Fire Begets Fire [OPEN]

[Jesse Fforde]

The wilderness was not safe for vampire-kind, but Jesse Fforde liked to live on the edge of his seat. A small clearing was found not too far from the beaten path but far enough, at this time of night, that no human on a night-time meander could possible stumble across the little ceremony. The glistening Salamander sat neatly upon the Necromancer’s shoulder, fire dancing in the vampire’s eyes as he circled his quarry.

Months ago, Jesse Fforde had been taken. A cage had been constructed to hold a vampire tight, no power able to get him free. Fire had got him out of that predicament and fire, now, would lead the way. Jesse was no tracker, and so it had taken some time. The owner of the warehouse where he’d been kept had been found, dealt with by Clover and himself. The trail had led here, to this pathetic man tied to a tree, slow flames licking at his feet. It was a large tree, the fire would take some time to consume it.

“I’m not telling you anything!”

The captive spat at Jesse, tendons in his neck taut as he struggled not to struggle, to not show weakness or fear. But the vampire could smell it, that fear. It was tantalizing, mixed with the scent of burning flesh. An offering, perhaps, to the fae that stalked these woods – though they may just be the keepers of this city, protectors of humanity from the vampire scourge. If this served only to make them angrier, then so be it. Jesse had some questions for them, too. Let them come!

“Ah, so you know something, then?” Jesse asked. The line had changed. Before, it had been I know nothing. Now, the truth was coming out. “That fire is going to burn real slow, you get me? It’s gonna get to your family jewels before you pass out. And then I’m going to cut you down, drag you out, wait for you to wake up and then start all over again,” he purred. The Salamander seemed to hum its appreciation against the skin of Jesse’s neck. Oh yes, that’s right. There were fae like ol’ faithful Mandy who loved fire as much as Jesse did. This was, then, a sacrifice. Could he trust the creature to keep him safe from his friends? Time would tell.

The captive grunted, breath coming in hard, desperate gasps. The fire had reached his calves by now – he was naked, so the clothes wouldn’t catch fire and end it all too quickly. And Jesse waited. He waited while the man screamed, sighed when he passed out. Heavy steps carried him to the tree where the rope was cut and the body dragged from the hungry flamed. That tree would be consumed. The body was dragged through the wilderness and a new tree found, the dead weight of a body restrung, new kindling found.

This could be a long night.

WEARING

[Mardvosa (DELETED 9357)]

It had been a disappointing hunt as Maryl was traipsing along the borders of Harper Rock and it's wilderness. Any humans about were all clustered up, and those that did walk alone seemed -so- very dull... this gets so boring without the screaming, she thought. This was was 'her' day. No restraint, no responsibilities, simply indulging in her superhuman nature, as should be. That other side had been holding her back long enough, and it was time to find some FUN. There were some humans whom tried to hold a conversation with her, but their words may as well have been the mooing of a cow, a pathetic attempt at intelligence from an inferior creature. How was it that these rediculously frail humans managed to inherit the world, she wondered. If there were any vampires in the past, they could've lived today like gods, if not for their reluctance, their clinging to honor and morals. Thinking about it only made her more angry, her uncontrolleable thoughts even causing minor tremors in the area, enough for the nearby humans to scatter in panic. At least that had lightly amused her.

<Power: Quake>

When she had finished watching what were, in her mind, rats scurrying back into the holes they came from,
she caught the scent of a strange smell from out in the wilderness. Fire and burning flesh... was someone having a barbeque? A quaint little family just waiting to be turned into a horror story? She grinnned widely at the prospect, and began walking towards it, almost with a skip in her step. Perhaps some entertainment was to be had today, after all...

After some time walking through the wild, her pleasant mood turned to a slight uneasy feeling at the ever-expanding wilds, though there was no telling why. Her eyes darted between the trees as she tiptoed through the branches and leaves, a hunter stalking it's prey. Though what she spotted, was not was she'd expected: A hooded figure with a strange aura tormenting a man tied to a tree with fire, seeming purposeful in his intent. Carelessly announcing her presence with a cocky attitude, she playfully stepped closer to the duo just as the man was once again tied to another tree. "Well, well... I thought I smelled a barbeque, but I didn't realise the party had begun without me..." she spoke, grinning coyly and baring her fangs for all to see.

