Roleplayer Guild - Forum Roleplaying Games

Brother Antony followed Sir Brightglory into the Hunter's society without a word and looked to be just as out of place as the metallic warrior was. He wore a vibrant uniform, one that once belonged to a Renaissance Pikeman. It wasn't just for looks, though. It served as functional kevlar.

He cringed at the harsh reactions of the hunters and peeked out from behind the much bulkier Stark and spoke, his voice quiet and meek.

"Um, err, yes - apologies for breaking down your door, but Sir Brightglory felt in neccesary, and he is wise in his decisions, " he said, his voice carrying the hint of an apology with it. "I am Brother Antony, Sir Brightglory's squire," introducing himself with a bow.

"We, or, I will um, pay for your, uh - I think you will find that our assistance, is well, it more than repays you. Oh, uh, I think I should let Sir Brightglory explain. That would be best," he said, waving his hands fiercly as he found himself wandering. Inquisitors can't wander. They need to be firm and decisive. He reminded himself of that.

"Brother, there is no need to worry about the door, it was a necessary thing. One should always be on his guard for those who may act as Hunting groups, but may actually be vampires or heretics in disguise. Ever vigilant, ever on guard. We are the protectors of man.

Inquisitor Stark turned towards the hunters. "The Vatican has ordered me to oversee you and any of your cases. I also have heard that your supply of holy water is either out or low. I have my own personal supplies with me, blessed by the pope himself, My blessings for your water is holy enough for even the most daemonic and evil of the undead. What is the current issue that we are dealing with. What research has been done, and what eldritch tomes and tomes of holy power do you have around you. I will need everything that you have so that whatever evil is around here can be sent back to hell and man can live another day in blessed peace. Worry not, I believe I have a door repairing company that will be here with a new door, which I will have Brother Antony fix on to your door way."

__________________

Credit to Valentine for sig

Ri smiled as she made her suggestion, fingers tapping away happily as she began opening up windows searching for the spa and St. Anthony's. Moving across the room on her swivel chair, her notebook on her lap, she stopped before Kundiman mumbling, "I've moved it to next week, is it enough?"

Not hearing the response she wanted, Ri finally looked up from her keyboard, her nose suddenly meeting the roughness of the folder. Embarrassed and certain she looked like a strawberry, she took the folder and opening it with one hand, began tapping away with the other. She listened in with one ear, read the folder and began searching out the victim's file as well.

At the name Bungie, Ri lowered her folder an itch, her other hand grew still above her keyboard. "Will you be going fast, Sara?" At her teammates' excited face, Ri guessed the answer was a positive. Tapping at her keys again, she smiled. Speed would be fun, she was going to have to wear her pants though. A skirt wasn't exactly made for flying, no matter how short it was.

At the sound of the door banging, Ri looked up with a squeak. What the hell? Ri listened to the man, growing annoyed at his arrogant tone but deciding not to mind it. Poor Seth. She half-listened to the two new comers' words while her hands' speed double as she began looking up their visitors' files. They were decidedly locked up tight...she was going to enjoy breaking it down.

***
Dressed in a nun's habit, Ri looked down at herself and made sure her notebook was still attached to her hip. Holding Kundiman as if she were consoling her, they entered St. Anthony's.

"Why do I have to be this character?" Kundiman murmured beside her. Ri just smiled in a condescending manner.

"Because you look the part." And that much was true. Earlier on at the agency, after having divested the inquisitor of his hammer and armor, and making he and his squire dress more like normal people, they finally came up with a plan. Seth and Noelle were sent to infiltrate the police department's morgue to check on the body. Sara (and herself to be honest) was disappointed to find that she was not allowed to use Bungie and was waiting outside. Marky was busy searching for similar cases. And Ballog...was, well, Ballog and had left while she was hacking into the Vatican. Kundiman was a surprise when she came out earlier without make-up. A first for the team. She looked like a teenager, hence the teenage-mother-helped-by-Ri-the-nun plan. How she came to be the nun was due to the inspiration of the vatican brothers' coming.

"I could've been the nun," Kundiman said.

