Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Dez's phone rang, and suddenly everybody looked at him.

"Who is it?" Miranda asked quickly.

"Uh... I'll check," he said, as he pulled out his mobile to see who the caller was. "Oh my God, It's Rachel."

He answered the call, and spoke into the phone.

"Rachel! Rachel! Are you there!?" he asked urgently.

"Yes," she replied, her voice weak and trembling. "I'm okay."

"Where's Uncle Richard?!"

"Dead," she said, the sound of her crying coming through the phone. "He told me to run, and I did, but, but, he stayed and made sure they wouldn't come after me. They killed him Dez! They f**king killed him!"

The color drained from his face, and he felt anger course through him. The last living relative he had was dead, and those who did it were going to pay, and he would be the one to make them feel pain.

"Okay, where are you?" he asked, his voice cold.

"Uhh, just outside the city I think."

"Okay, I'll send you my position, and you can come here to meet us. Just be quick. Love you."

"Love you too... see you soon."

OOC: Can we postpone the whole beating up shenanigans for tomorrow? I have a post I want to include but I have no time tonight. I'm giving something personal one more do or die attempt, and then I'm done. Catch you on the flip side.

@ ghosty...no problem,and best of luck....

@ Nachos & Kais...just so you know...you don't have to rush to the theater imediatly...Chadwick gave the Hunters 24 hours to show...The Hunter reinforcements landed around Midnight....you guys have until Midnight the following day to attempt rescue.

Scarlett stared at Victoria her mouth agape with shock to be this close to her enemy once again. Her mind was racing after imagining this meeting for oh so long, but all she could think about was Olivia's final gasp before she decayed to dust in the grip of Victoria. She feel the anger burn in her blood and her cheeks flushed red as her heart pumped the blood in her system on impulse.

"Upset still? Oh dearest I killed that brat over five hundred years ago. You really need to find some perspective."

"Don't call me that, you lied to us, you..."

Victoria sharp laugh cut Scarlett off, and the Elder Vampire stepped over to a pile of documents, picking up a folder and tossing it over her shoulder as she sat down on the stool beneath.

"You try to label me with Human emotion, you are still a childe yourself, you have not learned to steel yourself from their pathetic concerns."

"You killed my love!" Scarlett snarled.

Scarlett watched as Victoria's lip curled in anger and she felt the the sudden force of a impact as Victoria pinned her to the table by the throat, she hadn't even seen her move. She tried to fight her off but the Elder was too strong, Victoria placed her knee on Scarletts abdomen and leant back towering over her with a quickly forming sneer.

"There is no love you foolish girl, there never has been, its all a trick to hold this fractured world together, you shame yourself as one of the blood for clinging to something so weak."

"You have no heart" Scarlett spat trying to force her off to no avail.

Victoria paused as if thinking the question over in her mind, her eyes darkening.

"You don't need one when everything you know betrays you. You really want to know who I am childe, where this old blood comes from?"

Scarlett didn't answer, she just sat there frozen as Victoria lifted herself off and stalked over to the doorway. Victoria looked back, her eyes narrowing.

"It was a punishment for doing a deal with a arrogant fool, I have suffered with this curse for too long. I can barely remember those old days, before when I called a home in Shadow, in a place I have long since forgotten they called me Lilith." she said quietly, malice twisting in the air as she uttered the name.

"That cannot be."

"Oh I assure you it is, and Humanity will find its reliance on the blood of Adam to be their undoing. That would be where you come in."

Scarlett looked at Victoria as she moved back toward her slowly. She could see the hunger in her eyes.

"What did you do to me?"

Victoria chuckled as she stepped forward, a shake of the head to taunt her and let her know she was still clutching at straws, she was wrong. Her mind tried to find a solution, there was no chance to defeat her directly, and her eyes strayed on her sires folder. She stared at it as the information within struck her, and her head snapped back to glare at Victoria.

"Longinous was right, this isn't about me, its about my sire."

Victoria stopped her advance and laughed as she drew the shadows in from the corners of the room. She focused on a small shadow that spiralled into her palm and elogated into a thin blade.

"Yes, this is about your Sire. I could not track him down, no one has been able to, but with the boon I granted you via the mark, much like your brothers and sisters I have already reclaimed, the blood is strong enough to release my curse."

Scarlett looked down at the mark touching the serpent.

"This was to make me stronger?"

Victoria grinned.

"With the boon the blood combined with the blood of all the others he had embraced, grants me enough strength to shatter the bonds placed upon me. I should have never made that deal with him, he changes his name with the winds, he hides in places I cannot find, pehaps part of my curse. It had taken me centuries, but you dear Elizabeth are the last of Caine's direct childer."

Scarlett couldn't take it in, it seemed madness, she was a toy to older creatures beyond her comprehension, she could see Victoria's muscles tense.

"The game ends Elizabeth. My dearest, it is time for me to return home and once there I will track that cur down for his 'little' deal that cursed me and I shall make all the children of Adam pay for the humiliation I have suffered."

Scarlett burned the blood in her veins and darted up as Victoria lunged forward, she snatched out and grasped the jar, jumping above the shadow blade that shattered the monitor behind her and kicked off the wall above the computer table as Victoria crashed through it.
Landing behind the Elder and near the door she threw the jar and drew a pistol, as Victoria turned she focused on the jar sailing towards her chest with a look of confusion. A lone pistol shot rang out and the room exploded with flame.

