Path of the Vampire forum

He sat up, looking around with confusion. His entire body ached, an he seemed to be dizzy. Or perhaps just drunk.

He couldn't remember much of anything. What day was it, what month? He couldn't even concentrate enough to figure that out. Out of some muscle memory, or perhaps nervous habit his subconscious mind remembered, he nibbled on his lower lip, only to flinch and put a hand to his lip. A line of red fluid, Blot, he thought it was called. No. that wasn't quite right. Blood. Yes, it was Blood. He had blood from his lip on his hand. That didn't seem right. Again, some more basic instinct or reflex kicked in, and his tongue darted out, sliding over his injured lip.

He shivered as a myriad of taste sensations assaulted his brains. So much flavor, in that little drop that his tongue had touched. As he tried to puzzle it out, a second shiver passed through his body. It tasted so delightful. He needed, wanted, desired and longed for....

"........M-more." His voice was dry, and sounded strange and raspy to his own ears, but that thought was quickly lost as he felt his throat's dryness and ache. A yearning like he could never remember feeling before for more of the red-fluid-blood he had tasted earlier.

Rising to his feet in a single graceful motion that some deep part of his mind was sure he wouldn't have been capable of moments ago, he began to walk out from where he had opened his eyes, hungry, thirsty, and above all, seeking blood.

It took only minutes to find a pair of humans, walking to or from some place, trying to go some where that he couldn't think straight enough to figure out. His throat was so dry, surely they wouldn't miss just a little bit of blood. He would only take what he needed and then move on.

He slipped out from beside the building, but not away from the shadows, which seemed to cling to him as he moved, keeping him hidden. He was almost there. He could nearly taste the rich sweet salty metallic flavor again.

He was about to surge forward and strike when a movement caught his eye.

“Do not trust that one,” came a voice from the darkness, from thin air, and the Vampire stopped in his tracks to sigh and roll his pewter eyes.

The Wraith, Rutherford, had decided to give Myk its much unwanted counsel again. Ordinarily the Wraith would voice its objections in tandem to Myk’s thoughts about the object of the Wraith’s hatred – which was creepy. This time, however, the white-haired Vampire was thinking about his next target when the ghostly voice made an appearance. The intrusion into his space, therefore, came as a surprise more than it was a displeasure – not that it was suddenly an enjoyable experience. Myk waved his hand in the air around his face as if to shoo the Wraith away, shoo away its gloomy, unseen aura. Then he continued on his path down the street to a building he knew would be teeming with nuts and bolts and machinery parts – just perfect for his gadgets. Though why HarperRock couldn’t just open up a few DYI shops until a little bit later in the evening was beyond him. He wouldn’t have to break in and steal if the shops were open, would he.

Would he?

“You are such a pain,” Myk hissed under his breath, trying not to draw too much attention to himself.

Since Rutherford couldn’t be seen by Myk’s untrained eyes, or indeed anyone without that magical power from the Necromancer path, he wasn’t sure if the Wraith was following him until he heard its voice again.

“You should not trust him.”

Myk growled, pewter eyes darting left and then right. “If this is about him displacing you again, I suggest you suck it up, princess. It could be worse!” he howled, velvet voice projecting like a cello. “He could banish you for good, back to the Dark Place! Would you prefer that? Hmm? I would prefer that…”

As his rant subsided, Myk’s pace quickened and he walked on for another couple of minutes without any interruption. It seemed like the Wraith had taken its leave of Myk tonight and the serenity quickly eased the Vampire’s temperament. Feeling a little more in control of his emotions, Myk decided to get on with business. The warehouse was just across the street from him and so he stopped in a nearby alley to assess the entry points without being too conspicuous. This part of town was still pretty active, despite the hour. There were potential witnesses everywhere and Myk hadn’t yet found the ability to turn himself invisible – close, but no tomato. Once the building itself had been scouted, pewter eyes watched the streets for a moment to get a judge of the Human traffic. Other Vampires didn’t bother him because they predominantly turned a blind-eye to one another, and only really took notice of you when you were doing something risky. Myk was not one to exhibit risky behaviour. In fact, he was very careful to not even be a blip on most peoples’ radar. Carefulness was apparently lost on him tonight, however, because as he took a step forward he startled a stray cat in amongst the dustbins and the flea-ridden mongrel darted into the streets with a sharp yowl past a pair of Humans.