<wearing>

[Jesse Fforde]

The fire was a nice backdrop; the tree it consumed was set apart from the rest and, wary of being unable to outrun a forest fire that he could not contain, Jesse kept an eye on its progress. After the body of his unconscious captive was restrung, Jesse watched as the former tree cracked at the base and fell to the ground. Sparks flew from the crackling wood and leaves, the impact sending them whirling and dancing through the air. It might be a while before the unconscious man woke back up again, and even when he did Jesse was happy to let him suffer a little longer. The vampire, muttering to the Salamander on his shoulder, circled the fallen tree and stamped out all the little, miniature fires started by the stray sparks.

It wasn’t beyond Jesse to allow the fire to get out of hand – if his antics did indeed start a raging forest fire it wouldn’t concern him. He’d hike to the nearest hill or tall building to watch the destruction with glee.

For now, there was no raging forest fire. There was an unconscious man waiting to be tortured and… and a stranger, suddenly invading Jesse’s space and asking about barbeques she had not been invited to. There was a barely contained growl, Jesse only half turning to the stranger. Beneath his hood would be seen only mouth and chin, part of the nose, all revealed by the warm crackling glow of the fire.

”Private party. No one was invited,” he said, eyes narrowing at the woman. Trying to figure her out. He summoned and played with the shadows around him, making sure that his face remained as hidden as possible, the gloves on his hands hiding the identifying tattoos – though that didn’t hide those that crept up from beneath the collar of his hoodie. At least the glaring, obvious ‘21' on his cheek remained obscured.

[Mardvosa (DELETED 9357)]

It was as if the words 'private party' only made her more eager to be a nuisance, yet the lack of fear or reaction from the hooded person, along with the strange aura, meant that they were likely a vampire, themselves. And as much as this side of her was a psychopath, there was a strange and sickly appreciation for the man's handiwork. Enough to make her so curious as to not get in his way. "Well, I was going to enjoy myself, invitiation or not... and you don't see -that- every day." She motioned to the man's heavily burned feet with a gleeful grin, then glanced to the hooded figure, trying to get a glimpse of his full face, with little success. "Don't worry, I don't care for the who or why, this is obviously rather personal. Though, if I can smell the fire from the city, that means others will too, and soon. So perhaps I'll have a good hunt today, after all... did you pick a spot upwind? Hmh."

Calmly and gracefully, as if not even worried for the vampire's ire, she began to climb a tree to sit on one of it's thick branches, and swung her legs back and forth nonchalantly and amusedly as she briefly scanned the horizon. "Though if you feel like pouring your heart out dear, by all means. I -do- love a good story..."

[Jesse Fforde]

The necromancer was tense as the other woman smoke, that sweet tone of hers sickening, cloying. Oh, how he disliked people who assumed they had the right to do and be where they wanted. But who could he judge? He did the same thing, though not in such an invasive, cloying way. One would never catch him speaking to others like this woman was speaking to him. Unless he was going to kill them, of course.

Jesse glanced back at the unconscious man and his charred feet.

"Every second day, maybe," he said. The bodies of the burnt and charred lived in Jesse's dreams. They weren't nightmares. They were dreams. Fire lived in Jesse's blood; it had summoned the fae creature to his side, the salamander's tail twitching now in response to their company. "And my heart is fine right where it is. People burn their garden waste every day. The fire isn't big. Yet. If you'll allow me to get on with my work, alone, I'd appreciate it," he said. He asked nicely. For now. Nice wasn't exactly Jesse's forte -- it swelled from him like volcanic ash, and tasted bitter upon the tongue.

The salamander on Jesse's shoulder always ran a little hot -- but he started to grow hotter. Mandy fed on Jesse's emotions, on his anger -- it wasn't a good sign for anyone nearby when the little lizard started to overheat.

[Chauncy (DELETED 9600)]

Her black pupils were almost concealed by the dark hues of her eyes, as they were choked out and made into obsidian pinpoints. The lights in the room were too much, even though they dimly glowed. Grabbing the nearest object to her, that being a book left unattended by its reader on a nearby table, Chauncy threw it. The book hit its intended target and knocked a lamp over, causing it to crash to the floor. The room was then agreeably less bright.

Her lips set into a smirk, while turning away from the lamp. The newly turned vampire had been spending most of her time in the lobby of an apartment building. Which was an oddity of its own; a building of flats in the middle of a quarantined zone surrounded by abandoned buildings and zombies.
Those that lived there had little care for who or what made their home in the common areas; such as herself. This was something that she didn’t question, but made full use of to her advantage. The couches there, after all, were very comfortable. The one downside was that it was often too crowded for her liking. During those moments, she would take solace in the woods.

