst from his carbine while he pulled Joshua in with his free hand and made the female vampire get out of the way. The tires squealed again, the door shut and the hunters were on thier way, speeding through the street and to saftey.

Karl knocked Joshua out with a quick punch to prevent the man from getting a pistol he had.

"Take it easy Alex once we leave the devlopment, we don't want a cop on our tail. Take a few sidestreets back to the alley or an abandoned building. Sunrise will be in an hour or two."

After a few seconds Archer stood up and rubbed his shoulder.
"Bastard nearly clipped me wi that damn pea shooter" He glanced over to Josua's vampire friend
"Aren't ye gonnae do somthin about that? If it wer me I wouldn't stand fer it" He grinned and tossed her a small hand-set
"There. Use that. I'll give ye the price later. Looks like I found my employment after all eh?" He laughed. In the back of the car driving away from them in a hurry, a silver stake with a tiny flashing light in the hilt was imbedded in the metal shell of the boot.

"Ha, not like last time, then." Alex said, remeberinghow he met Karl. he slowed down as he took a turning to get back out of the neighbourhood, then sped up as the adrenaline from the snatch was still coursing through him. "You know your stuff, though. I doubt we can go back to the alley, though. Coppers will be all over it." He slowed the car back down as they pulled into a main road. "You know where any abandoned buildings are about here, mate? I don't know this city too well."

Karl directed Alex deep into the industrail section before stopping the car. Blocks of factories, equpiment, vehicles, and household items found thier way to this dumping ground. This was the far older side, the place where the ancient factories and equipment went to die. Once the car was stopped, Karl climbed out and picked up Joshua. He locked the car and with Alex's help pushed it behind a rusted Astro van.

Karl led Alex for a quarter mile through a near impossbile maze of rusted iron before reaching an old factory. Seeing the lock and chain on the two massive doors were too rusted to pick and since he did not want a pile of rusted chain at the door, Karl piled up some boxes under some broken windows. Once Alex was through with Joshua, Karl moved most of the boxes back in thier place but left a few that would give him enough height to jump up to the window.

He climbed through and landed on a metal catwalk, overlooking a massive factory. Within a few more minutes, the hunters reached the office high above, giving them a commanding view of the factory and through windows facing outside; areas that they might be approached on.

Karl put Joshua on an old desk and tied him up. The hunter looked at Alex.

"Do you wish to stick on or get your money and leave?"

Nikoli only just had enough time to spin loose of the woman's grip and vault into the air before the car came screaching past. Just before hitting the ground, he'd unholstered his Desert Eagles and fired off 6 rounds. 3 richoched off the car door, 1 broke the windshield. Another took out a chunk of the rear view mirror. The last impedded itself in the back of the seat. As the car drove off, Nikoli rolled to his feet and looked back at the car, memorizing the liscense plate. He stood and re-saftied his cannons, then looked at Sionan.

"We can finish this later. As for now, I don't take too kindly to being shot at."

He ran over to a nearby building and jumped, catching the wall with one foot and jumping up in the oposite direction. He landed on the roof and watched the car's taillights disapear around a conrer. He looked back down at the woman.

"You coming?"

Kreoss had no response for the mercenary as he thought on whether or not he could use some help. But his train of thought was rudely interrupted as a car screeched down the road. He started from the doorway just as gunshots eminated from the car. He thought better of his headlong charge and waited in the doorway for a moment as the car sped off. He wouldn't have been able to do anything anyways, all his heavier armarments were back at the warehouse.

He watched as the man vaulted up onto the roof and asked Sionan to follow. Kreoss figured that if he was going to get in with the local coven it would be best to wrack up some brownie points first so he strode over to Sionan.

"So, do we follow them?" he asked. Then, turning to Archer, "Yes, I imagine we could use your help."

"They'll be expecting us," she growled, wiping the blood from her mouth as she rose.

The attack had been swift and unexpected. Sionan, still drunk from the blood meal, reacted to the whole thing as if in a haze. She remembered jumping sideways to avoid the car and the hail of bullets, rolling over her shoulder evasively.

And just as quickly as the whole thing had begun, it was over. Her head cleared steadily from the strange side-effects of Joshua's blood, aided by the sobering effect of the current situation. It looked like her little secret was out of the fucking bag.

"Follow them. But don't make a move until we know what's going on here."

She rolled both shoulders to reposition them correctly, then activated the device Archer had thrown her and made a silent dash for the roof.

Sounds like a plan.

Nikoli moved as swiftly as ever, darting from roof topp to roof top. he eventually found he ran out of roofs, and stood on the edge of the roof of a 4 story building looking out over the industrial sector. He cursed under his breath. It was a labyrenth in there. He lost sight of the tail lights as it turned behind a building.

"Bugger."

He looked over his shoulder as the two vampires began to catch up with him. The drop probibly wouldn't be a problem for them, but Nikoli was still only human. He looked around for a fire escape or drainage pipe and waited for the other two to catch up.