Ri raised her brow at her. "Right," she said before turning to smile at the woman who came to meet them. She explained how she came to help the unfortunate girl she was hugging. The woman nodded and lead them to a wide room with several cots and small beds placed in neat rows. Ri left Kundiman on a bed while she began asking the woman about the recent killing. Kundiman knew what to do so Ri followed the woman to her office.

"Ano pong masasabi niyo tungkol sa manananggal?" Nicky's guide, Felipe asked one of the locals.
(What can you tell about the manananggal?)

They were in some remote area in the Philippines - somewhere in the Visayas region. His investigations led him here only to discover that something else had wrought the recent string of murders and aborted children.

The locals suspected what would be called a manananggal, a woman who detaches from her lower body. Apparently, she grows wings at night and likes to prey on unborn children feasting on their blood. This one in particular had been reckless, feeding on countless innocents even before Nicky had arrived. This prompted the villagers to engage in some superstitious rituals. Garlands of garlic hung at numerous windowsills suspended by freshly hammered nails.

Manananggal ... the weight of the word itself was enough to draw fearful expressions from most of the villagers. The woman Felipe had been interviewing was different. She seemed rather irritated. She turned to Nicky and spoke in accented English.

“Hello, my name is Isabella and I am one of the teachers in the elementary school. I know that the locals insist that this manananggal is responsible for our recent troubles. But I assure you that those are just stories made to scare children. Your inquiry about this manananggal only unnecessarily worries people. If you really want to help the community then I don’t think scaring the people is the right way to do it.”

“I’m sorry if you think that way, but I’m just acting based on what the people in the community have told me. Please be assured that I am only trying to help” Nicky responded, wary of the woman’s next movements.

“Just remember what I told you earlier,” she said. She motioned to the woman behind her, probably her daughter owing to the resemblance. “Come Kathrina, we will go.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nicky awoke later that night, sweat drenched his shirt. Something didn’t feel right. He sat up from his cot and looked around the cabin until his eyes settled on the clock that hung overhead. They were housed by one of the village’s gracious residents. Mr. Santiago had welcomed them into his house earlier that day. He had a daughter Dina who was with child at the time. Her lover Rodolfo, had left for the city in hopes of earning more for their future. After dinner, they sat around the table and spoke of tales of the manananggal. Mr. Santiago was a skeptic and believed that a bad case a dengue fever had struck the village. Dina however became uneasy of all the talk about the manananngal and decided to turn in early. Everyone chose to call it a day afterwards and went into their respective rooms.

Tick, tick … a sound seemed to have emanated from the clock. Nicky looked at the time – it was 2:34. He remained silent. Tick … Tick tock, Tick … there were two distinct sounds. They rang in certain discord that Nicky was further alarmed. He knew that at that moment that this was what the villagers had feared. He roused Felipe who had been soundly asleep. Quickly, his hand clamped on Felipe’s mouth and motioned for silence. Felipe, surprised but still groggy simply nodded.

Nicky allowed the cacophony to descend to where Felipe lay. After, a few moments Felipe stirred violently, his eyes wide open. After interviewing the villagers for a whole day both of them knew what this certainly meant.

They had made a plan, Nicky would go ahead into Dina’s room while Felipe would grab some garlic and salt from the kitchen. Every second that they spent in preparation could cost Dina her life.

Silently, Nicky inched towards Dina’s room. The bedroom door was ajar and he pushed it open as slowly as he could. What he saw before him made gasp.

With no sense of subtlety, what appeared to be a woman’s upper back hovered over Dina’s body suspended by misshapen wings. An elongated tongue seemed to have stretched out from the creature’s head into what should have been Dina’s pregnant belly. It was instead a mass of blood and pulp with scraps of cloth scattered on the side. Dina herself seemed unaware, breathing slowly as if she were in some sort of coma.

The creature startled by Nicky’s presence turned around to reveal a familiar face, Kathrina whom they had earlier known through Isabella. Kathrina, obviously irritated by the discovery hissed at him. Her tongue recoiled and thrust at him like a predatory snake.

Nicky shielded himself with his arm only to have the creature wrap its tongue around it. He was trapped with this bitch. Perfect … She rushed towards him, her arms outstretched. She clawed at Nicky’s eyes but instead scraped skin from his other arm. Nicky cried out in pain and stumbled into a nearby dresser.

