Old pains and sweet revenge

[Ves]

(( Seems everyone’s creative juices are flowing lately, so I decided it was about time I got round to writing up exactly what Meph’s been getting up to lately since he’s been far too busy to venture out to GG, so here ya go. ))

Old pains and sweet revenge

Ves stalked silently through his home, the peace and quiet doing nothing to ease the sense of guilt he was feeling after the recent events with Cloe.
Opening the door to the room he shared with Nyu brought a slight smile to his face as he looked in on her sleeping soundly, their son Tommy curled up in bed beside her, his favourite action figure clutched tightly in his hands.

Not wishing to disturb their rest he closed the door softly and headed down-stairs for the kitchen. His paced slowed as he approached the study when he noticed a faint sliver of light fighting back the darkness of the night from under the door.
As he gave the door in question a shove the gloom all but vanished to reveal Mephiston surrounded by maps, books and newspapers from all around the world, some yellowed and damaged with age to the point of being on the verge of crumbling to dust if due care wasn’t taken in their handling.
Meph looked up when his solitude was interrupted, his hand reaching instinctively for the sword by his side, though he relaxed when he saw who had entered.

Pulling a thin cigar from his mouth, Meph nodded politely “Sorry if I woke you Ves, coffee?” he asked as he lifted pot from the heating plate by his desk and poured himself a mug “I’ve been a little busy with my work, lost track of time. It’s not too late I hope”

There was a rush of disturbed air as Ves super-speeded to the kitchen and back to fetch himself a mug, the only indication of him having moved at all was the trail of smoke from Meph’s cigar having changed direction from vertical to horizontal for a second, “Sure, wasn’t planning on sleeping much tonight anyway, not since Tommy stole my side of the bed anyway. So what are you working on, and is there anything I can do to help while I’m here?”

After pouring Ves a mug of coffee, Meph passed a thick pad with hand written notes filling it from cover to cover across the desk, his face a mask of hatred “I think I’ve finally found her”

“Found who? You’ll have to excuse my ignorance, but after what I’ve been through lately my system’s a little screwy and recollection isn’t quite up to its usual standard. Care to refresh my memory?

“The one who made me into what I am. The one who used my innocence like a play thing and then tore it apart 371 years ago. And now, after all this time I think I’ve finally found her, and if I’m right, there is going to be a reckoning.”

“But I thought you’d sworn an oath to never kill again and forsake blood, doesn’t that kind of stop you getting your own back?”

Meph laughed quietly, though there was no humour in the sound, only a faint hint of the deep rooted hatred that burned within him “Not quiet, I swore to forsake blood, that much is true, but the other part of my oath relates only to the lives of the innocent, which this bitch most certainly is not.”

Together the pair passed several hours going over the facts that Meph had managed to gather already, working out possible courses of action to take next and going over what Mephiston intended to do once he’d finally faced his maker
“Well all my sources tell me she’s building herself a happy little family somewhere in Poland, out of the way enough to stay off most radars, but with all the methods of searching available in this city if you just know who to ask there’s not much chance of staying hidden for long if someone really wants to find you. Once I can confirm her actual location I’ll be taking a little trip to see her, and then I’ll make sure she never does to anyone else what she did to me.”

[Ves]

Ves stalked home moodily, taking the time to subdue a few of the rowdy Freakshow on his way to lift his spirits. Jane wanted to kill someone, that was unexpected. Understandable all things considered, but still something he'd never thought he'd hear her say.

Taking his keys from his pocket he quietly unlocked the front door and silently slipped inside, trying hard not to wake anyone as he made his way to the kitchen to fix himself a snack before he wandered to the study "Least I'll be able to help Meph track down the one he's looking for, might help me relax or distract me for a while anyways"

Nudging the door open with his foot as he carried a tray of snacks and drinks into the room revealed an empty room, the dest piled high with maps and books, though one map caught his eye more than most.

Putting the tray aside he looked closely at the map, though he really didn't need to, a thin stiletto dagger pinning several pictures in place, each of a different location, but all sharing one vital detail, a tall raven haired woman and her entourage, all dressed in a similar fashions to the other locals but with one striking detail. An image of a single rose, it's stem laden with thorns each of which had a single drop of blood hanging from it's tip was marked proudly upon the backs of each of the men and women with their mistress.

Flicking through the pictures one by one Ves smirked to himself "She's not looking to bad considering she's over 400 years old, hell she could get her fangs into me if she asked nicely, no wonder Meph couldn't resist when he met her for the first time"

Finally his gaze fell upon a hand written note "Found her, Lublin Poland. Ticket booked leave at midnight. Will return as soon as the Blood Rose family has lost a few members. Mephiston"

[Phoenix]

((And another better writer than me. Keep going. ^_^))

[Ves]

(( I blame sleep deprivation, an over active imagination and the assistance of waaaaay too much caffine, though I hardly consider myself an adequate writer, i just prod keys until my spell checker says i haven't screwed up ;D ))

[Ves]

(( Following orders I have continued to type, this lil bit was due to be posted late tonight / early tomorrow just to keep it all in some kind of time scale, but screw it, might as well post up what I got so far ))

Old pains and sweet revenge : The Second bit[/u]
Mephiston stood watching the Black Rose Tavern from the shadows of a doorway down the street, his location hidden save for the glowing end of the cigar in his mouth as he took another pull and slowly lets the smoke drift from the corners of his mouth.

Pulling his coat tightly about himself to deny the biting wind’s attempts to unsettle his vigil and stared fixedly at the two men stood at the door, muttering grimly to himself “Bloody Vampires as bouncers, could this place be any more arrogant? And to think that the majority of our kind is secretive and subtle”

Stamping his feet a few times to force out the cold he strode across the street towards the bar, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword by his side casually while he eyes met those of the larger of the bouncers. Pushing his way through the crowd awaiting entry and ignoring the frequent complaints he soon came face to face with the hulking brute.

Grinning nastily, his fangs clearly visible he pulled the doorman closer and whispered “I’d stand aside and let me pass if I was you, I’ve had a long flight and not much rest, so I’m a little grumpy, and trust me when I say that me being grumpy is not something you’d like to experience” He released the man and began tapping his foot impatiently, paying no attention to the crowd around him taking several large steps backwards to avoid getting any blood on them, the locals had seen what these bouncers could do to people that annoyed them, and it often got a little messy

The second doorman spoke quietly to the first, who shook his head with a smirk and looked down at Mephiston “You think you can intimidate me so easily? You’re sadly mistaken little man, the only reason you’re still standing is because you bear the scent of the mistress, but that will only protect you so much. Now, back of the line, clear off or suffer a slight accident, the decision is yours”

Mephiston nodded slowly and turned, letting his hands drop to his sides as he took a step towards the rear of the queue, but just as the large thug began to laugh there was a blur of movement and Mephiston stood with his arm outstretched, holding the thug from the ground by the throat. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Snarled Meph as his claw-like finger nails dug into the soft flesh of his opponent’s neck, thin rivulets of blood tracing their way steadily over his hand as his grip tightened. The assembled crowd scattered, the sight of one of their city’s toughest goons being provoked like this tripping the “mass hysteria” switch in their minds, fleeing for cover was all they could think about, because this new guy could well turn his attention to them at any moment.

