Fantasy Bloodlines

[Eliasdagood]

Mena lays down, taking a deep, slow breath to calm herself as she listens. Kora stands to the side, waiting for instructions on how to help him if he needs it. “Right. What about the dhampir he keeps there?” She asks curiously. If it wasn’t her who was chosen to be given to him, she could still be trapped there for this attack.
St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

Benton began setting the younger, stronger parts on a table next to Mena. “ Anesthetic doesn’t work on us all too well, but your sense of pain should be all but gone.” Benton assured Mena before taking a menacing looking meat cleaver from his rack of tools. With a swift and powerful motion Benton removed the left arm at the shoulder and began to attach the arm he had set aside.
“ They can go free if they wish, but if they attack anyone from my house they will be killed and converted for the assault.”
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

Mena closes her eyes, needing to stop looking to make sure she won’t flinch. He’s right, she doesn’t feel any pain as the arm is removed. She swallows, still focusing hard on not moving as he attaches the new limb.

Kora nods. “Alright. I’ll do what I can to make sure they don’t attack out of fear. There’s still the chance some will be controlled into fighting, but that can’t really be helped.” She’s sympathetic to the dhampir who will die, but they’ll be avenged, and that will have to be enough. She’s not so sentimental as to put the whole plan at risk for them.
St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

One by one Benton continues replacing old limbs with new ones and then he moved on the flesh and began carving the old decrepit flesh with new youthful muscle and flesh. It would take several hours of work, but when he was finished Mena would look like a youthful 25-30 year old. Benton took great care so that the sutures would be hardly visable, though nothing could be done about the vaguely different skin tones.
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

Kora stays with them throughout the procedure, helping if and when she’s instructed to by Benton. Her mother finds it easier to relax after a while, trusting the doctor to let her know if anything goes wrong. It’s of interest that many of her original organs are infused with green magic, and that’s the only reason they continued to function in the first place. It makes a lot more sense why separation from her forest would have been so debilitating.

She sits up as he tells her he’s finished, and looks over herself, in wonder. She hasn’t felt this strong in a long time. She won’t have to allocate so much magical energy to keeping herself alive, that’s for sure. She smiles at him. “Thank you.” She murmurs. Kora smiles from where she’s sitting, pleased that everything went well.
St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

Benton nodded to her, “ Let’s prepare to go. The sun is about to rise.” With that Benton made a sharp whistle and every ghoul he could muster at the same time activated and began thier march on the city. Benton, Khora, and Mena were way ahead of the horde as they drove to Lanton’s estate by car. The horde would march through the city and only kill those that attacked them. Anyone killed would be added to thier ranks. When Benton and company arrived at Lanton’s he very calmly and politely walked up to the door and knocked.
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

Lanton sighs up in his room, and flicks a hand, vampires all over the manor immediately mobilizing to prepare for the attack. They can’t leave the building without something to protect themselves from the light, so they’ve got to prepare things to subvert the attackers from indoors.

That means that most of the people in the cities are civilians, and dhampir police, the former of which run and hide, and the latter of which wait for a reason to attack, hovering around the edges of the mob of ghouls.

The door is opened by a tall, well dressed male dhampir, with two females standing to either side of him. The man’s eyes glow red, and when he speaks, it’s with Lanton’s voice. “Ah. Doctor Benton. What a pleasant surprise.” He remarks, his tone dry and tense. “To what do I owe the pleasure? I’m aware you’re not very knowledgeable in our culture, but surely you realize that bringing your entire house into my territory without my consent is… quite rude, really.

Korvashta is mildly surprised, seeming to recognize the three dhampir that came to greet them. These are his own children. His eldest son, and two eldest daughters. Probably a way to show respect, since he doesn’t feel safe coming to greet us himself. And also they’re more powerful than the usual.
St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

Benton flashed a smile, “ I figured I would return the favor from your last visit. Surely you have no complaints... Now are you going to invite us in or do I need to wait on the rest of my house?” Benton asked with a joking tone, but the thinly veiled threat was there. If this wasn’t resolved by the time the horde reached the city Benton would raze it to the ground.
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

The dhampir Lanton is controlling narrows his eyes, his teeth bared ever so slightly. Which would be a more threatening on Lanton, considering that this dhampir has no fangs. “I see.” He says, stepping back, and the two women follow suit, allowing the three inside. The man continues speaking, that smooth, cold tone not changing, but one of the females is very focused on Korvashta, the other on Mena, their eyes glowing slightly. Neither of the woman seem affected, though both report hearing a voice speaking to them.

The two sisters are prepared to attack their brother, and subdue him, then just get the hell out of there with him. The dhampir themselves don’t want any trouble with Benton.