Scarlett scrambled up the stairs, the screaming from below echoed up after her and she ran for the exit burning blood to enhance her speed. Shadows suddenly slashed out, tripping her, but missed with direct strikes. Pulling herself up onto her knees she turned back to see wind and shadow blatting out the flames on Victoria as she staggered forward out of the blazing room below, as the flames died out the wind and shadow seemed to fall away.
Scarlett could see Victoria was badly burned across the neck, chest and the left side of her face. The elder screamed out with a mixture of anger and pain as she tried to clench her burned fingers. Fire was spreading into the chamber through the doorway and Scarlett watched fearfully as her ancient foe tried to draw the shadows in around her again.

Nothing was happening, Victoria's brow furrowed with concentration, but still they didn't come.

"No matter I can defeat you without them!"

Scarlett felt trapped in a heartbeat, a moment of throught, if she ran Victoria, Lilith would keep coming, she now knew she was more than a Vampire, this had to end one way or the other. This was the best chance she would ever have. She let a vision of Olivia's face cross her mind and then with a scream of anger she lunged forward toward Victoria, the two Vampires focused on the destruction of the other as they charged fangs bared.

[There you go FITZZ, fates in your hands now, due to the massive damage Victoria just took, which would have killed a lesser Vampire, for a short while at least they are on an equal standing.

I look forward to seeing the result of the combat. ]

Hmm, lot's of time to plan then...

... but I have a feeling that when we do, at least one person will die...

@ MDS...Fantastic RP my friend...I will be doing combat resolution and event write up in a bit.

@ Kais...I would say the odds are good that a few people will be dying...

Player Event Combat Resolution...

.... Her rage fully unleashed,Scarlett drove forward against Victoria pinning the surprised elder against a now smoldering wall..." This ends now!!" she roared tearing at her makers throat...
Victoria recoiled quickly...a look of almost human fear passing over her features for a brief instant,the childe had actually startled her ..and managed,amazingly to hurt her...she one again attempted to draw on her powers...trying to pull forth the shadows to aid her...but the flames had weakened her...and to her surprise..the childe struck again...

Victoria found herself crashing onto the stairwell...." This ..can not be.." she whispered to herself...moving swiftly to her feet,she turned as Scarlett pressed her advantage forward,landing alongside her and lashing out once again...
The elder vampire managed to dodge the younger ones blow and summoning all of her streagth ,struck out at the impuetent childe who dared to lay hands on her...

Scarlett felt herself thrown back as if struck by a runaway freight train...the agony exploded inside her as she collided with a stone wall and rebounded onto the now smouldering staircase,lifting her head feeling the blood stream from her mouth she saw Victoria advancing towards her...the elders face twisted into a mask of fury and hate...Scarlett found she did not care..."let it end.." she thought to herself..."let it all end..."

" On your feet my dearest.." Victoria spat..her fangs bared...her eyes alight with malice..." It is time ...time you discover your place in the grand scheme of things..." Victoria's eyes narrowed as Scarlett rose to her feet...glaring at the elder.." Come then...!!" Scarlett bellowed in defiance...Victoria smiled and took a step forward...

...With a thunderous crash...the stairwell before Scarlett collapsed in a searing flash of flame and smoke...for a brief instant...Victoria hung suspended in air...a dark angel held aloft above a swirling sea of flame...her eyes glared into Scarlett's marking her..pierceing her very soul...then Victoria was falling...slowly into the flames bellow...with one last look into Scarlett's eyes...she disappeared into the fire...

Scarlett pushed her self back...attempting to reach the safety of the concrette area above...she managed one shaky step...then the remaining stairs bellow her fell away...and she felt the inferno bellow licking at her body as she began to fall...

The world around her moved as though frozen...she hung above the flames...accutely aware of their searing embrace...the sounds of wood scorching and popping drifted through her ears...the pain of the flames enveloping her didn't matter anymore...it was over...it was done....Scarlett closed her eyes...prepared to meet the flames...

...Then...she felt herself rising....rapidly...a small window exploding around her as suddenly she was drawn into the cool night air...the agony of her seared flesh ripping through her as the winds battered her form..." ...Angels?..." Scarlett thought briefly..."surely not..."....she opened her eyes..

A powerful hand was clasped round her wrist....she saw that the form holding her was moving high above Empire City...perhaps it was Victoria...perhaps she had escaped the flames...Scarlett once again found she didn't care...

....Her eyes opened...how much later she could not say....she knew only that she was in a dimly lit room...laying on an antique sofa...
" Rest childe.." a voice came drifting to her...Not Victoria...Scarlett thought...but an ancient...she could sense it...Scarlett forced her self to sit...the pain wracking her body...

" I said you should rest...but I see you will be difficult.." The voice sighed..." Like all children I suppose..."
" Who...where.." Scarlett whispered...her head pounding...
" Where..?...My home...one of my homes is what I should say...Who?...I am Nero..I witnessed your...confrontation with Lilith...and...felt I would...aid you.." said the voice..
" Destroyed...she is destroyed.." Scarlett said...
" No...no childe...she continues.." Answered Nero
Scarlett stared up at the ancient..." She went into the flames...I saw her..."
" Lilith endured much worse in the past...and emerged from it...she will do the same this time as well...though...for now...she will retreat to heal..." Nero said.." In the meantime...you must regain your streagth.." the ancient Vampire tore at his wrist and offered it to Scarlett...she stared at the crimson flowing from the ripped flesh for a moment...then wrapped her lips around the wound...feeling power surge through her...

