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

[Dmaster]

As the situation seemed to be defused and Rebecca walked toward the group of assassins, Camille sheathed her swords with a sigh and sat back down onto her sleeping arrangement as she could finally show how exhausted she really was. Despite the huntress' unshakeable convictions and pursuit of justice, the travels and ordeals of even trying to fall asleep in this cold were really wearing on her. If her life were in danger she would fight with all she had as always, but it really was for the best that they did not do battle here.

"Sleeping in the presence of vampires that can kill you at any moment? I must admit that I have gotten terrifyingly used to it," the huntress says with a slightly bitter tone. "I am only put at ease due to your choice to engage in conversation rather than finish slitting our throats as you had planned to. To accept our help now only to still go through with killing us in our sleep would have been a colossal waste of your time. Perhaps even a cruel joke."

 

[Infab]

"Sleeping in the presence of vampires that can kill you at any moment? I must admit that I have gotten terrifyingly used to it," the huntress says with a slightly bitter tone. "I am only put at ease due to your choice to engage in conversation rather than finish slitting our throats as you had planned to. To accept our help now only to kill us in our sleep as you originally planned would have been a colossal waste of your time. Perhaps even a cruel joke."

"In the presence of danger seems to be where you're most comfortable, Cammy." remarked Cassandra, turning to move back to where she had been resting.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille squints at Cassandra as she tries to wrap herself up in blankets once again, though quickly turns away and onto her side to shiver in peace. True to her nature she stealthily grabbed for one of her daggers and the white oak stake to sleep with.

"I wouldn't call any of this comfortable," she replies. "I am just prepared."

 

[Breadman]

They got a living visual confirmation. More than he ever did. Constantine sighed as he put his hat back on and moved to where he was resting before things started.

"Do what you want, not like I sleep like a living person anyway."

 

[Worthlessplebian]

He felt a strange surge of humour at the nickname given to Camille by Cassandra as he slipped into a thicker coat. Rajko stifled a dry chuckle with his palm, quickly suppressing the feeling. The wounded nerves had loosened slightly, broken by the Pureblood's brusque comment. He leaned against the watchtower's decrepit wall, honeycombed with holes. "Sleep has left me, I'm afraid. I'll join in the vigil with the Konstantinovs." He added, head inclining up to the star-speckled night sky. Silently cursing the nocturne's gelid temperatures and the chill that came with the harsh wind.

 

[K0mori]

Watching the tense exchange wind down into apologetics and overtures, Sebastian put down his shotgun and rubbed his eyes. The whole situation had made him tense, and he briefly wondered whether it would be easier to wait for sleep to take him back after the rude awakening, or if it would be better to breathe the night air a bit, have a smoke, and talk a bit to whoever was still up with him. Maybe the latter would put him more at ease, and actually grant him a bit more rest.

He decided that this was probably the case, and left his bedroll behind to take a quick walk around the camp. The snow-covered ground helped to muffle sounds, and so aside from the crunching of snow underfoot and the distant murmurs of the Konstantinovs preparing their camp not far away, the forest was silent and peaceful. Sebastian lit a match and then his cigarette, took a few puffs, and then realized that there was a question lingering in his mind.

"Ruhige Nacht," he said as he approached Zehra, who stopped what she was doing. "Don't mind me, I'm just curious about something... You said Mazgith talked to you about an hour ago. You couldn't have been far away from us when that happened, in these conditions. She probably knows where we are, is what I'm saying," he said, bitterly. "The thing that bothers me is, why send assassins at all? She could have attacked us herself, or brought along something horrible out of the Abyss, you know? I know the Icons and Abyssal royalty can open portals to places... I just wonder why this place isn't swarming with demons at this point."

He shrugged.

 

[Infab]

The Konstantinovs, as soon as they got approval, began to make camp nearby across the small river. Choosing to remain in view of the group. Zehra chose to remain on the side of the river with the rest of the group, finding a spot on a large rock near the fire that she could sit down to rest. She set her sword next to her on the ground, shifting her hat up slightly and crossing her legs before her. As she got comfortable, however, she would find herself being spoken to. She glanced up from under the rim of her hat to see that it was the young soldier of Daristein.