Myk pressed his back against the wall as if to disappear; the clatter of the dustbin and the shriek of the cat still resonated within him like a new pulse of living energy. Now he would have to wait until the coast was clear again before making his move. Sheesh, things were not going well…

Emerald eyes watched without emotion as the other cat was scared from its place but the arrival of the vampire. She sat on top of a dumpster and did not finch a bit at the sudden eruption of sound. At first glance one might mistake her for another stray, but a closer look would reveal she was nothing of the sort. Feline royalty sat on a makeshift throne watching the world around her. She saw it rush out into the street and startle a couple of people. No surprises there. If anything, the reaction of the one who startled the cat was more interesting. Stalker, sneak, predator. She sniffed the air and a familiar aroma found her senses. She had smelled this one before somewhere but no instinct or memory suggested it was a bad experience, so she stayed calm, but watchful.

She had also noticed the other one. Had the pair seen each other yet? She could not say. If logic and prospective geometry were accounted for it was possible, but the cat hardly thought in such terms. Two predators trying so hard not to be seen by others, yet following a course that would put them in front of one another if continued. The universe worked that way, she knew in instinct. There was nothing else to do but enjoy the show.

*****

(nearby) The soft, lilting tune of the flute echoed in the darkness now.

"Where are you, your highness?" the gypsy mystic wondered to herself as she searched about for her cat. "Do not tell me you out working on bringing home a new litter of kittens. I am not dealing with that again. I swear!" She played the notes again that usually brought the large, long haired Maine Coon running to her feet, but nothing was showing up. "So, we do this the hard way. Again!" she frowned as she dropped the flute back into her purse. She looked around the area she stood in for a few moments before the sound of a cat screeching caught her ear.

"Damn!" she feared the worse as she began to walk in the direction of where the sound had come from.

Shadows wrapped around the area where he moved, as he leaped forward, they expanded, blocking any sound. The couple knew fear for only a moment, before they were both out cold. A pair of quick bites, and some feeding later, and he began to remember more than just his thirst.

Dest. That was his name. He had been in the sewers, hiding from the sun, when one of the Human Hunters had come out from around a corner, and opened fire. Injured, and bleeding, he had fled tot eh surface, and into the sunlight before seeking shelter in an alley nearby. Blissful sleep had followed.

After drinking enough to not be slave to his thirst any further, Dest sealed the wounds of the two, and set them against the wall of a building nearby. The would awaken shortly, and finding their wallets empty would think it was only a mugging.

He was still thirsty, and the desire to drain these two dry was strong, but he remembered what his Sire had taught him about control, and how important it was. Now that he could think, he looked around within the darkened street, and tried to get his bearings. Seeing a figure in the shadows, he almost took a step forward to sate his thirst further, before realizing it was another denizen of the night. A nod of his head, and he backed away.

He was in no condition for fighting others of his kind.

Myk had heard the scuffle, but didn’t move to investigate it. His back was still pressed against the rough brick wall when a silhouette dragged two sacks of heavy darkness his way. The lighting was poor here, worse than anything Myk was used to and he could barely make out the cat nearby; it was almost as if some strange power was cloaking the area. Two dark eyebrows slid forward between pewter eyes and he watched the silhouette carefully. It had dumped the sacks against the wall and then turned toward Myk. It seemed to want to walk forward, maybe to investigate the doll-like creature suspended from the wall, but quickly stopped. Myk’s focus sharpened to the point where the silhouette slowly began to take on the face and build of a man. The marionette broke free from the wall, moving casually into the centre of the alleyway to face the man. Instinct caused the Myk’s neck to bend to the left, pouring long white hair over the one side of him and disguising his build further amidst dark, loose-fitting attire. As Myk regarded the man before him, analysing him with a permeating gaze, he soon began to smile. The Shadow Vampire was quick to retreat after a nod in greeting – or farewell – encouraging Myk to take action.

There was something strangely familiar about this one and Myk wished to explore it. He couldn’t do that if the man ran off though, could he. A delicate pale hand was raised to face-level, palm facing the Shadow and fingers twitching like spider’s legs. That same curious smile enveloped the Telepath’s features and it looked almost too wide for his face; lips painted in a rich crimson glaze contrasted starkly with porcelain skin.

“Hello…” he purred as he continued to wave.

A shuffle of movement strong-armed Myk’s attention then and pewter eyes darted to the two sacks of darkness that the stranger had left. It didn’t take the Telepath too long to recognise these shapes as a pair of mortals, and with their groaning and lumbering, Myk quickly understood the situation. His smile dropped for only a moment, returning the instant he looked back to the other Vampire.

