Midnight Mayhem [closed]

[Kennedy]

"Excellent, I look forward to the text." The get together with Azraeth would be good because she liked getting to know family and apparently...she already knew him though the 'hows' were still being clarified. He hadn't shown to cause her harm. Hell he was excited to see her which made her all the more comfortable to be around him. It would also be good because she was pretty sure that Pru and Az were a thing, or at least from her own observations which often lead to assumptions.

Everyone was getting along. The nice little group or maybe merging of families was going smoothly, at least from where Kennedy could see and evaluate. Pru sort of explained the Az/Bee question that she had but it was enough to keep her from asking any more questions and to get clarity from Mordechai later. Petting the puppy in her lap as she drank the beer in her hand. She had about half of the glass consumed when Pru had asked about darts and Mordechai was moving her off of her lap. Kennedy had watched people play darts before but she didn't quite understand the game or scoring. Only thing she knew was that the little dot in the middle had the highest score and the aim was to get as many of those as possible. That was all that she really understood of it. Dancing was what she understood and now killing as well.

Pulling the tiny Pomsky close to her, the laser dot on Andrew's forehead pulled her attention. At times she couldn't help that she was an allurist and shiny things stole her attention. Her eyes grew wide as she watched what happened next. Azraeth was quick to move and then there was blood. Panic filled her which often caused her to turn it up a notch. It was like hunting only she wasn't prepared like she usually was. Kennedy grumbled to herself as she didn't have Sparkles or Glitter on her since she was in a fancy cocktail dress. Making a mental note to work on concealing a gun later, she instantly looked between the four elder vampires, concentrating her energies, she hit them all with a wave of inspiration to help them. Looking to Lorelai, she noticed that she also had humanistic features as she did which was uncommon for her kind so they might be safe but the younger dragon next to Lorelai would be in more trouble unless the attackers knew for sure that Lorelai and herself were vampires.

Instantly, she shoved the puppy at Lorelai and smiled. "Everything's going to be okay. Keep her close." Quickly she turned to the jacket that was resting on the back of the chair that she had been occupying. Grabbing it in a speed that would instantly give way that she was indeed a vampire. Taking note of the weight of the jacket, Kennedy knew that he had enough weapons that he had her covered as well. Thank god for him and his love of being prepared. She yelled out and tossed the jacket to her beloved. "MORDIE!!" Looking around the room, she sized up the situation and realized that they were in serious trouble. Noting the opening between the attackers and the bar back, the idea slipped into her mind. Looking over at the younger pair next to her as Azraeth began to speak, he had the same idea she did. Looking at Az, she nodded respectfully toward him. "I got them, we'll go now. Safer now than later." Taking a hold of both Lorelai and Andrew's arm, she smiled at them. "I'm sorry, hold tight." She used her powers of speed and agility, Kennedy rushed over in a blur to the bar back. Crouching down to the ground with them, she placed her hands on each of their shoulders. "Everything will be okay. Lorelai, please hold her and use that sparkly shield on you and Andrew. Both of you stay down here where it's safe."

Kennedy didn't give time for Lorelai to respond before she was standing up and rushing to Mordechai's side to take any and all weapons that he passed to her. She was skilled in both guns and blades which he knew as he trained with her every chance they got. Keeping her eyes on the group of people that surrounded them, she spoke to him, quiet enough that only he could hear. "How did we not notice them?"

[Nikolae]

Nikolae offered an encouraging smile in return to the fledgling of his lineage as he withdrew his hand after the shake was finished. He nodded at the mans words, and chuckled with a shake of his head. "I'm sure you'll see that trick plenty in the future. Raeth is more of a showman than he likes to a admit," He shared a conspiratorial wink with the boy before settling back to let Andrew greet others. Idly, he tapped the glass in front of himself and wondered about giving it to an allurist to drain some of the contents. When Prudence answered his question he nodded and once again wondered if the place was one of those vampire-owned business type ordeals. At the question of darts, Nikolae nearly rose with a twitching smile on his features, but held back. With his particular skill-set it probably wouldn't be much of a match against anyone, but then Mordechai seemed like he was going to attempt it - and the beast of a man would certainly prove an equally skilled opponent. Prudence had to know that, of course, so Nikolae was content to watch.