"Ruhige Nacht," he said as he approached Zehra, who stopped what she was doing. "Don't mind me, I'm just curious about something... You said Mazgith talked to you about an hour ago. You couldn't have been far away from us when that happened, in these conditions. She probably knows where we are, is what I'm saying," he said, bitterly. "The thing that bothers me is, why send assassins at all? She could have attacked us herself, or brought along something horrible out of the Abyss, you know? I know the Icons and Abyssal royalty can open portals to places... I just wonder why this place isn't swarming with demons at this point."

Zehra gently shrugged. "I wondered the same when she spoke to us, both a short time ago and when she first made the deal with us." she responded softly, as to not disturb the others who were trying to sleep. "I assume the new Demon King wants her to remain at his side as much as possible. As for why she didn't send some of her own demons, or an abomination from the depths... there's two possible reasons that I came up with. The first being that you've already slain two Icons and she began to second guess whatever forces she could spare would be able to do the deed, or her forces were needed elsewhere for something more."

She sighed. "If its the first, then what hope did we have to kill you? Unless the whole intent was simply to distract you..." she added. With that line of thought sinking in more, she slowly gazed down to the ground. "...It'd make sense. A meager suicide force to slow you down, until they could accomplish whatever it was they were planning."

"...We genuinely are a group of desperate idiots." she muttered quietly.

After a moment of silence, she spoke again as she glanced back up to Sebastian. "...Forgive me. You can sit here with me, if you'd like, and we can talk more. It's likely more comfortable than just standing there like that." she said, scooting to the side a little and patting the rock next to her. "It's warmer too."

 

[K0mori]

Sebastian got closer to the fire and sat down beside Zehra. "Danke," he said quietly. "Honestly, I never thought about whether vampires get cold or not. You're all cold to the touch, you know? And I've been trying to understand more, ever since Adona called on me to join this mission, since I had to travel with all sorts- vampires, were-creatures, a demon... It's just been hard to know what I can even ask without getting on people's nerves," he rambled quietly.

"I know you're not bad people, and I try hard to keep that in mind. But that's the thing about immortality; by the time I finally get it all figured out, I'll be halfway to the grave already. And you'll be just the same as you are, hearing it again from some other guy who's learning everything for the first time. So whether I'm ignorant or I'm asking dumb questions, it must be tiresome."

Sebastian's tired face flickered in the firelight. He was thinking about Cassandra, and the way she spoke candidly when Rebecca first helped to mend her mind, back in Grimtham. Immortality was a terrifying thing, and the loneliness which came with it must often break strong people. The demons didn't seem to struggle with it, but maybe it was because their long life didn't estrange them from their kin in the same way.

 

[Infab]

"Danke," he said quietly. "Honestly, I never thought about whether vampires get cold or not. You're all cold to the touch, you know? And I've been trying to understand more, ever since Adona called on me to join this mission, since I had to travel with all sorts- vampires, were-creatures, a demon... It's just been hard to know what I can even ask without getting on people's nerves," he rambled quietly.

"I know you're not bad people, and I try hard to keep that in mind. But that's the thing about immortality; by the time I finally get it all figured out, I'll be halfway to the grave already. And you'll be just the same as you are, hearing it again from some other guy who's learning everything for the first time. So whether I'm ignorant or I'm asking dumb questions, it must be tiresome."

Zehra listened quietly, slowly smiling as Sebastian spoke. As he finished, she shook her head. "Not at all. Its actually refreshing to stop and talk to normal people, even if its just them being curious about vampires and other supernaturals. I enjoy it." she said, "I don't get the chance to do it as much lately, with the war going on and Master Lucas requesting I be part of his caravan for the time being."

She then clasped her hands together, letting them rest in her lap. "What is it you'd like to know?"

 

[K0mori]

Surprised to hear that his questions wouldn't annoy the would-be assassin, Sebastian quickly thought about everything he had ever wondered about vampires. He knew of their secret societies, thanks to Claire and Cassandra shedding a bit of light on all that, and traveling with the latter provided a bit of insight into their personal lives. A thought finally occurred to him.

"Well... Okay," he said with a sigh. "I know most people don't ask to become vampires. I've always thought that you'd have to be sick, spiritually, to want to hide from the sun and drink blood to live, no matter the upsides. But regardless of how it happens, every one of you has to, well, turn. What... What's that like? Knowing what's happening, feeling it, knowing that your life is never going to be the same afterwards?"

