Shattered Horizon IC

[Psyker Landshark]

"So," Alexa muttered to Agatha and Lyra as she rejoined them. "I've got good news and bad news. The bad news is that apparently the vampires are rigging the ships in the harbor to blow. Something about spirit magic. Someone might want to tell the Astopolians about that." While Alexa wasn't exactly enthused about allowing more of Astopol's military into their country, someone had to do something about those ships. And it certainly wasn't going to be her.

"The good news is this," She held up the bag of funds Araki had given her. "If we split this between everyone here, we'll have enough to afford provisions for a week. I'm going to go see if the merchant downstairs has any supplies left in stock. After he's done sating himself. In the meantime," She lowered her voice to a whisper. "We need a way to get the hell out of here and get to somewhere we have access to funds. The others can keep the money, but we need to leave town as soon as possible. Lyra's right. It's not safe here."

 

[Izurich]

[fieldbox=Voyager of the Skies, Brown, solid]

The situation turned out for the better, if only slightly, as they managed to find a temporary shelter in a merchant's house. While she may not like the elven ex-slaves to 'sell' themselves just so the group could stay, desperate situations required desperate measures, even the headstrong Heiress had to admit it was necessary with the other choice being freezing to death. Whether it was a strength or flaw of her character depending on one's perspective, Agatha wasn't fond of having to rely on others, if possible, she should be the one who provide for others. The young woman felt slightly dejected that Alexa had to be the one leading the group in the end, she was the one who led the group to march outside the hall, yet she couldn't find them shelter. However, she instantly felt guilty about it, they were all trying to survive here, it was childish of her to fuss over who's 'leading' and who's 'following'. Perhaps, being in a position of power for so long made her forget what it meant to relinquish the helm to someone else. At the very least, it was a good reminder that she was nowhere near perfect.

With Elaina's conditions stable after the healing sessions, Agatha could rest her biggest worry for the time being. They could properly plan their next moves here. Wynn's condition was peculiar, Agatha never seen a case like this before, her body was halfway between dead or alive, no heartbeat and breaths, yet warm much unlike a corpse. Agatha sighed as she finished her 'bath', water magic... at least the one casting it wasn't a slaver mage backed up by two guards who would love nothing more than to humiliate her. She had no other apparel to wear so the stained white dress would have to do.

Currently, the Nightingale Heiress was sitting next to Lyra and Alexa, her childhood best friend and acquaintance respectively, catching up on old times for a brief moment before the latter's young male friend peeked down from the rooftop. Agatha stayed with Lyra as Alexa spoke in hushed tones with her friend, best to leave them alone, not her business to know, besides, either of them would tell the rest if there's something concerning all of them.

She glanced at Tulian, noticing he was conversing with some of the girls, his own kin included. They spoke lowly until it was his turn, she couldn't clearly hear everything he said, but enough to warm her heart, despite the flat tone of his voice, she could feel his sincerity for her efforts. Through it all, he firmly believed in her, when others doubt, he never stayed true to the promise she gave, this kind of bond was not one that could be forged in a moment's notice. "Thank you, Tulian..." Agatha smiled happily as he stepped towards her.

Lyra's familiar voice brought the brunette's attention back at her friend, she was right, this stain on Illeserevian society thrived on selling people as trade goods, there was no reason for them to help Astopolians considering they abhorred everything Yuimas stood for, Agatha agreed with them on this principle of course, slavery was utterly wrong and evil at its very core. Speaking about Lyra, Agatha was reminded about the large mercenary... apparently he tried to kill Lyra for some unknown reason, from her description, the man was acting like a mindless wild beast, rampaging and destroying anything in his path... while he was just fine the last time she saw him, wonder what happened? Her first assumption was foul magic from the vampires. Oh dear, she sincerely hoped he was alright, she was obliged to properly reward him later.

Alexa soon returned from her talk, "Yeah?" Agatha turned at her acquaintance attentively, listening carefully to what she had to say. "...Ah shit, that's bad." Rigged ships? Someone was salty alright, deprive vampires of their blood and they'd go to great lengths in making sure they'd have their meal even though mass murder. "If they can help, sure." The twintailed brunette was not as repulsed as Alexa regarding Astopolians, the only thing she didn't like about them was their thick racism, otherwise, they're good people, zealous as fuck, but good. Up next, the younger woman held up the thing that made the world go round, especially Illeserev, "That's great!" She beamed up, "Yep, I agree. My family doesn't have any contacts in Yuimas, we don't want anything to do with slavers and their ilk so yeah, we should get out of here... in the Lughanta if we could help it, damn it, if only I have some clue on where its whereabouts, and my crew! ...Oh fuck," An apprehensive omen shot up in her head, "If my ship is among those rigged to blow... oh hell no! Not going to happen!"

"Alexa, give me some money." The clink of coins rang from the bag as a few fell into her right hand, then before anyone could say otherwise, "Alright, that's it! Like hell I'm going to stay here." Agatha stood up, fiercely burning embers in her eyes, "This pervert of a merchant surely have something to help us other than this fucking attic!" With that, she left her fellow Heiresses, Tulian, and the others, stomping down the stairs towards the main floor. "He's fucking around long enough, we don't have the time for this!"

[/fieldbox]

 

[ERode]

A scarlet trail.

A sharp fragrance.

A set of tracks within the snow.

The aristocrat curled her lips, canines extending in anticipation. The interruptions to that slave auction, and the monster of a man that prevented her kin from giving chase had been irritating, but if she were to reap the benefits of an entire stock of slaves…well, that was a worthy sacrifice then. Even if it was a large group, there wouldn't be a problem if she had a consistently large stock of blood after all.