The second doorman leapt to his feet to assist his friend, but Mephiston was ready and the last thing the second thug saw was a brief flash of steel and Meph re-sheathing his sword with his free hand, then there was only darkness.

Meph shuddered as his enchanted blade passed the life energy from the dead vampire through to him, then fixed his gaze on the thug still held in his hand “If you’d just moved out of my way, none of this would have happened, but no, you had to be the big tough bouncer guy didn’t you? Don’t you realise how much trouble an attitude like that can lead to? And most importantly, what the hell have you been smoking to make you think a little piss-ant flunky like you could ever beat me?” He emphasised each question by slamming the thugs head against the door frame “Now I’m going inside to get myself a drink and some answers, you can wait out here in the gutter until the street sweepers find you in the morning.” With that Mephiston closed his hand around the doorman’s neck tightly and pulled savagely, tearing the Vampire’s throat away in a brief shower of blood before kicking the body into the road. Bending down he wiped his hand on the jacket of the other fallen thug and then tossed it along side the other.

As he bent to pick up the head Meph paused a moment, a warped smile spreading across his usually brooding face. Taking a handful of hair he stood and walked to the door with the grisly trophy swinging by his side like a strange bag. Taking a slow deep breath he muttered to himself “Guess the subtle, silent method of doing things is out the window now, ahh well, might as well make a lasting impression while I’m here” With a quick shrug he kicked the door open and within seconds was stood by the bar, with the head dumped on the counter beside him and a crazed grin on his face he asked “This guy said there’d be a drink waiting for me if I mentioned his name, what’s his full head get me?

[Ves]

Old pains and sweet revenge : The Second bit’s extra bit[/u]

Above all the commotion at the club a pair of eyes widened in awe and terror, the display of the strange man and his handling of the two goons was impressive, of that there was no doubt, but what business did he have here? He was another of them, aside of the visual clues like fangs and claws there was his aura, it screamed blood and death to those who knew how to read them. Blood and death were not welcome here, which was one of the reasons there were people scattered across the city watching the various interests of the Blood Rose’s owner. She and her group had caused quite a few problems lately, and a few locals had gotten sick of taking it lying down.

As Meph entered the club the observer pulled his head back away from the edge of the roof on which he’d taken up watch and tapped franticly at his communicator’s transmit button “Jakob, come in Jakob. It’s Mikeal; please tell me you saw what I just did at the door. Over” The seconds before the reply lasted for what seemed like eternity, Mikeal was trembling and he wasn’t sure if it was due to the cold, his adrenaline surging through him from all the excitement, or fear of the being that had just done what he and his team had been unable to manage for months, in a matter of seconds. He almost let out a startled yell when the silence was broken by the sound of Jakob’s voice in his ear “Yeah, I saw it, whatever the hell is going on in there, we’re going to need help, I’m going to try and boost our numbers, wait here and make sure that new guy doesn’t see you, he’s something else compared to the Vampires we usually look for”

“I’m going to try getting a closer look, do me a favour and fetch the new toy I’ve been working on will you Jakob? It’s on the corner work table in my lab” a female voice called quietly across the comm.
“Alita, what the hell are you planning?”
“Well first I’m planning on talking this nice young man into buying me another drink, then I’ll just sit back, make small talk and keep one eye on the strange guy by the bar with a head in his hand and a rather heavily enchanted blade on his hip. And just maybe I’ll cause a little trouble and see how he reacts. It’s not like there’s anyone in here that hasn’t got a bounty on their heads, this could prove to be rather profitable”
***
Mikeal sighed as he tried to work some life into his legs, 30 minutes he’d been crouched on the roof top, ready to leap into action in a second should Alita need it. He was getting a little bored when suddenly she spoke out again “Okay guys ‘n’ gals, there’s about to be a little unpleasant incident and maybe a little bit of a scuffle. Please don’t come bursting in until I call for you or scream like a girl. Doing that would make me very upset”

Within seconds the sounds reaching the roof tops had taken a distinctly angry tone, followed shortly after by yells of rage, screams of pain and an occasional gun shot. Mikeal peered down at the club again and chuckled as he saw Alita leaning against a window sill with a drink in one hand and a smoke in the other. She was cheering and calling out to various people in the brawl, when suddenly she dived through a group of other spectators and fought her way to the back of the crowd “I’ve lost him, someone came and spoke to him and now he’s gone. And if someone could meet me in the alley behind the book store with my kit bag from the roof, I’d be real grateful, not exactly dressed for combat just yet.”
Several offers to help came across the comm. network but it was Jakob that won in the end when he reminded her of the item she requested that he’d brought “Aww thanks sweetie, I’ll be right out. No traffic heading this way is there? “
Before Mikeal had chance to question why she’d need to know the main window on the front of the club exploded out into the street along with a giggling, cursing woman who picked herself up, brushed fragments of glass from her dress and hair then darted across the street. Checking the pair of pistols strapped across his chest were ready for action Mikeal began to pray, as he did before every big fight, to each and every deity that just happened to be listening to get him through this in one piece as much as possible. He hated the last few moments before a battle, once everything got started he’d be fine,

Peering over the roof edge again he watched the first of the bars patrons spill out onto the street, with more rushing out to join them like a swarm
“Okay people, like Alita said, plenty of bounties up for grabs, you spot a face you know is worth something, bring it in, Vamps treat same as always, apart from that new guy, I want to know what the deal with him is. We all clear on the rules?”
Several voices called out to confirm they understood, then Alita spoke out “Geez Mikeal, we go through this every damn time, will you just say go or yell charge or something?”
Mikeal chuckled to himself “Okay, everyone hold until I give the signal, and shield your eyes a moment, I know I will be” he replied as he casually tossed a couple of Flash Bang grenades down into the mass of heaving bodies in the street then drew his pistols “Wait for it……”
Several loud bangs came from the street below, the street was flooded with blinding light for an instant and Mikeal leapt up and jumped from the roof firing his guns at one of the Vampires from the club as he yelled “Go go!!!!”

[Ves]

(( Okies here's the next part, and unfortunatly the last part for a few days due to work commitments and my bizzare typing methods. I tend to write it all out, then type it up, then re-type 90% of it as I alter a tiny bit that affects way too much of the tale considering the thing that was changed is really insignificant.