The sound of a gun going off drew his attention from those approaching the dart-board, and the Dragon stilled as blood plumed over his childes chest. He probably could've smelled it if anger hadn't suddenly swelled inside him. Hell, the smell of gun oil was now so abundant in the tiny space of the bar that it made his nose itch - but then as soon as he'd walked into the place he'd noticed nearly every immortal in their group was carrying, and everyone else in the damned place too. The Dragomir shoved back from the table violently, gripping the handle of his glass of beer as he did. He could've done a lot of things then, but the blood on his childes body was still pissing him the hell off - even if his calm features said otherwise. So he twisted in his seat and threw the glass right at the human who dared to harm his blood, who dared to still be pointing a weapon at his first-borne, with every ounce of strength that he had. Apparently it was enough strength to lodge the glass rim-first into the mans chest with a satisfying thud. Unfortunately the dumb ******** went down shooting, but in his shock was aiming upwards at the ceiling. A nuisance more than anything.

There was a lot of shouting then, from the humans, who judging by the pace of their heartbeats and the stench of sweat, were more scared than they wanted to admit. Why they weren't shooting to kill right away confused the Dragon, but he pushed aside the thought for the moment. He had bigger priorities. He turned his head back to his first-borne with a scowl. "Can you heal yourself?" He hissed. Before he could receive an answer he heard another shot, and bit back a growl of irritation as the familiar pain of a bullet lodged in his arm throbbed through him. It seemed to be the catalyst for some decision the mortals had come to, because no sooner had Nikolae stood than all-hell broke loose. So many guns going off at once, there was smoke filling the air. The Dragon himself easily avoided most attempts on his life, though he staggered at another shot to his own body finally while distracted pulling out his own favorite handgun. He aimed for heads, though his eyes were burning with the smoke, and took out two in quick succession as he backed closer to his childe.

Turning his head slightly though he kept his eyes on his targets, Nikolae flashed a calm smile to his Raeth. "Please tell me Prudence didn't invite these guys." He drawled, chuckling under his breath as he fired off another round.

[Prudence]

She had moved to collect the darts and waited for others, anyone, to join her so she wasn't looking as awkward as she felt. Which wasn't an emotion she felt an awful lot, or ever. Usually, Prudence felt pretty ******* confident, but every time she was around Azraeth, she was standing there tongue tied, trying to figure out the mystery of him, and, her. Was there even a him and her? Or, had there been a him and her? Or a her and her, since she had been 'close' to Superbia.

Her back was to the group as Prudence's fingers worked over a dart, playing with the end, or more specifically, the blue and black feathers of the end. She hadn't played darts in years; not since she left the carnival, but she was sure she wouldn't totally suck at it. Not that she expected to be great at it either. Either way, everyone would have something to do and not sit around just being awkward. Or maybe she was the only one being awkward. Thinking about it, she was pretty sure it was just her. Andrew seemed to be chatting Lori up, which actually made her smile and hopeful that Lori would make a new friend at the very least. Or maybe something more. She had just about as much bad luck as Prudence had with relationships-if not worse. Mordie was being his usual self with Kennedy; Azraeth and Kennedy were rekindling a broken friendship, due to Azraeth's prolonged absence, it seemed and Nikolae, was, well being Nikolae. She guessed. Prudence wasn't really sure how he was. Quiet and elusive and with how little he said, it seemed he was being himself. Everything seemed to be going well.

And then they were suddenly hit hard with Murphy's Law. They were being targeted by some unknown assailants and Prudence had to wonder how no one had noticed them. It wasn't like the group was a bunch of inexperienced vampires. She might have missed them because of her focus being split, but Mordie, Nikolae and Azraeth hadn't seemed to notice this large group of people that came in carrying guns either? And why were they the focus of this group anyways? Prudence didn't believe any of them would do something stupid that said, 'hey! here I am a blood sucker that will steal as much blood as I want, whenever I want, however I want!'

Humans were fleeing from the bar; the ones that didn't want to be part of the bloodshed and the ones that thought there was some sort of strange earthquake that started in the city, right under their very feet. Some pushed past her, even shoving her against a wall; the wall that had the dart board attached to it, while two others; one male and one female, focused on her. They could wait.