Eventually Archer caught up and stood there panting
"Some of us are still usin our lungs remmemer?" He stood up straighter after a few seconds, his breath caught.
"Well-" He walked beside a rusty van, shouldered it and rolled it aside with a grunt
"Guess they didn't like the new road tax eh?" He walked round and pulled out his stake where it was still flashing away. He rubbed his chin for a second then appeared to have a thought.
"More than one way te skin a cat. Or er- human" He smiled as he deferred to the others. He pulled out a small container and tilted his head back, slipping two contacts over his eyes. He blinked and the world became a painting of reds and greens, denoting disturbances in the air and displaced dirt and pebbles. He gestured ahead for the female to take the lead with her sense of smell
"Ladies first" But he did look at her suspiciously for a moment, her endurance was astonishing right now, even for a vampire. Surely that wasn't normal?

"Stick around, man. Or at least until the sun is well up." He put down his bag and started to look around the office, rubbing some filth off the windows, so that they could be looked out of.
"I expect they'll be after him," nodding towards the unconscious Joshua, "so the last thing I want to be is caught out in the open with those buggers about the place." He sat down at the decrepit old desk, putting his feet up on battered wooden surface. Alex took out a cigarette, lit it and whilst was smoking in, dumped out the cylinder of his pistol and reloaded it with some silver bullets. He out the pistol on the table after he finished loading it.
"You ain't got a silver knife I can borrow have you? All I've got is an ordinary one, and a billhook in my bag."
Karl gave Alex an odd look when he mentioned the billhook in his bag.
"What? They're just like a machete, good for hacking over-grown bushes down, plus less weapon-like and so a bit easier to get past Customs."
There was no sound outside in the factory, apart from the sort of noises that come anyway from a derelict building. Continous creaks, groans and clicks. Any noises of breaking in would be hard to distinguish from the background of sounds.

Karl smiled and handed Alex a silver dagger. The blade was six inches long and had a few welts from where vampiric blood had burned for too long. He looked at his watch then out the window, he hoped his watch was set correctly, or else it could become a vampire version of Assault on Precint 13. There was a moan from Joshua and Karl looked over at the man.

Joshua opened his eyes, his head was swimming and his vision was blurry for a few seconds before focusing. He saw two men armed with some kind of assault rifle, one was smoking while another was watching him.

"Well...good to see you are up." the man looking at him said. "I am a little curious on how long you have been a pet."

Joshua stared back blankly at the man. He knew it was best if he did not utter a single word.

"Sun will be up in a while...by the time they find us they will have to turn in for the day."

Still nothing.

Karl shrugged and turned back to the window, so far he did not see any movement. It appeared he would have all day to grill the man.

During the chase, Sionan hung back near the other vampire, trailing the two humans across unlikely terrain. She did not like rushing into a confrontation without her bretheren, but one fellow Blood, stranger or not, was better than none at all. Besides, she couldn't very well leave Joshua in the hands of the hunters. Hell only knew why they had taken him to begin with, but she did not like the implication.

When they neared the edge of the rooftops, she lept off gracefully, landing on the concrete below in a feline crouch.

I'm not so sure I like these odds, she confided to Kreoss, taking note of numerous hiding places. Anywhere they could hide, so too could the adversary. And dawn was closer than she preferred.

Relying on smell to pick out the scent of blood, and hearing for the rythem of faint heartbeats, she began picking a course through the tangle of rusted rebarb and decaying infastructure.

The woman lept off, followed shortly by the man. Nikoli made a metal note to not use rooftops, should this situation ever happen again. He looked over the ledge and took a deep breath.

I am going to be pissed off if i've survived this long and a fall kills me.

He teetered over the edge, caught a windowsill a floor down, swung to the edg of a balcony, jumped off of it taking the flagpole that was hunf off with him, he fell to just above the first story, the slammed the end of the pole through a window. He free-fell a few more feet before the pole caught on the railing inside. As the pole swung him, he released it and landed on the ground, a bit harder than he had done earlier in the night, but not enough to injure him. He stood up and paused long enough to pop one of his fingers that had become dislocated on the windowsill back into place, and then he took off at the rear of the group.

Like some ancient tribesman, Alex found himself praying for the sun rise, and the fact that it would defeat the vampires' pursuit. He had no wish to attempt to fight one of them, but it was best to keep an eye out, just in case one of them tried to sneak up to the office. There was no real light outside in the main factor, just the slight tinge of grey that came into the air an hour or so before dawn. Alex looked down at his watch, begining to feel incedibly agitated.

Why the Hell didn't I take the money and split?

"Come on, hurry up...", he said in another vague attempt at speeding up the dawn. Alex continued pacing in front of the large office windows, watching for any signs of movement in the cavernous factory.