“Boy, the ladies sure hate being seen underdressed”

Just as about Kathrina was to launch another attack, she flinched in pain. Felipe had arrived and had peppered her with salt from the dining room. Those tiny grains which had hit her seemed to have seared her skin. She released her grip on Nicky and moved towards Felipe but doubled back as soon as he showered her with another dose from the salt shaker. She looked nervously at both male figures in the room before suddenly flying out of the open window.

Mr. Santiago, who was woken from the racket was just in time to catch the winged woman flapping outside the window. His attention shifted immediately to his bloodied daughter and shouts of anguish filled the entire room.

Nicky hurriedly took hold of the shaker in Felipe’s hands. “I have to take care of the manananggal. Watch over Mr. Santiago and Dina, make sure they’re okay,” he told Felipe before rushing out of the house.

The flying figure was easy to trace. One only had to follow that malformed shadow. Her movements were erratic but her destination seemed definite. She was headed home and too distracted to notice a trailing figure. The trip took a while but the figure slowed and descended into a lonesome house tucked away into the edge of the village proper. Nicky hid in the shade until he was sure it was safe to approach the small abode.

Everything about the hut seemed shut-off and isolated. The windows were closed and the curtains drawn. The only inviting aspect was the recently opened door from which the figure had just entered.

Nicky swift-footed his way through the clearing until he came onto the side of the open door. It was a small house maybe big enough to hold two rooms. He hoped that its size would prove to his advantage.

“Can’t have those things flying around too much,” he thought to himself.

He peered through the doorway and saw two figures tightly embracing one another - mother and daughter: partners in crime. Nicky broke into the house at that moment simultaneously tossing salt at the couple. Both women fumed and voiced pain. That’s when the struggle started.

Isabella recognizing Nicky snapped and threw curses at him. She signaled for her daughter to leave. Her daughter reluctant and defensive shook her head. Nicky took the opportunity to give the ladies another salt shower. Isabella screamed in fury but pushed Kathrina out the doorway.

“Huwag kang maging tanga! Papunta na rito ang mga taong-bayan, alis ka na habang may oras pa!” Isabella shouted to her daughter. She turned to face Nicky, “and as for you sir, I told you to leave us alone. Now you just have to die!” she exclaimed.
(Don't be a fool! The rest of the village is bound to be here, leave while you still have time!)


Her expression shifted from anger to pain as she was detaching from her body. The transformation intrigued Nicky who stood by a kitchen counter motionless and awe-struck. Her face twisted as she labored with the wings that started to sprout from her back.

Nicky snapped from his trance and uncapped the shaker waiting for the right moment. Finally, when the woman was able to fully detach herself Nicky threw the contents of the shaker into the woman’s lower body which had rooted itself on the floor. Salt covered it, the bloody lower extremis, her severed waist. It burned the skin, the legs, into what should’ve been pumping blood into her body.

If lore was correct she’d never be able to reattach herself now and she’d wither away by the light of dawn. The trouble is Nicky still had to deal with this furious harpy’s upper body.

Isabella screamed at him and tore at his hair. Her tongue extended and drew closer to his left ear. Nicky butted his head against her chest and punched her floating body. She staggered and let go of him just enough for him to grab a knife from the counter and throw it at the hovering figure. Missed … she made a pass at his head but he went down rolled over to where her soiled lower body was rooted. She hissed and flew over his prone form. He threw a fistful of excess salt at her face that left her scurrying from the house clutching at her face.

Nicky laid down on the floor for a few seconds, for a few minutes until Felipe came running through the door and helped him up. Some of the villagers had come as well. There was no way Isabella would live beyond the night.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sure enough what had been left of Isabella withered away and she herself could not have survived. But the daughter was set free into the wild. She was vulgar and she was free. But Nicky knew that she was here in Chicago. He could feel it. The moment that woman started babbling about that strange thing. He was sure of it.

He scoured the neighborhood looking for signs of a familiar habitat. The outlines of a cathedral were not far away. That creature probably nestled somewhere nearby.

He brought out his cellphone wincing at phantom wounds that once ran along his arm.

Kundi would find it. The agency would confirm it. And he would kill it.