Her attention moved immediately to Lori. She knew Mordie would never let anything happen to her Kennedy, and if something did happen to her, he'd go bezerk. That was the best way Prudence could describe her friend over his possessiveness over Kennedy and her staying in one piece. Those two could take care of the other. Kennedy loved Mordie and would give her life for him. They would be a team to be reckoned with and would be that. A team. Nikolae was older than her, and so she assumed stronger and had a few tricks up his sleeve. A visual confirmation let her know this was a fact. A quick glance was given to Azraeth who was taking care of Lori and Andrew being he was closer to them, than she was. She couldn't make out what he had said over the loud rumbling and screaming of humans, but she was sure he told them to do something smart and protect themselves. With Lori safe, or so she hoped for the time being, Prudence focused on a woman carrying a hunting knife and a male with a small pocket pistol coming her way. Him first, her second.

The use of powers wasn't an option for Prudence at this time. Not unless she could be sneaky about it and right now, she couldn't. Too many humans that weren't part of the group around, being shot by accident or trying to find other escape routes. Gang war it would be in tomorrow's headlines. She shrugged her shoulders at the thought as the male started firing in her direction, the woman charging in her direction.

Her right arm moved up quickly, Prudence tugging it behind her shoulder before she released a dart in the direction of the ****** with the gun. As the dart was released from her fingertips, the male clipped Prudence in her shoulder, causing her aim to be 'off.' But still good enough to have the dart hit him in his throat. It wouldn't do much damage, but it sure did stun the guy. She tossed a second dart from her left hand to her right for a second round at the guy, but the woman with the knife had enclosed the distance between them, not stopping in recognition that her team mate was hurt and trying to pull a dart out of the first few layers from his skin. She slashed and swiped at Prudence with a heroic, yet crazy battle cry, forcing Prudence back up against the wall.

The fabric on her shirt was ripped in random places, Prudence moving her left arm up to block the woman's attempts to stab her as her right foot moved up and slammed against the woman's thigh, sending her sprawling backwards. "Why do you assholes have to ruin everything?" Prudence was a few minutes shy of stomping her foot like a teenage girl pissed off at her older brother or parents for ruining something, before she reached up, yanked the wooden dart board off the wall and slammed it downwards on the woman's head. "*****." Prudence muttered before releasing the second dart in the direction of the male who retrieved the first one out of his neck.

[Mordechai]

Mordechai's eyes wander over the crowd. This time of year in Canada, it was almost impossible to discern threats before they struck. The heavily insulated outerwear of the average human could easily hide an arsenal. He himself had walked in carrying three pistols, four knives, an assault rifle with a collapsible stock, and a claymore. He knew others of their party were armed as well, Pru would never go out, completely unarmed, and he could scent the faint sickly sweet smell of Hoppe's #9 coming from the Dragomir leader, Nikolae. With the number of arms at their table, the air carried enough scents of weaponry to effectively mask any others in the room. Turning his attention once more to the proffered game of darts, and those that would enter into the contest of accuracy.

For a moment it appeared as though the leader of the Dragomir was going to toss his hat into the ring, but then he leaned back into his chair, assuming the posture of a spectator. Turning back towards the dartboards, Mordechai watched for a moment as drunken humans threw dart after dart at the board, determining that the game of choice was called Cricket. Quickly he let his mind slip into the ether, and a fast Google search gave him the rules of the game. Three darts per round, three of each number from fifteen to twenty, and three bullseyes. A quick calculation showed that the game would be over in just three rounds. It seemed short, almost not worth playing. Though a look at the few shooters now up, showed that without practice and discipline, the game could last much longer.

Mordechai had just started to turn back to the table when from the corner of his eye he saw Azraeth step to the side, toward his child, and twitch as a red poinsettia appeared on the chest of the white shirt he wore. His eyes raked over the gathered patrons as a series of actions happened so close together that they seemed almost simultaneous. The heterochromic eyes acted as visual inputs to the tactical computer that lay behind them. Ears processed the incoming sound waves as alternative information. Each occupant was assessed and assigned a spot in the firing order as his eyes passed over them. Time seemed to slow as he whirled towards the front of the bar. The sound of a shot was followed by a whispered command from Azraeth. His kennedy passed off the newest addition to their family, screamed his name and tossed his duster and harness, then grabbing the two fledglings, burst from the group dragging them to safety. Mordechai's hands crossed, then pulled apart, a five inch bladed Smith & Wesson HRT dagger in each hand, two empty sheaths strapped to his forearms.