Anyways, any comments are more than welcome, can't see where I'm going wrong if no-one points my mistakes out for me ( and I have no doubt that there's plenty of them in this mess, typing at 3am FTW!!!! ) so be as blunt as you like ))

Old pains and sweet revenge : part three [/u]

“This guy said there’d be a drink waiting for me if I mentioned his name, what’s his full head get me?” Mephiston called out to the man behind the bar as the severed head of the doorman was dumped upon the counter. Taking the moments of stunned silence to look about him Mephiston noticed something strange. His keen senses told him that the old man serving drinks was far from human, but not a vampire either, and the same was clear from various others around him. This was something he’d never seen before and that worried him, “Old Vampire’s learning new tricks is generally not a good thing, better do some digging to find out just how many tricks this bitch has come up with.” he muttered to himself as he beckoned the barman to him

The old man shifted nervously under Meph’s stone cold gaze and slowly made his way over to the stranger, lifting the head from the top and placing it out of sight before speaking “I guess for the full head you get to pick a bottle of your choice, on the house of course, on the condition that you never tell another about our free drinks with severed staff member heads policy, good doormen are hard to find these days. So stranger what’ll it be?”

Mephiston looked over the assorted bottles and pointed one out “A good brandy is always more than welcome, and bring two glasses, I was hoping we might talk a while, maybe I’ll learn something of local traditions and customs so to speak.”
As the barman turned to fetch the designated bottle and glasses Meph drew a deep breath through his nose, filling his mind with the scents of the others in the room, three full humans, seven Vampires and around twenty of the people he thought of as half-ways, no longer human, but certainly not of his kin. Smirking to himself as he relaxed slightly, nothing to worry about in here so far he thought “Hell I could probably take this lot on without breaking a sweat after some of the battles I’ve seen, too much soft living will be this era’s downfall”

The barman returned with the brandy and glasses, and when he handed several thick cigars as well Mephiston decided to start painting a picture of the area by asking seemingly harmless questions “I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but it looks like you’ve seen more than your fair share of faces over the bar, how long you been in the trade?”
The man chuckled “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you stranger, or maybe you would. There’s something about you I can’t quite put my finger on, but it looks like you’ve seen more than a youngster like yourself should have, though my eyes could be playing tricks, the smoke and old age don’t really help matters much”
Meph poured them a pair of rather large drinks and struck a match on the wall to light a cigar. Blowing a thick heavy smoke ring to the ceiling he lifted his glass “Enough with the title of stranger old man, call me Mephiston, or just Meph. Most do these days, and it’s been a long time since anyone knew me as anything else”
The old man lifted his own glass and clinked it against Meph’s “Folks round here call me Makseval, Lars Makseval, it’s a pleasure and an honour to meet you young sir. Now, how about telling me what brought you to our little corner of the world in such dramatic fashion, and maybe I can point you in the right direction eh?”

Mephiston told Lars, with differing degrees of the truth, what had brought him to Lublin. “A woman from my younger days is rumoured to be here, I thought it was maybe time to put right a few old hurts in a manner of speaking. Perhaps you’ve seen her, tall, hair as black as the darkest shadow and beauty unmatched by any that walk the earth. And if my memory serves me well, she often wore the insignia of a rose with bloody thorns, much like the symbol above the door here on the way in” the look on Lars’ face told Meph all he needed to know, she was here, he’d finally found her after all this time.

Lars explained that the woman he was seeking was indeed resident in the area, “She owns this place as a matter of fact, though often she travels and is away quite frequently. Tonight however the fates must have smiled upon you. Lady Sharesh arrived home this afternoon and is currently resting in her quarters below us. Since you’re an old acquaintance I could send a message down to her, perhaps she’ll see you tonight” The thought of asking for money in return for such a favour flashed briefly through Lars’s mind but he pushed it aside, he really didn’t want to annoy the stranger sat before him any more than he might have done already.

Meph nodded politely at the offer “If you can do that for me, I’ll see you well rewarded, on the terms that she agrees to meet me and it’s the one I seek” then seemed to relax a little more, puffing away on his cigar and sipping his drink as though he hadn’t a care in the world. Nothing could have been further from the truth, he’d noticed the slight shift in the mood of the room, and from boisterously noisy it had passed through the dull quiet stage to the point where no-one spoke for fear of being the one that let the first insulting remark slip out. Something was about to happen and seemingly it had nothing to do with him so he’d stay out of it, unless someone involved him personally.

Another sip, another smoke ring, this continued all the while that Lars was talking via intercom to the people down stairs. “This investigation stuff is easy, I could get used to this” he thought and started to imagine all the things he could do as a private investigator but his train of thought was de-railed when a patron slammed into his back, causing him to spill a little of his brandy and drop ash onto his pants.
He stood and turned to face the man who’d bounced off his back before the offending party could even pick himself up properly “That, was a damn fine beverage , I hope you’re sorry you spilt it, ‘cause if you’re not, you soon will be”

The man before Meph snarled and bared his fangs, then began speaking swiftly in his native language. You didn’t need to understand him exactly to know what he was meaning so Meph struck him squarely in the mouth with a blurred flurry of punches, each landing harder than it seemed possible and with a satisfying crunching sound as the Vampires teeth and jaw shattered under the punishment.
Glancing over his shoulder Meph called out to Lars “Much as I enjoy people spilling my drinks and ruining my evening, I think it might be wise if you can work something out a little quicker eh?”
The old man nodded briefly and started to speak even more rapidly than before over the intercom.
“She say’s there’s someone on their way to meet you now, they’ll be but a moment. Please try to relax.”

Just as the fighting seemed to be nearing it’s peak, and Meph seemed close to forgetting his task and joining the crowd, a delicate hand gently came to rest upon his own and a voice as soft as a whisper reached his ear “My mistress would very much like to meet with you, perhaps you’d care to follow me and I’ll happily show you the way to her more secluded quarters away from this rowdy mess”
Meph looked round and looked the owner of the new voice over critically, another of the half-ways it seemed, and judging by her appearance she wasn’t from these parts. Her oriental features made her stand out against the background of women he’d seen so far on his trip; she seemed darkly exotic and maybe even a little dangerous. “Lead the way, and I’ll gladly follow you. Though I hope the atmosphere is a little more civilised than it is up here”
The girl nodded slightly and after taking his hand led Mephiston around the bar and through a winding passage until they reached a huge, ornately decorated door where the girl spoke again “Through this door are my mistress’s personal rooms. Here she hosts her own private parties, one of which is currently under way, though if you are a face from Lady Sharesh’s past you’ll probably find it most entertaining” and before Meph could ask her what she meant by that the door had been swung open and he was ushered inside, the door making a soft thud as it closed behind them




(( And yeah I know this bit's a tad long, and nothing really happens but I kinda found it hard to reach a point to break off before the real fun parts kick in. Sorry about that ))

[Kat]

((Don't apologise for such fine reading, my good man))

[Ves]

(( kay, wrote this bit after work because it's too dark to sleep yet (anyone that works nights for a few years will tell you, it's just not right sleeping in the dark, that's what day time is for. I'm not mental I promise) Anyways, here ya go, enjoy, oh, and thanks for the support Kat, have a cookie ;D ))

Old pains and sweet revenge: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here [/u]

“If hedonists have their own personal heaven then this was as close as they‘d be able to get while still walking this plain of existence“ Mephiston thought to himself as he gazed around him at the gathered party goers, none of whom had even noticed his arrival as yet, a fact he used to his advantage by slipping quickly and silently to one of the more secluded areas.
Chuckling to himself a sudden realisation struck him “If there’s one thing I learnt from Ves outside of ways to hurt things with as little effort as possible, it’s that jumping right into the middle of trouble only works if you’re a damn near invincible cyborg, and even then it’s not always the ’best’ course of action. Better not tell him about this when I get home, he’ll go bloody mental”
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and try to regain some focus on the task in hand. This proved a little more troublesome than usual, thanks largely to the various blends of narcotic smoke weaving their way through the air, but the many forms of sensual stimulation were all hindering him to some degree, and it was starting to get on his nerves.