Agreed, if they get the drop one us... Kreoss he told her. He then followed her down, leaping from the roof to land with a roll, coming running. He moved with easy grace and speed, easily keeping pace with Sionan and the two humans.

Karl watched the junkyard quietly, none of the other buildings seemed active. There also appeared to be no movement. Pulling out a small thermal lense, he scanned the junkyard, no human like forms showed up blue. He smiled, the vampire might not have followed them.

"I'll go check the rest of the perimeter."

Picking up his rifle, he took another look at Joshua before heading out of the room.

Joshua waited until he quessed the man was out of earshot and whispered to the other man. He knew if he could this one to leave, he would stand a chance of bumping into Sionan. He could only hope that she was feeling a bit merciful.

"Hey man, just leave. Just...drop your gun and leave this place. If you get caught by the vampires...all you have to do is tell them where I am and that guy forced you to help him. They might hold you until I can confirm this...and I will. Come on, if I am not rescued tonight, tomorrow night for sure."

The place was alive with sounds and scents. Rats, cats, and other creatures lent their hearbeats in a cacophany of low sound. Sorting through it all was difficult work. And dawn was closing at an alarming rate. They could only afford a few more minutes of searching if there was any hope of returning to the safety of the coven tonight.

But she kept her agitation below the surface as best as possible.

After a while of walking Archer spotted movement in a wondow, it showed up a brilliant red in his contacts. He gestured to the others and slipped quietly to the bottom of the wall below the window. He pulled out a pair of small steel picks from his coat and bunched his muscles to jump.
"When ye're ready lass" He whispered to the vampire woman, deferring to her since it was her human.

Kreoss slipped down after Archer landing beside Sionan, ready to move. Though ready, he wasn't planning any action of his own, this was Sionan's operation afterall, her man, her problem. He just wanted brownie points, that and he generally objected to kidnapping people. It just seemed a bit immoral.

Nikoli broke off of the main group. He wasn't comfortable with going in head first without a little reconaisence. He slipped down a narrow passage. he braced his legs against opposite sides of the passage and began climbing up. He ascended to the level of what looked like a catwalk. He spun off the wall and grapped onto the catwalk. The metal creeked slightly as it caught his weight, but it wouldn't be noticable from much farther than 20 feet. He slid onto the cat walk and raised to a crouch. Below he saw the vampires and the hunter.

I get the feeling this wasn't a good night to do this.

He shrugged of his doubts and pulled out his guns. He checked the safty on both, then proceeded forward silently, keeping lower than the handrails to avoid being spotted.

Karl looked outside, the sky was begining to become a very dark shade of blue. He smiled, the sun was finally creeping up into the sky. An hour, a little more before a single vampire lethal ray came across the sky. He heard something from outside. Fucking hell. She had come for him, the vampire had come for her donor. Well, depending on how long it took her to get to her coven, time she had to engage was limited.

Cursing, he turned and quickly sprinted up the stairs and onto the catwalk. He heard the ratting of the metal and he pounded up, but it was less hollow. Karl checked and made sure his carbine was loaded and was set to burst. Making sure his back was clear down the straight walk to the office where Joshua and Alex were, he turned back to the catwalk. There was a few bends in it that made him more curious.

Lifting his rifle, he sent several squirts of bullets at various points and waited to see if there was a reaction.

Shit. Is there anyone in this place without super hearing?

Nikoli haulted his forward movement and used the echos as cover noise as he dropped to his stomach. He kept his breathing soft and kept his Desert Eagles pointed straight ahead on the catwalk. He couldn't see the guy, be he knew he was there, and so did the vampires down below.

The sudden muzzle flare and noise snapped Alex around from idly looking over some of the debris in the office. He now had something else to concentrate on other than trying to ignore the warning of Joshua. Picking up the carbine from where it was leaning against the wall, Alex thought about putting one of the office windows through, so he could get a better view across the walk way which lead to the office.

Would they hear it?, he thought to himself. Probably not over the sound of the gunshots, deciding for putting the window out. Alex rammed the stock of the carbine through the pane of glass and wiggled it around to clear out all the shards from the window-frame. He ducked back out of the window, just to get out of the view. Sliding his hand back onto the grip of the weapon and then poking the barrel cautiously through the windowframe, but not slowly enough to avoid nicking two knuckles on a nit of broken glass, he waited for something to cross into the sights of the rifle.

Karl looked at Alex and smiled. Now the pair were out and the sun was rising, the vampire would have to turn back.

"You're running low on time vampire." He called out. "Sun is a coming up."


Joshua struggled against his bonds, he wanted to be free and get Sionan back to his home to prevent her from being killed. He had no idea where the coven was, but he guessed from the times she usually called him to set up a meeting, it was a fair distance.

Sionan, get out...get back to your coven. I'll be fine. Joshua thought and hoped she heard.