With steps so light it that she walked above the snow, the buxom red-head began to approach the end of the tracks, a quaint little building covered in snow and icicles. A warm glow shone through the attic window, and occasionally, a white-dressed individual passed by.

Bringing up her hand to the oaken door, the aristocrat did the civilized thing.

She knocked.

---

As Agatha stepped down the staircase, an elven woman, smelling of sex and sweat, ascended. Her lime green hair was tousled, and her cheeks were flushed, but outside of that, she had a cold countenance before her. Experienced, or just emotionally dead after her ordeals. Regardless, not a single sign of acknowledgement was passed to Agatha.

The twintailed lady would see the merchant, looking significantly more refreshed than before. Wearing a gray bathrobe and nursing a bottle of wine, the pot-bellied man enjoyed the warmth of the flames and the pleasant emptiness of his nether regions, before noticing Agatha. A crooked grin popped up, as he called out, "Hey there, girlie! Got wet from eavesdropping or something? Bit tired, but I'm sure Charles Junior here can go for another r-"

A knock sounded then, and the merchant got off his padded seat. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Go back up, girlie. Would be bad if it were guards or whatnot."

He waited a few moments, for the twin-tailed girl to leave, before shuffling towards the door.

---

Up above the attic, things have gotten quiet. One of the girls had spotted the red-haired beauty as she strode up to the doorsteps, before alerting the others, and now, they laid in silence, waiting. Conversation, unintelligible as it was, sounded through the floorboards as the group of slaves stopped what they were doing, straining to listen. Two sets of feet could be heard walking down below, and after that, more conversation.

And then, there was an audible clink.

The falling of a bag of coins onto a hard surface.

 

[Zombehs]

[BCOLOR=transparent]

[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]The sharp winds were unpleasant to run against, but for a moment Araki became quite thankful for their presence. He dropped to the rooftop at the sharp scent of blood carried towards him, and strained his sharpened senses to their limit. Howling gusts made the crunch of snow impossible to hear, and he hesitantly poked his head upwards to try and catch a glimpse of whatever smelled of blood. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Dressed finely, a red-head strode through the street with supernatural grace. Her steps left no prints in the snow and though her movements were elegant, the look in her eyes were practically predatory. Definitely a vampire, and not someone he wanted to tussle against. Her destination was quite clear, and he wished the group best of luck in what was about to happen. Even if they had managed to conceal their tracks, the injured they carried left an even better trail for the vampires to follow. He watched her for a few moments longer before lowering his head and waiting for her to move further away.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The moments passed in silence before Araki picked himself up slowly. A cautious glance and deep breath revealed little of concern for now, and he hurried along towards the Fight Club's building. The lack of any further encounters earned a sigh of relief from him as he landed on the street where the building stood. Another glance showed the coast was clear and he hurried across to knock on the double doors. Unsurprisingly, they didn't budge in the slightest as the thuds rang out, likely barred from the inside. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]It took a few moments before any reply was heard, but thankfully the entrance was opened after he gave them a bit of information about his earlier visit. Allowed to slip inside, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly as most of the people still around levelled their eyes at him. Hands gripped weapons tightly and the atmosphere was definitely tense, but not quite uncomfortable yet. The mood eased as they recognized he wasn't a threat, and conversation began to flow as grips shifted from weapons to mugs.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Wanting nothing more than to sleep on a bed for the moment, Araki quickly made his way upstairs and towards the general quarters. Thankful he had managed to get one of the interior rooms, it was more of a closet that had been converted to a living space really. A bed dominated more than half the space, leaving just enough room for the door to swing open. His supplies remained untouched in the one free corner, and he quickly covered them with the tossed cloak. Positioning the bed so it jammed the door shut was easy enough, and with that done he flopped onto the covers tiredly. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Closing his eyes, he tried his best to fall asleep without thinking too much on the group's fate.

[/BCOLOR]

 

[Izurich]

[fieldbox=Voyager of the Skies, Brown, solid]

"..." A brown eyebrow was raised as a flock of messy lime green locks passed the Nightingale Heiress, the owner of said locks didn't even regard her, but her smell alone told Agatha more than enough. She didn't blame the elven female for 'sacrificing' her dignity for the group, it was necessary, but damn, to say she wasn't irritated would be a great big lie. "Rrrgh..." Twitching her right eye, she continued her way down.

Soon enough, she reached the main living room, the warmth of a well-lit fireplace washed over the brunette, but she couldn't appreciate the comforts it brought, not when there was a portly - much like Erantus - man sitting on a plush chair. The satisfied mug on his face, if only he knew the legendary effort Agatha took to not slam his visage on the brick wall and roast his fat ass on the fireplace. "..." Still, the fact that he provided the group shelter when they needed it the most was there, she'd have to swallow her pride and bear with him for now. "...What?" But no one said it was going to be easy.

The Heiress was visibly not pleased at him treating her like some kind of whore, how disgraceful, if her family knew about this... "Sigh..." right, they had nothing here. "No, not interested, 'thank' you very much. I'm just here to ask some qu-" Before she could finish, the door separating them from the harsh winter cold was knocked, who in their right mind would think of visiting instead of staying at their homes? Was it another group of slaves? Very unlikely, unless... "Ah... shit." The brunette muttered under her breath, it was a mere assumption, but solid enough to believe that whoever was out there meant no good, likely one of those bloodsuckers.

"..." Agatha merely stayed silent as the merchant told her to go back, she huffed once then shuffled her feet back towards the stairs... but stopped midway once the merchant turned his back on her. Crouching like a thief, she silently hid behind a doorway leading to another section of the main floor, peeking her head slightly just enough for one eye to examine what was going on near the entrance.