“Now what’s a big strong guy like you doing all alone in a place like this might I ask?” A young girl, not more than 13 years old was stood by his side, dressed like many of the others in flowing silk robes of jet black and bearing the rose of Lady Sharesh upon its back. She smiled up at him sweetly “Perhaps you’d like something to drink, or eat, or smoke” and then, with a devious little smile added “or perhaps you’re looking for someone to spend some time with. If that’s the case then I’d be more than happy to attend to your needs personally”
“A large brandy would go down a treat, along with a few King Edward’s; I developed quite a liking for them when I spent some time in England long ago. And when you return, perhaps a little light conversation. It is not often I meet one of our kin who was turned so young”

A few minutes later saw Meph and his new companion, Evangeline, heading towards one of the less crowded tables. The heat compared to outside and the bar upstairs was almost unbelievable and to make himself more comfortable Meph decided to remove his coat.
A large hand clamped itself upon his shoulder and spun him round “Weapons are forbidden in these quarters. You will remove the sword at once, that isn’t a request, and I won’t say it again” another robe wearer, though this time a rather huge and imposing one compared to the delicate girl he was trying to speak to, grunted at him, flecks of spittle striking Meph’s face as the brute emphasised each word.

Meph carefully lifted a napkin from the table and dabbed at his face as calmly and slowly as possible, doing all he could to hide his anger, but as always there was nothing he could do to stop his rage showing in his rapidly darkening eyes.
Turning his gaze up to face the cause of his sudden bad mood he spoke in a measured, friendly tone and gave him the most polite response “How about, fuck you! You take it from me and I’ll never wear it here again, but before you get any wise ass ideas let me just ask you something. Do you have any idea how much you’re damage you’ve done to what was, until this moment in time, a fantastic mood and a great evening? And more importantly, do you have any idea what I’ll do to you if you’re not out of my sight in the next 3 seconds?”
The brute looked down at Meph and was both puzzled and a little worried. Not only had this man not done as he’s told him, but he’d had the nerve to issue threats. Feeling his reputation slowly slipping away from him he did what came natural to him. Snatching up a chair he swung with all his might, smashing it against the side of Mephiston’s head so hard it broke into several pieces.

Mephiston sighed and brushed splinters from his shoulder and hair then looked back at his attacker, noticing for the first time that the room had become deathly silent as all eyes were fixed upon the turmoil, then he spoke “Perhaps I need to explain a few things, but talking up to you is giving me a stiff neck, so maybe you should lower yourself a little, perhaps to your knees little man.” and to give the brute a helping hand he punched him in the gut, forcing the wind from his lungs and dropping him to the floor. With a thought his fangs extended to their full lethal size and he bent down until his face was level with his victim “You see these? You know what they mean?” after waiting a moment without reply he continued “They mean that you can’t hurt me, because I’m faster, stronger and generally better than you. They also mean that I can hurt you real easily, like this.”
Gripping the man’s robe tightly Meph growled with unbridled animalistic rage and hurled him across the room, then suddenly he leapt into the air, landing squarely on the small of the brute’s back with a sickening crunch as the dazed goon tried to struggle to his feet.

Taking a firm hold on the screaming mans hair, Mephiston pulled his head back savagely to look into his eyes “I hope this has helped your understanding of the situation, now then, I shall be returning to my seat, sitting down and having a drink and a smoke, and I’ll still be wearing my sword. If you still feel up to taking it from me, feel free to have another try. To make things interesting I’ll even give you 2 options, you can bring a few friends or you can throw the first 10 blows, either way I’d highly recommend notifying your next of kin that a bucket and mop would help if they want to collect all the bits of you I intend to spread across the city”

With that he turned on his heel and was about to walk back to Evangeline when he heard a delicate round of applause and a voice sweet enough to rot teeth at 100 metres “Bravo sir, never before have I seen such an effective, and may I say impressive, explanation of how the food chain works for our kind” The crowd of onlookers slowly spread as the owner of the voice made her way through the mob until she stood before Mephiston and the fallen man.
The woman was tall and slender, equal in height to Mephiston though it was hard to tell due the heels on her boots. Unlike the others in the room she didn’t wear the apparent uniform silken robe, instead she was clad in tight black leather pants and a low cut leather top trimmed with thick white fur to match. The simple colour scheme continued through her entire appearance, subtle hints of black make-up against her ivory skin giving her the look of one who doesn’t need to wear any to seem stunning, but that little bit she did use lifted her beyond stunning to beautiful

Walking to stand beside Mephiston the lady softly kissed each of his cheeks in turn and whispered “Welcome home Azrael, I have been waiting for you to find me for so many years I had almost given up hope” she hugged him tightly and spoke out loud and clear so all could hear her “I am Lady Sharesh and I personally bid you welcome to my home” then she turned to face the majority of the crowd with a smile and declared “I would like the entire family of the Blood Rose to welcome and pay their respects to my first son. It has been far too long since I saw him last, though I have looked forward to this day for over 300 years. Now I do hope there is to be nothing else to disturb his peace, anyone that does will no doubt regret it immensely, if not by his hand then by my own” her voice had switched from honey sweet to a tone that dragged venomous barbs across the heart and many of the crowd found themselves shuddering
“It’s been far too long indeed and, if Evangeline wouldn’t mind letting me slip through her fingers, perhaps we could speak privately? There is much I wish to discuss with you that would be unsuitable for the ears of the lesser beings in here” Meph replied, mentally vowing to be extra nice to people when he got out of here to make up for all the bullshit that he was forcing out of his mouth to ensure they accepted him completely

Lady Sharesh turned and made her way to another ornate door which faced the one he had entered through, motioning for him to follow her. Nodding politely he did as she asked, taking care to barge people out of his way if they didn’t move fast enough and glaring at everyone that looked like they had foolish thoughts of complaining about it.
He soon grew bored and turned his gaze to the woman he followed, watching her hips and ass as they swayed seductively, “Hmm… Meadow would look so hot in an outfit like that, I’ll have to try and find out where she had it made” this thought caused him to smile a little, a sight which caused those nearest him to take a step back, having seen what his mind came up with to help him put a point across, they were convinced that whatever was making him so happy would certainly give them nightmares

[Ves]

(( Oooo more stuff to read ))

Old pains and sweet revenge : Burning Rage [/u]

Mikeal landed lightly and grinned savagely as the vampire beside him dropped to his knees before toppling forward onto the street, it’s body blown almost apart by the hunter’s hollow point shower “Lets see you regenerate from that, bastard.”
Popping the spent clips from his guns, he stood and looked at the scene unfolding around him while he reloaded. The flash grenades had worked a treat, apart from a handful of the mob everything in the street was staggering around blindly. The few that were still able to fight stopped their own squabble and united against this new foe, but the arrival of nearly a dozen extra hunters calmed them down a little and they merely stood their ground.