Archer heard the sound of gunshot and instinctivley pressed his back to the wall.
"I hate guns" He muttered. He pulled a small object from his coat, lobbed it through the window above and with a whoose smoke billowed out of the window, thickly filling the room. He jumped up as far as he could and swung his arm heavily against the wall so his pick bit deep with a chink of broken stone. He climbed up as swifly as he could and twisted in mid air to land fet first in the room.
"Hey lover boy, where are ye?!" His contacts switched to the colour red and he got a less hazy vision of the room. He kept on the balls of his feet ready to dive if anyone came in with the intension of filling him with lead.

All in due time..

The gunfire and vocal challange elicited from her a throaty growl. It was decision time. Stay and fight, or flee to the coven to wait out the day. Because of the gunfire, she could almost pinpoint the hunter, but come night, who knows where they might be? This place seemed dark enough, perhaps they could wait out the day in the shadows.

Swiftly, she bounded ahead, her sights fixed squarely on the dim outline of the hunter. And with a snarl, she launched herself at his back, arms extended to encircle and ensnare him while her momentum would hopefully carry him to the ground.

Karl turned back and moved towards the office where Joshua was. He had to quiet the young man; a quick smack to the head would work. With Alex covering the walkway, he turned and headed towards the office, only a few meters away. When he was halfway there, he felt someone get him from behind. Karl stumbled for a few feet before tripping and falling to the ground; with the vampire on his back.

He grunted as he hit the catwalk and the carbine skidded from his grasp. As he struggled against the superior strength, a glimmer of hope came as he saw the first orange glow of the sun began to peak through the cracks in the walls.

Karl called out to Alex. "Blast away the walls with your bullets!"


Joshua heard the struggle and meanwhile was struggling himself to break free of his bonds. They were tight around his wrists and he was unable to break free. He looked up to see the sun was begining to rise into the heavans. Turning his head, he saw the dim form of a woman pinning his captor to the ground, Sionan.

"Sionan! Get the fuck out of here! You can find me tonight!"

Thank god for distractions.

Nikoli leveld a pistol at the man poking out of the office window. He was distracted as the hunter had just leapt through behind him. Nikoli sqeezed off 2 rounds, both aimed squarely at the man's weapon. No one needed to die unnecessarily tonight.

The smoke bomb had had the desired affect, filling the office with a cloud of smoke. Alex stayed where he was trying to get his bearings. He heard Karl yell out to shoot the walls, and as Alex's finger tightened on the trigger, there was two gunshots and the rifle was pulled out of his hand. The movement of the rifle slammed his had against the window frame, tearing off a finger nail and cutting up the back of his hand.

"Argh, fuck!"

He stumbled further back into the office, cracking his knee against the desk as he fumbled round in the haze to find the pistol he had left on the surface. He brushed the butt of weapon, and grabbed it. Ducking down below the level of the window which looked over the factory insides, he fired off all six shots into the outside wall, before attempting to reload it in the poor visibilty inside the office.

The smoke bomb had had the desired affect, filling the office with a cloud of smoke. Alex stayed where he was trying to get his bearings. He heard Karl yell out to shoot the walls, and as Alex's finger tightened on the trigger, there was two gunshots and the rifle was pulled out of his hand. The movement of the rifle slammed his had against the window frame, tearing off a finger nail and cutting up the back of his hand.

"Argh, fuck!"

He stumbled further back into the office, cracking his knee against the desk as he fumbled round in the haze to find the pistol he had left on the surface. He brushed the butt of weapon, and grabbed it. Ducking down below the level of the window which looked over the factory insides, he fired off all six shots into the outside wall, before attempting to reload it in the poor visibilty inside the office.

Archer span round to where the shots had come from and his contacts focused it, there was a man desperatley reloading to fire at the wall. It was for the light Archer guessed
"Lights out boyo" He pulled back and threw a pick quickly, it bit into what looked like the mans leg, although he couldn't be sure if he had hit even with his temporary augments.
"Where are y- oh" Archer darted to a shape in the smoke and felt for ropes tying the mans hands, he made a descision and pulled out another one of his stakes
"I'd advise ye te hold still lad, but er...just in case, is there a hand ye favour?..." He gave a mirthless chuckle and placed the end of the silver tool on the ropes, and he put his thumb on the button ready to fire the extension.

Joshua stumbled around in the smoke, he heard gunshots and watched as a weak beam of light broke up admist the smoke. As the man looked around, he did not see the figure come up from behind him. He felt hands on his arms and then something sharp against his skin. The chuckle drove Joshua into an overdrive of panic.

With a sudden burst of speed and strength, Joshua lept back, knocking the person behind him into the wall. He clenched his teeth as what he thought was a knife cut part of his arm. Thinking the man was one of the hunters, Joshua spun and kicked at the figure before heading to the doorway.

Once out, without thinking, Joshua moved as quickly as he could down a rusted staircase-not wishing to fall because of his tied hands-and towards the exit, hoping to God he wasn't being followed.

