Fantasy Steamhaven: Land of the Lost

[ArcticFox]

She felt her breath being cut short and a painful pressure on her throat. Civil? She really never noticed that he started being civil at all. Young looking or not, he was a vampire, and he was terrorising the people of Steamhaven. She did not have to think about it for long, as she raised the stake in order to pierce his flesh.

 

[Cartoonicat]

As she went to stake him the vampire neither flinched nor moved to stop her. The wood pierced fabric only to stop short against something solid with a clang.

He was wearing a metal chest protector. Typically only police officers had access to those.

With the vampire gripping tighter, choking each of her breaths, Lianna's world went black.

---

She woke on the floor of the same hallway with a wild headache and a sharp pain on the side of her neck. Should she feel for it, she'd find a fresh scab in the shape of sharp teethmarks.

He'd bitten her, of that there was no doubt, yet she did not feel tired from having her blood drained. Unusual and definitely something worth getting checked.

The vampire was long gone and the storm had cleared. Lianna could go to the Hunters' Hub, a nearby hospital, or simply go home for the evening.

- Hunters' Hub
- Nearest hospital
- Go home

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna opened her eyes and regretted it instantly. She felt awful. But it was not only the physical pain that bothered her. She felt like she had failed and that was worse. Wounds and exhaustion she would recover from, but her pride was hurt. Not to mention that she felt so unclean. The filthy vampire had laid his hands on her, he had bitten her! Visualising his vile fangs piercing her skin made her shiver. She stood up groggily, deciding to go home and sleep the whole ordeal off. Then, in the morning, when her wounded pride gets a bit better, she would look for her cousin to see if he knew what in all hells did the vampire do to her. She gripped the stake so hard she almost broke it while returning it back into her backpack.

 

[Cartoonicat]

​

Heading home, Lianna would find her building as worse-for-wear as always. Perhaps a little more so after the storm; wooden planks, previously set in a pile to be used for repairs, had been strewn across the front of her property. Considering her sorry state, that was a clean-up job for tomorrow. Thankfully she had some leftover dinner stored in the icebox of her kitchen - preparing a meal would be easy, since all she'd need to do was warm it up.

Stepping inside she'd find it warm, a welcome reprieve to the chill of soaked cloaking. A hot bath would be even cozier.

- Warm dinner
- Take a bath
- Go to sleep
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

A bath was the one thing she sorely needed. She had to wash away all the filth of the day off, and more than that, she needed to warm up. But as she ran the bath and undressed to soak her worries away, she still had that awful face in front of her. Or well, that hair, and jaw, and those fangs. She took a deep breath and dived underneath the surface of the water in her bathtub.

Focus, Lianna, you can't let one vampire get the better of you.

Once done with her bath, she would get something to eat and go to sleep, hoping to feel better in the morning.

 

[Cartoonicat]

​

Freshly cleaned, Lianna stepped into her kitchen and retrieved her leftovers from the previous night. While the bath may have not soothed her mind, it felt wonderful and did a good job of fending away the last of the storm's chill. A stew of brocolli and potatoes would warm her up even more. It was a taste familiar but simple that brought back memories of...

- Happy, loving parents
- Cold, neglectful parents
- Living with Clem's family
- Growing up in an orphanage
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Her parents were decent folk. They cared about their daughter, and did everything they could to provide her best education they could afford. Not that Lianna showed them any appreciation. She was a difficult kid and a worse teenager. She was bored with her daily life and wanted to be something more. This led her to leave her home when she turned sixteen, to pursue a dangerous path of a Monster Hunter. She got the thrill, but once she was old enough to realise how foolish she had been, she simply had no bravery to reconnect with her parents. She felt like she had failed them, and that was something she always dealt with badly. Perhaps, one day, she would get the courage to write them a letter... God knew that Clem often bugged her about it. But, she was not yet ready.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Starting a life on her own had been difficult at first, but a Monster Hunter had found her passion admirable and made her an apprentice. There, Lianna learned everything she knows today.

Her mentor was....