When Charles the Fat opened the door, a redheaded woman with generous mounds on her chest, clad in fancy clothes, entered the abode. "Who... the fuck is that?" Instantly, alarms rang in her head, this... lady looked very suspicious, alone, strangely nonchalant considering she just traveled through the harsh winter, much too friendly for visiting someone during a vampire infestation. Charles was either an idiot or someone in cohorts with this mysterious individual, they leisurely chit-chatted for a moment, then she looked upwards at the stairs... "Ho... shit...!!" the clinking bag of coins only cemented Agatha's conclusion, this fucking shitstain just sold out all of them to this... creature! She must be a vampire, no doubts about it!

She wasn't sure the wounded and exhausted group above could take on a powerful vampire even if they had Astopolian Knights with them, she must warn them, at least they'd have the element of surprise. "Ah fuck... ah... w-what should I do? Think, Agatha, think damn it!!" Gritting her teeth, clenching her trembling hands, the brunette took a few deep breaths, then dared herself to sneak back up once the redhead and Charles began talking once more. If they spotted here, she could at least shout out 'Vampire!!'

[/fieldbox]

 

[Skyswimsky]

Myriel agreed with the purple-haired woman, which voice felt a little bit familiar, about the probable cooperation between city-law and mayor. Mainly, however, because of the words the slave-trader said and how sure he was about nothing going wrong. Even so, regardless if Myriel was thinking in the right direction or not, Benedicta needed rest - and the Astopolian Knight Errant was taking it from her.

"Rest as much as you need, I shall take care of things here." With those words, she gave her older sister a sisterly kiss on the fore-head. "I'm glad you're alive." With that done, the flat-chest gave a nod towards Lyra with a friendly smile. If she wanted to talk they could do so now, though preferably not too close to her rest-deprived sister.

Any plans for interaction however got cut short as one of the slave-girls warned them about a certain red-head, another vampire she apparently recognized among the brute, making a visit for their house. "I knew it..." Was all Myriel murmured as she finally got up herself and activated the passive-mode of her Talentium weapon. She still needed more rest, alas, the bit of a break she had needed to be enough to get at least rid of one insect - not to mention the girl was also carrying her weapon now.

Even prepared though, Myriel kept silent just as the rest of the group, maybe - somehow - this could have been solved peacefully. After all, the vampire must have been very confident if she was apparently walking around all alone. As the sound of coins dropping resounded throughout the silenced upper floor however, an image spread through the Astopolian's mind. Maybe she had read just too many novels, but even the not-existing sound of the fat merchant's body dropping to the ground seemed real as she was now rushing the stairs downwards. Maybe, Myriel's mind knew that she had to avoid conflict. But in her heart, the girl would not rest until every single non-human would be redeemed through death.

 

[Warm Regret]

Although physically he seemed unmoved by Agatha's words and actions, he was pleased to see the heiress smile and hear her words of gratitude. For a moment, it distracted him from the dreariness of their situation. He remained mostly silent while conversations happened around him. As a former elven slave, he didn't feel as though his opinion on anything was valued nor desired. It was eventually brought up through conversation, that the people who governed this degenerate land would be of no use to them and although Tulian didn't know much about politics, he assumed they worked the same way the rest of Illeserev did, through corruption and transgression. Soon, Lyra mentioned something that Tulian had addressed earlier with Agatha. Now that the slaves were freed and the Braxton Hall Slave trade was left in shambles, someone was sure to come looking for them. It was a concern he had raised to Agatha while they were first plotting their escape but somehow the twin tailed girl believed they could escape and avoid being hunted down. Surprisingly, Tulian was beginning to believe her, but time would prove otherwise.

After further conversation among the heiresses, the brown haired girl stormed off downstairs to confront the merchant who was putting them up for the night. Tulian wasn't surprised by her actions, in fact, by now he had come to expect it. He would have been more alarmed if the girl somehow -didn't- lose her temper. Glancing back at her friends, he wondered if any of them would try and stop her, he would have gone himself but it seemed like Alexa was the only one who was able to get through to her when she was in one of her moods. Perhaps because she was more forceful in her way of doing things while he was more reserved. When the green haired elven girl returned, Tulian escorted her back to the small group of their kin. The male elf did his best to fix her hair and clean her face, thinking to himself that the distant look in her eyes were like looking into a mirror. When one of the slaves warned them that they had a visitor, Tulian immediately thought it was one of the vampires from Braxton Hall, looking to recover their lost assets.

A hush fell over the ragtag group as everyone froze in place. The occasional murmur could be heard from downstairs as the merchant and red head conversed, ending with the unmistakable sound of money being offered. Tulian assumed the worst, that the woman who approached the small home had tracked them down and offered a hefty sum to the merchant in exchange for handing them over. Tulian now understood why the young boy from earlier didn't bother staying with them, they were a liability. Money was exchanged and knowing the way things worked in Illeserev, it was only a matter of time now until the woman either alerted others to their presence or confronted them herself. Before anyone could react, the flat chested knightess from Astopol rushed passed them and down the stairs. There was no turning back now, it was decided that whomever was downstairs would be confronted head on. If they had been in better condition with proper equipment, he was sure the group of them could easily fend off one vampire but some of them were injured and only a few had a means of defending themselves.

All he could do was hope the dark haired knightess knew not to cause too much of a commotion or else it would alert others to their presence. Tulian quickly followed behind the knightess, his azure ponytail bouncing with each step but he stopped halfway when he was close enough to Agatha, reaching out to grab her wrist. A long blue bang lay over his left eye. "I sense a conflict brewing." He warned. "We should stay back and let those who are able to fight handle this." He said in a hushed voice.

 

[Psyker Landshark]

The jingle of coins attracted her attention. A peek downstairs told her all she needed to know. The vampires had found them.