Kreoss waited for a moment after the shots to decide a course of action. In that time he saw two things of importance. One was a slight lightening of the horizon, which prompted a muttered "Oh shit". The other was Sionan going after the hunter. Despite the rising sun he decided to stick around and help out, besides he wouldn't be able to make it back to his place before the sun was up.

It looked as if Sionan was handling the hunter just fine for the moment so Kreoss headed off in the direction Archer had taken, hoping to find Joshua. He had just leapt up towards the office he'd seen Archer enter when Joshua came stumbling out, hands still tied.

Kreoss dropped down in front of him, "Hold up a moment, you really should get out of these bonds, not safe to run in." He moved around behind Joshua and with a little effort tore his bonds off, leaving Joshua free to flee. "Now scamper off into the night. I've got some other matters to deal with." Kreoss said as he heard the clatter of the fight above. Sionan, Joshua is free. He's on his way out the door now. It would seem prudent to leave before the sun is entirely up.

The blow across Alex's leg had cut deeply. The man was now wishing that he had buggered off when Karl had given him the chance. Pistol now fully reloaded, he stood up, using the desk to take the weight off his injured right leg. He pointed the loaded .44 at the area in the haze where he thought the Irish-accented man had been and fired. The gun kicked back, firing too high. He adjusted his aim and fired again.

She heard the voices in her head, but for all the fire of her rage directed at the hunter, they were little more than a persistant haze. Snarling viciously, she grabbed his head in one hand and slammed it against the floor. Straddling his back to keep him pinned, she bore down on his shoulder with her free hand.

"Nothing can save you now," she growled in cold fury.

Maintaining a strong grip on the hunter, she brought her fangs towards his neck, meaning to rip the flesh apart. And if he struggled... so much the better. She would enjoy this kill, and drag it out as long as necessary.

The blow across Alex's leg had cut deeply. The man was now wishing that he had buggered off when Karl had given him the chance. Pistol now fully reloaded, he stood up, using the desk to take the weight off his injured right leg. He pointed the loaded .44 at the area in the haze where he thought the Irish-accented man had been and fired. The gun kicked back, firing too high. He adjusted his aim and fired again.

Being slammed against the wall had disoriented Archer and he held his head for a moment getting his balance back
"Stupid begger..." He heard the click of a round of bullets clicking into place and ducked instictivly, the spray pounded into the wall sending plaster showing over him. He ran towards the man hoping to pin him before he got off another round, but a lightning pain in his shoulder had told him too late. His momentum took him over and onwards to the man and he pinned him to the ground.
"Hey buddy, can yer mamma sew?" He drew his head back
"Then stitch this!" He thrust his forehead forwards into the other mans face dealing him a full on headbutt.

Karl struggled and knew then he was going to die if he did not act fast. With his right arm pinned underneath him and his left with limited mobility by his position, he knew he had to act fast. It was then his eyes were blinded by a glare, the sun.

"Time for you and your friends to fry bitch."

Screaming is what Karl expected, the smell of cooking flesh is what he wanted to smell; nothing came. He twisted his head around enough to see the vampire staring at the sunlight, her fangs mere inches from his veins. Karl knew she was probably as confused as he was, but he knew this was his one shot at not being dinner.

Putting all his strength and weight behind a twist, he was able to just squeeze out of the vampire's grasp. Scrambling to his feet, he grabbed the M4 carbine and swung it around on the vampire, who was still unharmed by the sun.

What the fuck? She should be dead.


Joshua nearly suffered a triple heart attack when Kreoss jumped in front of him. He sighed in relief as he felt his bonds being cut. He knew the sun was coming up, already beams were coming into the factory. The last thing he had seen of Sionan was her pinning the hunter to the ground, so he figured that she would be okay.

Rushing outside into the ever growing day, Joshua headed off into the jungle of rust and towards the city; praying that Sionan could last out the day in a dark corner of the factory.

Nikoli contented himself to let the others handle the hand to hand combat for the moment. He stayed in his crouched position and kept watch over the situation. he saw a man in bondage flee down a set of stairs, so he assumed that was the person they had come here for. He then turned his attention back to the woman he had orginally been following. The struggle was nearing a close when somehow the man she ws fighting with got out of her grip. He rushed to his weapon while she stood in a small beam of sunlight.

Now that's interesting. Have to ask her about that later.

Nikoli fixed his guns on the man's assault rifle and squeezed off 2 more rounds.

Kreoss heard the gunshots and the sound of struggle but he couldn't be bothered to care. He had only two things on his mind: Why the hell wasn't Sionan crisping? and How he was going to keep from doing the afforemention "crisping"?

At the moment he thought his best bet was to simply try to remain in the shadows, where the sun hadn't quite yet reached. But that was only going to be a temporary measure so he continued to rack his brains for a better plan. However at th moment this was the best he had so backed up against a shadowed wall and continued to scan the room for a place to sleep the day away, or someone trying to kill him.