After a moment,Nero pulled away.."enough childe...that's quite enough for you.."
Scarlett stared at the ancient..." You say Victoria is alive...how do you know...?"
Nero laughed..." I know childe...I feel her..." he handed Scarlett a stack of charred folders...." I belive these were of some interest to you...perhaps they still are..."
Scarlett looked at the folders containing the information she'd been seeking and slowly took them from Nero...
" Rest now childe.." The ancient said..." You will be safe here...I must go for a while...but I shall return shortly..."
" But I.." Scarlett began....but Nero was gone already...
Scarlett closed her eyes....she could feel herself healing ...she would rest for now...


Ok...Combat done...

Victoria is burnt to a crisp...but still alive,she managed to escape the flames and is now hidden away healing...will she return.???...that remains to be seen...

Scarlett suffered 2 wounds...one from Victoria's vicious blow and one from being badly burned...but is already on the mend thanks to the infusion of Nero's blood...

...And...speaking of Nero....is he friend or foe to Scarlett?...that to remains to be discovered....

Scarlett lay in her thoughts as she felt the blood slowly knit her wounds back together, Nero's blood was very potent and for his aid she was thankful. She was not sure why, but she could cross that bridge another night, had he wanted her dead, she would be so already.

She'd done it, for this first time since this whole madness had begun, she had stood up against her ancient foe, not just stood up, she had defeated her. It felt good to have driven her back into the dark, now it was her turn to lay in the depths of the shadow, trying to repair grevious wounds. This probably wasn't the end, she guessed nero was correct in his knowledge, but this time she finally knew the truth. Victoria, no, Lilith, she had time to prepare, to learn a better way of standing against her and maybe the next time, it would be Lilith's ashes scattering to the winds.

As her mind skipped into the murkiness of sleep, she pondered Nero, she now owed him a big favour, but that could wait for a new dusk, she needed time to heal, for this first time in centuries, she could truly rest.


[Cheers for that write up FITZZ, awesome stuff.

I'm so glad Scarlett survived the fight, hopefully with some luck, she'll see the second Blood Moon story yet. ]

"So, we'll toss some grenades in before we move in. Miranda said she had some stuff made for vamps especially." Andy pointed to a blueprint of the theater.

"Hmmm..." Trask's thumb settled below his chin, "and you said something about flashbangs?"

"Yes." Andy settled back in a chair, "We were ambushed by some vamps and they were using some sort of mind control. Vegas and I were protected by our talismans, Colt on the other hand... got possessed. I threw a flashbang and it disoriented the hell out of the vamp so much he left his gas form."

"That's always the worst possible threat." Trask placed both hands on the table as he looked over the map, "Those ancients learn some deadly tricks, make it real difficult to get at them."

"I wanted to blow the place to hell, hopefully collapse it on top of them and hold them long enough for the sun to rise." Andy said, "But with them holding a hunter hostage I'm not too sure."

"You attracted to her?" Trask asked.

"Not really." Andy shrugged.

"Then let's blow the building." Trask eyed Andy.

"...Its not that." Andy paused, "Its the fact that I lost nearly an entire chapter the first night I took charge, that and I promised her that we'll take out Pontius to make up for Colt's death."

"So, you want to keep her alive so you can get revenge?" Trask shook his head, "We do a serious job here, we're not here to get revenge or for personal goals."

"My goals the same as yours." Andy looked Trask in the eyes, "I just have different methods of achieving it. Sure the Order says that our lives of expendable, but just because the farm's for sale it doesn't mean we have to buy it."

"I'm with him on that one Trask." Jimbo chuckled, "I don't want to bale hay for all of eternity."

"It's safer to blow up the building and save all of our lives than to risk all of our lives for her's you know." Trask tried to find out if Andy had a conflict of interest in the situation.

"I don't have the right to make her buy the farm for us, that's for her to decide." Andy replied and sat forward, his hands emphasising his points, "I don't want to blow the building up, not because I'm in fething love with her. I don't want to blow it up because now I want to make sure that those vamps don't leave with any information. That and I know she's going to be fething pissed and up for round two should we get out of this thing alive."

"Still hard to see how you can say that you want to try to keep us all safe and then turn around and say you want to risk all of our lives for one." Trask shook his head again.

"Well." Andy leaned closer to the table, "A bomb can't tell us that every vampire was killed, it can't tell us what information they may have learned, and it sure as hell can't guarantee a 100% success rate. I made this plan in desperation, remember it was only the kid, Miranda, and myself against a group of ancients. Hell if you guys hadn't come along I may have been forced to blow the building up with her inside. It would've been hard, but it would've been the best option."

"We'll go ahead and go in." Trask sighed, "You're right about making sure that everyone of those vampires is killed. I hope that you're not infatuated with this girl, it affects judgement and gets people killed."

"So what if the guy's in love?" Jimbo clapped his large hand on Andy's back, "He's right about not having the right to sentence her to death, and hell a damsel in distress is a nice incentive."