- Edgar, the retired grump
- Muriel, the kind mother of Clem
- James, the cold intellectual
- Ms. Kitty, the sly and ever-promiscuous
- Dan, the eccentric "lunatic"
- Lady Jo, the hotheaded noblewoman

 

[ArcticFox]

Dan was... unique, if anything. However, he had been a sort of a fatherly figure to her, and all in all he was quite knowledgeable. Lianna sometimes had a hard time focusing beyond his eccentricity, but once she gave him a chance she realised that she would not get far without his help. He taught her everything she knew, because when she joined up the group, she was nothing more than an enthusiastic child.

 

[Cartoonicat]

After finishing her bowl of stew and reflecting on old times, Lianna would retire to her room. A small space with a rickety bed frame and old wall paint, but decorated with a personal touch.

The events of the day assured she slept soundly.

----

Arriving at the Hunters' Hub the next morning, Lianna was greeted by an grinning Clem. He looked up to no good.

"Lianna, you sneaky thing," his voice sang with a teasing lilt. "Either I'm blind as a bat or you've been keeping secrets from me. What's his name?"

- Respond

 

[ArcticFox]

"Cousin. Don't make me say bad things." Lianna retorted, not in the mood for jokes. Of course he was referring to the ugly bite mark, but she really thought she managed to brush her hair over that side of her neck to hide it. "I actually want to ask you something. But, not in front of everyone." She said in a whisper, moving her hair to cover her neck. "I've had a bit of an encounter yesterday."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Clem's grin only grew. "I'll say. Clara has been having a field day telling everyone about your not-so-secret lover. If you don't want the poor bloke's reputation tarnished, you'd best share a few words with her."

Either Clara or someone she knew had seen the pair being escorted by guards. Gossip always did travel fast at the Hub.

He peered closer at her neck. "Must have been some encounter at City Hall. He really-" upon brushing her hair aside he froze. "That's not a love bite. Oh Gods, Lianna, are you okay? What are you doing with a-" he lowered his voice to a panicked whisper, "with a vampire!?"

Her cousin seemed to be under the impression she was having an affair with the supernatural.

- Ask Clem about the bite
- Look for Dan
- Other
- (Optional) Deny the rumors

 

[ArcticFox]

"They all know?" Lianna's eyes widened. She did not think that her little "date" with the vampire was public knowledge. "For god's sake, Clem, keep your voice down." She hissed at her cousin. "I was pretending, okay. I was hunting him and the b... bad man bit me." She took a deep breath. "Now, please tell me, do you know anything about a vampire's bite? How serious is it?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

Instead of delighted at a chance to tease his cousin, Clem only looked concerned. He nodded. "You know Clara has a big mouth. It doesn't help that she dislikes you."

Brushing her hair back over her neck to hide the mark, Lianna's cousin guided her to one of the back rooms meant for quiet research. He shut the door behind them. "Let me see," he said. Inspecting the wound, he grimaced. "I've never been bit myself, but I hear they're painful as all hell. You look fine for someone whose blood was drained, aside from the bruising... actually, your whole neck is bruised." He looked closer at the other, unbitton side. "Bastard strangled you, didn't he?"

- Answer
- Go look for Dan
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"I'm fine, Clem. I let him hang by his coat the morning before, I think we are pretty even on the strangulation part." She said dismissively. Her neck did hurt, but it was not the first time she was injured in an encounter. It simply came with being a Hunter. "Thanks anyway. I'm gonna go look for Dan, to see if he has any information on vampires in these parts. I'm going to find this creature and this time I'm bringing a bigger stake."

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Hey," he caught her by the arm as she made to leave, "be careful. I'm here if you need me." Clem let go, then, but he looked no less concerned. It was not uncommon for hunters to occasionally team up in groups of two or three and split the compensation money if their targets were too much to handle. Most preferred to go it alone, however, for the monetary gain.

Despite Dan's eccentricity, he was also rather predictable. Instead of mingle with the other hunters of the Hub he preferred to stick to himself, down in the basement. In seeking him, that's where Lianna would go.

​

The basement - or rather, Dan's unofficial personal dwelling, since no other hunters could stand the stink or his ramblings long enough to use the area themselves - was originally an abandoned subway tunnel. It had long since been blocked off on each side of the tracks, the subway shuttle being turned into a rusty home for the labeled lunatic. Dan once had his own home outside the Hub but, considering how much time he spent working, he'd sold his place and moved in years before taking Lianna under his wing.

