Immortals War

[ultimate_nerdslut]

It was clear from the look he was giving her that he did not wish her to leave anytime soon. Hell, he probably wanted her to stay and sure enought the proved true when he spoke ot her.

"I do not wish you to leave Catherine de Monvoisin. You shall stay. I desire a new bride, you shall fulfill that role, and perhaps, with the blessing of darkness, bear me more children. Children worthy of my line."

Carefully, Catherine snuggled closer to the man who had just ridden her all night. She sighed happily and placed tiny kisses to his cheeks, jawline, neck, and collar bone. "It would be an honor to be your bride..." She purred happily, well that was quite the step up the social ladder.

"I shall make you happy my lord..." She promised.

 

[rengadeirishman]

Ahrimand smiled, running his hand down the perfect curves of her naked, sumptuous body. "Of that i have no doubt." he said.

He laid back in his bed, which was postioned so as not to be accessible to the sunlight, even if one were to open the heavy black drapes to the balcony, and let his mind roam free, calling out to his many children, summoning his Clan Khopesh, so that they may come to him, bringing mortals from around the world for the feast.

"You shall be a Matriarch of mighty warriors." He told her, before slipping into deep slumber.

 

[Adamus76]

I stay until dawn began to creep awfully close. Then the two Fullbloods leave their stakeout at the Waterloo bridge, and I trail them at a cautious distance. A third one joins them after the pair cross the bridge - a tall, lanky fellow that's carrying a long-barreled rifle. Undoubtedly loaded with silver. If I'd made my move on the two scouts I'd have been shot and killed.

I stay on their trail, making use of the shadows as often as possible and doing my very best to stay unnoticed. At one point the tall one disengages from the other two, and I realize he's making a detour to ensure they're not followed. The first pair may have been amateurs, but this guy is good.

I circle around once in the opposite direction, letting the pair go and concentrating on staying on the tall one's trail. For a short while I'm afraid I may have lost him or, more worryingly, he's on to me, but then I spot him again as he emerges from an alleyway and proceeds in the direction the other two went.

The streets of London have many places to hide, if you're not afraid to get a little dirty, and I make the most use of them that I can as I continue to follow the tall vampire. At long last, less than half an hour before dawn, he seems to have reached his destination. It's an unremarkable row of tall houses, and he walks up the short set of stairs to a doorway where he knocks twice. A sliding hatch in the door is opened and a brief exchange of words follow, too soft for me to hear from my hiding place. The door opens and the tall guy is let in.

So now I know their safehouse. I find an entrance into the sewers and settle in for a long, uncomfortable day amidst the putrid rubbish.

At dusk I'm out early and resume my watch of the Fullblood safehouse. The same trio leaves a few hours after sundown, the tall guy followed by the man and woman. I wait for an hour, then begin scouting the area to see if I can find another way into the safehouse. There is none.

I leave the area for a bit to do some hunting, slaking my thirst on a drunken vagabond. I return to my hiding place and resume my vigil.

A night passes. Once again I take refuge in the sewers. The next night I spot the same three leaving the safehouse. A few hours later a new vampire, a short, bulky female, leaves the house for an hour, then returns. She doesn't knock but opens the door with a key. That's a clear sign - there may be only four of them.

Another night goes by. I smell so bad I can't even hunt properly - my potential victims smell me coming. I get Hungry but I endure. This night only the three leave the safehouse. I have to wait for the fourth to make another exit.

Which she does the next night. By then I'm pretty ravenous but I stay in control of myself, albeit barely. As she leaves the house, I follow. It doesn't take her long to spot me. She doesn't turn around but the change in the way she holds her shoulders tell me she's suddenly on edge. She moves into a dark side alley, and I know she'll be waiting for me there.

Time to risk it. I follow her into the alley and indeed, barely five steps in she jumps me.

My peers often mistake my reluctance to engage in open combat for a lack of ability to do so. The opposite is actually true. I prefer the Sun Tzu method of fighting - only engage in combat when the outcome is already ensured. This particular instance is not quite a sure thing, but it's close enough. The female Fullblood thinks she has the advantage of surprise, but she hasn't. As she comes at me, full speed, her facial expression fixed in a snarl, she doesn't hold back until a fraction of a second before my gun goes off in her face.

It's not enough to kill her, but it downs her instantly. My bowie knife finishes her off as I sever her head from her torso.

A quick search of her corpse yields the key to the safehouse, and I set the rest of my plan in motion. I search the house thoroughly, finding an assortment of silver ammunition, three sticks of dynamite, two light-proofed sleeping places, some money and other supplies. There's no paperwork, no obvious indication of battle plans. All I find is a piece of paper containing gibberish - several lines of letters and numbers arranged seemingly at random. A code, I suspect. I pocket the paper and prepare my trap.