"Ahem." Wendy got their attention and pointed to herself.

"We never have to rescue you Wendy my dear." Jimbo smiled.

"Well the fact that you haven't asked Smalls or I about our thoughts about this is what bothers me." Wendy crossed her arms.

"Well?" Andy asked.

"We agree." Wendy looked at Smalls who just nodded.

"Does he ever talk?" Andy whispered to Jimbo.

"He's a bit shy around new people, but he does his job with no problem." Jimbo said.

"So what now?" Trask interjected.

"We wait." Miranda entered the garage with Dez, "He got into contact with Rachel so we'll wait for her to get here. In the mean time we can get just relax, I'm sure your trip here wasn't exactly restful."

"Good idea." Jimbo sat down and kicked the chair back on its rear two legs, "That helicopter was cramped."

"Anything's cramped to you." Wendy joked as she also sat down and winked at Andy.

"Did you catch that?" Andy whispered to Miranda, "I think she has a thing for me and we've known each other for a whole twenty minutes."

"Don't be so conceited." Miranda said as she walked away to talk with Derek.

Dez sat i the corner, alone. He heard Andy talking about how he promised Vegas that they would get revenge for Colt, and that is exactly the same thing he wanted. Once again, he was called "the new kid" which was really starting to piss him off. But the one thing he was happy about was that Rachel was alive. Heck, he would be way too reckless if she was dead, and she loved her, which would make it hard to let go. But she was alive, and coming to them right now.

Dez shifted uncomfortably while a thought popped into his head that something could happen to her on the way. Or maybe the vampires were using her to be able to get to him and the other hunters. He shook his head and the thoughts away, they would not help him right now.
The truth was that Rachel was alright, and was coming to help them to destroy the vampires who killed his Uncle.

He hoped.

The group had been sitting around, chatting for awhile and waiting for Rachel. Most of the group used it for recreation; relaxing and talking with each other. Derek and Miranda had wandered off somewhere, presumably to discuss tactics and Derek had told Andy to tell him when Rachel got there as soon as she did.

The station's garage held several news vans, some four door sedans of various colors, and one tow truck next to the hunter's truck and Miranda's van. Dez sat alone in the corner, looking upset about something. Andy figured that not knowing where a loved one is in the riots outside would have that effect on someone. Andy had his own worries though, they would be assaulting a building where the vampires inside knew that they were coming. It was a trap, the vampire in the video acknowledged that fact. Andy began to wonder if Pontius had planned for the hunters to be killed or if he had wanted to capture them and torture them. The thought made Andy shudder, he tortured traitors and those who followed them, but he only had four or so years of experience with it. These ancients probably had countless years of dealing with captives.

Hey Jimbo?" Andy walked over to the giant as he laid in his chair propped up against the wall.

"What can I help you with friend?" Jimbo opened his eyes and smiled.

"Any of your group know how to wire explosives with other electronics?" Andy stood next to Jimbo who sat up in his chair.

"Like a bomb with a cellphone or something?" Jimbo asked.

"I mean something like a pulse sensor." Andy motioned for him to follow and walked over to Miranda's van. AS he opened the door Jimbo's eyes widened.

"Holy hell friend," Jimbo eyed the thermobaric bomb inside the van, "that'll take out entire city blocks."

"It sure will," Andy nodded in agreement, "this is the bomb I'm talking about."

"Andy, you want it rigged to blow with heartbeat sensors?" Jimbo asked as he looked over the bomb.

"Yes." Andy said.

"Why on Earth do you want that?" Jimbo crossed his arms and thought about how they would rig it.

"We don't know what the vamps want to do with us." Andy looked directly at JImbo as he continued to examine the bomb, "If they want to kill us then they can get away, but if we rig the bomb to blow when none of us has a pulse anymore it should get them."

"Alright, we need some sensors though, a sporting goods store should have something we can use." Jimbo nodded as he began to back away from the bomb.

"I also want a timer on it." Andy quickly added, "In case they capture us it'll make sure we die quickly and of course maybe take them with us."

"You'll have to talk to Derek about the timer." Jimbo smiled, "He's good with determining the time it takes to get the job done, he's like Big Ben you know."

"No problem, I'll talk to him about it when Rachel gets here and we finalize some plans." Andy closed the van doors with a whump and let Jimbo get back to laying back in his chair.

...Natasha stood close to Lukos gazing at the now slumbering form of the huge wolf,the two smaller females curled up close to him...
" What shall we do with him now?" Lukos inquired of Natasha,who simply smiled..." We let him rest" she said.." If he departs upon rising...then so be it...one of the females is sure to bear a pure blood sired by him...perhaps they all will"
" ...And should he attack?." Lukos asked staring at the woman.
Natasha laughed " Lukos..certianly you aren't concerned about a mere pup....even one such as ...large as this one.."
"No my queen " Lukos answered " I simply wished to know what you would have us do ....if he becomes a ...problem.."
" If that time comes...I shall deal with him myself....but instict tells me he should adapt ..." Natasha cut her eyes over to Carlos and Davin who were sitting sullenly in a far corner nibbling on the shredded arms of one of the butchered prostitutes as though they were turkey legs..." That is if those two pups don't provoke him.." she continued.
Amanda joined them,catching the end of Natasha's observations..." Don't concern yourself with them" Amanda said " They'll be good little pups..won't you boys?" she inquired jestingly to the two feeding wolves...
" ...Sure...no problem..." Davin said continuing his feast..
But Carlos stood..." I don't like it...the females were ours...and.."
Amanda lashed out...clawing Carlos left eye from it's socket " You will keep your place!!!" she growled..
The big man yelped clasping his hands over the gushing hole where his eye had been and stumbling backwards rapidly...
" I won't be so kind the next time I have to correct you Carlos.." Amanda smiled popping the mans eye into her mouth..." I promise you that.."
The man glared ta Amanda with his remaining eye but kept his mouth closed..
" That's a good boy...go feed...and don't worry about the females...after the Blood Moon...there will be plenty more for you to pick from" said Amanda..
Carlos grudgingly returned to his seat and began to feed again..pausing now and again to wipe at the blood that flowed from his ruined eye socket....