“My, my… Aren’t we a hungry one…” he mused before giving the man the once over. “Injured, are we? Or… just greedy?”

Myk couldn’t help himself but to titter a little. If the man was going to answer, however, he would have to wait; Myk wasn’t through. He glanced back at the rousing mortals, bringing his waving hand to his chin in thought before quickly dropping it back to his side.

“Never mind,” he said and began to walk toward the other Vampire. “You’re right. We should go.”

At that, Myk brushed past the other and broke into the streets.

She blinked for a moment, wondering if she had seen what she had seen for sure.

Two people walking, now suddenly gone. Not the grandest of mysteries to ponder, certainly, but it was the speed they had vanished that caught her attentions. She stopped and watched for a few moments while listening closely. Since she heard no screams or sounds of fighting, the list of possible reasons shrank very quickly. Not a fadebeast. They were too loud and noisy. It had to be another like her in action, but why two? Possibly had been in a fight or something. The mystic shied back against the wall and kept watch.

A familiar face came out of the shadows. One she had not seen in a very long time. Not since the night of her own binding to Temperance. Myk wasn't a very public person as far as she knew, so seeing him like this was a bit of a surprise. She waited a moment longer before announcing herself to his thoughts.

"Blessings of the night to you, dear one." her thoughts soft and smiling as she stepped away from the side of the building, putting herself into easy view as she approached him. "I have not seen you in quite a while. You didn't notice a big black cat lurking back wherever you were, did you?" her mental voice sounded hopeful now, but as she got nearer she saw the vague shadow of another individual behind Myk.

"Lunch with a friend? Am I interrupting?" she stopped approaching now at the sight of another. That would explain why two people suddenly vanished she guessed. One for Myk, one for the other, but that didn't sound right to her for some reason.

"And who is your friend, if I may ask?"

If there was one thing Christof hated, it was not making enough mess. Yes, that's right. Not enough. He hummed under his breath and dug his hands deeper into the torso, ripping them out again and taking a step back. Beautiful crimson danced across egg-white walls and expensive carpet, spilling out in a piece of art only he could really appreciate. Smiling, the male brought his fingers to his lips, inhaling deeply. Dark eyes settled on the corpse strewn haphazardly against the wall. Limbs twisted awkwardly, head resting comfortably in the lap. Yes, definitely his finest piece yet. He quickly tucked the jar of blood in his pocket, turning away.
"No good, not enough," he hummed under his breath. "Nothing but the appetizer, yes..."

Slipping out the back door, Christof was cautious about what he left behind. No evidence, only his trademark on the wall, a crimson cursive written with great care to avoid matching his own handwritten style. Afterall, he hadn't gotten this far by slipping up, and one always had to leave a trade mark on their favorite pieces. So, naturally, he always left the smiley face written in blood alongside his favorite message. 'Fiat tenebris, sempiternus nox' or in translation, 'let there be darkness, everlasting night.' It was no wonder he'd become known as the Sept-nox killer, back when initial assumptions were made that the latter line was a signature. Foolish, but he rather liked the abbreviation. Ever-night.

Shutting the door, he slid off the gloves and tucked them in a plastic back, checking his dark coat for blood splatters. It wouldn't matter, the material didn't show it afterall, but the scent was there. Oh well. With a cheerful hum, he turned away and slipped around the corner, only to come up quite short as he nearly bumped into a rather long haired male in the company of two others. Briefly, the killer froze. On a night as this he hadn't been expecting people, especially ones so close. 'Keep cool. Quiet. Calm. You were silent tonight, no reason to draw suspicion.' With those thoughts in mind he gave a brief tug of his coat, glancing over the trio and stepping around the long haired man, muttering quietly. "Scusi."

After the pale long haired male waved and greeted him, Dest was about to respond. But then the two Blood Donors had started to wake up. With a nod of agreement, Dest walked out of the alleyway with the newest of his short list of acquaintances. As they got out into the open street proper, a third person walked up.

Dest figured these two must be friends as they seemed to have a conversation without words. Hadn't his Sire told him something about that at some point? Dest couldn't quite remember. He still needed to feed some more to finish healing. Looking back, he realized they were far enough from the couple, that they could speak without being heard.

"My name is Dest. Pleased to met you both. And You are correct." He said to the male. "A...what do they call them selves again? Soldier footman? Hunter soldier man? Anways, one of them ambushed me and forced me into daylight this morning." He pulled the collar of his shirt to the side and showed his neck, where mottled red burns were still healing. "I guess I should have listened to my Sire a bit more closely about these humans and their hatred of us."