The first two roaming Fullbloods return at the same time as usual, just a short while before dawn. I watch from a distance, hidden in the shadows. They knock, but there's no answer this time. Another knock, no answer. The man produces a key from his pocket and opens the door manually. As he pushes the door open carefully, the trap I'd set is sprung, and three sticks of dynamite explode right behind the doorway. The heavy wooden door disintegrates and so does the male Fullblood. The female is thrown clear of the blast. I run out of hiding and approach the female. She's severely burnt but conscious. I put two silver rounds, scavenged from the house, through her back.

A mass of people is gathering, woken by the explosion, and I make myself scarce. I stay near, hiding in darkness until I spot the tall Fullblood who was once again trailing behind the first two. He takes one look at the scene and leaves. A professional, I reckon. No emotional attachment, he just turns and walks away when he sees his safehouse is compromised.

I follow him, bloodlust awakened in me. I still smell of sewage and now a little of gunpowder too, and it doesn't take him long to spot me. He turns and aims his rifle, but I dive into cover and the bullet whizzes by me. A close miss. I scurry down an alley and he pursues me, firing more rounds after me. He's a good shot but I must have a guardian angel watching over me because he misses again. A click announces the depletion of his rifle's magazine. I emerge from hiding and take careful aim with my Colt. He doesn't await his execution but charges me, crossing the distance before I can fire. Fuck he's fast.

And strong. He knocks me into the wall and starts pounding my face. Every blow feels like a sledgehammer. He's older than me, and stronger, and a part of me thinks that this is it, I'm done for.

Another part of me is screaming obscenities in my head - my survival instinct. Somehow, through the merciless pounding, I manage to grab my knife. As the Fullblood pulls back for another skull-breaking blow, I lash out and slice a huge gash across his chest. He roars but the pain is sufficient for him to back off a little, and I'm on him in a split second. Somehow I find reserves of strength I didn't know I had - I'm dirty, smelly, pissed off and severely Hungry - and before I know it I have my knife thrust into the Fullblood's chest and my fangs embedded in his throat.

He struggles valiantly and almost manages to throw me off, but I hang on to the knife with all my strength and devour the blood that spurts from his arteries. His power drains fast, and within moments he slumps and gasps, trying weakly to pull me away from him.

I stop moments before it would be too late. I rise, a bloody mess of gore and filth, and look down at the older Fullblood. He gazes up at me with an expression of disbelief and fear. I shoot him in the face.

His rifle turns out to be one of those fancy new German Mauser 98's. I find some more ammo for it in the dead vampire's coat. He carries nothing more of value. I make myself scarce. The sun's almost rising and my face feels like a dozen horses trampled on it.

Tomorrow night, after a very thorough wash, I need to find someone that can decipher the coded message on the scrap of paper I found. It may lead to more of these Fullblood bastards.

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

"You shall be a Matriarch of mighty warriors."

That was the last thing she heard before slumber swept her away, she clung to his strong body. There was a part of her that knew that he was going to take care of her because she was not weak like the others... She had fear when it was necessary but respect at all times.

She dreamed, it had been so long since she had but she dreamed of the man holding her to him.

"My lord..." She whispered.

 

[Adamus76]

"You need a decoder," says Marvin.

Marvin's comment is anything but helpful. Marvin is merely human, but I've come to trust him and rely on his vast network of contacts. You see, Marvin is a thief. A very adept thief, and any thief as good and graced with such longevity in the business as Marvin has to have an extensive network of spies, fences and bribed lawmen to ensure his continued,unincarcerated prosperity.

How I found Marvin, and how we became friends, is a different story altogether, which I shall not relay here. Suffice to say that it involved an Irish redhead with a supernaturally large bosom, a crate of Scottish whiskey and an alligator.

I came to Marvin to find a way to decipher the message on the scrap of paper I looted from the Fullbloods' safehouse. I'm sure it must be some sort of code, and anything worth encoding is worth decoding. Maybe the message will lead me to more Fullblood safehouses or will yield some other strategic advantage.

So here I am, in one of Marvin's favorite opium dens in an obscure area of London. The sweet scent of the dreamer's poppy fills the place, heavy smoke obscuring the already scarcely lit environment. Marvin and I are sitting on low benches, heavily pillowed, in a corner of this seedy establishment. Partially transparent curtains separate us from the handful of other patrons, though I suspect it does little good in the way of privacy. Not that that's a big concern here - most patrons are either already far under the poppy seed's spell, or well on their way to such a thoroughly intoxicated state.