Natasha gathered Lukos and Amanda and sat at the large table..." I know of the location in which Pontius has supposedly taken refuge." Natasha said.." An abandoned theater in Empire City's downtown area..."
" Are you certian that leech is there?" Amanda asked excitement growing in her voice...
" No.." Natasha admitted .." But ...it will be our first target for tomorrow night...after it's been properly scouted of course..."
Lukos smiled .." And I know just the ..scouts we should send..."
Natasha nodded and smiled...

Violence and terror permeated the air like a dark perfume, soaking into the streets and driving the mobs on to greater acts of aggression. Few havens of order existed in the cauldron of black emotions, the few sane places that held out against the disturbed masses of Humanity. The Empire City police station was one of them, surrounded by SWAT officers and riot police, serving as a bastion of sanity in the sea of madness. The choking smog of ash and scorched wood and paper blanketed the city like the embrace of a forceful lover, smothering the life of it's partner. The officers inside planned and worried, attempting to map the tide of chaos that had engulfed their fair city, a futile attempt that yielded no results. Officer McCullen rubbed her forehead, wiping a greasy layer of sweat from her brow as she listened intently to the radio reports. Things looked grim, the riot police had been driven off or killed in many locations, and some reports stated that several officers had even joined the seething throng. The officer sighed. In all her years of service, the last few days took the cake. A rash of strange murders seemed to be the work of werewolves and vampires, and if it was to be believed, Pinkerton himself had been transformed into a vampire himself. True or not, the riots were clearly organized to hit the city where it hurt the most. Virtually all business had been forced to close, shutting down the Empire City economy. Then the fires had started, stripping the city to a charred skeleton, ruining countless lives, and killing just as many. It seemed as if Hell had been unleashed upon Empire City, an all consuming vortex of hatred that threatened to sweep away all that they had achieved. McCullen stared blankly at the wall as the too familiar sound of screaming echoed through the station. A second later, she was out of her chair, her sidearm drawn. The screams came not from the radio, but from outside the station. Through the windows, darkness reigned, the ash and soot of the burning city swirled about like a dervish, blinding those inside to events beyond. The skull-thumping beat of machine guns firing, and a sound not unlike a bag of wet gravel slapping the pavement echoed throughout the building. The doors burst open, and the mangled body of a SWAT officer flew inside, his bowels hanging like morbid snakes from his gut. The acrid smoke trickled inside, darkening the station. Following the body through the door was a mob of men and women, each unnaturally pale and covered in gore, their eyes blazing with madness. Officer Hershell was set upon by a pretty blonde, who fell upon him in a frenzy of biting and clawing, flaying the policeman alive. McCullen raised her pistol and fired, taking a middle-aged man in the center mass, knocking him backwards, but not stopping him. Her fellow officers were in disarray, easy prey for shambling mob, which sank fangs into their throats and drank greedily of their Vitae before finding another victim. The man continued his charge, leaping into the air with surprising speed, knocking McCullen to the floor. Raising her pistol, she blew off his face in a gory smear of blood and bone, but the creature seemed not to notice, and lowered it's ruined face to sink it's fangs into her neck. She screamed as the skull-blades slid into place, the monster's tongue lapping up the gouts of blood that spurted from her wounds. Her body was unwilling to resist, her lifeblood had fled her, and the creature tore her throat open in search of the crimson ichor. Weakly, McCullen tried to push it off to no avail. Her vision dimmed, and with a ragged wheeze, life fled her.

@ Mordo...Very Nice... ...

It seems as though one of the last bastions of civil order against the mayhem taking place in Empire has fallen...

grqvlvakdcjnxbJFHCXLiSAGDC!

Partially Ninja'd.

Give us a mo to edit.

Incidently, Holly is a good guy, as seen soon.

FITZZ wrote: @ Mordo...Very Nice... ...

It seems as though one of the last bastions of civil order against the mayhem taking place in Empire has fallen...

Larvae tend to do that.

