Fantasy Hunter's Moon: Ascendancy [IC] [CLOSED]

Camille inspected the industry of the sawmill from a safe distance, eyeing just how the lumber was being processed quietly and passively. In time she got off her horse as the others did, stepping close to Claire as she dictated a plan for them to follow. "I've no reason to disagree with that," the huntress stated, before following with the group. She could tell that most everyone had departed already, and that more would be leaving soon. That fact motivated her to increase her pace subtly.

Royland's comment got her to raise an eyebrow, her head turning just slightly to talk to him as they moved closer to the central mill. "The definition of 'normal' has been turned on its head by now, even if I could be considered it I'm not quite dressed to match," Camille explained, remarking on her lightly armored raven regalia.

Sebastian met Royland's glance while absent-mindedly twirling his pistol on his finger. "Ja, maybe you should take point, then," he said.

Rajko did not have any qualms about their selection of the sawmill, it is one of his premiere choices after all. But a perspicacious chill rattled his spine from atlas to tailbone. Perhaps, this was his superstition, rearing its ugly head. Why not? If he can be cautious of a little girl then why shouldn't the sawmill pose a similar -- if not greater -- target of skepticism? In either case, Leofwine halted in place when the Warbat leaned back and rolled his fists backwards.

When he docked his horse, Rajko glanced between Royland and Claire, corpse-rimmed doubt of their words indicated by an arched eyebrow. "Well, if attire and normality are in the question..." He surmised as he slid off his coat and tossed his hat on Leofwine's rump. Ignoring the visible riven across his pale face and holstered weaponry, he appeared as ordinary as any young man. He also relinquished his Luger, not wishing to test its capabilities in a potential livewire fire fight. He also ruffled his hair to appear relaxed and free.

"I'll ask then."

As they talked amongst themselves and decided on whom would be asking the questions, they neared and dismounted their horses near the central large structure of the sawmill. Here, there were quite a few more people moving about. Most of them preoccupied with wrapping up their duties for the day. Cassandra eyed a few of them, taking note of their faces. Most of them didn't seem to care too much for who they were. Which was a little odd considering the looks they had been getting down in Tresomin. She was starting not to like this.

Claire held a similar mentality on the topic. Even if these people were focused on getting everything squared away before heading home, there would have still been some that would have at least gawked at them. They were a strange mix of individuals. Inquisitors, a paladin, a vampire walking around in daylight, a Daristeinian soldier, a knight, a foreigner, and so on. At the moment, not even a casual glance was given their way.

Claire soon dismounted as well, and spoke in Cassandra's direction. "Cassandra, do you recall that little trick you did at the castle in Vatoise? Bastille Saint-Caillat?" she asked, her expression oddly serious as she looked in the direction of the pureblood. She then looked up to the central structure as she waited for Cassandra's response. The wheels inside her head turning quite quickly, judging from her expression and fixed gaze.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow, but smirked and nodded afterwards. "Indeed I do. I broke my legs doing it, and walked funny for most of our little engagement." she responded.

Claire nodded, eventually looking back to her. "I would like you to do it again, should we need you to. But instead of to a stone wall, you would be doing it to these stacks of logs." she stated, "Should prove far easier on your legs. Especially given you're a pureblood now."

Cassandra gave her a confused look for a moment, looking around at the tall stacks of logs situated around them. Then, she finally realized why she'd be doing it. "Ahhh, of course." she soon said, smiling. She climbed off her horse, walking quietly over to one of the stacks and inspecting the logs. Mostly pine in this stack. Easy enough!

Meanwhile, Rebecca was giving them both a look of confusion. "Do you think we'll encounter hostilities? We're simply here to ask questions." said the Saint, as she dismounted from her horse. Claire responded with a nod and a simple statement. "You should examine things around you a bit more closely, Saint. For example, nobody here seems to care who we are or how we look. Not even a passing gaze in our direction, compared to everyone else we've passed since we arrived on this island."