Sebastian paused a moment as the question crystalized while he was speaking it. "If Heaven is an option, how do you decide to keep going?"

 

[Infab]

"I know most people don't ask to become vampires. I've always thought that you'd have to be sick, spiritually, to want to hide from the sun and drink blood to live, no matter the upsides. But regardless of how it happens, every one of you has to, well, turn. What... What's that like? Knowing what's happening, feeling it, knowing that your life is never going to be the same afterwards?... If Heaven is an option, how do you decide to keep going?"

"Well..." said Zehra, "I was one of the ones that asked for it. However, I fully understand what you mean." She then flashed Sebastian a smile.

"Being turned was an odd sensation, honestly. The bite is usually quick, and feels like two needles being shoved into your neck. You grow sicker and sicker over the course of a few days, feeling dizzier and weaker as the hours pass. You grow colder... then you eventually 'die' in a way. Your heart stops, and you stop breathing. You're still wide awake and alert, though. Its a sureal experience."

She glanced down to her hands as she continued. "When I was turned, I was already sick with the white death. My family was poor, as my mother made pottery and my father was a sheep hearder. My three brothers often were out in the fields helping my father. They couldn't afford to take me to a proper doctor in one of the larger Eshaxian cities. However, a family friend who lived in the capital knew a Konstantinov. He convinced the Konstantinov to visit us, and my family explained our plight."

"He... pitied us. He explained what he could do to help, and gave us a week to think it over. I had decided on it after the third night. I wasn't going to force my parents to bury their only daughter. I would live on, and I would promise them that I would raise us out of poverty. I knew the risks. The dangers, and what I would be cursed with. Forever living under the cover of darkness and moonlight, forced to drink blood for eternity. The immense burden of loneliness. I still said yes, though, and my family understood. The Konstantinov returned, and we gave him the decision."

"You learn to adapt. Cope with things as they come and go. My parents are long dead now, and my brothers are elderly. They have children and grandchildren, all of which I have come to know and love."

"...I keep going because I keep encountering more people that I should care about. I want to help them. Keep them safe. I know Heaven is there, and it sounds glorious. Maybe I'll see it someday. However, I still have plenty of work down here to do before I can consider going off to see it. I'm sure the exact reason other vampires stick around varies wildly."

She then looked back to Sebastian, and smiled again. "I hope I didn't ramble too much. Do you have another question?"

 

[K0mori]

"I know Heaven is there, and it sounds glorious. Maybe I'll see it someday. However, I still have plenty of work down here to do before I can consider going off to see it. I'm sure the exact reason other vampires stick around varies wildly."

Sebastian turned his head away, as he felt a pang of empathy for Zehra, knowing that beyond death, there was judgement. Velin's reputation with nonhumans was atrocious, and he couldn't imagine Zehra would be entirely spared the same prejudice that thousands of others faced in the preceding years. He recalled what he learned of Mariette Desrosiers, and wondered whether her conspiring with the inquisition's enemies was somehow worse than Zehra doing the same with Mazgith, considering it was for selfish reasons. Would Velin even bother to distinguish their motives if the intended outcome was the same?

"So none of your family followed..." Sebastian said. "What would you do if they asked?"

When Sebastian was young, someone had told him that vampires thrived on spreading their curse around, as if it were instinct. As he grew up, he learned that the supernaturally afflicted were all different in the ways they viewed their curse, and he would get a different answer depending on who he asked.

 

[Infab]

"So none of your family followed..." Sebastian said. "What would you do if they asked?"

"...I'd hope they wouldn't. I wouldn't turn them." she responded. "Besides the obvious consequences of being turned, there's also risks involved in the siring process. The person being turned could instead become a ghoul... You don't want to turn into a ghoul. Ghouls are mostly mindless cannibals, born from the body's rejection of vampirism. Only purebloods and ancients are able to turn someone into a vampire with minimal risk. Regardless, I imagine if they were determined to become a vampire for whatever reason, I couldn't stop them. They would simply find someone willing to turn them... though I sincerely hope they don't."

She then tilted her head, looking back to her hands. "I've honestly never sired anyone, or even bit someone, so I don't know what that's like. You would have to ask another for that type of information...Perhaps Cassandra Bainbridge? She's a member of your group."