A few steps away, Prudence began her dance with a couple, the female armed with a knife, the male with the kind of junk pistol that gangsters held so dear, one that was as likely to misfire as it was to fire. As Pru threw her first dart into the mans throat, he realized that the dart game was still on, and with a small grin turned to face the newcomers

The duster hit his side and fell to his feet as the ground shook beneath him. The determined look on Azraeth’s face let the killer know that the mystic was separating the wheat from the chaff. Nikolae took out the first shooter with a beer mug, before drawing his weapon and returning fire on those that mistakenly thought they were predator, instead of prey. As innocents ran for the streets, sure that there was another earthquake hitting Harper Rock, those that remained drew weapons from beneath their bulky winter outer wear, a dark smile graced his lips. Pru had wanted a dart game. Both arms moved in unison, back, then forward , wrist snapping at the end of the motion. Bullets were beginning to fly in earnest as the pair he had deemed the most dangerous suddenly sprouted black handles from their larynx's and slid to the ground, spinal cords severed by the blade tips. With the fledglings and kennedy safely away, the killer knew it would not take long to erase these stains of humanity from existence with the three experienced fighters that were beside him. He knew kennedy would have been an asset as well, she had worked hard to advance her skills, but for as dispassionate as he was, he could not face the thought of losing her.

A bullet tore through his thigh at almost the same time he saw the slight twitch that signaled another bullet had found its mark on the head Dragomir. Mordechai's hands were reaching for the matched set of genuine Fairbairn - Sykes fighting knives sheathed in his boots when he heard a sound that scared him more than gunfire ever could.

"How did we not notice them?"

His kennedy was beside him. Not safe behind the bar, but beside him. Another round hit him as many more thudded into the wall around them. The bullet glancing from his shoulder awoke him with a vengeance, and grabbing the Fairbairns, sheaths and all, he pressed them into his beloved allurist's hands. She had always been better with blades then firearms, and a blade never needs reloaded. Mordechai stepped away from her, he had to draw their attention before she was hurt. Raising his arms he led his fangs drop and roared. He was not afraid of a masquerade breach. To have a witness you had to have a survivor. They had endangered his kennedy, there would be no survivors. His voice blasted into her mind along their intimate channel, but there was only biting command in his voice. "Duster. On. NOW." They were his last truly conscious thoughts as he started towards the fool humans. The duster was the one he wore when riding the Judge, it had a kevlar liner to protect the body in a spill, but he had had his special ordered. The liner was twice the normal thickness. it would stop almost any blade, and most bullets of the 9mm or weaker variety, as well as prevent road rash. And most of all, stitched to fit his seven foot frame, it would cover her from head to toe.

A burst of speed put him in the immediate center of the pack. Mordechai's custom silk shirt was torn to shreds as the muscles of his arms and legs grew to twice their size. His face raised to the ceiling as a feral roar ripped from his throat pouring out of the fanged mouth. It was a roar of triumph as he slammed his hands forward. Eight inch claws had burst from his fingertips as he morphed into his true war form, and those claws were buried deep in the eviscerated corpses of two hunters. Two hunters that were raised over his head and shaken as the claws tore deep though their chests until he could feel the last pulsating beat of their hearts in his palms. Arms extended outwards, one human hanging from each. As he heaved the corpses towards the door, using their bodies to wedge it and cancel any hope of escape for those who dared endanger his kennedy, the feral monster raised his voice in another roaring cry of challenge as he waded in to the humans. Grabbing the next two by the throats, he raised them to his eye level, and let go with another scream or rage as he smashed their heads together. Again and again, the hollow sound of coconuts rolling down a concrete stairwell resonated throughout the bar, until finally there was not enough bone mass, nor structure left to make a noise. As the red and grey slime oozed from what was left of their skulls and ran down his forearms, Mordechai began to use the lifeless corpses as cudgels to knock the remaining humans from their feet.

[Lorelai]

Incapable of focusing on anything else but Pru as she held the woman's hand, Lorelai was unable to see or hear impending danger, but then why would she expect any? The poor girl seemed to attract trouble at times, the real life and death kind, but she was with... family? No-one expects to be attacked when they are with their family.

The first she knew of any trouble was when she was wrenched away from Pru. She had no clue what was happening and all too soon she was behind the bar. She was temporarily in shock, sat there with a puppy in her hands; a puppy she didn't even remember taking possession of. She held the tiny creature in her delicate hands, lifting it so she could see its eyes.

You're looking at her like she has the answers.
Maybe she does.
You're being ridiculous.