Sebastian had been oblivious to his surroundings for some time as he rode, but that changed quickly when the others began to notice something was amiss. The humor draining from his face, he set about loading his pistol before putting it back in the holster. It would be there if he needed it, but at the moment, he saw fit to reach back and take out one of his two long guns- this time, the Winchester. Resting its barrel on the back of Dantès' neck, he held the reins in his free hand and scanned his surroundings carefully. He was reluctant to dismount.

"If this is all a trap," he said quietly, "I'd rather spoil it by causing a disturbance than to wait for it to be sprung on us." He pointed the barrel skyward and mimed firing the weapon, before looking for a reaction among his peers. Maybe they didn't feel as vulnerable as he did, but maybe they, too, would dispense with suspense and cut right to the chase.

Royland looked about as the others made their observations. No one paid them any attention. They were right. This was a trap and he failed to sense it. From the clues of their behavior to his additional senses. The latter send a shiver down his spine of its implications. He hesitated for a moment as Sebastian suggested that they spoil any would be traps set for them. He wanted to fully agree, but there was something else they had to consider. How willing were the people around them to participate in the trap if at all?

"A bold move that would upset any trap-maker, but what of the bait?" He motioned to those still working. "Or are they part of the snare?"

The Warbat paced forward from the others, unfurling his senses like a carpet in every direction. Sight, his eyes gazed at the faces and bodies of the workers ignoring them. Sound, his ears twitched as boot struck dirt or grassblades and men toiled with tools or machines. Smell, his nose snarled when he sucked a gust of air that rank of unknown malodorous substances. Rajko stuck a hand on his waist as he turned around to listen to his comrades suggestions.

Sebastian proposed that they spring it prematurely by gunning their intentions skyward. An interesting proposal but risks catching ill ire from the occupational workers.

Then Royland raised the pojnt about the labourers involvement in this whole sordid affair. At the moment, Rajko gave a sidelong glance at them. He would, if Royland's assertion proved true, feel no remorse. No ruth in his stone heart.

"My hunt-master taught me: "There are always signs. A trap must be prepared and primed..." Rajko balls a fist. "And armed." If we spring the trap prematurely then we could catch the tactician unawares and defeat this machination. But what if the tactian accounted for this? We'd be merely walking into it." A heavy sigh whisked from Rajko's lips as he floated a hand to pinch his nose bridge.

His fingers coiled around the handle of his dragoon shashka, there are no easy strategies for this encounter. Launching a trap is easier than beating it. The only hope is for the coterie to ride on the tiger's back - - the safest place during its rampage. "Prepare yourselves. This may get bloody fast."

Much as Camille had been enjoying the visual tour she had been taking of the mill and its industrious workers, she soon began to notice just how focused they had all been on their work. That was quite unnatural, as there were various members of this group that should have at least drawn some wayward glances and stares, and yet these men and women possessed an unshakable focus and work ethic. It did not sit right with the huntress, and though she was overly paranoid in situations like this she seems to have found a consensus with other members of the group.

As the group deliberated on how to move forward, Camille glanced to Sebastian as he mimed firing a shot into the air. Royland and Rajko both were quick with good points that they raised, but she was inclined to look at things from a different angle. "There's something else we aren't considering. What if this trap isn't for us? The demons are looking for our contact, and the townspeople confirmed that this is his place of work. They could be waiting for him to arrive here so they can get the whereabouts of the artifact," she wagered.

"Not even we have been able to determine Jayden's place of living, and perhaps the demonic forces are weary that if they were to make violent waves it would prompt their unwilling informant to flee the region entirely. Thus... setting a trap for him where they know he will show up only seems logical, oui?" Despite her theorizing she shook her head back and forth, her hands starting to gently close their fingers around the handles of her sabers. "I'm not certain on how we should proceed, if that is true. I despise walking into a situation where the enemy is advantageous, but I don't know about setting off the ambush prematurely either."