The blow from the man's headbutt caught Alex right on the forehead. Had he not been already on the ground, it would have knocked him over anyway. He dropped his pistol which went skidding across the floor and under a cabinet. Alex tried to push the man off, but got punched in the face for his troubles. Alex then slid a hand down to a boot, pulling out a knife from it.

"See if you can fucking stitch this one up, bastard!"

he brought his arm back and around, with the knife in his hand, aiming for the man's back.

The blow from the man's headbutt caught Alex right on the forehead. Had he not been already on the ground, it would have knocked him over anyway. He dropped his pistol which went skidding across the floor and under a cabinet. Alex tried to push the man off, but got punched in the face for his troubles. Alex then slid a hand down to a boot, pulling out a knife from it.

"See if you can fucking stitch this one up, bastard!"

he brought his arm back and around, with the knife in his hand, aiming for the man's back.

He brought his hand out to stop the knife, and with a slight impact sound the knife stopped in it's path. Archer kept his face expressionless as his hand tightned around the knife blade and a drop of crimson ran from between his fingers.
"Bastard?" He said in a low voice. His hand shook as he exerted more strength, his slowly twisted the blade sideways away from his back and infront of him, both men still gripping the thing.
"Right proud of it too" There was a metallic 'click' and he opened his hand, two shards of metal fell away from the blade, cleanly sliced in half. He slipped a palm fitting piece of metal off his hand slick with blood and let that drop with a small clatter too. He stepped away out of the mans length and drew two of his stakes, twirling them to get the feel of the wieght and getting his balance.
"Got a bigger knife lad? Then lets see how ye handle it"

She wasn't sure what happened, but she knew she was dead. She had to be. What other explanation could there be? One moment she had been poised for the kill strike, and the next she was blinded by a light so brilliant it seemed to fill every fiber of her being with awestruck dread. It was the sun. They had been too late to escape, and it had caught them.

So this is what it's like to die? she thought idly, starstruck by the magnificince of the morning's rays.

She couldn't be sure how long she crouched there, staring, but it couldn't have been more than 20 seconds. It felt like hours. But gradually, she became aware of a tingling sensation on her flesh. It escalated until finally crossing the threshold of pain. Woken from her trance, she scrambled for the safety of the shadows, where darkness would quickly heal the wounds.

Karl felt the M4 ripped from his hands by gunfire. Not bothering to grab it, he pulled out his pistol and opened fire at the vampires below, after seeing the female had fled into the darkness; time to escape. Turning back he moved to the small office and found Alex facing off a man with silver stakes. It quickly clicked with Karl that this was probably a human, but one who served vampires. He had heard of vampires hiring humans to guard them during the day, though this man appeared to be freelance, taking jobs from vampires and humans alike.

Karl filled his sites with the man's skull.

"Freeze or I decorate the wall with an interesting color called hint of brain."


Joshua's breathing was ragged and he paused for a minute to catch his breath. The sun was rising faster and he felt the warm beams against his face. A tear rolled down his cheek, he figured Sionan could be dead. If only he had not been so stupid as to be followed, none of this would have happened.

With the break over, Joshua slowed to a brisk walk and heard as the morning traffic began. Going home was out of the question, best he could do was get a motel room and wait till nightfall and hopefully find Sionan alive.

Karl felt the M4 ripped from his hands by gunfire. Not bothering to grab it, he pulled out his pistol and opened fire at the vampires below, after seeing the female had fled into the darkness; time to escape. Turning back he moved to the small office and found Alex facing off a man with silver stakes. It quickly clicked with Karl that this was probably a human, but one who served vampires. He had heard of vampires hiring humans to guard them during the day, though this man appeared to be freelance, taking jobs from vampires and humans alike.

Karl filled his sites with the man's skull.

"Freeze or I decorate the wall with an interesting color called hint of brain."


"...Damn" He slid the stakes in his hands so they were pointing down and let go of them. They fell to the ground sticking upright.
"Never liked that colour really." He sagged a little as if the weriness from the battle had caught up with him.
"Fair cop. Ye got me." He sighed "Guess I should have checked the doors eh?" He closed his eyes wearily.
Just then the heads of the stakes stuck up with a small bleep
"Oh...or not" He gave a grin as the room flooded with blinding light and a high pitched screech was emitted from the silver multi-tools. The sound was blocked by the jelly like protection pads in his ears that closed thier pores when they sensed the vibrations in the air, and he was protected by his eyelids and contacts from the glare. He grabbed his tools and dived backwards out the window, which the broken edge caught his shoulder and he let out a slight gasp of pain as it sliced his shoulder. He felt the world move in slow motion as he was moving backwards through the air, he couldn't hear due to the plugs, so he couldn't tell if he was being shot at.