Lorelai pulled the bundle of fur to her chest. It was instinctive, that urge to cradle something small and helpless. She wanted her heartbeat to calm the puppy down, as heartbeats were supposed to do that for some reason, but she had none. The puppy would hear only silence from within her chest.

You're supposed to be shielding the one next to you. The puppy too maybe.
Does it work on animals?
Only one way to find out.

Lorelai used her powers of protection, but it didn't feel right. She wanted to help Pru but Pru wasn't close enough to be able to take advantage of the power. She didn't know who Andrew was, not really, only that he was new to this life and that they were somewhat loosely connected. Of course she didn't begrudge him the cover of her power, she would never complain about protecting another. It was just... Pru.

She began to get fidgety behind the bar and wondered if she might not be better off toming home, but then where would that leave Pru, and if she did tome home, would the puppy come with her? The blonde looked down at the creature again. It was oddly calm considering the noises coming from over her shoulder.

I don't like this Pru. It's not right.

She touched her sires mind but quickly went silent as her conscience began to berate her for distracting the woman while she was fighting.

But she shouldn't be fighting. We should just leave.
I know that and you know that, but try telling the people trying to kill us that.

Lorelai rolled up onto her knees, reaching out with one hand to steady herself and then peeked over the bar.

Jesus woman! I didn't mean it. What are you thinking?

No reply was necessary. It was obvious what she was thinking and what her eyes were searching for. Pru. Where was she? Was she injured? Did she need help? She wanted to run out there and use herself as a human shield, or vampire shield perhaps. She'd die for Pru, there was no doubt about that in her mind and if her dying meant that she distracted someone long enough for Pru to get away then that was all that really mattered. There was just one problem...

The problem began to bark and squirm. It seemed it was quite content to play possum up until she herself began to consider how she might best be of use to her sire. Perhaps it was picking up on her desire to join the fray? Whatever it was, they were in serious danger of betraying their location and whole some of them may have been able to fight with the adorable, squirming bundle in their arms, Lorelai was not one of them. Not only would she be unable to defend herself, she wouldn't even try to defend herself. People were supposed to have either a strong fight or flight response to danger but it seemed nature hadn't blessed Lorelai with either of the instincts for self-preservation. Even as a human, she'd of happily died rather than attempt to injure another living being.

[Azraeth]

Pandemonium.

Bedlam.

It was like they had stepped out of the purgatory known as Harper Rock into a burning hell of bullets, and gunsmoke. Az stood in the midst of it, not visible to the naked eye, his hand slipping past the leather of his jacket so that he could coil his fingers around the curved ceremonial dagger he often used for rituals. Most of them did not explicitly call for blood offering, but Raeth was something of traditionalist, and he often bound the ingredients together with some of his borrowed vitality. Vampires were unnatural creatures, not naturally producing of their own anima, their own life force. They had to steal every bit of it from creatures that truly belonged to the world of man. To Az, that made his kind the perfect incubators for the untold and the arcane.

He was not a gifted fighter, had not been really since he had returned from the realm; it had been even longer before that since he had lifted a weapon with the intention to do harm. He often claimed pacifism, but the truth of the matter was that he supported vampiric cultural unity. It was why he did not get involved in politics or believe in doing harm to his own kind. He viewed those things, the violence and the shameless campaigning for one’s own benefit to be little more than reason to fracture an already shattered community. Human aggressors did not get the benefit of his kindness though.

One of the men with a gun took aim at Nikolae and Az caught hold of the attacker’s hair so that he could tangle his digits in the greasy locks before sharply jerking. The moment he touched flesh, the shadows hiding him began to disperse so that he came back into sight, standing there with his blade held against a throat. He sharply drove the edge over flesh and it blossomed open like a flower made of blood and skin. There was a hot spurt of red across the floor and the sound of breath attempting to fill lungs. It couldn’t. It was grotesque, the wet sound of air flapping across useless dermis. There was a moment of terror etched on the male’s features before he fell to his knees. Then to the ground. Az calmly stepped over him to crouch and pluck up a gun. If there was one thing true of Raeth, when he did decide to turn to violence – he did so without remorse.

“I can.” He called out a second later when Nikolae addressed him. He just wasn’t going to bother with it for the moment. He had fought through wounds before. For a long time, he’d done nothing but hunt paladins and footsoldiers in the sewers. When he’d first started, he’d end the evening with holes in his gut, chest, his legs and arms slashed up. It had never stopped him from going out the next night with those wounds. Or the ones that were added to them. Pain never stopped him – someone had to physically disable him to get him to give up once he got going.