Azathor did not waste time on words, but did acknowledge everyone's words with a simple nod as he moved a hand to his blade resting in its scabbard upon his back. It was best to be ready for a fight than to be caught off guard as they continued to walk deeper into this potential trap. A thought did cross his mind however: if this was a trap, then likely their goal had already been compromised by those seeking to hinder their progress.

Sebastian cast a long glance at the workers with a frustrated expression, remembering the terrible fate that befell the people of Gravewood. If the workers were forced into a position that would require their deaths, as Royland warned, then springing the trap before the party had even caught Jayden's trail could result in far more innocent deaths than the alternative- especially if Camille's suspicion proved true and Jayden wasn't even at the sawmill in the first place. Then there was Rajko's thoughts, which sent a chill down his spine. What if the enemy is counting on us revealing ourselves, just as I nearly did?

Are they already watching us? ...Just toying with us?

He took a breath and steadied himself; this was no time to panic. "You're right, all of you. There are too many unknowns to rush into this. We should continue playing our parts until our hands are forced. Aber, if these people are under some kind of spell, then how can we expect to find any more information on our man?" He turned to Rebecca and Claire for advice.

"The solution may be right within our reach." Royland spoke again, this time with some more confidence in his voice "Lady Rebecca, I may have not sensed that the people here are under a spell, but the others are probably right in their observation. Use your sainthood. If the people here are under a spell then it would release them and it might make them disperse away from harm's way."

Rajko solidarly nodded along when the rest made their points. Then he snapped his fingers in acknowledgement of a new idea. "Or if the labourers are hexed by magic, I could transform and lead them away. Or at the very least, surprise them so that can be dis-abled from behind."

Claire listened as they all spoke between themselves, taking in their thoughts and ideas. As she listened, she glanced to each of the civilians around them, taking in their states. Most of them looked healthy enough. Strong enough to at least prove a threat to them, should the trap be sprung, and there were a good number of them to boot. Perhaps they were part of the trap. Muscle, brainwashed into attacking those that try to intervene or prevent Jayden from getting away if he were to rush outside. Eventually, Royland brought about a good idea: use the saint's powers to dispel the potential spell that had been cast over the civilians.

"I believe our knight friend here just came up with the best idea. If we wish to preserve the lives of at least most of the civilians, if not all of them, we need to remove the spell which is keeping them here in the first place. Then, we can simply get them out of here using a variety of means. Preferably quiet ones." said Claire, returning her attention to the group. She then looked to Rajko. "Should you shapeshift and spring the trap, there's a risk of several of them simply ignoring you and focusing on the rest of us. A better idea would be to rush them away from here once they've regained their senses. Make it seem like there's an impending threat to their lives should they remain."

She finally looked towards Rebecca. "Removing the civilians from the matter will help our cause immensely, I believe. So please, Lady Rebecca. If you would be so kind." she said, soon motioning a hand towards the Saint. Afterwards, she drew both her revolver as well as her sword. "As for the rest of you, prepare yourselves. We should enter that structure as soon as possible. Those with more enhanced supernatural senses should start sniffing out demonic traces as soon as we get inside. They may have enchanted the building to hide their locations from the outside."

Rebecca nodded, drawing her sword and holding it up above her. Point aiming squarely at the sky above. She shut her eyes, and softly began to recite words in that ancient tongue yet again. Her eyes began to glow brightly beneath her eyelids, the light barely contained. And as she spoke, a golden light encircled her, traveling up from her feet and moving up her form towards the tip of the sword. The tip soon began to glow itself, a golden ball forming at the end which slowly levitated a few dozen yards above her before bursting brightly and violently. Almost like a firework. Golden sparks showered most of the area, scattering about the mill like rain.

And soon, the civilians began to react. Some of them blinking rapidly as they held and shook their heads. Apparently it worked. Some even began to speak, wondering what was going on or what had happened.