 

[K0mori]

"Well," Sebastian said with a wry smile, "there's plenty of good reasons I don't ask her anything if I don't have to." His humor gave way to melancholy, and he sighed, eyes turning from Zehra to the fire. "I like to believe that she's far enough apart from a 'typical' vampire that I can't regard her as a reliable source of information. Otherwise, I think I'd develop some harsh prejudices very quickly."

He took another puff off his cigarette and ruminated on the idea of how many people, innocent or not, Cassandra had "sired" over her long lifespan, and realized just how inappropriate the term was in the first place. "Who even decided on that word, 'siring?' It's like we're talking about race horses or pedigree dogs," he complained. "Maybe they ought to call purebloods thoroughbreds, then, und... Oh. That's exactly what they're trying to imply, aren't they?" he chuckled, and although it was meant as a funny thought, it also carried a certain accusation- that vampires who spread their affliction around are deluding themselves as to the prestige and value of their spawn.

He smiled, less sarcastically this time, as it became clear that Zehra hadn't fallen for the alluring lie of superiority that many vampires seemed to push.

 

[Infab]

"Well," Sebastian said with a wry smile, "there's plenty of good reasons I don't ask her anything if I don't have to." His humor gave way to melancholy, and he sighed, eyes turning from Zehra to the fire. "I like to believe that she's far enough apart from a 'typical' vampire that I can't regard her as a reliable source of information. Otherwise, I think I'd develop some harsh prejudices very quickly."

"She is indeed far from a typical vampire... and she seems to have changed quite a lot. Based off of what I knew of her from before now, she was practically a sort of 'boogie man' for the vampiric world. An assassin that answered to the highest bidder, and killed indiscriminately. She's taken the heads of some pretty big names over the years." remarked Zehra, glancing over in the direction Cassandra had gone. "If she had been the same as the stories I've heard of her, then either she'd already be staked or you all would be dead."

"Who even decided on that word, 'siring?' It's like we're talking about race horses or pedigree dogs," he complained. "Maybe they ought to call purebloods thoroughbreds, then, und... Oh. That's exactly what they're trying to imply, aren't they?"

Zehra smirked. "In a way, yes. Purebloods are the 'better' version of vampires. They lack several weaknesses that we common vampires have, and several grow egotistical because of that. Ancient vampires, like those at the head of the high vampire houses, are even stronger with larger egos. There's also legend of a type of vampire that existed before the ancients. They were destroyed long, long ago during something I've heard called the Rituals of Severance. Supposedly its how all the different vampire bloodlines were formed. Other offshoots include Dhampir, the children of mortals and vampires, and Nosferatu. I believe one of the Icons made those, as an attempt to imitate us."

She then chuckled. "Honestly the only ones that really use the term 'siring' anymore are the ancient vampires at the head of the houses. The term 'master' is used far more often by common vampires in a house to refer to the head of the house. After all, they're the master of the house, and the bloodline within it. Its why I call Lucas Konstantinov 'Master Lucas' all the time. He and his brothers founded the House of Konstantinov."

 

[K0mori]

"If she had been the same as the stories I've heard of her, then either she'd already be staked or you all would be dead."

"Velin sent her to Hell. That's what 'fixed' her," Sebastian said darkly. "Apparently, you suffer more with an intact mind. When the Church sent a mission to the Abyss to retrieve some stolen artifacts last year, not only did they not get what they came for, but they came back with her. I don't really know the whole story, but I guess Velin had her change of heart at just the right time, and Adona saw something in her future that he liked. Now we're stuck with her." He took a heavy drag of his cigarette and then flicked the rest into the fire. "She's supposed to go back, when all of this is over. But she's not planning on suffering much. There's a war on for control of the Abyss and if and when the 'better side' wins, Cassandra will have connections in high places," he summarized, mildly disgusted.

"Honestly the only ones that really use the term 'siring' anymore are the ancient vampires at the head of the houses. The term 'master' is used far more often by common vampires in a house to refer to the head of the house. After all, they're the master of the house, and the bloodline within it. Its why I call Lucas Konstantinov 'Master Lucas' all the time. He and his brothers founded the House of Konstantinov."