Karl covered his eyes from the blinding flash, but found still afterward his sight was blury. His ears had a deafing ring in them and he began to work his jaw to hopefully clear it out. Grasping Alex, he helped the man outside into the light. Karl had been impressed by Alex, for a man who never combated vampires before or seen one before last night; the kid had handled himself fairly well. Putting Alex on a pile of old tires, Karl took a look at him, a few cuts and bruises; he was lucky for his first time out.

"Come on, lets get you cleaned up and get some breakfast. You did damn well for yourself kid. That human merc was pretty handy, but you apparently gave him a knock or two."

As the combatants fled, Nikoli stood up and surveyed the scene from his high point on the catwalk. Broken windows, bullet holes through the sheet metal walls, smatters of blood here and there.

Whomever owns this warehouse probably wouldn't be too happy with tonight's romp, but everyone was still alive. Well, maybe not alive...

Nikoli chuckled a bit to himself and holstered his weapon. He walked forward to the edge of the catwalk and jumped down onto the balcony just outside the office, where the woman now hid in the cover of shadow.

Well, that was fun. You lot do this sort of thing every night?

Joshua slowed down to a walk as he entered the city. Already a few coffee shops and diners had opened. He quickly went into one and sat down at a booth and ordered some pancakes, eggs, sausage, and coffee. Everything of the night was a blur. At first he was being stalked by a vampire, then Sionan was doing her normal feeding, next thing he knew he was in the clutches of hunters.

His head ached and the smell of hot, black coffee took much of that feeling away. Joshua could not stop thinking about Sionan. Was she alright? Was she lurking in the shadows of the factory with the hunters looking for her?

His thoughts were still swimming as his breakfast came and he dove into the hot and fluffy pancakes.

Kreoss heard the gunshots and the sound of struggle but he couldn't be bothered to care. He had only two things on his mind: Why the hell wasn't Sionan crisping? and How he was going to keep from doing the afforemention "crisping"?

At the moment he thought his best bet was to simply try to remain in the shadows, where the sun hadn't quite yet reached. But that was only going to be a temporary measure so he continued to rack his brains for a better plan. However at th moment this was the best he had so backed up against a shadowed wall and continued to scan the room for a place to sleep the day away, or someone trying to kill him.

A figure groaned in ache ontop of a van, bringing his consciousness back from the void. It said somthing as it woke up.
"Bugger" Archer sat up and slid off the roof of the van that was slightly dented from the impact of him. He limped across the tarmacced ground remembering to pick up his stakes and slip them into his belt with the others. He looked up at the glaring sun and remembered somthing, not everyone enjoyed the sun as much as humans. With another muttered swearword he made his way back to the building keeping to the shadows, or what remained of them. When he found a shaow that looked slightly darker than the others he whispered under his breath.
"Kreoss, whatsyername, come on, lets no bother our generous hosts longer" He slipped off his dark green trenchcoat and tossed it to the vampire
"Here, not yer style maybe but it'll stop ye goin medum rare"

The day had ground on slowly for Joshua, he had returned to his apartment to happily find it un-sacked. For most of the day, he watched TV; too exhausted to go into work, thankful that he had built up plenty of sick days. He slept for an hour shortly after lunch before taking a brief walk. As the sun began to set Joshua picked up his phone and dialed Sionan's cell phone; hoping she would pick up.



Kurt had slept for a few hours before digging into all the information he had on vampires. There was no record of one surviving contact with sunlight. Unless the female vampire had worn a lot of makeup in a crude attempt to stave off the sun for a few seconds; there was no other explination. Sitting in a motel room, his eyes turned to a resting Alex for a few seconds before coming back to his own thoughts.

Half-breeds and dhampirs were fictional, there were no records of such creatures and hunter Kurt knew who tried to make themselves half-breeds to more effectivly hunt thier prey turned into vampires. He quickly ruled that out. Was there something else he missed? Something so obvious he would hit himself for not thinking of it?

"Kreoss, whatsyername, come on, lets no bother our generous hosts longer" He slipped off his dark green trenchcoat and tossed it to the vampire
"Here, not yer style maybe but it'll stop ye goin medum rare"

"Thank you," Kreoss said, grabbing the trenchcoat and slipping it on, pulling it tight around himself. "Do you know what happened to Sionan?" Kreoss asked, "I need to find her."

She couldn't be sure how long she sat there, curled protectively into the smallest shape she could muster in a primitive effort to stave off the effects of shock. She had stared death in the face and come back the victor against all logic. However that dreamlike state had been short lived as Archer's weapons detonated. The screaching sound had been enough to drive her into the fetal position, and had sent her mind some place else entirely to deal with it.

But gradually, she unwound. And she realized the hunter was gone. But more importantly, so was Joshua. Now it was time to find the others and survey their losses. She decided it would be best not to tell the others anything they didn't already know. Apparantly, she had been graced with a rare gift. The questions remaining were why and how.