“There was something that intrigued me a while back, actually, I thought I might ask you now.” Lanton continues, seemingly unaware of his offsprings’ plan. “Most blood magic is tied directly to the life of the master.” He closes the door, and locks it, drawing a long blade from his side. “If I kill the master then, the ghouls will not be a threat, yes?”

The four women in the room move at the exact same moment. Korvashta gets between Benton and the male dhampir, and pushes him back before he can prepare himself. One of the dhampir pulls a silver chain from under her shirt, and whips it around her brother’s chest and upper arms, pulling hard, as her sister kicks hard at his knees, forcing him to the ground. Mena runs forward to grab his sword from him, and finally Kora helps pin him so his sisters can chain him properly. He’s thrashing around, and one of his sisters gets slashed across the face hard. One of her eyes probably won’t see after that.
St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

Benton couldn’t help but smile at the boys attempt at a snarl at him. If Lanton wasn’t willing to face him directly then it was only a sign of the vampires weakness. When he heard the plan from Mena and Kora Benton gave no physical indication of affirmation, but let them know that he was on board though the link. Once the scuffle started Benton watched silently as it unfolded and once the boy was restrained Benton approached and knealt down to the boy. “ I suppose there’s only one way for you to find out.”
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

The two sisters seem incredibly anxious with how close Benton is to their brother, but they just finish chaining him, making sure Lanton can’t use him to try anything else. Not for lack of trying, of course. One of the girls, the one appearing older (though what do appearances mean here anyway), and the one with two good eyes, looks Benton in the eyes, while the other covers the boy’s ears. “South wall, secret entrance out into father’s private stable. He’ll flee there.” She whispers, before looking worriedly back at her brother.

“Jared will be free once father is dead, but he wanted us to give you this.” She says, reaching into her pocket to retrieve a silver necklace, with a red gem. It has several glyphs on it, a simple spell meant to send a message to whoever’s blood was used to make the crystal. “We need to get him out of here, but if you ever have need of us…” she swallows nervously, offering the necklace to Benton.

St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

Benton looked between the sisters for a moment as if trying to determine if he should actually trust them before deciding to take the necklace and stuffing it into his pocket. “ Contact me if you ever want to fix your eye.” Benton offered before leaving the room and heading to the secret stable along the south wall. Given that his entire house was marching for the town he couldn’t very well control all of them but there were a few more intelligent ghouls that served as commanders that began to relay orders that the house was to block all exits that Lanton’s vehicles could use in the southern part of town.
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

Kora and Mena follow him, a wicked grin crossing Mena’s new young features. Lanton just gave her animals to work with. He really shouldn’t have done that. The vampires that challenge them in the halls are dealt with quickly, Korvashta still amazed by her new, more powerful abilities.

She leaves them alive, but incapacitated, up until Benton tells her otherwise. She wonders what the vampires Benton claimed are up to. Are they still pretending to follow Lanton, or have they turned coat?

She shrugs. It doesn’t matter. Once they arrive at the stable, Mena reaches up to touch a stallion’s cheek, seeming to communicate with it for a brief moment. “Oh, Yes, you’ll do nicely.” She murmurs.

Mena takes a deep breath, putting a halter on him to make sure he’ll stay where she needs him. Then she puts a hand to his chest, and focuses her magic. She has a certain amount within her that she drew from the land before, so she’d be strong enough for the attack.

The horse lets out a loud, shrill cry, and Mena has to expend some more energy calming the beast as things shift and change under the skin. The first notable thing is the teeth of the horse elongating, becoming predatory. The second is a swelling at the back, which slowly begins to form large, batlike wings. The horse itself grows larger, the legs longer, and the body more muscular, optimized.

Once it’s done, Mena lowers her hand, tired. “There. He won’t get far with this one chasing after him.” Kora watches the whole thing with fascination, never having seen her mother’s green magic used this way.
St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

Benton couldn’t help but marvel at Mena’s use of green magic to augment the horse. He couldn’t help but draw similarities to his own use of magic on the dead. “ Well then I suppose all that’s left is to wait for our prey to walk into the trap. Why don’t we make sure he springs it?” Benton asked looking between the two of them. “ Kora any ideas as to where I can find him? The house will be here in about 10 minutes. I’d rather spare the city if possible.”
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

Kora hums, considering it. “That depends on where he thinks we are. He might still be using his vampires or dhampir to set up ambushes for us. You still have a connection to Myrtis and the others, right? Maybe they know.” The dhampir suggests.