"That's still fucking creepy," Sebastian said before a chuckle broke through. "I mean, I guess it means different things to different people."

 

[Infab]

"Velin sent her to Hell. That's what 'fixed' her," Sebastian said darkly. "Apparently, you suffer more with an intact mind. When the Church sent a mission to the Abyss to retrieve some stolen artifacts last year, not only did they not get what they came for, but they came back with her. I don't really know the whole story, but I guess Velin had her change of heart at just the right time, and Adona saw something in her future that he liked. Now we're stuck with her." He took a heavy drag of his cigarette and then flicked the rest into the fire. "She's supposed to go back, when all of this is over. But she's not planning on suffering much. There's a war on for control of the Abyss and if and when the 'better side' wins, Cassandra will have connections in high places," he summarized, mildly disgusted.

"Huh." muttered Zehra, tilting her head. "...Guess she made some friends in Hell."

"That's still fucking creepy. I mean, I guess it means different things to different people."

"Yeah, its mostly just a sign of respect for the elders." she responded. "Honestly, I only ever see Lucas, so he's the only one I call Master. His two brothers are usually elsewhere. I know the middle brother, Nicholas Konstantinov, is somewhere on the Atracan/Tsavanian front. From what Lucas told me, he's always had a sort of kinship with the common foot soldier. My guess is he was one at some point in the past."

She shifted a little, turning slightly towards Sebastian. "The oldest, Julian Konstantinov, is... I really don't know where. We never see him, but he does communicate with Lucas through letters. Lucas told me once that Julian was a shepherd, taking care of herds of sheep." she explained, "...Quite a humble living for an ancient vampire. The other ancients went into business, winemaking, art, and a vast number of other things. He chose something simple... and quite calm."

 

[Damian0358]

Xiaòzhou looked in confusion at Zehra first, and then towards Cassandra, before turning his head back to Zehra. He was about to openly question that their method of enchanting would enable them to suppress their auras to such an abnormal extent, but before he could Rebecca and the others resolved the situation and now the Konstantinovs were in their debt, and allowed to watch over them lest more assassins come.

As the hermit watched the others express their acceptance of the situation in the only ways they knew how, he merely nodded along with Rajko. "I'll join in the vigil as well," he merely commented. As the Konstantinovs made camp nearby, the oni made sure to concentrate on what little bits he could sense of their auras, to try and keep watch. If they kept their word, there should be no issues, especially not for Sebastian, who had made his way over to Zehra to interact, it seemed, but with what they've learned, vigilance would be needed.

 

[K0mori]

She shifted a little, turning slightly towards Sebastian. "The oldest, Julian Konstantinov, is... I really don't know where. We never see him, but he does communicate with Lucas through letters. Lucas told me once that Julian was a shepherd, taking care of herds of sheep." she explained, "...Quite a humble living for an ancient vampire. The other ancients went into business, winemaking, art, and a vast number of other things. He chose something simple... and quite calm."

"Sounds like he found a niche where the world can't bother him," Sebastian said, feeling a little envious. A moment passed in silence as he imagined it- being isolated in time and space so that the world, in all its violence and upheaval, would simply pass him by. "...I can't imagine caring about anything if I lived that long."

"...What could you even hold on to?" he finally asked, rhetorically.

Sebastian finally stood, lingering a moment close to the fire to soak in as much warmth as he could gather before turning in for the night. "It was nice meeting you, Zehra. I hope your family stays safe," he said, but there was a quiet skepticism underlining his words. In truth, he was thinking about his mother, and wondering about her safety. It was his plan, all along, to visit her as soon as there was peace again. She lived alone. No one was making any great overture to protect her while Sebastian was busy trying to save the world.

No one had even asked.

Sebastian didn't begrudge Zehra and the other vampires for the way they allowed themselves to be manipulated. The same had happened to Sebastian and countless others when he enlisted and waged war against a nation that hadn't wronged him. But their conversation had reminded him that his mother had limited time on the Earth and that every connection, no matter how distant, was precious. Zehra would have killed Sebastian in exchange for access to her kin, who would live, falter, and die over and over, and should Zehra be lucky, she might live to the day in which the outside world ceases to trouble her. The lives she killed to protect would be nothing but distant memories.

It wasn't fair. Sebastian knew that he couldn't hate her for the person she might become, but he couldn't accept her as a friend, either.