A few of the hunters moved through the dazed brawlers, binding them as they pass. If someone noticed a face from a bounty poster they’d place a black bag over the offenders head and drag them to one side to be handed in when the work for the night was finished.
Suddenly there was a cry of pain from one of the hunters, he’d tried to place his restraining cuffs on a Vampire, unfortunately the beast in question snapped out of its daze and lashed out, catching the hunter in his side with a sickening crack. This gave heart to the subdued cluster, various taunts and yells rang out as they hurled themselves at their would-be captors.

Massed gun fire ripped through the charge; blood flew thick on the air as the hail of death tore the human targets apart with near casual ease. Unfortunately the Vampires in the group were quick witted enough to hurl themselves clear of the wave of destruction and from their more scattered positions were able to leap into the midst of the hunters.
The close proximity swung the fight heavily in favour of the inhuman gang, and matters began to look even worse for the hunters when those who had suffered from the flash grenades began regaining their senses fully and joined the fray.

Alita dashed toward the fight, the sounds of battle driving her onwards as she struggled with the pair of gauntlets that Jakob had brought for her. Finally she had them fitted and ready for action as the end of the alley gave way to the street, and there she froze in horror at the scene before her.
The humans with the Vampires had either fled or died in the gun fire, but the handful of creatures the hunters had sworn to destroy were more than a match for the remaining members of her team. They moved through the fighters with unbelievable speed, tearing through armour and flesh with almost identical ease. The hunters fired their guns but to no avail, the beasts were never where they seemed and the shots only served to bring down another hunter.
As her mouth hung open she watched the 4 remaining Vampires advance on Mikeal, all of them grinning with sadistic joy at the thought of the terrible things they could do to the pathetic human. They fell upon him as one, pinning him to the ground with strength beyond anything he could resist before sinking their fangs into his arms and neck as they fed from his life blood while he could do nothing but twitch and squirm ineffectually.

A hand dropped onto her shoulder and pulled her back into the alley and a gruff voice dragged her back to reality “Stand aside young ‘un, this is no fight for a pretty girl like you” and suddenly Jakob was beyond her and firing wildly at the things attacking his friend.
As his guns fell silent he cast them aside, reloading would take valuable seconds which he didn’t have, “Now it all comes down to flesh, steel and the refusal to let things like this walk the earth” he thought as his hand reached up to draw the sword slung across his back.
He didn’t see the unholy thing move but before his hand could grasp the hilt of the weapon there were clawed hands upon the side of his face. The last thing he saw was the sick smile of his killer as it twisted his head savagely, snapping his neck in a heart beat then tearing it from his shoulders and drinking from the river of warm liquid pouring from what remained of the neck.

Tears rolled freely down Alita’s face as she stood in the shadows of the alley, the entire team was scattered across the street before her, dead or dying at the hands of things too terrible for her to comprehend. All she knew now was that she was alone, and the shadows would only help her survive for so long, once the creatures had finished feeding on the fallen they’d find her, and the fate that would lead to was worse than any nightmare she’d ever had.
Gritting her teeth in determination she decided on a course of action. Revenge or a quick death seemed her only options, and what better time to try her luck than while the foe was distracted? Without thinking she stabbed angrily at the keypads on the gauntlets until the display lights indicated they were ready to unleash hell, and that’s exactly what they did.
Leaning against a wall for support Alita sent a blast of white-hot flame roaring across the street, her lips pulling back into a skull-like grin as her rage manifest itself and embraced her enemies. 3 of the Vampires burst into flame, burning to ash in the blink of an eye, they didn’t even have time to scream or yell in pain.
The surviving Vampire looked around and spotted Alita as she aimed and readied herself for a second blast. Understanding the advantage had once more shifted he bolted for the club door and as he heard Alita rushing after him began to laugh coldly to himself. “Time for the hunter to join the party"

[Ves]

(( Ooo yet more stuff to read, and just so you know, there are sections here that were taken from the White Wolf vampire lore (you'll see which bit when you get to it) and anyone having played "Vampire The Masquerade : Bloodlines" will know what I mean ( IF they found a certain someone in the first city zone in time ) Enjoy, and the next section will prolly be the last, so those of you who said "But there's so much to read" don't have to worry, I'm not gonna be dragging this out too much longer ))

Old pains and sweet revenge : Dark Addiction [/u]

Mephiston closed the door behind him and looked around the lavishly decorated office whistling softly to himself as he noted the many ancient items and expensive trinkets spread throughout the room “Seems like someone spent the long years building quite a collection of trinkets and baubles, half this stuff must be worth a fortune by now, hell I know for a fact that you could buy a small country with what you’d get for even a handful of them”
Sharesh just smiled at him as she lounged back in her chair “Oh these are nothing more than memories of days long past, gathered as I travelled the world building the family I have come to love and cherish. And now that you’ve returned I have all my children by my side, nothing can stop us ruling this place or anywhere else from now on.”

Meph smirked, mocking her with his eyes as he replied “You hope to rule with the family you have built around you? This gang of weak kin and pathetic humans? There’s not one amongst them who would last two minutes against some of the people I’ve seen.” laughing coldly he continued “The clan I am a part of would be more than enough to destroy this bunch of hopeless misfits with hardly a second thought”
“You rate your clan quite highly Azrael, what makes you so sure they are a worthy comparison to that which I have created?” and with a slight smile added “And never doubt the use of humans, especially if motivated properly, those I find a use for would gladly die if I only asked it, they have no fear, no sense of morality and certainly no thoughts in their fragile little heads that could possibly hurt me. Tell me, how do you intend to impress me now with tales of your new clan?”
Mephiston merely smiled at her as he responded “Well we have built ourselves up on a basis of trust, honour and friendship, oh and the head of my clan just happens to be a high blood prince, does that satisfy you?”

Several minutes passed in silence, Mephiston shifted uneasily in his seat and decided to break the dead-lock “So, how did this family come to be? I hope you decided to show the others you turned more love than you showed me. Why did you abandon me all those long years ago? At least explain that to me.”
Lady Sharesh lowered her gaze and began to fidget with her nails “Leaving you the way I did was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. You were the first I had ever turned and I was afraid. There are tales of others who have taken a lover to bed and turned them, only to be destroyed as the change sets in. I didn’t want to see you become some kind of daemon or beast, so once I had done what I had to I left, but I made sure to keep a watchful eye upon you. Even your more recent activities in the city you call home have not passed unnoticed.”
She looked up at Mephiston, a dangerous glint in her eye “Yes, I know you have forsaken the true nature of your kind, you deny yourself the thrill of the hunt and feeding and for what, to atone for the sins you’ve committed? Your very existence is a sin, and there is nothing you can do to atone for that. Cast aside these foolish morals and become what you have always been, and will always be, no matter how much you refuse to accept it. You’re a killer, a cold blooded predator, and anything that is weaker than you is nothing more than prey. I know you still crave the blood of others; I have seen how you act in battle.”