Holly opened her eyes. White light stung her eyes, brighter than she could see. Squinting carefully, Holly began to make out shapes, all around her. Blurred bodies sharpened into focus, revealing a grisly scene of horrific proportions. She was lying on her back on a metal table, cold to the touch, and smelling strongly of antibacterial wash. Blinking again, the source of the light was revealed to be a large lamp hanging just above her, flooding her body with luminescence. Where was she? Holly slowly turned her head to the left, and could make out... a large black bag - about 6 feet in length, and with a thick steel zip from the bottom all the way to the top. A body bag, with someone occupying it. Looking to the right, she was met with a similar sight; a man half enveloped with a body bag, his skin pale with the clamour of death, his entire head missing, a slick of dried blood crusted around the ragged tear at the top of his neck. A worse sight was the smaller bag lying next to him, presumably holding his head. Scared, and worried for her life, Holly sat up with a start, throwing the thin sheet covering her from her body, and clutched at her arms, shivering uncontrollably. Her surroundings became fully aware to her now the light was out of her eyes. She was lying in a morgue. It was the only way to describe it, though it was far too large to be such. In reality, she was within a warehouse, just off one of the high streets of Empire; an area of particularly fierce rioting. However, the evil that had occurred here was not of human doing, and Holly, growing colder felt she knew whose it was. Around her, taking up maybe a third of the warehouse floorspace was a screened off area filled with simple steel racks, lined up neatly and in their hundreds. And upon each lay a body. Many were already bagged and tagged by a team of dedicated surgeons, but many more still lay open to the world; bodies mutilated, mangled, torn apart, skin laying in strips across the wrecked rib cages. The work of a monster.

Behind the curtain separating the floor came the moans and cries of many more; the screen was simply separating the dead from the dying, and, sure enough, after a couple of seconds, the curtain as briefly opened in the centre, and a pair of surgeons soaked in blood wheeled a recently deceased through, their faces stony, desensitizing themselves to the horror before them, and focusing on the matter at hand. However, as they moved their load onto one of the awaiting empty tables, one of the men noticed something was wrong with the surroundings, and looked up, to see Holly sitting on the metal tray looking around herself in horror.

"Oh Jesus Christ, get her outta here!"

From nowhere, a young women in Uniform dashed over and gently touched Holly on the arm. She looked over in terror to the distraction. The young women focused her eyes into Hollies, and smiled a tight, mirthless, yet warm and concerned smile.

"Keep looking at me Honey, don't look anywhere else until I say so, yeah that's it, take my hand... no keep on me, good, almost there."

Seconds later Holly was through the curtain and away from the dead. The women who had lead her to safety was a Police Officer, dressed in riot gear, and cradling a smashed arm in a sling. However, though she had been pulled out of the fight engulfing empire, she herself had set to work helping out in the makeshift Hospice anyway she could. Seconds later a doctor raced over, a look of frantic worry painted thickly on his face. He quickly ordered Holly and the Riot Police women into another area; another area curtained off, where the less serious injuries could be treated. A nurse briefly looked Holly over, and read through her chart, with some disbelief.

"Says here you were admitted in here with no pulse. Either our Paramedics aren't on the ball at the moment, or you're a very, very lucky person." The Nurse checked Hollies vitals once more, then, nodding to herself, handed her clothing, and bustled off to check on others, leaving Holly and the Police Women alone.

"The names Lisa by the way."

Holly nodded, but said nothing, images of death still lurking in her head.

"Look, I don't know what's going on out there, but whatever it is, I don't realistically think we're in any real danger here. We're out near the dock yards - away from the carnage, and there's a team of highly trained SWAT guarding us. You don't need to be scared."

Holly looked across again, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Look, don't worry, you're exceptionally lucky to be alive! Most of the people here were attacked by a group of men and women, fething psychos who didn't go down when we put them down, y'know? Still, if it hadn't been for whatever distracted them... I don't think the majority of the people here would be on this side of the screen, if you know what I mean."

Holly felt elation well up inside; she hadn't been the cause of this devastation, it had been others! And so, confidence growing inside, Holly asked cautiously "Did you see what distracted them?"

The corners of Lisa's eyes tightened slightly, and she licked her dry lips nervously.

"Something that I never thought could be possible. But whatever it had been, it tore through our assailants like a knife through butter. Then it disappeared, and...according to this, you were found dead at the scene. Now, I don't quite know what to make of that. A...thing is seen to kill three, maybe four people, and then puff! is gone amongst the piles of dead, and then you're found lying at the centre. I've seen a lot tonight, stuff that's gonna be with me for a long time, but that's the only thing I can't make sense of. How you, a 'normal girl' managed to come out of such a melee unscathed. Quite a feat."

Holly said nothing, and Lisa leaned back in her chair. "Guess we're that little bit luckier than we originally thought..."

Muffled shouting from across the warehouse suddenly escalated, and was followed up by gunshots.

Lisa stood up sharply, hand on her holster. A staccato of fire erupted loud and proud, a cacophony of noise that silenced every shout, every plea for relief within the warehouse, as everyone listened intently, with horror as the Team outside began to scream in agonized horror as they were torn apart, piece by piece. For a brief moment a glimmer of hope held out, like a single candle burning bright; whatever was out there couldn't get in. All the doors were shut, and locked down. There was no feasible way for the monsters that fed on blood to even get in.

Except...