Marvin hands me back the paper. "I may know someone," he says.

I look at him, an eyebrow raised. Marvin in turn raises both his brows at me. "What, aren't you going to offer me money?" he asks incredulously. My expression turns dark. Marvin grins. "Just kidding. I know how much I still owe you. But you know, finding the right man for this job will require some monetary greasing of certain wheels. It'll take some time as well."

"Do your best," I grunt back at him, pocketing the paper in my coat.

 

[Wolfsister]

She disliked London. It was full of greasy streets, even greasier people and the stench of a thousand fires. Walking along the unevenly paved streets, she attempted not to breathe too deeply, finding herself longing for the open wilderness the wild west had to offer. She shook her head and once again glanced at a small scrap of paper she had come by, "Bastard," she muttered and then shook her head once more.

Sniffing cautiously, she followed the sickly sweet scent that was a trademark of the man she was searching for. "Little weasel can't even stay in one place long enough." She muttered to herself, baring her fangs in distaste. Her delicate nose wrinkled as her mind absently sorted out the different fragrances in the air.

She stopped suddenly, a wooden door blocking her way. She cocked her head to one side and hissed slowly under her breath, "This better be worth it." She pushed open the door and stepped into a lively world beneath the decadent misinformation of the royals above.

The whorehouse was illegal. Hell, anything to do with Marvin was illegal, but that didn't mean she liked it. She narrowed her green eyes with distaste as she surveyed the lacy, purple drapes. The scantily clad women and the drugged and aroused mortal males. She wrinkled her nose again, following the scent further inside.

She found, in one of the back rooms, a rather curious man. More of a jovial rat, rather than the powerful man with connections she knew him to be.

"Marvin..." she drawled by way of introduction.

 

[Adamus76]

A young woman approaches us, coming through the haze of the opium den. I don't recognize her, but Marvin seems to. I let one hand rest on the grip of my Colt .45 under my coat.

"Alliandra!" Marvin exclaims as he rises, his arms outstretched in greeting.

"One of your whores?" I ask Marvin. I stay put, eyeing the woman cautiously. Marvin shoots me a glance I can only interpret as a warning. "No, one of your kind actually," he says, and that peaks my interest. My fingers curl around the grip of the Colt. Is she Fullblood? We'll know soon enough...

 

[Wolfsister]

She didn't bother to return the greeting, she didn't trust those man's arms around her. It had been a sore lesson to learn when she had once found most of all her personal items missing. Luckily, she had gotten them back, but still. A thief is a thief.

"One of your whores?" drawled the vampire next to him and only then did she deign to notice him. She didn't even let the namecalling phase her one bit. Though a lesser immortal would have taken offense.

He was young, she could smell the sweetness of the blood he had consumed. She could also tell that he was a half-blood, though she wasn't sure how acute his senses were to her. She cocked an eyebrow and smiled, not ungently. "Before you can get that thing clear, I can have your head separated from your shoulders," she indicated his hand moving towards his colt.

Then she smiled again, "Believe me, we're on the same side. I doubt Marvin would have us fighting in his house. He so abhores violence," she grinned maliciously at the worried looking human.

 

[rengadeirishman]

Ahrimand awoke as the sun set, and gently pushed catherines arm off. He rose from his bed, and kissed her gently on the lips. He summoned his servants and ordered that they begin to gather mortals for the blooding feast, and ordered then an acolyte be found for the ceremony. He was not yet sure how long it would take his children to come to him. But knew that it would not be too long.

he poured himself a glass of cognac, and pulled a robe over his naked body. He began to peruse reports of the war. The halfbloods had done better then he expected. But Khopesh had great numbers and a far reaching arm. Victory was inevitable.

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

Catherine had awoken with the kiss to her lips but move from the bed she did not, she was rather comfortable there and it seemed that her lover was busy with his reading. She didn't mind as she stretched lazily in the bed taking in everything that had happened the night before. Never had she imagined herself where she was now.

"Evening..." She said softly to him.

She smiled as she shut her eyes to rest in the comfort of the sheets and downs. Her fingers grazed flesh as she wondered if she really was where she was... or was her mind playing tricks on her.

 

[rengadeirishman]

"Evening my dear." ahrimand said, finishing his reading. The loose knot on his robe came undone as he crawled on the bed over her, rubbing his knee gently between her legs as he kissed her. "How did you sleep?"

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

"I slept well my lord," she purred at the stronger older vampire above her. She knew that this was definitely going to be interesting to say the absolute least. Very gently Catherin craned her neck up so that she might meet the lips of her lover for a bittersweet kiss.