As a fourth vampire stepped forward, Dest moved slightly to let him pass. He had been polite enough to ask after all. He had been about to reply with the little bit of Italian he knew, when he realized two things. First, this new vampire smelled very strongly of blood. Second, there was an odd black cat sitting nearby on a trashcan lid.

The hunger started to come back as he realized that he had never tasted a cat's blood before. Rats, chicken, and even a wolf he had tasted, but never a cat. He would need more before the night was out, but surely no one would miss just one cat, right?

Pewter eyes were set on the path ahead of him as he walked out into the street, but their focus was quickly drawn away from what he was doing to look to his left. It was by luck that Myk managed to spot Zodiac there; telepathy didn’t come with the benefits of echo location after all. The words had merely tickled his brain and while he immediately recalled the woman from whom the message belonged, he hadn’t necessarily been expecting her to appear as she did. Nevertheless, Myk gave her a polite and extravagant bow paired with a crisp red smile.

“Greetings to you, Zodiac,” he returned with mind speak.

He then looked back to the Shadow Vampire who had followed him out after all – surprisingly – and then the cat which had sat itself upon the dust bin, emerald eyes curious and watchful.

“No, no… This one’s a hungry, hungry stranger. And I have seen many cats… Is that one in the alleyway yours? Perhaps the one before that? The one that—”

Myk found his explanation cut short as an unexpected physical presence shoved him out of his mental focus. When the faint Italian word of excuse hit his ears for the near collide, Myk turned with a frown to the male who was quick to saunter off. The frown wasn’t hostile in the slightest – Myk wasn’t a hostile person – but he had been caught unawares by the man that had approached like death and then quickly departed. Myk watched him for a while too; that same permeating gaze giving him a feel for the being, which reminded him of Dawn. Appraising everyone he could as he came into contact with them was just one small habit that Myk had picked up. It was always odd to him when mortals smelt like death, but perhaps he shouldn’t have been so surprised. People needed to kill for all sorts of reasons; the Telepath held no qualms with their reasons or with death, he just preferred it when people were honest about their reasons. All consideration of the Blood Thief was put out of his mind, however, when the little Shadow Vampire began his introductions. Myk turned his head slightly with a smile to greet him.

“Yes, well, the sewers can be a dangerous place to all,” he offered casually before extending his hand to the Shadow named Dest. “I am Myk, it’s a pleasure.”

Myk turned his focus to Zodiac then, expecting her to make her own introduction. He felt it rude to introduce others and besides, with Vampires, it was hard to tell how truthful some could be. If Zodiac perhaps wanted to provide an alias or pseudonym, it wasn’t his right to rob her of that.

She listened to them both speak now and was about to comment when the third one past them by. Her eyes followed him as she took a step back to allow him to pass. He smelled of blood. Too much blood in fact. Either he had been binge feeding or something she would prefer not to know about in detail. She then looked to the two and smiled, while giving a small curtsey. She then tapped her forehead and pointed to the one called Dest.

"Greetings, and blessings of the night to you, Dest. Forgive my thoughts in your mind, but this is the only way I have to speak to others. Most call me Zodiac. The all seeing eyes of the past, present and future." her thoughts flowed gently to his. "And no, I do not read minds without permission so your secrets are safe from me."

It was a half truth. If she felt the man was dangerous, she would be slipping about his thoughts to get a clue, but talk of listening to his sire and other things suggested not danger, but a young convert to the 'night crowd'. She could sympathize. How many mistakes did she and everyone else make as they tried to come to grips with what they now were.

She then stepped closer and hugged Myk. "Been too long since I have seen you, dear." she kept her thoughts so both could hear now. She was tempted to peek at the one who just walked by, but decided against it. "Just got an odd vibe from that one." she confessed to Myk. "A cat? Where?" his words finally registered as she looked about and saw Dest eying one with less than friendly thoughts. The cat had assumed a stance as if ready to fight and was hissing at him.

"Sorry, she is not for eating." she whistled low and the cat sprang off the can and skillfully avoided any attempts to stop her, ending up at the feet of the small woman. Zodiac crouched down and picked the large feline up and sat her on her shoulder.

"Naughty girl," she pet the beast a bit. "And now I see you almost met my familiar, Ginny. Trust me, she would have gone down fighting if you had managed to grab her." she turned her attentions back to the two males and smiled. She left out the part how badly she would make anyone suffer who ever managed to hurt the cat. This was a friendly meeting so far, so why foul the mood?