Except the small side door next to the main entrance; it hadn't been locked since the fight had started, as paramedics had been passing through it every several seconds, and now it lay ajar, and the sounds of gurgling and growling came from outside. Lisa swallowed, and began to inch towards the door, her good arm outstretched, reaching for the handle. It was only when she was less than a metre away did she see an obstruction preventing the door closing. One of the SWAT team had tried to get through the door, but had been caught before they could. Now their arm lay across the door frame, stopping the door from closing. Lisa pulled her gun from its holster, and took another careful step forward. it seemed as if the entire hospice were watching her, waiting for her to shut the door. But as she reached out, her hand shaking, a shadow fell across the threshhold, and a gaunt, pale man, soaked in his own blood slowly opened the door, and stared with animalistic hunger at Lisa, it's long fangs glistening with crimson. And then Holly was there, leaping past Lisa with the speed of a bullet, and through the threshold, tackling the creature across the chest, and throwing it clear. Outside a dozen shrieking cries erupted, and the last thing Lisa saw of Holly was her shutting the door behind her, yelling "Even luckier than that."

From outside a Wolfs howl echoed out, long and forlorn, as Holly called for aid in her struggle against a pack of Larvae.

Outside the city, the eyelid of Ryan snapped open, and, without even a second glance, he leapt clean through the window once again, and began bounding purposefully towards the city, accelerating in speed to that of a rushing train.

....We interrupt your normal programing to bring you this special emergency report...

... Good evening..this is Robin Myers reporting live from outside the Mayors office were Chief Deputy Mayor Dallas has just called an emergency meeting with the Governer and his Chiefs of staff...
Early speculations are that the Mayor will be requesting the imediate mobilization of both National Guard and Federal Troops to restore order to the city...which...as you can see by the fires behind me ..is out of control..
Martial Law has been declared...but it seems to have done little to quell the chaos that has broken out throughout the city...
So far 2000 National Guardsmen have taken to the streets to aid the Empire City Police Department...but early reports indicate many more troops will need to be mobilized before order is restored...and..

...I'm getting an update on the situation..Ladies and Gentlemen ...I've been informed that the Empire City Police Station has just been overrun by an apparent mob of rioters...I've lost contact with the field reporter stationed there...but we will certianly keep you updated on this ...stunning turn of events...

Once again the main police station is under siege by a mob of rioters...

Ladies and Gentlemen we urge all of you to please remain calm and stay off the streets until the authorites can restore order....under no circumstances should you venture outside...I repeat...please remain in you homes and allow the proper authorities the freedom of movement the so desperatly need to restore order...

Stay tuned for further developments that we will be bringing you as they become available..

And so it begins...

@ ghosty...

Very nice..I belive Ryan may even bring some "reinforcements " (although he may not be aware of them) along with him.

See that's good ol' Ryan being the alpha there. He leads, they follow. And they'll like it if they know what's good for 'em!

ghosty wrote:See that's good ol' Ryan being the alpha there. He leads, they follow. And they'll like it if they know what's good for 'em!

Heh, I smell an event... ...perhaps even a series of events..

... Natasha stared in silent wonder as Ryan bounded from the floor and dove out the window,tearing off into the night...the female pups,Star and Candi leaping to their feet and preparing to follow..
Again the howl of another filled the night...the sound that had caused Ryan's quick exodus...in the distance...another wolf...entering combat...
Carlos and Davin had moved near the shattered window...their bodies transforming...Carlos had begun to drool as his mouth elongated sprouting a maw of razor sharp fangs....the pups wanted a scrap..

Natasha sniffed the air...her ancient senses detecting the slightest hint of vampiric scent in the winds...she frowned...she doubted it was Pontius...she knew his scent all to well...but some of his minions perhaps...
She gazed at the four young wolves who stood eagerly near the rear window...with a small smile she nodded " Hunt!" she said in the tounge of the wolf...and at once the pack was in motion...bounding across the rear yard ...over the fences and of in the direction of the howls that came out of the night...

The wolf queen turned to Lukos and Amanda ..." Come...we will follow...we aid the pups and the others if they require ..."
The three elder wolves exited the house and climbed into one of the Mercedes outside....gunning the powerful engine they quickly drove towards the docks.

....And we have a combat situation on deck...

Holly,Ryan and the "Pack" will be going against...wait I'll roll for a random number....and it's 11...so 11 Larve..

ghosty...if you'd like to do a pre-fight RP it's all your's...if not I'll do the Combat and write up a bit later tonight..

Holly lammed the door behind her, and turned to face the Larvae. there were eleven, each one more repulsive than the last, deprived, hateful creatures, seeking to murder and drink the blood from anything that moved. Holly began to regret throwing herself in harms way, as the eleven began to circle her, baring their fangs, and hissing deep in their throats. Holly felt the loathing she felt for the vampire at the Diner all those days ago, and felt herself begin to lose control. She had never been able to justify revenge upon him for what he had done to her, she had not been able to vent her rage, until now. Now, there were eleven separate vampires, each as bad as him, each little more than a vessel for her revenge. Holly breathed in deep, letting the repulsive smell wash over her sinuses, and with a howl, she transformed. Whilst she changed, one of the leading Larvae leapt froward, only to be caught mid air by a hand, moving fast as a viper. It was held in place, legs dangling above the ground for several more seconds, pinned in place whilst Hollies claws slowly pushed out of her fingers, and into his throat, before she yanked down hard, tearing his throat, and several lumbers from his spine, clean out. The vampire tried to squeal, but simply crumpled to the ground, foaming gore. With that, the transformed Holly leapt forward teeth bared, a second howl on her lips. She only hoped that Ryan would hear her.