Meph’s mind was working overtime to keep his emotions in check, right now all he wanted was to reach across the space between them and crush Sharesh’s skull with his bare hands to put an end to all her plans, but that wouldn’t do much good if he didn’t know what those plans were and if they were already beyond the point of being able to be stopped. Taking a deep breath he calmed himself and asked “So, when did you plan on explaining the use of the walking food stores, or are the humans just another mystery I’ll have to discover on my own, just like everything else I’ve had to learn since you made me what I am?”
This seemed to hurt Sharesh and once more her voice softened to an almost apologetic whisper as she explained “They were an accidental discovery, and one that has served me fantastically well. Even if I do say so myself.” Smiling proudly she relaxed and sat back in her chair before continuing “They started off as a silly suggestion by one of your brothers, wondering what would happen if humans drank from us instead of the other way around. The results were very enlightening to say the least.”
Meph’s expression of stoic calm masked his inner horror at the possible implications of this news but resisted the burning urge to react until he’d heard the full extent of his maker’s twisted intrigues. Calmly he nodded for her to continue her tale, hoping the stories he’d heard on this matter were false or exaggerated
“What we found was that our blood had the ability to enhance the human, making them faster, stronger and a great deal more durable, not unlike our kind. However the effects are only short lived and they soon return back to being mere humans. What we also found was that the poor weak willed mortals would become obsessed with this heightened state, craving more blood to satisfy their craving.” She smirked nastily to herself as she went on “In time their cravings would force them to seek out those who could help ease their suffering, and eventually they would become so addicted that they would sell their very soul for just one more drop of our accursed blood. All the humans you have seen around here that seemed somehow strange to your senses are those that have become slaves of their own desires, and I am the only one who can help them. They are mine to command as I please, a whole flock of human puppets with me at the centre, not unlike a swarm of bees, lots of little workers doing their tasks mindlessly all in the service of the one true queen at the heart of their hive. And I am that queen, and when you decide to stay by my side, you shall be their king. All you need do is be true to your self, become the feared stalker of the night once more, forget your false life in the city and join me.”

Slowly rising to his feet, Mephiston drew his sword, laughing inside as he noticed Sharesh flinching while he did, and placed it flat upon the office desk “So I cast off the masquerade of the selfless hero and become the cold blooded killer I was destined to be? Seems simple enough, all the holding back and restricting myself was beginning to get on my last damned nerve.” then his face hardened and his eyes had a cold menacing glare; and as he spoke his voice shifted from calm and collected to a brutal roar of hatred “And I think I’ll start being true to myself right now, and give in to my dark desires by tearing that pretty head of your from your shoulders with my bare hands!” And with that he leapt over the table, his clawed hands reaching out for the delicate form of his maker.

[Ves]

(( okay, rambled on a little more than intended, so there's gonna be another bit yet, sorry. Anyways here you goes, hope you likey. Oh, and if reading while having breakfast or any other meal, might want to avoid the later bit ))

Old pains and sweet revenge : And what's behind curtain number one? [/u]

Alita’s feet pounded a steady beat as she raced down the passage, the echoing footsteps of her foe growing ever quieter as the Vampire’s greater strength and speed aiding its escape. Slowing her pace to allow her time to prepare seemed like a good idea, especially when headed into an almost certain trap.
“Okay, mental note in case I ever get out of this alive. Never chase anything into a situation like this ever again” the whisper sounded much louder in the quiet of the passage so silently she reloaded her guns, altering the controls on the gauntlets for multiple smaller bursts rather than the single high power beam, it was all well and good turning something to super-heated vapour but not if you could only do it once every couple of minutes, she wasn’t expecting to be able to get a second shot off when whatever trap had been arranged was sprung so rapid fire was more preferable. Once she was ready for action she stretched and flexed, loosening her muscles to avoid cramps when the shit hit the fan.
Finally satisfied she started to jog on down the passage, this time her foot steps were joined by the quiet humming of the powered gloves and the softly whispered prayer to any god who happened to be paying attention. She wasn’t usually a very religious person, but a rapidly approaching death at the hands of monsters like these kick started the part of the brain that tried to save the rest of the body from as many harmful things as possible.

Pressing herself against the passage wall Alita peered cautiously round the corner, revealing as little of her as possible to make it harder for anything waiting for her to take a shot at her. Seeing only an immense door covered in strange carvings from ages past, realising it posed no threat so she relaxed and stepped out from her cover, a gun in each of her hands ready for use as and when they were needed.
Placing her ear against the wooden door she listened carefully for any indication of what the room contained “Nothing, I don’t like this, it’s too quiet” she muttered as she stood back thoughtfully looking at the door handle “Okay girl, behind this door could well be the thing that finishes you off for good. Does your nerve hold out and see you through this, or are you gonna turn and walk away, leaving your friends killers to go unpunished?”
Taking several deep breaths to settle herself she reached out for the door, then with less force than she thought would be needed swung the door open and stepped inside the hall before her.

Stood before Alita were near four dozen humans and a group of Vampires, quickly glancing around her resulted in a count of eight, but no doubt there would be more within the mass of bodies she couldn’t make out. Not that numbers mattered much any more, just a couple of these beasts had been more than enough to slaughter her friends with embarrassing ease, more targets just meant it would be easier for her to hit something when she fired.
The crowd broke open as the escaping creature made his way to the front, laughing grimly as it did “Welcome, dear little hunter, to the home of the Blood Rose family. I do hope the decorations are to your liking, wouldn’t want such a pretty thing as you to die on the streets like your friends now would we?”
With this the rest of the crowd broke out in gales of hysterical laughter, tossing their own mocking calls and jibes into the mixture. The insults were ignored with a casual shrug, she’d heard worse and all things considered they had every right to be thingyy, the only reason they hadn’t killed her yet was that they hadn’t decided to.
“End of the line for you my dear, though it doesn’t have to be” A polite female voice called as Evangeline made her way out of the mob to face her “If you get down on your knees and beg me nicely, I might be moved enough to make you one of us. Or perhaps you’d serve us better as one of Lady Sharesh’s little meat puppets like the rest of these fools” here she waved a hand dismissively at the gathered blood addicted humans
“You must realise dear sweet child, you can not win, all alone in the lair of the nasty Vampire horde, surrounded by the enemy, and with no hope of anyone coming to your rescue. Joining us really is the only chance you have of not enduring a long slow and most importantly painful existence, from now until the day we tire of you and let you die. Drop the guns like a good little snack and let’s have no more fighting. It would be such a shame to damage either this lovely room, or your own pretty face. Don’t you think?”