The woods. She had been warned not to venture too far into them or at the very least, to do so during certain times. Not that she was the type to go against advice, but her need to get away often offset the fear of what she was being warned away from. It just so happened, that this was one of those nights.

She could feel the anxiety build as her space became more and more invaded. Her dark eyes cut over to the man who was looming over the ATM, nearby. His back was turned to her. It was obvious that he worried about someone seeing his transaction, as he kept his shoulders hunched over and would every now and then, nervously look over his shoulder at the others in the lobby. Which was just her and two others. Chauncy wished that he would hurry up and get out of there, but he didn’t…He stood there, hunched over, peering over his shoulder. Scratching at her arms, she knew she had to get out of there.

The sounds of the woods seemed to amplify the moment the sun disappeared and the moon rose into the night sky. The croaking of frogs, chirping of crickets and the stirrings of night creatures permeated the air around her. As she walked further from the path and more into the woods, the less anxiety she felt. There were no harsh lights, sounds or people to desecrate her senses. That was, until she caught the scent of smoke and something else. Her nose wrinkled up as she got a full sniff of burned flesh. It was rather unpleasant and pungent. Was this one of the things that she should was warned about? Looking around, she could faintly see the silhouettes of trees and foliage illuminated from a fire that seemed to be to the east of her. She had to admit, her curiosity often got the best of her. This moment wasn’t going to be an exception.

Slowly and carefully she made her way toward the smell and glow. Her eyes constantly moving back and forth, on guard. Every now and then she would hear something and duck behind a nearby tree. Once she felt secure again, she would continue until she could finally make out voices. There were two. A man and a woman. Chauncy moved closer, but each of her steps were calculated so that she remained in the shadows and minimal sound was made.

Eventually she could see that there were more than two there. There was three. The silent one seemed to be what she was smelling the most. He was obviously not there on his own accord and by the looks of him, he was either going to be the entertainment or dinner.

[Mardvosa (DELETED 9357)]

Despite this side of her enjoying the playful toying with potential prey, there was no telling of the strength of this other, unfamiliar vampire. She longed to learn more from an equal-footed fight, but it was a bad idea to make an enemy out of what might be a much older, stronger vampire. "Oh very well..." she sighed, conceding after just a few more minutes of being a nuisance that this was something best left untouched. At least, for now... Her eyes briefly rolled to the back of her head, turning white as snow, she glanced over the woodlands, strange ghostly figures seemed to fill in blanks in her mind as she saw the vague outlines of misty, armed men scouring the woods with purpose. She did not receive such omens often, but there was always a hint of truth to them. Though wether what she saw was past or future, she couldn't know.

(RP power: Soothsayer)

"But don't say I didn't warn you. I feel... people are still looking for your little piggy. Perhaps that's why he still clings to the hope that he'll make it out alive? Mmh. Just food for thought. And speaking of food..." she hopped from the tree branch to the floor, landing with a soft thud between the twigs and leaves, glancing around like a predator on the prowl. The branch she had been sitting on was now strangely withered and black, and where she had been standing minutes before were now decrepit remains of plantlife that crisped underfoot. Steadily, she stalked onwards to go and see what, or whom, the smoke might lure in, sticking to cover, yet within line of sight of the vampire and his prey. She was too curious not to be a witness to what this strange pyromaniac might do to his prey next...

[Jesse Fforde]

At this point, Jesse’s lips did curl. This little piggy might have other people looking for him but who was Jesse to be fearful? Sure, yes, these people had succeeded in taking him prisoner once before, but their precious laboratory had gone up in flames while he and his lovely wife had violently taken out a number of their soldiers and scientists. And, since then, Jesse had only managed to grow stronger, to better hone his abilities.

”Did you stop to think that perhaps I want his friends to find him? If one little piggy won’t give me the answers I require, maybe his friends will. There’s always a weak one…” he said. Though, he was starting to regret turning this open space into his playground. It would probably have been better to stick to a concealed basement somewhere, where he would not be interrupted. As calm as Jesse’s words may have sounded, however, the salamander on his shoulder was leeching on the frustration and anger – he caught on to Jesse’s wild desires. Especially the desire to burn this whole forest to the ground, with everyone still in it.

The fire Fae lit up with glee – he did not care that he was perched on a vampire’s shoulder. Flames sprouted from the creature’s skin like the whole time it had been oozing fuel and something had set it alight. The flames scorched Jesse’s skin, caught on to the fabric of the hood which he was forced to throw back and clutch at to keep it from setting his whole body alight. Like a miniature dragon, the Salamander let loose little balls of fire which exploded on the ground near his visitor’s feet; it found kindling in the shrubbery, catching hold of any dry dead thing so that the flames could grow and roar. Now, no tree was safe. Now, that forest fire Jesse had tried to contain was an inevitability. He cursed under his breath and took a step back and away from the fire, a glance spared for the victim tied to the tree. He’d twitched, and now was awake and screaming.