...Ok...so make that 10 Larve vs the Wolves...
Nice intro ghosty...I'll do the whole combat /write up here briefly..

Behind the back wall of the store Andy, Jimbo, and Wendy were out of sight of the rioters and busy trying to pry the door open. Jimbo jammed a crowbar deep into the side of the doorframe and began to pull while Wendy and Andy watched down the alleyways for anything that may get in their way. With a loud snap the lock fell free from the shattered door and clanged on the cement flooring of the store's storeroom. Jimbo pulled the door open and shined in a flashlight, the entire back room was empty of life but filled with boxes of various sports clothing and equipment. An odor of industrial cleaning products wafted through the air and assaulted the collective noses of the hunters.

They walked in and examined boxes before giving up and walking out into the store's salesfloor. The window plating of the storefront was smashed and smoke filtered in from the streets to fill the store. The flashlight's beam became ever more visible as particles drifted in the air. Jimbo pointed over to the jogging section of the store and the group began to move quickly towards it, hoping to avoid attention. Jimbo looked over the brands of pulse monitors before finding one in a garish bright orange box saying that it had blue-tooth compatability in it. Overly geeked out and definitely over priced it would finally serve a purpose by syncing up with a device on the bomb that Jimbo had been working on before they left.

Andy looked around and saw a motorcycle/biking section,

"One second." Andy said as he walked over to the dirt biking clothes, he spotted a black riding suit with blue and grey highlights. He took it off the wall and looked for a size, the one he was holding was too large but the several others behind it were soon being looked over to find a fitting suit. Andy sighed as the closest one to his size was a size too small, he decided that it would be best to get a larger size so he could wear some clothes under it. Suit in hand he moved over to the biking helmets, tried one on and liked it so much he just decided to keep it on.

"Why are you wearing a helmet?" Wendy asked while Jimbo sorted through pulse monitors.

"Its part of the plan." Andy's smile covered by the lower part of the helmet.

"What plan involves motorcycle helmets?" Wendy cocked her head trying to figure it out.

"The kind of plan where we deliver a bomb in a van at high speeds." Andy looked at Jimbo.

"That's good thinking," Jimbo pulled a final monitor off of the racking, "hopefully it'll be enough protection from road rash."

As the trio left the way they came several rioters saw the beam of the flashlight coming from the store and decided to check it out.

...Mmmk..Combat resolution is done....ended rather quickly,and quite savagely I might add...I'll be doing the write up in a minute.

Player event/Combat resolution...

... With an ear splitting roar Holly tore into the nearest Larve spilling it's insides onto the tarmac and ripping it's head from it's body in a series of fluid motions...landing in a crouch,the she-wolf whirled and prepared to lunge again as the remaining Larve decended on her...
Lashing out with claw and fang,the Larve charged in ...Holly roared in pain as the heavily muscled flesh of her midsection tore open and she felt herself being buried under a writhing sea of grasping vampires...somewhere in her beastial mind...she realized she was going to die...

A Roar filled the air as a fur covered behemoth charged from the darkness,hitting the group of Larve like a nightmare locomotive...in a blink of an eye the huge wolf had ripped two of the stunned creatures to pieces...scattering their torn and broken forms to the wind as the others recoiled in shocked surprise...

Ryan crouched low besides Holly protectively snarling at the remaining Larve who paused for a moment then continued their attack spurred on by their numerical advantage and the desire to spill blood,the Larve swarmed the huge wolf ripping into his throat and upper body...the beast stood to it's full hiegth roaring defiantly at it's attackers...in one swift motion the wolf grasped the nearest creature by the skull with it's powerful claws and crushed it's head as though it were a rotted melon..

The remaining Larve stepped back...unsure as to how to proceed ...when from the gloom a long piercing howl rose and a pack of wolves exploded into view charging headlong towards the vampires..
At once the Larve turned...attempting to retreat...but they were far to slow...the sprinting pack of wolves rapidly overtook them and in a fury of claws and fangs all of the Larve were torn apart save one who managed to slash into Carlos throat and retreat up the hill....only to run directly into the smiling faces of Natasha ,Lukos and Amanda...

The Wolf queen drug the hissing vampire back to were the other wolves stood licking their wounds and shreading the forms of the fallen Larve...grasping the sole remaining creature by it's throat,Natasha lifted it into the air..

" Where is your master ?...Where is Pontius?..." The wolf queen snarled at the thrashing creature in her grasp..
The Larve hissed and spat obcenities at Natasha...but would not answer...
The wolf queen tightened her grip..." I ask you again...for the last time...where is your master?"
The creature hissed,it's eyes rolling in it's head..." Master ...gone...out of your reach wolf b****..." the Larve gurgled..
Natasha shook her head flinging the Larve to the ground..." Destroy that...thing.." she said to Lukos,who quickly tore the gasping creatures head from it's body...

The young wolves in the pack had caught wind of the wounded in the nearby hospice and begun to advance on the structure...with a roar Natasha ordered them to leave the humans inside be.." You may feed later.." she said " For now we see to our own."

The wolf queen moved closer to were Holly lay...looking compasionatly at the wounded wolf..." We can help you...we can take you somewhere safe.." she said..." The choice is yours.."


Ok...all of the larve were killed.

Holly took a severe wound.
Ryan took a wound
Carlos took a wound.