He returned to his bedroll, and spent a while thinking before he dozed off again.

 

[Infab]

"It was nice meeting you, Zehra. I hope your family stays safe."

"Sleep well." she responded, with a smile.

The night passed by quietly, with some of the group remaining awake while the others slept under their watchful eye as well as the eye of the Konstantinov assassins. Eventually, dawn came. Birds woke some of them up, while the noises of breakfast being made woke others. One of the Konstantinovs had hunted and slew a deer at the edge of dawn, skinning it out and bringing the meat back to the camp to be served up as food. Another apology for the night before, it seemed.

As Jakob cooked breakfast, the others got ready for the day. Some took the chance to use the water (as cold as it was) to quickly bathe. Others checked their gear. Once everyone was ready, and had eaten, it was time to move. Onward, through the forests towards the castle. More snow appeared, slowing the group down a bit more as the layers grew thicker on the terrain. The trees seemed to disappear slowly as well. They were reaching the edge of the forest, it seemed.

Soon enough, they would emerge into a clearing, gazing into a snow covered valley which sloped up at the end and rose into a towering mountain. Built into the mountain was the structure they were looking for.

​

"There it is. The old dwarven castle we're looking for. It has a name, but I sure as hell can't pronounce it. Doesn't look very big up here, but trust me... these places go pretty deep. Dwarves built down instead of up." stated Riberta, pausing and looking back at the others. "If we want to get in, we have to head over and come up the side of the mountain near one of those towers."

She pointed to the tower to the right, which happened to be the closest to them. "Watch your step, or you'll be tumbling all the way down." she then said, waving for them to follow as she began to trudge through the knee deep snow towards the tower. The others followed behind, almost single file. Keeping an eye out for any sign of enemy activity.

The Konstantinovs, whom were now forced to hide their bare skin in the sunlight, peeped through slits in scarves they wore around their heads. "Once you're inside, we'll leave as promised. Please, be careful." said Zehra, walking just behind Sebastian.

"No promises there." responded Cassandra with a grunt. She hated walking through snow. "We seem to have issues coming out of these things in one piece."

Rebecca chimed in. "Really, you seem to be the only one that actually loses anything important." she stated, glancing back to Cassandra and giving her a playful grin.

"Says the cyclops." muttered the pureblood, frowning. "I can't help that I'm popular."

They would trek through the snow for several minutes, eventually reaching the tower and making their way around its crumbling, frost-caked stone form. As they neared the walkway, ascending some rocks and eventually hoisting themselves over the stone wall onto the pathway towards the keep, they began to smell something.

Cassandra's eyes shifted to red. "And there's that lovely, lovely smell." she stated, glancing to the others. Her tone was actually serious this time. "Either someone's dead, or dying."

"Probably both." muttered Riberta. She smelled the blood as well, and her tone changed just like Cassandra's had. She motioned for them to follow again, and carefully began to approach the large keep's entrance. Then, all of the supernatural members of the group saw it.

Scores upon scores of auras. Most of them vampiric in nature. "Good gods, did we just stumble upon a rogue vampire nest?" whispered Rebecca, eye wide as she looked to the others. Cassandra seemed shocked by the number of auras inside, as did the Konstantinovs.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Despite the Konstantinovs' vows of fealty and security, the inquisitor's guard remained keen the entire night. Even the savoury delight of venison hadn't quelled suspicion, but gratitude was still given. Rajko completed his preparations; donning his black inquisitorial garb, belt clicks, sheathing his weapons in their holsters and scabbard, inspected a few minutes prior. Around him the rest of the members were likewise busied with their own ritual and routine before departure.

The journey proved unremarkable, save for the thinning treeline and the mounting snow that piled around their legs. The wind that roared the night humbled to a sigh, laced with a chill that bit down to the bone on their exposed skin where it found, forcing Rajko to curse the absence of Atracan weather. He preferred it to these wind-whipped, snow-laden lands, even with his biases of childhood and the memories, good and bad that came with it.

A great mountain rose slowly into view, its snow-capped peak the home of a Dwarven castle, pockmarked by age and weather, however, still possessing an imposing bulk. Rajko waded through the high snow, sabre dragging a thin trail beside him. He threw a questioning glance at the exchange between the Saint and the Pureblood. "Forgive me, losing a limb isn't topping my bucket list just yet." He joked, voice wavering in the mountain's moaning wind.