Alita was shocked beyond words, the vampire before her was a mere child, and yet it stood there making threats as if it had nothing to be afraid of. That would have to be corrected. “I’m thinking I just see how many of you pathetic parasite bastards I can take down with me. You and your little lackey band” swinging her guns to bear as quickly as she could, opening fire the instant that Evangeline fell into their field of fire “Starting with you!”
Two of the humans dropped to the floor, great holes ripped into their bodies as the hollow point rounds shredded flesh and bone with equal ease, but the chosen target wasn’t there. The little vampire had swiftly darted beside Alita before the first shot had been fired, and as the thunderous blasts of the guns fell silent to be replaced by the hollow clicking caused by empty clips the miniature creature swung her thin delicate arm round in a hooked punch which caught Alita on the jaw, lifting her off her feet and crashing against a nearby wall.
With a mocking smile the vampire skipped playfully towards the prone hunter, her movements more dancing than walking until she bent over to whisper in the woman’s ear “I can make it all stop, no more pain, no more suffering. You’ve already lost your friends, what else does one like you have in your life that has not been destroyed?”
Rolling onto her back to glare angrily at the mocking thing; Alita licked at the thin trail of blood running from her lips before spitting a glob into the face of the ‘child’ and growled as she struggled slowly to her feet, using the wall for assistance “If you’re going to kill me then get on with it, otherwise shut the fuck up. Your voice is beginning to make my ears hurt” rubbing the side of her jaw she realised that apart from the impact of the wall there had been little pain, clearly they planned on making this last as long as they could before they broke her spirit. Grinning to herself at this realisation the urge to run was pushed aside by the desire to make them pay for such a foolish mistake.

Smiling at the little Vampire; Alita nodded in admiration “Not a bad arm you have there, bet mine is stronger though. Care to try it bitch?” Evangeline barely had chance to sweetly smile and nod before Alita’s fist was hurtling towards her face, though it never made contact, instead she triggered the gauntlet’s controls and sent a blast of flame shooting from her hand. Evangeline didn’t even have chance to scream in rage or pain as her head was vaporised instantaneously.
A frenzied cry of despair and anguish rang out from the human addicts as they watched the corpse twitch slightly on the floor before Alita sent a second blast into the chest, destroying it entirely with a cold, satisfied smile. “That was for you Mikeal,” she whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek to mingle with the blood by the side of her mouth before dripping to the floor. Lifting her head to glare at the crowd she screamed “And the rest of you puppets and parasites, I’m taking as many of you down with me as I can, there’s a lot of blood to be repaid”

The mob stirred restlessly until the survivor from the street yelled for then to attack. The massed force moved forward as one, slowly flanking Alita and backing her into a corner. “I think it’s about time someone joined the family, don’t you guys?” snarled the self appointed leader as he casually strolled to Alita, licking his elongated fangs “Oh we’ll have such fun with you. And don’t worry, down here no-one’s going to hear you screaming and calling for help.”
He placed a hand upon her shoulder as he walked behind her to whisper softly in her ear “You’re in our world now. Nothing can save you, and we can make this fun for a very, very long time. And in the end we will break you, just like the last hunter who entered here. Care to meet him?”

Before she had chance to respond Alita felt the Vampire’s firm grip turn her around and lift her head to face a large curtain which was swiftly pulled aside by a pair of the humans. There, pinned to the wall in a shallow alcove was the last hunter to find their family refuge. What remained of him at least.
His face was untouched, dominated by a pair of bloodshot, half crazed eyes. But below that he’d been cut open from chin to groin with surgical precision, the skin pulled back and pinned to the wall. His internal organs were gone; instead lengths of transparent tubing plunged into the crimson cavity where his guts had been. Some of them twined between and around his exposed ribs like an obscene growth of ivy. The tubes fed him dark slow-moving liquids and drained away others, all pulsing slowly, the man’s body shaking gently to the ghastly rhythm’s timing. Dried blood stained his legs and the wall below the pins that held him in place, blood spilt from the initial wounds but left to linger instead of being cleaned.
“He was so brave when we caught him, said he’d rather die than beg us. But eventually, bravery just isn’t enough and he begged us, cried and sobbed as he asked us to let him slip off this mortal coil. But as you can see he’s still alive, and even after over two hundred years he can still entertain. And soon he might have a friend to hang out with up there, depending on just how you fare.”

The grip on her relaxed enough for her to lower her head to her chest, weeping silently for the poor man in his never ending nightmare existence. Just one more reason to fight to the end, one more life to avenge and one more justification for the way of life she had chosen.
“Is that supposed to impress me?” she asked, proud of herself for being able to lift her head and keep her voice steady as she spoke.
“Not at all my dear, it’s supposed to scare you. Here you’ll find fear to be a very good friend. It’ll help you make the inevitable change from a big tough hunter to a mindless living plaything. Defiance will bring only pain, stubbornness travels with unnecessary suffering. You’ll break, everyone does in the end, but it will be better for you to do so while some of your usefulness and sanity remains, or you’ll be joining our shy little friend here.”
The hand upon her shoulder flexed and began driving his claw-like nails deep into her flesh until they scraped upon the bone below. He licked the blood from his hand chuckled harshly
“So my sweet, shall we see just how tough you really are?”

[Ves]

(( I really need to start going to sleep when I get home from work in the mornings instead of playing at being a writer. Ahh well, it's all good fun. Enjoy ))

Old pains and sweet revenge : Old flames and new friends [/u]

It wasn’t long before Alita began screaming in pain. Two of the remaining Vampires had removed the only weapon she had left, the gauntlets she’d used so effectively to destroy their kin, along with her clothing, and help her upright. Each had taken a firm grip on one of her wrists, forcing her to stand as if crucified before the rest of the host. She tried to cover herself as much as possible, but there’s only so much she could do while being held in such an exposed position.
Her cruel tormentors had mocked and ridiculed her, causing her head to fall in shame. Suddenly there was a sharp crack and a fierce, burning pain struck. Her back arched involuntarily as she screamed out, but the only reply was another crack and more pain. She could feel a warm wet sensation across her back, knowing what had caused it didn’t stop her twisting as much as she could to see what the beasts behind her were planning next.
Another crack this time the pain lanced through her already injured shoulder as she saw the barbed tip of a brutal looking leather whip being pulled free of its fleshy confines. Her body tried to block out the pain, causing her to tremble and shake uncontrollably as shock began to overwhelm her senses.
“Oh shit, I’m going to die looking like a damned masochist on a kink binge” the thought raced through her mind as the whip once again cracked the imminent arrival of more suffering. This time the bard raked across the backs of her thighs and her ass, causing her legs to sag and buckle. The two creatures holding her arms kept her from hitting the floor and the cracks from the whip became more frequent as it’s wielded yelled at her “On your feet, or I’ll flay every last inch of skin from your pathetic body. The choice is yours, but I’d make it quick if I was you, or you might be screaming too loudly for me to hear your plea’s for mercy.”