"Shit!" Alexa hissed under her breath as she immediately headed back upstairs, retriving her spear. Walking back towards the other escapees, she started to whisper quietly to them. "Everyone listen up: there's a vampire downstairs. Those of you who can use talentium, take a spear. We're going to kill it and make a break for it. It's obviously not safe here any-"

Before she could get another word in, the younger Astopolian knight had already started running for the stairs, her weapon in her hands. "Damn it!" Alexa snarled in fury. Fucking idiot, rushing in headfirst! Fine, she could work with this. If the girl was so intent on getting herself killed, they might as well use it to their advantage. "Agatha, Lyra, grab some weapons. Those of you who can't fight, stay down but get ready to make a break for it. It's not the best idea, but we're out of options at the moment."

 

[Astoria]

Lyra had taken the liberty to secure the building. Unbeknownst to the house's portly owner, she had set up her wards around the perimeter of the structure and was the first to be alerted to the presence of the red-headed vampire. This in itself wasn't too concerning for her. After all, they were guests of whatever low-level merchant the man was, and he was in his natural rights to receive guests. It was only on the cue of the sounds of clinking coins did everybody else immediately become on edge. It was clear. They'd been sold out, probably for a petty sum of gold.

How troublesome. She really should have led them to the dockyard warehouses.

There was more than enough firepower in the building to wipe out the merchant and a single buyer, likely a vampire. Between Lyra, Agatha, Alexa, and the unwelcome pair of knightesses, any battle would be a curbstomp even with injured parties. What she didn't want, though, was her parents breathing down her neck for causing a ruckus, even if it was justified. Breaking her fellow nobles out of their unfortunate situation was troublesome enough already.

The purple-haired sorceress raised her hand at the running girl. Running interference, a hexagonal shield suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her way. Standing up, she acknowledged Alexa's words, but shook her head as she moved to catch up to the furious knightess. "I still look my part. There is a chance yet to avoid fighting. Should I fail, back me up."

The element of surprise had been lost long ago when Myriel had started running, anyway. Instead, she took the opposite direction. Struggling through the black-haired knight and walking through her own barrier, she spoke up, loud. Lyra was shite at negotiation, but being of higher birth, there were still a small but effective selection of bombs in her arsenal. Reaching down the hem of her robe and between her modest chest, she produced a brilliant gold and sapphire necklace, bearing the crest of her family and its ubiquitous shipping company. Clasping the delicate chain, she held it up. Because she was not dressed like a slave, she actually had the liberty to exert a modicum of negotiating power.

"Is something amiss?"

Lyra was too cocky. She'd focused so much on ineptly intimidating the merchant that she'd neglected the vampire.

 

[ERode]

"Thank you, my lord."

"No, milord. Several of my Spirit Thralls have been set underneath the ships in the port, ready to tear them apart if they followed the trail."

"What's the matter?"

"Ah…but my lord, there's nothing wrong with kicking someone when they're already down, is there?"

"When it's for the sake of furthering your research though?"

"Right away."​

@Zombehs
The rocking of ocean waves. The salted breeze. The freezing dampness.

As Araki slept fitfully, a too-real dream, with voices that were much too sharp, formed before him. He could see the legion of spirits, the shadow-thin vampire, and the interior of a lavish ship. Though insulation was minimal, the plush carpet that he could feel below him, as well as the antique furniture that looked out of place in an otherwise bare place, showed that there was at least some interest in making it presentable.

As the vampire finished speaking to a voice that he could not here, he turned to Araki and smiled, yellow eyes glittering. "Awake already?" he asked, before waving a hand over the Crystalla's eyes, "Oh dear, those dead fish eyes don't look too good on a young lady like yourself. Never mind that, since the only other company I have here are the dead, allow me to apologize for taking your prosthetic arm a few days back. As a matter of fact, I'll show you something special, okay?"

With that, the vampire straightened his back once again, and pulled something out of his midnight-black suit. An ornate key, dull silver and brass, laid in his hand. It chimed like a bell as the vampire playfully twirled it in his hands, before he thrust it outwards, in a seemingly arbitrary location.

"I am the Trespasser.
The Bearer of the Ill-Gotten Key.
The Thief that Plunderers the Cradle.
Witness and Retaliate, Gatekeepers.
Let the Highlanders Descend.
Let them Chase.
Let them Ravage.
Open up the Rift, and Shatter the Horizon.
Kana Uil Maeliw!"​

A distorted chime. An inversion of color. An arcane nova. And then…

Araki found himself looking up at the non-descript ceiling of his closet-room, his heart pounding against his chest. For a moment, all he could hear was the sound of own heartbeat.

His own heartbeat, synchronizing with another.

@Click This @Izurich @Psyker Landshark @Skyswimsky
Charles stewed as he sat before the red-haired lady. His mind scrambled for answers, scrambled for reasons, scrambled for any shred of a lie that he could weave together into a convincing story. The monster in the skin of a woman, Madame Rosa had already dropped down a rather reasonable sum of money for the 'truth' that she believed he was hiding from her, but at the same time…it was quite a problem, wasn't it?

On one hand, he had his own life to think about. Rosa was almost definitely a vampire, and all the sex and money in the world wouldn't do him any good if he was killed.

On the other hand, he had his reputation as a merchant to think about. While he was a small-time tradesman, he still valued the power of his own spoken word, and at least one of the women who sheltered was from a wealthy family.

The merchant closed his eyes, sighed, and said, looking straight into her red eyes, "I honestly don't know what you're talking about, Madame. I'm the only one in this hou-"

"Is something amiss?"