"Yes, yes... just about there, now..." Dan's scratchy voice could be heard through the crackle of the furnace nearby. He stood at his workbench with an odd contraption in his hands. Unlike James, a scholar and proper inventor for the Hub's armory, Dan was no expert on building things. He was creative, constantly inventing, but most of his products would break after one use. To say they weren't effective, however, would be a massive lie. His tactics were sloppy and wild but he got the job done.

- Sneak up on him
- Wait for him to finish
- Announce yourself
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Dan? Sir?" Lianna called, approaching the source of his voice. "I would like a word, if you are not too busy." She knew that he always was busy, he didn't seem to be able to function out of his work space, but her business was kind of urgent that morning. Also she was rather anxious to go out and continue her investigation. "I have a situation on hand and would really appreciate your guidance."

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Ah-ta-ta-ta," he protested sharply, eyes focused on the contraption in hand. A click into place and the turning of a cog later, he let out a breath so relieved it sunk his shoulders. His white coat had been smeared with oil and soot - Dan never really could keep his clothes clean from work - and a blanket of sweat had worked up over his brow. It was likely that he had been working on this project for a while now.

Taking off the pair of magnifying spectacles that bugged his eyes and made him look trollish, he wiped his face with a nearby rag and tossed it on the counter. "Now then," he turned to her, "if you're here about Clara, my best advice is cockroaches. Always cockroaches."

Cockroaches seemed to be his go-to over the years for retribution pranks. Perhaps it was due to the abundance of the nasty pests down in the basement. Perhaps Dan just found them funny.

- Show him the bite
- Ask about the contraption
- Plan a revenge-prank for Clara
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna smiled. "Thank you, but I can handle Clara." She stepped toward him, scrunching her nose. "Ugh, you are filthy. You really need to get out more." She reached toward him to brush off his shoulders, but stopped midway, thinking better of it. "Well, um, my problem of the day is this." She moved her hair back to show him the bite mark on her neck. "My most recent target is quite feisty."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Dan's eyes flicked to her reaching hand briefly. "If you're not covered in dirt after a project, then you're not doing it right," he said. Put his glasses back on, eyes bugging with the magnification. "Now let's see this problem, then..." Upon her prompting, he stepped forward to look at her neck. Pulled his glasses down, nose scrunching. He seemed absolutely unphased by Lianna having been bitten. Then again, Lianna knew the man had several nasty run-ins with vampires and witches and even a werewolf, once, when his faulty gadgets failed him. Injury on the job was nothing knew to him. He even had several hand burns from inventing gone wrong.

"Bruising from strangulation... significant discoloration around the larynx... potential asphyxia.... Did you happen to black out from lack of oxygen, Lianna?" Gently, he wrapped his fingers around her neck in the way that the bruises indicated had happened yesterday. His hands were calloused and warm but gritty, covered in tiny grains of sand and soot. Releasing her, he pushed his glasses back up and turned to the bite itself. "Impression of regular teeth - relatively straight, all accounted for - indicate shorter fangs... but no visible strain on your veins... Hm." Dan pressed onto the skin lightly around the bite, careful not to touch it directly, and then looked at her face. Tilted her head to the left and right. "No signs of fatigue..."

He stepped away with a curious, squeaky hum. The noise Dan often made before diving head-first into a lengthy project. "Fascinating! Were you by chance wearing a certain type of smell? A certain color? Perhaps it was the way you dressed that made a difference... A-Ah! Was the vampire male or female? W-Wait, hold on, let me grab my notebook!" He turned to cross the room, a slew of old journals piled atop one of the counters and spilling onto the floor.

Dan was babbling again and had not given her any straight answers, though he seemed to have discovered quite a bit from a single bite. Lianna could be patient and answer his questions or she could pull his mind back down to earth.

- Wait and answer his questions
- Interrupt him
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Male, I think. Very odd, kept hiding his face." Lianna answered as she reached up to clean her neck, knowing that he was covered in soot now. She should have been used to this by now. "I wasn't wearing anything different than the clothes I have on today." She looked at him quizzically. "Why? What does it matter? And most importantly, why did he not drink my blood when he had a chance?"