Struggling to her feet Alita once again lifted her head in defiance “You won’t break me that easily”
A flood of laughter washed over her while she waited for the next blow to fall, when it didn’t she turned her head to find out what was next on their list of things to play with and wished she hadn’t as soon as she saw it.
“Now then my dear, I think that, since you’ve been such a brave little girl, there should be some kind of reward. And this is it” called the former whip user as he walked towards her with what seemed at first glance to be a baton similar to those used by the police. A more attentive person would notice that the strange glow along its length seemed to jump from one place to another, but Alita knew exactly what it was, a cattle prod. Things like this had been used for situations like the one she was in for longer than people could remember, and one thing that all the survivors had said was that once that first jolt hits you, it’s pretty much all over.
The tip swung by her thighs, and although the baton itself didn’t strike her the charge had no difficulty in leaping the short distance between the metal rod and the soft flesh of its victim. The stench of ozone and burnt meat was suddenly everywhere in the room and Alita screamed like she had never done before as her leg muscles contracted and relaxed too quickly for her to handle.

The host cackled and laughed I delight as their victim ‘danced’ for them. The volume of noise rising with each shock applied to the naked human before them until it drowned out all but the most frenzied screams from Alita. Several of the braver Vampires moved in and began to lap up the blood flowing freely from the multitude of wounds upon Alita’s back and legs, only moving away briefly to avoid the jolts from the prod as it stung her over and over again.
Alita’s screams gradually changed from piercing high pitched cries of pain into harsh ragged yells of anguish and rage as the constant abuse on her vocal chords performed irreparable damage to her once delightful voice “I’ll see you all burn in hell for this, no matter what it takes, even if I have to wait an eternity”
Once more the host roared with laughter and calling out insults, several even began to imitate Alita’s curses and oaths. It was all too much for her to bear, her head falling forward until her chin rested against her chest, Alita began to weep openly. These things were so much better than her, a mere human, what hope did she have of escape, of being rescued, of even seeing the sun again. She thought of all that could have been and wept.
The host suddenly fell silent as another scream rang out, though this was a scream of rage not pain. As one they turned to face the door to Lady Sharesh’s office space, just in time to see it shake as something was slammed against it from the other side. Alita dropped to the floor as the Vampires released her and moved to find out what was troubling their leader.
Another thud as once more something was slammed into the door from inside the office caused the host to look at each other nervously, remembering that inside the hidden sanctuary of the office was the one that had defeated several of their number without a thought, armed with a rather dangerous looking sword, and their creator, leader and in the view of the human blood addicts the only thing in the world that mattered.

The host started to panic as a fearsome blast sounded out through the hall; with a yell they dashed to help, only to come to a stumbling halt as the door erupted in a shower of splinters and flame, and a smoking heap was hurled from the inferno within.
The screams continued and the host stood and stared, horrified at the sight before them. The office was destroyed absolutely, nothing within remained intact, and anything flammable was serving as fuel for the raging flames that licked hungrily over everything, spreading inevitably towards them. They remained transfixed as their eyes fell upon a figure amidst the ruins and smoke, some cried out as they saw the only mother figure they could recall engulfed in the blazing mess.
Sharesh stopped yelling and looked out at the family she had created, and then her anger reached its peak “Don’t just stand there! Kill him, destroy the foul betrayer, slayer of his own family, but do it slowly, make him endure suffering like nothing else on this earth!”

The smoking heap came to a stop against one of the large tables from the party, though it was now pushed back to make room for the torture of Alita. “Sweet mother of Christ, how the bloody hell does Ves manage to pull that off so often? That shit hurts.” it muttered as it struggled to its feet to reveal the rather beaten looking form of Mephiston.
His face was a web of cuts and slashes, all healing but much slower than usual. He stood a little shakily and clutched at his side, dark blood dripping to the floor as it seeped through his clutching fingers, a thin dagger protruding just below the rib cage.
“Can you walk?” he asked, flecks of blood on his breath as his pierced lung tried in vain to inflate “Not exactly in a position to carry you out of here, and based upon the way you look I’m guessing these guys aren’t friendly to you either”
Alita nodded and dragged herself to her feet using the wall for support, only slipping down again twice “I’ll make it, even if I have to drag myself over broken glass to see the light of day again. Though a shoulder to lean on would be more than welcome”
With a grunt Meph yanked the dagger from his side, blood flowing more heavily without the object there to block its path. After muttering a few curses in a language Alita didn’t recognise he looked at her as if for the first time and carefully removed his coat, dropping it around her shoulders “Can’t have you running around in public naked, you’d attract too much attention. Now get going, any second now they’ll remember we’re here and then we’re fucked. Personally I don’t feel like getting fucked by a Vampire bitch and her little meat puppet clan today so run, we’ll have more time to talk later”
Alita nodded numbly, more in fright than anything else. The man stood in front of her was clearly another Vampire, but there was something strange about him, and that something was his eyes. They were slowly turning from an ice blue so pale they looked white to a black so deep they seemed like pools of never ending night. She shuddered as she realised that those eyes were the last thing that many an innocent victim had seen. Turning she started for the passage leading to the bar, the street and to survival, she laughed joyously as she realised she was going to survive, but her laughter died on her lips when Sharesh spoke.
Suddenly there was an arm around her waist and she was lifted easily off her feet as Meph carried her up the passage as quickly as he could manage “You can complain about the bumpy ride once we’re clear, more important things to do right now, like not getting ripped into tiny bits and fed to those little slaves of hers. And I’m sorry if I bleed on you, just don’t try drinking it or I’ll leave you for those little bastards back there, not that you’ll be any different from them, but you’ll be MY little meat shield, and I won’t think twice about leaving a near zombie to whatever fate our delightful hosts can think up, so long as it helps me get out of here and allows me a moment to rest it’s all good”

(( Oooooooo, just can't decide if this should have a happy ending or a sad one. I KNOW what's going to happen for the most part, but there's one little detail that's been bugging the hell out of me. This little note at the end serves as an excuse for any delay in the posting of what WILL be the last section of this little literary shambles. Thanks for putting up with it this long, and sorry for making you all have to do loads of reading for pretty much sod all I wuv's you all ;D ;D ;D ))

[Akkarin]

((Don't know what you're on about my man, I'm bloody hooked, and I have some idea to the end anyway. Love it ))

[Ves]

(( Cheers matey, I'm actually really enjoying writing this kinda stuff ( especially the stuff I write about Ves and Meph, gives me chance to show their hidden depths instead of the usual care free lunatics they protray in public, can't show a softer side too much in public, someone might find out and their reputations would go right out the window ) so might be compelled to start doing more, just a bit smaller, and with probably a few less "Can't read this while eating dinner" moments. As for the ending........ Answers on a postcard to the PM clicky thing which is that way <------------<<< some place. ))