From the top of the staircase, Lyra appeared, a self-assured expression on her face as the lavender-haired girl waved down. Charles almost sputtered, as a thin smile stretched on the vampiress's face. "What was that about how you were the only one inside this house, merchant," she asked, her velvety tone like thick blood.

The fat man laughed nervously, before saying, "Well, you know how it is. Sometimes, you have guests in the house that you don't exactly want others to know about. You can keep a secret, can't you, Madame?"

That thin, amused smile still on her face, the woman crossed her arms. "Oh? What's the secret?"

"Well, you know, an aristocratic family wouldn't exactly approve of a low-born merchant like myself being in an affair with their daughter, right?"

"My my, how daring…and the other footsteps from up above?"

"Oh, that's j-"

The red-haired vampire raised up a single, slender finger, and a spear of blood flew upwards, piercing silently through the wooden ceiling and extending. After a few moments, the vampire retracted her magical blade, a hint of disappointment on her face.

Charles did his best to ignore the incident, before saying, "Just large rats, I suppose. Didn't hear it myself. Darling, I'll be back in bed soon. Just stay there, okay?"

Rosa's smile faded, replaced by a stern glare. "How droll. You're aware that an entire shipment of slaves escaped, and their tracks end here, right?"

The merchant laughed, his voice becoming louder. "And I'm sure that if these slaves were here, they would have ran off already. I mean, staying in one place is such an amateur mistake when it comes to escaping from their masters, right?"

The vampire smiled once more. "That it is."

@Warm Regret @Asuras
As Tulian waited with the other slaves, a blade of blood suddenly jutted upwards. It found no victims, but was dangerously close to Benedicta's head, before it disappeared. None of the slaves said a thing, and that silence indicated just how dangerous it was to stay any longer in this attic. Though questionable, a rooftop escape was a possibility. Accounting for the distance between buildings and the frigid temperatures, though, the leaps would definitely be difficult if they had to carry along those who were incapacitated during the escape.

This high up, there really wasn't any other way for them to run. Their combat-ready members have chosen to fight, but with no idea how much attention Talentium-enhanced combat would bring, was it really a smart idea to stay there? As the vulnerable group mulled over this decision, or simply curled up in terror, the merchant's voice could suddenly be heard, audible enough to make sense of.

"And I'm sure that if these slaves were here, they would have ran off already. I mean, staying in one place is such an amateur mistake when it comes to escaping from their masters, right?"

 

[Izurich]

[fieldbox=Voyager of the Skies, Brown, solid]

In a stroke of luck, the redheaded guest didn't notice Agatha, she reached high enough for the blue-haired elf to pull her wrist. Brown eyes stared back at his heterochromic ones, "I know that, there's one of those bloodsuckers downstairs." She kept her voice low, but the urgency and alert in it was clear. The hotheaded Heiress released herself from his hold, shaking her head slowly, "Gosh, Tulian, don't you realize I can handle myself? Like hell I'm just gonna stay here, that monster needs to go, permanently."

She huffed, turning at Alexa, "Right back at ya," she said as her right hand picked up one of the chipped talentium spears, "Ah..." feeling the power coursing through her veins, small breezes of wind swirled around her form, "Alexa's right, everyone. Stay down and stay alive, alright?" Pumped up and eagre knowing they had a solid chance of winning, Agatha narrowed her eyes, "Right, let's go!" If it wasn't for Lyra's intervention, Agatha would actually charge together with the underdeveloped female Knight. "Eh?!" She almost crashed at Myriel's back due to the sudden appearance of an arcane six-sided shield,

"Lyra... urgh..." Twitching her right eye in annoyance, Agatha turned, "What? Are you serious?! You can't negotiate with that monster!" Lyra may look timid with her bookish researched look, but it couldn't be further from the truth, they both were close friends since they were small children, Agatha knew that once Lyra set her mind on something, she was stubborn as a rock. "....Sigh... fine..." Gripping the spear harder, Agatha's eyes never left the younger girl as she went down the stairs, her fancy necklace in full display.

Staying back, she tried her best to listen to the conversation. "...seriously?" From the looks of it, Charles the Glutton was actually trying to protect them. Wow, instant guilt... but to be honest, Agatha was not the only one assuming he had sold them off. Right, only the most debauched men could even think of doing business with them, like Erantus, but he's dead now, good riddance. Shit, Lyra's appearance may have ruined everything... but no going back now. "..." Damn, he was good, Agatha fought back a snort as Charles spinned an excuse, one that displayed his lecherous nature to boot, ...and also sparked the jealousy in her heart. Good thing he wasn't being serious, or else she might have to pound his face, no way on Illeserev would someone like Lyra romantically involve herself with people like him! ...If anything, Lyra should notice her already! She had been trying ever since their little play at the cave near the Mauritania estate. Alas, sometimes Lyra was just too dense for her own good.

"...!!?" Her train of thoughts was shattered as a literal blood spear pierced through the wooden attic floor, narrowly missing the wounded Knightess. "F... fuck..." Her heart beat faster, her hands clenched white, "Alright... e-enough is enough... let's end her already!" This 'negotiation' was one wild goose chase, the fucking bloodsucker already knew they were here, she was just toying with her preys, well they'd show her how prey could become predators once cornered enough. The one thing preventing her from charging straight away was her best friend/crush being at the forefront.