Rajko folded his arms as he listened to Claire voicing her thoughts, while keeping an eye on the enslaved workers. Finally, the time came for the Saint to dispel their bewitched states. A brief thought, insignificant but poisonous all the same, wormed its way into Rajko's psyche. This had better not backfire, It was born out of his precaution and lack of magical knowledge; that is a supernatural backdraft in the presence of the hallowed energy emanating from Rebecca. But as careful as Rajko is, even he dares not stare away from the wonderwork of the Saint. A breathtaking thing, this beauty is. He could be jaded beyond belief, but this experience is worthy of all the pains.

Once the divine display subsided, Rajko primed himself for the task ahead. Once again drawing reminder to the half-physiology of a werebat. These terrible boons could perhaps be finally put to use.

Xiaòzhou, given what they had learned at the inn, felt the sawmill made most sense to head towards. With the coin deciding their path there, the hermit once more returned to passive observation. Never having been to a sawmill himself, however, meant that beyond working towards aura-sensing, he found himself observing the general area more than he did the people there themselves. However, as initial discussion concentrated on a 'normal-looking' member asking around, he ended up noticing something extremely off. The aura emanating from the civilians was... off. Was that something demonic he was sensing from them? At minimum, no one here felt exactly like those back in town. At that moment, just as with Cassandra and Claire, he noticed that no one seemed to be paying them any attention. In any other case, this should be a relief for him, given how often he gets looks... but given current circumstances, it felt too odd.

Rebecca's questioning brings up the matter more broadly. Before he could bring up what he had felt however, Sebastian promptly brings up taking action quickly. The intervention of both Royland and Rajko quickly prevented any impromptu conflict, and soon enough the former brought up St. Rebecca invoking her abilities, which quickly prompted the hermit, having seen them in person, to quickly agree, if only to have some input in the conversation.

Soon enough, she did as she did, in an impressive fashion, the hermit listening in to the ancient speech, preparing himself to 'sniff out' more demonically-induced auras as they enter. A thought quickly entered his head however.

"We should get the civilians out of here, lest the demons use them," he brought up quickly, unsure whether Rajko planned still to lead the laborers away.

"Seems it has worked" Royland let out a sight of relief. Or an imitation of one. The knight wouldn't waste much time as he beckoned the others to join in with a hand. "Citizens, disperse from the site this instant. We are on official business and require you to leave the grounds and return to your families. If all goes well, then you're to come here in the morrow as if nothing had happened." Pawns of a trap or not, they needed to leave instantly. If the demons had their snare broken, then they would come out of hiding.

It didn't take much for the civilians to react as the group needed them to. The words from Royland, and a few glances between those standing there, were enough. They quickly scrambled to get away, moving down the road at a fairly good pace. There was no telling when they had been enthralled by the demonic spell, and for how long. But the group wouldn't have to worry about them sticking around for what came next.

"Alright, that settles the issue involving the locals." stated Claire, watching as they ran off before looking to the others. "We should proceed insi--"

Her words were interrupted by the sound of a gunshot. A single loud crack, sounding off from one of the nearby buildings. Then, as if to punctuate the message that the demons knew they were there, a bullet hit Claire squarely in her shoulder. She jerked around, slinging her revolver into the mud as she spun about and hit the ground herself. Blood spattering across the ground as she landed.

She let out a pained groan, laying on her right side before rolling over onto her back. Silver bullet. She could already feel the tingling sensation left in the wound. She'd have to pick the bits of silver left inside out before she could use her vampiric powers again. Cassandra was already moving into cover, having rushed over to snatch her rifle off her horse. Rebecca, meanwhile, moved to grab Claire from the ground.

Claire quickly waved her away. "Don't worry about me!" she spat, soon moving back onto he side so she could crawl into cover herself. She only stopped to get her revolver, even if it was practically useless at the moment.

Cassandra was already using her pureblood abilities to seek out the target, listening closely for telltale signs of movement. She heard reloading. The sound of a lever moving, ejecting a spent round, before another round was loaded and the lever was moved again. "...He's got a single shot rifle." she called out, "High caliber."