“Nah. I’m pretty sure they invited themselves.” He shot back when he moved to stand after having swiped the fallen man’s gun. He then backed himself against a wall, his hand clasping the edge of a table so he could drag it across the floor with him. He upended it onto its side and ducked behind the wall it created before he tucked his back to the solid surface behind him. He took aim and began to fire from behind cover, his bullets ricocheting off of tables, sometimes finding arms. Shoulders. He didn’t exactly have the best aim in the world and the firearm was shitty to begin with. He got lucky at one point and caught a guy in the head.

Something occurred to him though.

“Make sure to leave one alive!” He called out to the other vampires. He had questions that needed to be answered. Answers that would not come from a dead man’s lips.

Mordechai was predictably well suited to the situation. Az watched as he hulked out (or went into his war form) and began to tear through the humans like paper. So Raeth split his attention between trying to pick off the ones that went after Prudence and any that decided to go near the bar. Even if his aim did not kill – a little bit of pain and incapacitation was more than enough to give his kind an edge in combat. The smell of blood was thick in the air. It ran in rivers and soaked into the floorboards.

[Nikolae]

A stray thought crossed the Dragon's mind as his clip emptied and he instinctively reached for his favorite new dice-and-slice. This was exactly the sort of thing this lineage had always gotten itself into. He shook his head even as he dodged a spray of bullets and swept upwards to slice across the throat of the mortal nearest him. The spray of blood blinded him for a second - just long enough for another suicidal creature to start firing aimlessly in his direction. The man had backed himself into a corner, and despite not being able to see the males face Nikolae could clearly hear his panted fearful breathing. Nikolae glanced over his shoulder, his ears were ringing from the assault with guns, his nose was stinging from the overpowering smell of them going off. What non-hunting humans his Raeth hadn't managed to chase off with his earthquake skills were either dead or dying from haphazard shooting. The Dragomir himself took silent stock of his own body as he approached the man who'd cornered himself. Nikolae was bleeding from more than a couple gunshot wounds of his own, and silently ticked off the assailants in his head. He'd managed to kill everyone who'd taken a shot at him, though he was still furious at those that were aiming for his childe.

He was less than three feet away now, and silently drew the shadows to himself amidst the chaos around them. He dimly heard Azraeth's demand, though at the moment it had become the last thing on his mind. He was wounded, bleeding out, and already struggling to maintain his usual quickness. He could only guess the others were at least in similar predicaments. Reaching out, Nikolae grabbed the barrel of the gun his chosen target was still holding in a shaking grip. The thing burned his palm instantly, and he hissed with mounting anger. The human couldn't see him - not right now as he was tucked in shadows, but he still futilely pulled the trigger as the Dragon wrenched the thing out of his hand. The bullet fired behind him and he heard a grunt - he really hoped it had hit one of their enemies.

Stepping closer he pinned the man against the wall in the corner, his shadows enveloping them both now as his fangs throbbed in his mouth. He blocked the sounds of the battle around them as he dipped his head and bit down into flesh. Blood spilled instantly into his mouth and he sighed out in relief as the fresh infusion went to work on his wounds. It would still take at least a day to recover if he didn't use any of his other skills or pester another vampire to do so. He was definitely going to pester someone though, he ruefully acknowledged as he gluttoned himself on the terrified mortal. His nose wrinkled at the stench of urine as the man lost control of himself. Some hunter, he mused, even as he noted the slowing of the mans heart. Nikolae withdrew reluctantly as the human lost consciousness, and he leveled his slitted gaze on the man with still boiling outrage.

"You're lucky. For now." He muttered the dark promise and let the man drop into that corner. As an after-thought he dragged a table in front of his still-breathing meal, to at least try to shield him from any of his fellow hunters attacks.

Got one for you, Raeth. He projected the thought to his childe even as he flowed back into the battle, reloading his weapon and circling around behind the remaining humans. A two-front attack might end this quicker, he thought, even as he rubbed his forearm over his blood-covered face. The one he'd sliced really had made a mess.

[Kennedy]

With the youngest mini safely tucked away behind the bar with the youngest dragon, Kennedy had only thought that it was going to be pretty smooth sailing from there. Her thoughts quickly changed however when orders were barked at her to put the massive duster on. Not wasting time to argue with him, she moved to do just that only to be shot in the knee from a hunters poor aim with shaky hands. Honey eyes instantly looked up at her aggressor and as she slipped on the duster, her hands found two of the guns hidden within.