[/fieldbox]

 

[Warm Regret]

Releasing his grip on Agatha's wrist, he eyed her lethargically as she professed an ability to take care of herself. He didn't doubt her but at the same time, he had never seen her fight either…nor she him. He made sure not to underestimate her prowess as a fighter, as it was often he would experience the same thing. Many times he was discounted as a fighter, due to his abnormal beauty or because he was a lowly slave and many times he had to prove that ignorant way of thinking as false. He knew it wouldn't do much good to try and reason with her, she was quite the stubborn bull, especially when she was excited about something. Tulian let his eyes fall again as he stood there, hoping the commotion a fight was sure to cause, would somehow fail to draw even more attention to them. Several others rallied to face this new threat but they were all prevented from descending the stairs thanks to a magical barrier put in place by one of Agatha's friends. Tulian exhaled softly, the fact that an all-out brawl had been prevented, alleviated some of his stress.

He wasn't sure what Lyra had in mind by confronting their mystery guest by herself but once things had quieted down in the attic, he could hear that there were no signs of a struggle. Straining along with the others to understand what was happening down below, he could only make out bits and pieces of muffled words. Suddenly and without warning, a blade a blood tore through the floor, nearly impaling the Astopolian knightess resting nearby. Tulian took a cautious step back and held a clenched hand to his chest. He looked around carefully, unsure if another surprise like that was in store for them. "Can you stand?" He whispered to Benedicta, not wanting her or any of them to be on the receiving end of the vile looking blade. Moments later, he could more audibly hear the conversation from downstairs and it was as if the merchant were warning them that they should take this opportunity to escape. Tulian exhaled softly. Perhaps he was wrong about the merchant, the lecherous trader could have easily turned them in…but he didn't. Apparently there were still some people in Illiserev that held onto a thread of their integrity.

Quietly rushing to the window, he thrust it open and pushed his head outside. The cold chill they had worked so hard to avoid now gently caressed his face, while running its frozen fingers through his azure hair. He peered out into the night, staring out at rows of snow covered rooftops all around them. He felt like they had to leave but would they be able to traverse the rooftops so easily? He was confident in his own balance and grace even without the use of talentium but not so sure of the others, especially since they had wounded to account for. Even if they did escape, where would they go? Tulian could only think of the brothel where he once worked but they would all be turned in immediately. He could take them to Reingard's manner, assuming his former master still owned it but he didn't trust Reingard, especially given his financial woes. He was positive Reingard wouldn't hesitate to sell them out, especially if it meant a large reward. Turning back towards the others, he spoke quietly yet with warning. "It isn't safe here at the moment. I think we should leave at once, at least until the immediate threat downstairs has been dealt with."

The winds soft howl came in from outside, causing his long royal blue ponytail to sway in its icy squall. "Agatha, your friend is trying to take care of things without causing a fight." He said looking at her first. "I think we should help her by not being here if they come to check the attic. Fighting in such cramped conditions would surely cause more casualties and the commotion might also alert whomever else is out looking for us." Lowering his eyes again, he continued. "Unfortunately, we aren't in a position to do much moving around, but I can temporarily hide us underground if we have no other options?" He said, as more of a question to everyone who was present, hoping if anyone had a better idea they would speak up.

 

[Skyswimsky]

"You're all morons." Initially defeated by this cursed magic of this Lyra person, Myriel actually had a small spark of hope regarding their diplomatic actions with the vampire, though, considering she was capable of hearing pretty much everything from her blocked position, she soon changed her plans. "Vampires have heightened senses, while I am not quite sure how strong hers are, with the amount of people we got here it is way too obvious. They can hear your heartbeats and smell your blood." As she said that, Myriel was already making new plans as she moved towards the window herself. "Aside from that, it is still just a single vampire. Even if you don't know the means to kill them, we do." Despite her calm voice, Myriel felt somehow fired up, not even batting an eye as the spear barely missed her sister, though she did clench her fist. "I can't believe how frightened you are in front of just a single blood-sucker. Tzch."

She calmed down with a sigh. "Regardless, keep my sister safe. Now that I think about it we were supposed to use something called the 'Flementine Tunnels' to escape, the maid knows more about that." With those words spoken, Myriel didn't want to waste any more time as she roughly pushed Tulian aside before jumping out herself. With the barrier not being a problem anymore, the girl now ran around the house towards the locked entrance door. "Alright, I can do this." Giving it another deep breath, Myriel simply busted the door down as she pointed her weapons towards the, hopefully surprised, vampire bitch.

"Detestable creature! Prepare to face judgement for the sins you have committed! I, Myriel Lucille Keep, shall be our Goddess's blade."​

Sure, the girl could have gone on, but considering she just turned a bit red now this was all she mustered. Jeez, how did all those grander Knight's of Astopol keep their cool when giving off such questionable speeches?

 

[Psyker Landshark]

Alexa found herself nodding in agreement with Myriel. What the knightess said made sense. The merchant's gesture was touching and brave, but ultimately fruitless, considering how nervous the man was. That excuse wouldn't hold up with the vampire for long, so now was the best time to kill the bitch. Besides, after all the shit she'd been through in the past few days, Alexa wanted to see at least one dead vampire.

"The Astopolian's right. We take this one out, and then we go to ground. Someone start evacuating the others." Alexa twirled her spear in her hands, still wishing she had her bastard sword back. Regardless, she turned to Myriel. "Right, time to come up with a plan of attack. What can you do? I know what the others are capable of, but-"

"Detestable creature! Prepare to face judgement for the sins you have committed! I, Myriel Lucille Keep, shall be our Goddess's blade."

A beat passed. Alexa's eye twitched.

"...You know what? I just remembered why I don't like Astopolians."

 

[Astoria]

The ill conceived and offensive excuse flew over Lyra's head.

"…"

So, the merchant was more reliable than everybody had thought. Unfortunately, the brief moment of advantage that he had kicked back into Lyra's ballpark quickly crumbled. Sudden noises from upstairs were evident to even Lyra, and she knew the game was up. Vampires had far heightened senses, and if the purple-haired noble had heard it, there no question that the girls upstairs had been revealed. And as if on that cue, Lyra could hear the scrambling of the younger knightess leaping from the window, having finally found an alternate route downstairs.