Claire grunted, as she finally made it to cover. A smaller stack of logs, which she sat up against as she looked at her shoulder. "Common around these parts. Big bullets for bears, elk, werewolves..." she muttered in response. She spotted some silver bits jutting from her wound, which she reached in and picked out with her fingers. "Outdated, but still packing a hell of a punch."

She soon looked to the others. "Get inside! Quickly! I'll find this fucker myself." she spat. She pointed her sword's tip towards the large sliding door nearby, which lead into the ground floor of the mill's central structure. "Watch those windows too." she also stated, pointing out the windows on either side of the entrance. Dirty panes of glass, but still mostly see-through.

Azathor watched intently as Rebecca cast her dispel of whatever trance the workers here had been placed under, in a rather flashy manner, as sparks dotted the area and broke people out of their temporary enthrallment to an outside will. The demon prince remained guarded regardless as the threat wasn't entirely over, but at least they dealt with one part of the problem at hand. "Indeed." he commented to Claire, still gripping the hilt of Belais' blade. He was about to respond until gunfire cracked out in the air and Claire was sent tumbling to the ground, which had Azathor quickly leaping towards the nearest cover being a pile of logs.

The sound of the lever reload meant that the shooter was ready to fire again, and Claire yelled for everyone to advance into the building nearby. Azathor quickly peeked over his cover before darting it down again, not intent on having a bullet lodged into his skull. He couldn't tell where the shooter was coming from, and was intent on helping Claire but she seemed insistent on doing it herself. He gave her a nod as he released his grip from his sword and instead unholstered his two new pistols. He shook then gently in each hand and nodded, "Time to see their worth." he muttered as he quickly moved out of cover and sprinted towards one of the building's windows. He quickly leapt forward, intent on crashing through into the inside with guns blazing.

Royland ducked as the first shot rang out and pushed Claire to the ground. The knight was not ready to wait for another shot to follow. He moved quickly to the mill with his sword drawn. The other hand had the chains prepared to be used against the first enemy he sees.

Camille seemed relieved that the saint was able to dispel the effects of whatever demonic machination gripped at the innocent workers' mind. Such a weight off of her shoulders allowed her to ease her combative stance, if by only a mere fraction. Whatever came next, it was much more preferable than having to defend oneself against people who were possessed or manipulated by such hellish influence. "Well done Saint, now we just need to find those responsible for this," the huntress spoke after the others said their piece.

When the crack of a bullet tearing through the air and striking Claire's arm sounded, Camille immediately rushed to cover in an attempt to break line of sight. She found herself with her back to a stack of logs, readying the miniaturized crossbow on her arm as she tried to peer for the shooter's location. When Claire ordered everyone to get inside, she squinted with slight hesitation. This didn't seem right, even if the threat of brainwashed civilians was gone there could still be all manner of demonic foes awaiting them within the mill. Camille audibly sucked her teeth, glancing down at the mechanical gauntlet she was fiddling with before starting to rush for the building.

The huntress unsheathed her sabers as she sprinted for the sliding door, performing a spinning kick with her heel to draw the entrance open and running inside.

What little relief Xiaòzhou felt with the civilians getting out of here disappeared with Claire getting shot. With Rebecca effectively covering her as she moved to crawl by herself towards cover, the hermit moved quickly to cover close to her. He briefly considered using his abilities to aid in getting the silver out of her, sensing that she had gotten shot with it, but instead moved his concentration towards the demon that shot her.

Sensing his location is simple enough - they held the high ground over at an adjacent building, second floor. He first thought about simply using his 'instantaneous movement', both for practice but also to get behind him, but considered that the demon could likely note the sudden aura behind them. Given how it takes a second for him to recover from the move at the moment, that was too high a risk. Then an idea popped into his head.

Xiaòzhou concentrated on the location of the demon's aura, and with a deep breath, shifted his focus on the floor beneath them. He gathered the surrounding aura, in an attempt to grip the floor and send it to the ground, taking the demon with them! If he were to succeed, he'd first note if anyone was headed to the adjacent building - if so, he would rush to join the others going into the mill; if not, he'll head to the adjacent building himself to make sure the demon's defeated.