He was a very odd vampire, that was true, but still. He had a chance to drain her of all blood, he could have killed her on the spot easily. She gritted her teeth with the thought of her helplessness. Was he trying to mock her by leaving her alive? To show her he could to whatever he pleased.

"I'm going after him, whatever his reasons. He made a mistake by not killing me yesterday." She spoke in a strained voice.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Hurrying back with his notebook and scribbling down words, Dan tilted her head to look at the bite once more. "Had he not spared your blood I would assume he's a fledgling vampire, new to things. Teeth just growing in and all, so they're small... but based on his level of self-restraint the only logical conclusion is that he's ages old. Old enough to tire of hiding his fangs." Flicking a level on the side of his lenses, Dan's glasses magnified even further. "Oh, yes, I see it now. The odd fang shape, their sawed edges... Absolutely fascinating!"

Looking at Lianna and grimacing at the close-up, he pulled off his glasses with a grunt. "Your vampire is likely one of the older ones and if he's hiding his face, he has more to lose than his life. A coven, perhaps?" He quirked a brow. "His identity must be easily recognized and the fact you caught him, well, one would think he'd kill you on the spot. Yet he didn't... he let you live!"

Tapping his chin with the butt of his pen, Dan's eyes turned upwards, thoughtful. "Have the old vampires evolved into something more akin to werewolves and begun imprinting on humans? Ah! What if humans are the ones evolving?" He leaned in close to sniff at a lock of her hair. Glanced at her to clarify: "Pheromones, Lianna, are a very powerful drug."

His theories were wild and out there, as to be expected, but that was Dan's way. So was a lack of personal space.

- Flirt
- Step away
- Remain still
- Ask something else
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Oh, god, no!" Lianna threw her hands up in outrage. "Are you saying that the vampire has a thing for me! Disgusting, vile, creature..." She turned and started pacing around the room, occasionally shivering as if she got a spider on her. "Ughh!" She let out a noise of annoyance and despair. Then she quickly stepped to Dan, taking a hold of his hand, eyes pleading. "You must help me, sir. I will not be calm until that creature is dead. Tell me, what do you know of prominent members of this sad little town? Can't be that many, right? What about Lucille Hansen? Have you heard of her?" She forgot that the hand she was holding was not washed recently. This happened only when she was near a breaking point.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"To ease your worries it may just be a warning," he said, "but I favor the idea of evolution more. Just imagine the-" Dan's words cut short as she grabbed his hand and pleaded for help. His brows raised. "Lucille Hansen? The old lady was murdered years ago, during the Withendock's largest party. First time the guest list had ever been so big, even I was invited," he explained. "It's why the owner sold it - a murder case isn't good for business, you know."

Lucille Hansen had died forty-five years ago, then, yet her new cloak had ended up in the hands of Lianna's wanted vampire. A presumed ages old vampire with nearly human teeth and an important title.

Waving her off, Dan tapped his chin again. He looked deep in concentration and it took several painstakingly long seconds before he spoke again. "Celebrities are too flighty, careers too unstable... he'd have to be someone with authority. Government official, perhaps... Maybe Mayor Donnelly? That's the most influential man I can think of; everyone knows his face." Unfortunately, Mayor Donnelly was far too old to be Lianna's vampire - the man could hardly walk about City Hall without assistance nowadays.

"Ah! What about the Steamhaven Police Commissioner, Harry Stratford? Tsk, imagine a vampire roaming the streets as an officer of justice... a fascinating concept." A much more viable candidate. He'd just been sworn in so everyone that kept up with the news would have seen his face at parades or in newspapers. The only problem? His long hair was not black - it was blonde.

- Ask something else
- Ask about Dan's new contraption
- Head to City Hall (Mayor Route)
- Head to the Steamhaven Central Police Department (Police Route)
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"The vampire had Lucille's cloak and I doubt that this is a conincidence." Lianna said, letting go of her mentor's hand, humming and thought. "Did she have any children? Or... siblings?" Her eyes gazed over the contraption that Dan was working on. "Do you have any experimental gadgets for me? Something against vampires maybe?" She looked at him expectantly.