Her sword play and acrobatics would be no good to her now with a shattered knee but how hard could it be to just stand in place and shoot up the place. Not hard at all especially with her over paranoid boyfriend whose double kevlar lined duster now covered the majority of her. She was almost as protected as Fort Knox. Only way she would have total protection was if the duster was triple lined and the same went for a hood that overed her the rest of the way. In her opinion, that would be too excessive but if Mordechai had this jacket for himself...she wouldn't put it passed him to think of something like that for her. Hell...most of the time he kept her safely tucked away at home while everyone else got to have their fun with hunts or raids to ensure that she wouldn't get hurt because if she did...he would go ballistic and nothing or anyone would be safe. It made her free fragile but Kennedy refused to argue because she knew that he meant well and here was a prime example. He started to go ballistic before she was even hit with a bullet, it was just the thought of it potentially hitting her that set him off.

A spray of bullets in her direction made her cringe at the stinging pain. The bullets never penetrated through the kevlar but it still gave a nice bite. One gun facing forward and the other off to the left, she shot as many as she could before the guns came to a clicking dead end. Rolling her eyes at the need to reload as it only slowed her down, giving the enemy an open opportunity unless one of her peers got to the target before she did. Instantly hitting the release on both guns, letting the magazine clips hit the floor and slapping in new ones. This was why swords were far better...no need to reload.

Corpses laid about the room as if it was the new decor of the establishment with matching blood splatters upon the wall and blood puddles upon the floor. It was all going to be one hell of a clean up but that would only be expected when one just didn't go quietly with their aggressors. Hunters were ballsy but they knew that her kind wouldn't just lay their lives down for them just so they could say that they got the kill on the big bad vampire. If any vampire did that then they were weak, at least in her opinion.

Her eyes caught each of her peers, each hurt in someway except for the two behind the bar. That was the biggest relief to her until she saw a man sliding against the wall, trying not to be seen, towards the bar back. Nikolae had just cornered one behind a table and the other three were still focused on their battles. Putting down the hand-guns and reaching into the duster for the rifle, she pulled it up to her shoulder with her eye focused through the scope. The mans forehead was directly in the cross-hairs. A steady pull of the trigger, the bullet shot across the bar into the mans head. Nodding her head as he slumped down to the ground, she took care of one issue but how many more before they were able to rest and assess the damage?

[Mordechai]

Mordechai threw the corpses towards the door to join the others there, and quickly glanced around. The sound of gunfire had died to sporadic pops, as the tide turned, and the hunters drowned in their own sea of stupidity. Pru was out of darts, so the killer quickly grabbed one of the dropped dorf carbines and flicked it to her, a smile breaking as she opened fire on the few that remained standing. The rest of the group looked as though it had fared well under the circumstances. The fledglings were under cover, Kennedy was still standing, the duster having absorbed most of the projectiles launched her way, and the others were to quote a famous knight, "mostly flesh wounds." His own body was covered in lacerations, with a few through and throughs to complete the damage. But, it had not slowed him at all, nor broke his focus on the fight at hand. As the Draogmir leader circled the group Mordechai grabbed yet another human that had not so long ago held delusions of grandeur.

The killer raised the woman easily into the air and took a step back, letting the triangle of fire devastate the last of the hunters; Nikolae to one side, Pru to the other, Azraeth and Kennedy at the table. Mordechai was slowly regaining his calm, and dispassionately dislocated first the left then the right arm of the female hunter. One hand held her up as her legs buckled, and her screams filled the air. They had dared bring harm to his Kennedy. It was obvious they needed more insight into who they were messing with. Reaching down with his free hand he clasped the woman's in his, as she twitched trying to pull the immobile limb away. "I apologize that it must be you, but someone needs to take your brethren a message from me"
Squeezing, he smiled at her, fangs bared as one by one he felt the bones of her right hand popping and breaking under the increasing pressure. Her budding career as a concert pianist was now over. The woman passed out from the pain, and was slowly lowered into a chair. Mordechai calmly lifted one of the few remaining beer mugs to be in one piece and containing beer and tossed the contents into the unconscious woman's face.