Mena sighs. “He won’t care if the city dies. They’re just a source of resources as far as he’s concerned. He’s probably accounting for some of the House dying in the attack, to give him a better chance of survival.”
St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

Benton shook his head and looked around the compound ,” the loss of any members of the House is augmented by the dead that those lives will cost.” The dhampir another vampires that Benton could command began blocking off escape routes and either they would funnel Lanton to Benton or they would capture the vampire themselves. Even if they were to die in the attempt Benton would have a location. Using the blood crystal Benton communicated with the sisters instructing them to seal the estate. No one in or out.
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

The sisters reply in the affirmative, finding a place to hide their still bound brother. They sneak back in, and one breaks the other dhampir out. Most just flee, but about a quarter of them agree to help get revenge on Lanton and his house.

They run through the mansion in large groups, taking down the small teams of vampires that Lanton had set up. Most of the dhampir are injured or killed before they manage to chase Lanton himself down his passageway.

Here he comes! The elder sister warns, before a scream comes over the mental link. A larger force of Lanton’s bodyguards decided to try and aid in his escape by attacking the remaining dhampir.
St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

“ Get ready, he’s coming in hot!” Benton warned before releasing a powerful pulse of his death magic through the compound. Like a miasma it would seek out the dead and animate the bodies just to the base amount. Benton didn’t give instructs and just let them run wild as they relentlessly attacked anything that wasn’t them. The burst of magic took its toll and Benton’s body gave off a rather strong smell of rot as his lungs began to decay and rot at a rapid rate. This was followed by him hacking up bits of lung as he waited for Lanton.
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

Mena And Korvashta prepare for him to get there, but Mena gets distracted by his coughing, reaching out to see if she can turn back some of the decay. That means when Lanton comes barreling out of the trapdoor, it’s Korvashta who tries to tackle him down. Korvashta proceeds to be thrown against the wall like a rag doll. Lanton’s scarlet eyes are wild as he launches himself at Benton.

Mena’s horse gets between them, and Lanton stares up at the creature, the strong scent of mint alerting him to Mena’s magic in the creature. He takes a step back, preparing to flee, only to be attacked from behind by Korvashta. She digs her fangs into his neck, her body wrapped around to pin him like a spider. He screams in rage, spinning round to try and dislodge his attacker.

The dhampir recognize what’s happening, and the younger sister shatters a nearby window. They’re on the third story, but they stand a better chance of survival falling that far than staying here. The eight surviving dhampir flood out the window, as the new ghouls turn on the vampires.
St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

Benton waves Mena away and points to Kora currently attacking and or restraining Lanton. He was the priority not Benton. This wasn’t the first or the last time he sacrificed a major organ for a burst of magic. Though he would need a replacement sooner rather than later. Benton held his hand over Lanton and Kora and from his position Benton’s death magic shot forth from the doctors hand hunting Lanton down and washing over the vampire inflicting him with the same accelerated decay that Benton was going through. “ If I die.... so do... you!” Benton wheezed.
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

Lanton screams in pain, falling to the ground as his regeneration desperately tries to cope with the rot in his organs, Korvashta lets out a triumphant, piercing screech, as the horse darts forward, and grabs Lanton by the throat, shaking him like a dog might a snake. Lanton is out of the picture.
(Managed to get this out! Bit too alert to sleep for a while I guess.)
St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

Benton bends over coughing up another bit of lung. He needed to move fast. “ Find.. corpse... anything...” Benton asked as he continued to cough and cough. With Lanton not going anywhere Benton held his house outside the city. Only the most humanoid among them continued forward to offer their organs.
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

Mena looks around in a panic, before sprinting down into the hatch, quickly running back with the corpse of a fallen Kentaya bodyguard. Kora helps get his shirt off, trying to expedite this as much as possible to save Benton.
St. Boethius

 

[St. Boethius]

Benton produces a scalpel that was stashed inside his arm from his sutures and used it to cut open the largest suture than ran across his chest. His lungs were practically liquifing with the decomposition speed so the first thing Benton did was, very quickly and recklessly cut open the guard with enough strength to even cut the rib cage open. From there it was a quick removal of the Kentaya lungs before removing his own. Benton only had a previous few seconds before he would pass out from lack of oxygen. Thankfully with Mena’s help Benton got the lungs in and with a big gasp of air began to breath again. “ How’s... Lanton...” he asked between breaths.
Eliasdagood

 

[Eliasdagood]

Both of the women sigh with relief when he speaks, having been afraid that he might not make it. Mena carefully gets the horse to let go of Lanton, reaching out with her magic. “His body is still rotting, but he’s powerful. His regeneration is keeping it at bay for the most part.” She murmurs. “If you want me to kill him properly, I can.”

Kora stays beside Benton, worried about him.
St. Boethius