Jesse had lost control of the situation, but that didn’t stop him from advancing upon the victim, knife in hand, pressing the tip to the man’s torso.

”This is your last chance to tell me…” he growled.

“PRYKE!” the man shouted, as if in his dreams he’d concluded that death was not a good option. “PRYKE, HER NAME IS PRYKE! Please of the love of ******* god let me go, please let me go…” he begged. Jesse laughed, the sound sinister and jubilant.

He cared not one jot who was watching. There was something about the blood of a burned man – like it had been smoked. It was a delicacy. Without a second thought, Jesse’s teeth sunk into the flesh of his neck. Blood – it was the be all and end all.

[Chauncy (DELETED 9600)]

One of the figures, which was previously perched in a tree, jumped down and started to walk away after what seemed to be an exchange of words with the one standing, and whom Chauncy could now make out as a hooded person. The silhouette of the one leaving became clearer with each step in the direction of where Chauncy watched. The way the person walked, added with the person’s size and shape, gave evidence that she was female. The other had a larger frame, and even though he was hooded, it was likely that he was male. The one tied to the tree, was still undetermined.

“Что, черт возьми*?” She whispered, unable to hold back her words due to bewilderment.

Chauncy leaned against the tree that she was hiding behind, watching as the fiery scene unfolded, or rather, became unleashed before her disbelieving eyes. Pulling a little harder at the shadows around her, she did her best to keep herself concealed.

There seemed to be something glowing on the shoulder of the hooded man and then within moments the very hood that shrouded him was set on fire. The man seemed to be a lot calmer about his clothing being on fire than Chauncy could have ever had been. Just the thought of it sent a shiver up her spine.

Then within the same breath of that moment, a fire ball was thrown from the red glow on the man’s shoulder. Her eyes were wide and she moved to the tree in front of her, getting closer. The bushes in front of the person tied to the tree, and all around him, had caught fire. The other man had leaped forward, perching himself upon him. He also seemed to be holding something against the bound man’s chest. From the way that he was holding it, there was no doubt that it was a knife of some sort.

Having forgotten about the woman that had taken off in her direction, she moved to another tree that was closer, watching and listening. She heard the now unhooded man yelling at the other, but was unable to make out what he was saying. It wasn’t because he was speaking in English, but rather, it was because he was still too far away.

Staying in the sanctuary of the shadows, she ventured forward with stealthy steps, being careful not to make a sound. Being able to close in another yard or two, features such as hair and clothing color could now be made out. The person tied to the tree was a man. The thing that sat on the other’s shoulder looked almost like a type of lizard or small dragon on fire. Chauncy watched as the hooded man leaned in closer. The smell of blood was an enough of a hint, to know that he was feeding on the poor sap.

She pushed the tip of her tongue against one of the sharp points of her fangs; the smell was delicious.

*translation: What the ****?

[Mardvosa (DELETED 9357)]

Her amber eyes glittered upon sight of the small, burning serpentine creature, with an expression of wonder. What -was- that little devil, and how did a vampire manage to tame it, or perhaps at least befriend it? It mattered little, as a small fireball landed in the withered plantlife she left behind, causing it to violently light aflame in a path behind her, as if eeriely highlighting this strange curse. Briefly, she cackled amusedly as she watched the spectacle unfurl, and the now hoodless man bite into his whimpering victim, that had now shouted a name. The scene had sparked on her inner pyromaniac, for as the flames began to lick behind her feet of the burning, withered plants, she began to entertain herself by humming an eerie tune and skipping through the woods in an outward spiral around the hoodless man and his prey. Plants and tree bark swiftly dried out and died behind her and caught on fire not much later as she was creating an outward going trail that, to her, was incredibly beautiful. A spiral of fire would soon begin to surround the hoodless man with his creature, leaving an escape path with fire on every side.

During her intense amusement, she even merrily skipped past a hiding person, not even stopping to have a double take. This was -far- too entertaining. "Enjoy the show.", she muttered to the hiding figure as she continued to merrily and eeriely hum a tune as she skipped through the woodlands that were dying behind her. It was as if she was entranced, smiling brightly and unable to take her eyes off the flames as things steadily went out of control.