Now that the situation had escalated, Lyra wasted no hesitation in recalling her barrier, reforming in front of her as the house's wooden door was burst open by the interfering knight entering anew. Leaping back, she reinforced her barrier with additional layers, backing up alongside to Alexa who had found herself downstairs.

"Astopolian knights shouldn't even be here."

 

[Zombehs]

Falling asleep proved to be a painless and quick endeavour. Not that it meant he slept well or for particularly long.

Hard to tell with the strangeness of it all, but it seemed that he awoke in another body the moment he slipped from consciousness of his own. The sensations were unfamiliar, but easy enough to recognize, and try as he might it seemed like he was merely here for the show. Frustrating and slightly panic-inducing, considering the horde of ethereal spirits before the individual, but his emotions settled a bit at the unfamiliar voice.

His heart probably would have skipped a beat if he was actually here when the vampire's attention settled on the individual, but it seemed his presence went unnoticed. Clamping down on his thoughts before they tempted fate, Araki blinked several times as recognition dawned on him. 'Oh come on…' Why did Ashe have to be in this vampire's hands, and why in Helheim was he soul-tethered to her, or whatever this was? Not that it was terrible to know she was alive, but he thought he had finished with this!

Moaning and groaning aside though, his attention refocused on the unique key that the vampire produced from his suit. Strange-looking, but it wasn't like he could actually feel anything thanks to his situation. Yet when the chant, incantation, or however one wished to describe it began, Araki couldn't help but shiver. It was ominous, foreboding, and Araki jolted awake with a gasp as the whatever happened blasted him from the dream.

For a moment he just laid there, heart hammering in his chest and ears, as he tried to catch his breath. It was impossible to tell how long he had slept, but it didn't even feel like a quarter hour. Araki sat up and swung his legs off the bed with a huff. Wooden legs scraped against the flooring as the bed was nudged aside to let the door swing open. As the lock clicked in place, he let out a heavy sigh, turned to go down the stairs, but stopped instead. Faint, but distinct enough to notice nonetheless; it wasn't a ghost sound, but a heartbeat matched to his own. His hand darted to his chest, and sure enough he only felt his own, but the noise continued. "The Hel?"

He got a strange look from the barkeeper when he came down the stairs, but Araki chalked it up to the fact that he hadn't been upstairs for long. Glancing between fireplace and double doors, he eventually wandered over to take a free seat by the crackling fire. Restless after that… vision, he decided to try and get his thoughts in order.

Ashe was currently held captive by a vampire who had sailed away, while leaving Spirit Thralls that would detonate if the ships attempted to give chase. Said vampire was also the one responsible for the massacre beneath Braxton Hall, and shackling those souls. One of which was the purple-haired lady that was still in the other group's company. Lastly he seemed to have some sort of tether with Ashe now, though who knew how that had happened… So ultimately things were even more confusing than they were before he had gone to sleep. "Is this punishment for something?" He grumbled quietly as he cradled his head.

 

[Asuras]

Benedicta had already managed to doze off into sleep by the time things turned mildly south. Her eyes were heavy and nearly locked into that final position of sleep when the sound of dry wood shearing into splinters roused her from resting. The Astopolian flinched initially and jerked back more violently upon seeing the red blade mere inches from impaling her chin. The sudden movement aggravated her injury and she paused to restrain herself from crying out. Instead she let out a tiny croak and grit her teeth.

Even if it had missed her, clearly the vampire knew something was up, and they were no longer safe. The keeper of this place couldn't possibly hold her off forever, and the longer they lingered, the more moments they offered for him to screw up, or for the vampire to lose her patience. Benedicta attempted rising to her feet with a grunt before Tulian extended her a hand. She graciously took it before offering thanks. Benedicta took note of Tulian's gaze out the window and spoke up in a whisper.

"I cannot possibly traverse the rooftops, or jump for that matter. We should-"

Before she could make a suggestion, her sister charged recklessly downstairs. For a moment, Benedicta didn't know whether to be proud or angry, but as she limped back to where she rested and retrieved her staff and sword, all she could feasibly feel then was worry and a sense of duty. Injured as she was, Benedicta couldn't simply idle by when she still had any amount of fight left in her. And so, she dragged herself down to the fight slowly.

 

[ERode]

"Detestable creature! Prepare to face judgement for the sins you have committed! I, Myriel Lucille Keep, shall be our Goddess's blade."

Charles turned to Astopolian pancake, and decided that, no, there was no lie that he could make up in order to recover from this. The merchant let out a sigh, laughed awkwardly, and got off his seat. Welp, looked like the game was up, and he was truly and thoroughly fucked. Might as well open up that bottle of wine he was saying and have a long, long drink.

Madame Rosa, upon that dynamic entrance and the subsequent reactions of those around, could only shake her head in amusement. Eyes twinkling, she said, "Oh, you Astopolians are simply a riot. Dear child, before you start playing the role of a hero, perhaps you should grow up a little first? Doesn't even look like your voice has broken yet."

Getting off her seat as well, she looked upwards, at the much more evident sounds of movement now, and remarked, "Mhmm, giant rats indeed. Charles, you're a wonderful human being, really, but we'll have a long talk after I'm done here."

The fat man gulped, then sighed, and decided that he was going to finish that bottle of wine, as well as cook himself a well-done steak.

After a few moments, he disappeared off into the back of the house, leaving only the vampire and a few girls. A fanged grin emerged on her face as the red-head turned from one to the other. The girl on top of the staircase had called out some sort of barrier, and there was another nearby her. The Astopolian boy was better armored than those two, what with his fancy gauntlet and all. Honestly, Rosa didn't really like the situation, because talentium was practically cheating, but…

"Well then, boy, let's see how heroic you can be."