The crowd of workers were dispelled from their enchanted state then began to disperse with just a few words from their knight in gleaming armour. The only course of action that remained was investigation. Now that would prove challenging in a different manner than this. Or... This!

The crack of a thunderous gunshot alarmed Rajko, causing him to snap his head at breakneck speeds to the sound's provenance. "Over there!" Shouted the Atracan. Locating the perpetrator's presence was as difficult as lifting a feather for Rajko with his honed senses, hamstrung as they are in his human form.

His immediate thought, one he shared kindred with Claire, was to retreat into cover but where the two diverged was being thrown into a building. Lacking the time to argue, Rajko threw caution to the aether and shepherded himself behind Camille. His sword arm swiped the dragoon shashka out of its hazelnut scabbard and off-hand gripped the Nagant revolver. Ready for action!

Sebastian had barely a moment to savor the relief of watching the workers leave the sight unharmed before reality once again reared its ugly head. He flinched when the first shot rang out, but didn't dive for cover as the others had done. Instead, he stood next to Cassandra and scanned over their surroundings, searching for the vantage point the enemy had fired from. His hands were surprisingly steady, gripping the shotgun tightly as he sought a target to retaliate against. The enemy, it seemed, was too far away for him, but Cass at least had identified their weapon, and Rajko seemed to know their position.

Soon, he joined Camille and the others in their advance, his heart pounding in his chest as he kept his weapon at the ready, scanning the windows for any kind of movement- he didn't care what was lurking in the shadows; he was determined the only thing that mattered here on would be to strike first.

Rebecca nodded once, rushing to her horse and grabbing her shield from its side before moving towards the mill's central building. Cassandra wasn't far behind, flipping the safety off her rifle. It might be a bit awkward inside the building to use such a long rifle, but she probably could get at least an opening shot off with it before having to switch to her sabre.

As the most of the group rushed into the central structure of the mill, Claire couldn't help but notice that foreigner had remained outside with her for a moment. He seemed to be doing something. Likely some sort of mystical martial art or something from his homeland. She gave him a look for a moment, before shaking her head and shifting her attention back to her shooter. Rajko had located and pointed him out, using his werebat senses, so she was going to move towards that location as quickly as she could. And maybe exact a little revenge on a sharpshooter once she arrived. As Xiaòzhou finished what he was doing, Claire made a break for it. Getting up and darting around her cover in the direction of the adjacent building.

As the group entered the building, they seemed to catch the possessed mill workers inside completely off guard. They seemed to have been preparing to burst from the building themselves to attack, but the group had done the opposite. Bursting IN to attack them instead. Those with supernaturally enhanced senses noticed that there were a total of twelve demons inside the structure. Six on the ground floor where they were, and four above on the second floor. Two more were further up, on the third floor and out of physical view. A human aura was among them. Likely Jayden.

The room seemed to be organized around conveyor systems which carried logs along to be cut by a pair of still running saws in the middle of the room. Other saws, axes, and hooks hung around the room and sat upon the walls. Some showing signs of recent use. Saw dust and bits of wood coated the floor, and some of the workers themselves. In the hands of the workers on the ground floor were axes and sledgehammers, while others had what appeared to be revolvers and crossbows. Upstairs, the four rifle carrying workers were peering down at them through a massive hole which stretched across the upper level. Allowing those walking on the upper floors to gaze down at the work going on below on the ground floor. Chains hung down from this floor, as well as the ceiling above. Likely to hoist logs out of the way should something occur regarding the running saws or the conveyor systems.
The opening shots came from Azathor, as he burst through one of the windows and opened fire on the first demon he saw. As the glass exploded inward, his pistols opened up, sending a pair of thirty eight caliber bullets towards the axe-wielding demon. They wouldn't hit anything vital, however. The bullet's grazing one of the demon's arms, but didn't prevent it from launching a retaliatory strike when Azathor landed. He rushed the Demon Prince, swinging his axe at an angle and slicing a gash through Azathor's shoulder.