As the woman awoke sputtering, the massive killer slammed his fist down in the center of her thigh. It was hard to tell what was loudest, the shrill scream of pain, or the dry brittle ~SNAP~ as her femur shattered. The woman's leg began to twitch and spasm as once more she passed out. Leaning her back, the killer raised a massive New Rock, stomping down on the opposite foot. Once. Twice. Thrice. The bones and ligaments of the foot were torn and shattered. This time the killer upended a pitcher over her head, gently slapping her face back and forth until her unfocused eyes fluttered open. "You will tell them to not bring danger to my beloved, or ever one of them, every single one of them, will make you look like an Olympic poster- child." Lowering his face in front of hers he snarled as his fangs dropped and he twisted her head to the side exposing the alabaster expanse of her neck. His head snapped forward as his fangs sank deep. His body shuddered from the impact of yet another high velocity bullet slamming into him, but his focus was great. He drank deeply as his mind touched hers, erasing the last few hours and implanting memories of a horrific automobile accident. Interlaced among them was an unknown deep- seated dread, worse than her fear of spiders, to any female of the size and coloring of Mordechai's beloved Kennedy.

Raising his head, blood dripping from his fangs, completing the blood soaked image of his body, the killer carefully scanned the now quiet bar room. Placing his hand on the head of the dazed, broken woman before him Mordechai growled "This one is mine! She has a message to pass on to others." Walking out on to the main floor again, he stalked from hunter to hunter. With a deft snap of his shoulders he one by one broke the necks of the assembled dead thus ensuring no survivors, ensuring no witnesses. He would handle the woman and was sure that the Dragomir would handle their captive. His eyes were locked on to his vivacious Kennedy, as he raised his voice slightly, "Mz Lorelai, how fares my Kennedy's young furry friend?" His mind expanded slightly as he reached out "Beloved, are you wounded" His eyes continued to scan her, but all save her fingertips and face were swathed in kevlar and waxed oilskin.

[Lorelai]

Lorelai didn't even notice the man edging towards them, had she of done she may have wondered if he was friend or foe, before Kennedy shot him, as he may have just been trying to get away from the fighting. The rest of "his" group weren't exactly subtle in the way they went about attacking people, so his movements didn't really fit with those of the rest of the hunters.

As the puppy squirmed a little more, Lorelai passed it to Andrew as she thought that the creature might be picking up on her own anxiety as she watched the brawl and she didn't want to alarm it any further. She could do nothing more than watch as Morechai threw the gun to Prudence and while she didn't like violence in any form, she was happy to see her sire was protected. Unfortunately that's when things went from bad to worse for Lorelai.

A single shot hit her shoulder, from which direction she didn't know but it happened around the same time Mordechai started torturing the young woman and was more than likely the result of Lorelai standing up and screaming across the bar.

"Stop it!"

Her cry went unheard and she found herself running across the bar to the woman's aid, only there was nothing she could do.

What are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed?
It's not right. I don't like it.
You'd rather that was you?
Yes. Of course I would.

Her conscience sighed and fell silent. The woman looked like a broken rag doll and Lorelai knew she couldn't move her without causing her serious pain. She flapped about her for a bit, telling the broken soul that everything would be fine. Despite having witnessed what Mordechai put her through, she believed him when he told the rest of the room that she had a message to pass on and took it to mean that she wouldn't be butchered.

"I'll get help," she told the woman before running from the room.

Mordechai's question, though directed at her, went unheard as she slipped out of the bar and rounded the corner to the alleyway. In a blink of an eye she disappeared, returning home where it was safe. Once there, she tapped into one of the many signals that bounced around her and texted the local police to alerting them to the fight at the bar and the need for an ambulance. Having done that, she reached out to Pru and told her what she'd done; though it was highly likely that the police were already aware of the disturbance and had leapt into action before her text went through.

Pru? The police are on their way. You should leave before they get there.

The events replayed in her mind and feeling just about as sick as anyone possibly could, she ran into the bathroom and vomited up the blood she'd been forced to drink before she joined the party. The jury was out on some of the group, Nikolae and Andrew for example, but the verdict was back on Mordechai and sadistic was the word she'd use to describe him from now on. Pru might trust him, but that didn't mean to say that she had to like and so his name was added to the very short list of people she wanted to avoid in the future. Slipping into the shower, she switched on the water, slumped against the wall and sank to the floor, curling her hands around her knees; there wasn’t enough hot water in the world to wash away what she’d just witnessed.