An orb of blood manifested in the palm of her hand, before a dozen tendrils of ichor shot upwards, deadly blades to skewer those still stomping around in the attic.

 

[Skyswimsky]

"...I'm a girl..." Myriel muttered in some sort of defeat as she looked upon her non-existent chest for a second.

That's it. Rosa, was so done. Sure, it wasn't the first time Myriel was mistaken for a boy, but being mistaken for a boy by a vile creatures such as this was just an entirely different thing. Mentally rustled the washboard prepared her Talentium Gauntlet, giving off sparks of electricity before enhancing her own physical attributes to a higher level. If she wanted to win this fight, she shouldn't let it drag out and instead finish it with a surprising blow. Even so, Myriel was apparently still so slow as she had to witness the cruel play of the female vampire - a picture of a skewered Benedicta came into her mind.

Angered, the flat girl dashed for a frontal attack. "Leave the others alone! I am your enemy." Yelling at her, she had to actually gauge the true strength of her opponent, yet still aimed for a decisive maneuver as her blade thirsted for the blood-suckers neck.

 

[Izurich]

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As time went on, Agatha became increasingly edgier, her limbs twitching in anticipation for the coming fight. "Yeah, but it's useless, the bloodsucker already knows we're here, she's just toying with us." The brunette replied at Tulian, "Heh..." she sighed at his suggestion of hiding when they checked for the attic, "You answered yourself, no way we can hide with a group this big, especially since we have the wounded." As for his last suggestion, it'd be a great idea if they were not in the fucking attic, "Not possible, even a deaf person can notice that." That was pretty much it, their only option was to fight.

She agreed the androgynous young knight on most except the part where she underestimated Rosa just because she was a single vampire, the young girl seemed to ignore the fact that not all of them were fighters so while Agatha conformed with her, that didn't mean the others would have the same outlook. The thing about Elaina planning an escape through the so-called 'Flementine Tunnels' were worth to have a look, unfortunately however, the redhead was in no condition to speak, no matter, they must deal with the vampire first anyway. "Good luck." Agatha nodded as Myriel jumped out from the window, alright, time for the fight. Agatha assumed Myriel was going to sneak up on the vampire through the front door then charge at her without giving Rosa a chance to retaliate.

"Detestable creature! Prepare to face judgement for the sins you have committed! I, Myriel Lucille Keep, shall be our Goddess's blade."

Nope, her hopes were shattered to pieces as the fucking immature noble warrior brat just had to give a completely un-fucking-necessary grandiose speech! "...FUCK!" Trying to make a grand entrance? Really?! Damned Astopolians, got most of their heads up in the clouds, drunk on drinking their Goddess' piss! Agatha expected a fight, but not like this, little bitch just ruined their element of surprise!

"Tch!" The Nightingale Heiress stepped forward, holding her spear in with both hands, now with Lyra's barrier being moved in front of her, the way downstairs was clear. "..." Agatha took a deep breath then angrily faced Benedicta as the older Knightess limped passed her, "Next time, teach that little brat some common sense, will you?" Walking forward herself, she took the first step down when the vampiress began speaking, patronizing the young knight, also mistaking her as a boy, to be honest, Myriel does look like one, with her complete lack of curves and all.

Unlike the hammy boyish knight, Agatha didn't spare any greetings or speeches, she simply stepped down the stairs, coming alongside Lyra. "...hey," The brunette whispered to her childhood friend, "I'm gonna charge... cover me, alright?" Over the years they spent together, Agatha knew how the purple-haired girl fights, thus, she was confident in making impromptu plans together. "Here go-...!!?"

Just before she enacted her plan, the vampiress unleashed a swarm of blood-spears towards the attic, "Elaina...!!?" Agatha's eyes went wide in horror, her hands trembling, "A... ah...!" Fucking abomination! Using foul magic for foul purposes, striking at the weak and wounded. words couldn't properly describe the sickening cowardice shown by the monster that day. Agatha's eyes narrowed like a tigress who had her cub killed in front of her, lips curled into an enraged snarl, her vision locked to the vampire. "Aaaaaaaaaarrrgh!!!" Roaring in fury, she summoned the gales of winds around her form, green transparent wispy wings sprouted from her back and feet as Agatha's form left the ground, charging at the vampire.

Noticing the twintailed figure, Rosa reached out with her other hand to launch another cone-shaped stream of blood tendrils towards Agatha.

"Rrrrrgh!!" The heiress was angry enough to offset any fear or doubts, all of her mind completely focused on ending the vampire, right here, right now! Like a swift hawk, she weaved through the bloodthirsty tendrils, sweeping up, running on the walls and ceiling, launching off from them, combining the solid surfaces and magical wings to elude the weaponized ichor as she closed the distance between herself and Rosa. Lyra's magical projectiles backed her up in keeping some of the tendrils busy, however, the closer she got, the harder it'd get to keep up with Rosa's blood magic, but it didn't deter her in the least. Some of the tendrils managed to graze the heiress, drawing blood on her cheek, arms, legs, even making small tears at her clothes here and there.

"...Mmmrrrgh!!" However, it just made the female bull angrier, once they were but a few feet away, Agatha's whole body was covered in a light green tint, then became transparent as if she was a wraith. The shimmering young woman dove diagonally down into the ground, phasing through the solid surface where the tendrils couldn't reach. In but a few seconds later, "Dieeeeeeee!!!" Agatha phased up from the ground underneath Rosa, her spear outstretched in an attempt to impale the woman from the bottom up, all the way to her heart.

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