Quietly, she stood and began picked a shadowed path to the battle site.

"Thank you," Kreoss said, grabbing the trenchcoat and slipping it on, pulling it tight around himself. "Do you know what happened to Sionan?" Kreoss asked, "I need to find her."

"She'll be near here, she can't have gotten far wi' the sun up like this" He nodded to the shadowed side of the building
"Go and check fer her" He walked to the other room
"I'll wait fer here here if she comes back here" After he was sure Kreoss was gone he slumped tiredly in a chair, he pulled out his ear sonic blockers and took out his night contacts, tossing them aside. He hated moments like this, but human as he was he had to deal with them like all the others. He pulled his shirt off weakly to see the smaller scored down his back and the largest gash on his shoulder. The scores would heal he decided, but the gash needed attention. He reached inside his coat for a stoppered bottle of sealant then realised it was on kreoss, so instread he took out a roll of bandages from a thigh pocket. It was already soaked in antiseptic so he winced as it closed over his wound but after it was feeling a little better for it. Wound tended he got up again and put his shirt back on hoping the blood didn't show on it, vampire associates tended to notice such things.

Nikoli waited, crouched down a few feet from the woman as she retreated into herself. After a while, Nikoli dropped to the ground and stretched his feet out in front of him.

Bah. I hate mornings.

He held a hand up to block the sun from his eyes for a moment. The woman stirred, then got up and started picking her way back towards the fight sight. He stood and followed a few steps behind her.

Joshua drove into the industral zone at dusk. Sionan had not answered her cell, which meant she didn't have it, it wasn't on or died, or she was dead. Parking his car and grabbing a hatchet he had bought earlier in the day; he headed towards the factory. He quickly got lost and spent an hour wandering before he found the factory he was held in. Managing to pry loose some rusted metal enough for him to crawl through he went in.

Joshua pulled out a flashlight and the beam shot through the darkness.

"Sionan! Sionan are you here?"

"Not even gettin payed fer it" Archer muttered under his breath. He shrugged and pulled out a small music player from his boot. He let out a string of swearwords like only an Irishman can when he noticed the headphones had been flattened in the fight. He looked round and noticed a sound system in the factory itself, so he went over and hooked up the player to the intercom.
Hoobastank - Do you remember me filtered out through the intercom all across the warehouse, and he nodded his head to the beat as he laid out all his equipment for checking. As he was running his hand down a stake to check for misbalance and looked up.
He smacked his head with a palm and went back over to the system playing the music and grabbed a hold of the mike. He blew the dust off and flicked a switch.
"Sionan love, time te come back te the world of the walkin. The rest of you lads still there?"

OOC: Sorry my posting has been sporadic... It's been a rough-as-hell month for me.

IC:
Sionan growled over her shoulder, but it was half-hearted at best. She was still slightly... off from her close encounter of the crispy kind, and in a highly irritable and volatile state. A voice over the loud speaker greeted her as she finally entered the deep shadows of the abandoned main area.

"Everyone present or accounted for?"

What a hell of a night. What a hell of a day. There was no way this was real. She had died, and simply didn't know it yet.

"Where's Joshua?"

Joshua shined his light upwards towards the small office and saw the man named Archer there as music and then his voice came through the intercom. As he continued with his seach he was begining to worry that Sionan was indeed dead. It was then he heard the familiar voice and his heart and spirits lifted immediatly. Joshua turned and accidently blasted Sionan in the face with the light for a second before moving it.

He quickly moved up to her.

"Hey, Jesus I thought you were dead. Are you okay?"

Nikoli checked his watch as he rounded the corner. Someone was saying something over the loud speker, but the day worth of missed sleep was starting to take a toll. He rubbed a bit of sleep from his eyes and dodged past the woman and her pet human.

Well, there's 3 out of 4. where's the other vamp?

"Christ," she muttered, sheilding her face from the light reflexively.

"I've been better. How did you escape? And better yet, where are those bastards. I have a little unfinished business with them."

Though scowling and itching for a fight, she was grateful to see Joshua. The human was proving his worth as something more than idle entertainment. Grabbing his arm, she continued into the main room, hoping to debrief with the others.

Joshua was elated to find Sionan alive. As she half dragged him towards the main area to meet with the others; the human told her of what he remembered.

"Well, it was confusing. One second the two were there the next I was running down the stairs and it was then one of the vampries who came with you cut my bonds. I dunno what happened to the hunters. Probably escaped somewhere. Were you able to get to cover before the sun rose?"

"No, she wasn't." Nikoli said wearily over his shoulder at the man he had just passed.

After being in just about the strangest company he had ever met since early the previous evening, Nikoli was begining to feel the effects of the lack of sleep. His eye sagged a bit, but he did his best to keep a good poker face. He turned and looked back at the two.

"Either of you know where the other one of her is?" he asked nodding at Sionan.