Royland hopped through the same window, slinging his bladed chain at the next demon. A demon which was clutching a single-shot shotgun and preparing to shoot Azathor himself. The blade sailed past the demon, but with a simple jerk back, Royland forced the scythe's blade to pull back towards him and catch the demon around the neck. One more jerk, and the blade would slice clean through his neck, sending his head rolling off onto the floor. That was one demon down. He wouldn't have time to select a new target for his chain, however, as a bullet from one of the demons upstairs would graze his shoulder. Forcing his attention upwards.

Camille and the others were soon to enter, Camille slinging the sliding door open and rushing in with the others hot on her tail. And Camille would soon single out a target. A demon wielding a revolver of some sort. She rushed him, before delivering a X shaped slice with her sabers. The demon yelled out in pain, before pointing and firing his revolver at the huntres. Only to miss as he shot just under her arm. Rajko would attack immediately after Camille, pointing and firing off a shot from his Nagant revolver at the next demon whom was clutching a crossbow. The bullet ripped through the demon's arm, but didn't prevent him from firing off his crossbow's bolt towards the inquisitor. The bolt hit Rajko in the thigh, forcing a yelp from the werebat.

Sebastian's attack was next, rushing to the right of Camille and snapping his shotgun up to his shoulder. Once he lined up the bead at the end of the shotgun's barrel with one of the demons, he squeezed the trigger. Buckshot burst from the muzzle, and soon erased the head of one of the demons in spectacular and gory fashion. A quick pump of the shotgun's slide, and the weapon was ready to go once again. As he racked the shotgun, Rebecca rushed past him. Shield before her, and running straight towards a demon she had set her sights on. And when she arrived, she plowed into the demon using her shield as a ram. It knocked the demon sideways, forcing him to stumble for a few feet. However, it didn't stun him. He turned back about, and rushed her with his sledgehammer held high. As he brought it down, she sidestepped, forcing him to miss her entirely.

Cassandra was next to take a shot with her rifle, taking aim at one of the demons on the upper floor and pulling the trigger. The bullet zipped through the air, hitting her target in the right side of his chest. He was quick to retaliate, firing his own shot which grazed Cassandra's leg. A moment later, another shot sounded from the second floor. Another demon had fired on Cassandra, and his shot ripped through Cassandra's stomach. Forcing a groan from the pureblood as she clutched at the new wound. Yet another demon on the second floor also attempted to make a shot, aiming for Sebastian, but the weapon made a loud click. Apparently the weapon had jammed somehow.

Outside, Xiaòzhou's focus on the floor beneath Claire's attacker proved to be perfect. Moving his arms and hands in a pulling motion, he managed to dislodge the entire second floor of the adjacent building. There were several loud cracks, before a thunderous crash sounded. The floor had collapsed, sending the demon and practically everything else on the second floor tumbling down onto the first. Claire smirked. Apparently whatever the foreigner had been doing had worked.

The vampire enforcer rushed in, bursting through the door of the building and making her way through the rubble in search of her target. Soon, she'd spot him. A demon clutching a rifle, attempting to use it to help himself up. She rushed him as he finally got to his feet, cutlass low and ready to swing. And when she arrived, she swung. The blade arched upwards at an angle, hip to shoulder, and carved a deep gash across the demon's chest. The demon cried out, stumbling backwards onto his rear as he clutched at the wound. But he wouldn't be defenseless for long. He snapped the rifle up to his shoulder, leveling it at Claire and opening fire. The shot cracked loudly, but the bullet would simply graze Claire's side.

The chained weapon did its job and ripped through the demon's neck, severing the head clean off. Royland would have little time to appreciate his work as another demon would grab his attention. The knight grunted as he looked at his next target. He'd need to close the distance between them. He spun the chain hook again with his arm to prepare for the next attack.

"Come here!" The wraith shouted as he tossed it again at his new target.