"How did you sleep? I hope my body found you well last night?"

 

[rengadeirishman]

"Aye, your body found me quite well, my sweet." he said, running his hand along her naked body. It found its way to her sex, where it lingered a moment, before retreating to her perfect breasts. He cupped one in his hand, as he moved in to kiss her deeply.

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

Catherine could not help the shiver that ran up and down her body as his hands moved and touched her. He was skilled and she was but putty in those strong hands. She smiled into that kiss that demanded much from her.

But she wanted to give it to him.

"Mmmmm..." She moaned into that kiss.

Catherine was on fire for her Master again, oh he knew how to push her buttons so well it was almost too much. She opened her eyes, when had they fallen shut?

"Mmmm Master..." She purred.

 

[rengadeirishman]

Ahrimand smiled as she moaned, he slipped the robe off of his powerful shoulders and kissed her again.

 

[Adamus76]

Marvin stands there for a few moments, arms outstretched, his obvious invitation for a hug ignored entirely by the female. It looks quite comical and I can't help but crack a grin.

She sees my hand move towards my gun, a motion I thought was very discreet but apparently not enough. At her reply I suddenly realize she's a vampire. A Halfblood like me, fortunately. Halfbloods are harder to spot than Fullbloods, having been born human and thus retaining some human qualities in their appearance. I always have a tough time spotting Halfbloods.

I slowly pull my hand away from my weapon, calmly resting it on the cushion next to me. I'm not sure how old she is, another thing I always have trouble with. And with women, guessing their age wrong can be disastrous.

Marvin turns to me, then to the woman he called Alliandra, then back to me. He clears his throat. "Ah, yes, ehh... Alliandra, this is Seamus. Seamus, Alliandra. Haven't met before? I thought all lee-.... ehm, you types, knew one another."

He was about to say 'leeches', a word I never took offense against as it's close to the truth. But apparently Marvin is more restrained in the company of this female vampire, for whatever reason.

I get up and extend my hand to the woman in greeting. "'Hello." I'm still wary. Paranoia is a state of mind, and one that's kept me undead for the past hundred years.

 

[Wolfsister]

"Ah, yes, ehh... Alliandra, this is Seamus. Seamus, Alliandra. Haven't met before? I thought all lee-.... ehm, you types, knew one another."

Alliandra raised an eyebrow and chose to ignore Marvin's near slip. She had caught him, quite literally, describing her kind in such a way and it had disgusted her so much that she had threatened to cut out his tongue. He had quickly realised that a smooth talker such as himself had much need of his speech centre.

"'Hello."

The other vampire extended a hand and she could practically smell the suspicion that generated off of him, like wisps of smoke from a smouldering fire. She smiled, her fangs hidden for the moment, her form being somewhat mortal. She extended her own delicate fingers and lightly touched his hand.

She had never really gotten used to this 'hand shaking' technique the mortals had invented, seemingly overnight. She inclined her head also, a technique she was more familiar with and spoke softly, "Well met. I was summoned here for a reason, yes?" Then she turned to Marvin, "And how exactly did you know how to track me down?" she raised an inquisitory eyebrow, though her voice was laced with a slight menace.

 

[Adamus76]

"And how exactly did you know how to track me down?"

Marvin gave the woman a look that said 'are you kidding me?', but after seeing the hint of aggression in her eyes he chose to elaborate a bit more.

"Come on, this is Marvin you're talking to. I know people that, you know, know people. That know stuff. Yeah. Ehm. Anyway, here you are, and have we got something for you!"

He turned to me now, a grin on his face that was as forced as circus-trained bear. "Show her, Seamus."

I dug into my pocket and retrieved the scrap of paper I'd recovered from the Fullblood safehouse. The writing on the paper was clear, evidently recently written, but it was a series of numbers, letters and symbols that made no sense to the untrained eye. And my eye was very much untrained.

I handed it to the woman cautiously.

 

[Wolfsister]

"Come on, this is Marvin you're talking to. I know people that, you know, know people. That know stuff. Yeah. Ehm. Anyway, here you are, and have we got something for you!"

Alliandra gave a disdainful sniff, but otherwise let the moment pass, choosing instead to take the scrap of paper from the other vampire. She silently scented him and catalogued his unique signature, something she had learned to do over the years.

She glanced down, figuring that it would probably hold a sequence of numbers or be written in an ancient language. She was surprised however when she looked at the writing on the paper and found that she could not decipher it.

She blinked, successfully hiding her confusion with a thoughtful frown. "I recognise some of the cypher, but to read the entire thing, I'm afraid would be beyond my skills." She handed the paper back, "Where did you get this? Perhaps I know of some one that could help."