Through the white sheets that surrounded them, Rajko too scented the coppery aroma. Undoubtedly belonging to spilled blood, the stink of it almost overwhelming, unimpeded by anything else, aided by the blanket of ivory that covered other smells. He could not tell if it was fresh or dried, just like the others. "In our line of work? Ill omens either way." Rajko rasped. Even he could somehow not escape the monstrous number of auras, eyes narrowed, gleaming with pitilessness. "Cleaving through them would take too long, best to avoid them." He suggested, voice a deathly whisper.

 

[Breadman]

The night passed and Constantine pretended to sleep. The vampires might have been eager to prove their regret for aiding the demons, but there was still the feeling of unease he couldn't shake. Come morning and the fresh smell of deer meat was more evidence that they might be alright after all. Shame he didn't feel hunger for mortal delights.

They traveled out the forest and to the mountains, his horse refusing to whine with the change in scenery until the cold started to bite. Discomfort was the norm in the Abyss, but there was an issue he didn't account for. The lands of Wrath where he was forced to reside for a long long time were hot and dry. The blazing forges that produced arms for the demon host were partly a reason for that. A tortorous immitation of the sun was put in the 'sky' above to aggitate its denizens to fight each other for a spot in the shade when not called upon for some skirmish or another. The shade offered by the Hanging forest was a source for respite one could hope for even for a short time. Now they were going to terrain where he hasn't felt a sensation in centuries. Cold.

A shiver went down the cowboy's spine as he remembered the touch of the elements on his skin and he tried to ignore it as best as he could. He wondered if he turned the flames inside him to burn hotter, would they make it better? Probably a bad idea since he could end up like Royland. For now he had to try and bear it.

Inside the ruins, he felt a relief that they would be out of the cold, only for the smell of blood to make him realize something else was going on. The auras followed not long after. They lucked out with the Konstantinovs, but knowing how fate stacks the deck, he prepared for the shooting to start.

 

[joshuadim]

While the Konstantinovs were talked out of carrying out their contracted deed, Azathor remained somewhat wary of their presence even as he had taken his hand off from his pistols. He remained on watch for the rest of that night to make up for them getting through; when their journey took them to an old dwarven fortress, Azathor couldn't help but marvel at the exterior of what once was a mighty defensive position. The amount of craftsmanship it must have taken to build it from the mountainside must have been enormous in both skill and manpower. But it was then entering that the place became less welcoming as Azathor's eyes widened. He felt the presence of vampires in great amounts pierce through the air, and he quickly brought a hand to Belias' blade in response.

"Just can't have it easy huh?" the demon prince commented as he scanned the near distance, awaiting the inevitable onslaught that would approach.

 

[K0mori]

Having slept lightly and uncomfortably, Sebastian was already in no mood to humor his vampiric companions with conversation, but he was otherwise calm and collected- even as their increasingly hungry tone made the hairs on his neck stand up. As they sized up the obstacles ahead, Sebastian concurred with Rajko. "Unless we absolutely have to go in there and have a fight like we did at the front lines, I think some sneaking may be in order."

"Just can't have it easy huh?" the demon prince commented as he scanned the near distance, awaiting the inevitable onslaught that would approach.

Azathor's pessimism suggested that a fight would be unavoidable. "...Maybe not. But we still have to try, nein?"

 

[Dmaster]

Unsurprisingly, the huntress slept rather terribly that night. Yet the biting chill of the mountain as well as the trek even higher did well to wake her up proper. Camille could not quite afford exhaustion under these circumstances, so as ever she grit her teeth and bore through the discomfort. The splendor of the ice-coated mountain castle was somewhat lost on her, given the warnings about slipping off the whole mountainside. For that reason she focused on the task of deftly making her way inside the building alongside the rest of the group.

Though Camille lacked supernatural senses, she twitched at the stench. Arriving further inside with the mention of a vampire nest, the huntress unsheathed her blades and peered into the darkness. "We will do more than try, we shall succeed," she replied to Sebastian. "If these are vampiric thralls - it is best that we put them out of their misery and agony here and now. I shudder to think of the suffering they have endured in this state for countless years."