Kundiman looked at herself in the mirror. She was clad in a frayed pink sweater, an old looking gray knitted scarf around her neck. She also wore a pair of fitted jeans torn and frayed at the knees and the cuffs. A pair of battered dirty white sneakers and a ratty brown beret finished off the look. Her face was scrubbed clean of make up and with that she was now officially a helpless pregnant teenager who ran away from home.

She still couldn't get over the fact that she couldn't be a nun. And that no one recognized her without make up. She took out her phone after making sure that no one was listening in. She was in the washroom of the shelter and she almost wept because it was clean and it smelled good.

She flipped it open. "Sara? You set up already?" Sara was in surveillance duty. She was hidden in the company truck outside the shelter, ready to pursue whatever demon was attacking them.

"Yup, we're all set out here, how is the interview?"

"Oh God, if I had to listen to another story of sexual abuse I'd puke. People should get liscenses before effing their brains out. Anyway, Ballog is gonna come join you soon, how's Seth?"

"Still sulking over his bruise and the not being allowed to sneak into the morgue. Rufus is keeping him company."

"That's good. And the knight and his assistant?"

"Ahh... They're with Ballog. Up on the roof."

"I'll have to talk to them later, the letters I received told me they'd come later this week but oh well. Check if they're set up in the roof already, tell them not to attempt capture. I've found and made contact with the witness. See you at our midnight meet. Hopefully by then we can narrow down the creature list. Also, call me when Marcus and Noelle comes back with that report."

"Yup, yup."

"Bye now, kiss poor Seth for me." Kundiman hang up and walked out of the room looking as tired as everybody else.

"Thank you for waiting for me Aimee."

"You're welcome. Are you sure you're pregnant?" The brown haired girl asked.

"There were times I wished I weren't. Let's go get supper?"

"Sure."

__________________

...some people are only alive because it is illegal to kill them...

Noelle had opened the door to the morgue, a smile jumping to her face, "hey, Seth, this is just perfect," she said after a moment, "let's check the body out and get out of here before anybody comes."

She ducked her head around the door, looking out for anybody and motioning to Seth when the coast was clear. It was obvious she had done this in the past, the way she moved and hid at certain times made it clear.

"Listen, the girl's body is over there," she said pointing to the table with a half uncovered sheet. Noelle made her way over, standing full height and removing the cloth, "we really should see about getting the body released, it's the only way I can get a proper look at it."

Seth folded his arms and walked up behind Noelle and examined the body a little, trying not to puke. Not that he wasn't used to seeing corpses, but this one had been done in a particularly horrific manner.

'Jesus christ...'
He mumbled a few things while pacing around and examining the body. Sighing, he looked up to Noelle and smiled, speaking quietly.

'Well, whatever it was, it was definately targeting this place in particular. It toook nothing but the contents of the womb, so we're looking for something that takes unborn children. Also, it looks like the killer may have taken the stomach area apart via the general area of belly button, but what confuses me is it looks like it was done from the inside out, like something thin went in, and pulled the child out. So, this is something we havn't dealt with before.'

He paused for a second and looked around, thinking he heard something coming, before relaxing again slightly.

'Best let Ri know about this, ask her to check if we have anything like this on the database, that should have narrow it down. What do you think?'

__________________
Van Hellsing Detective Agency - Hiring again!

Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here.
If You Have Already Abandoned Hope, Please Disregard This Signature.

Brother Antony looked off the pier of the shelter and crossed himself quietly as he thought about what would have to be done. He impulsively looked upwards and began to pray. He loved prayer. It was the only time he ever truly felt confident - in himself, in God, in his companions, and in his master. "Repugnans tibi, ausus sum quaerere quidquid doctius mihi fide, certius spe, aut dulcius caritate visum esset. Quis itaque stultior me?* he asked as his eyes were transfixed on the stars above - or maybe something beyond them.

As he finished the prayer, the grip he held on his cross loosened and his usual frantic manner returned in a wave. He quickly put the cross back around his waist. He'd been given 'normal clothes' by the company, but he'd almost immediately redonned his usual uniform - the clothing of a Swiss Guardsman. He was not about to compromise his beliefs for these hunters - even if they were good souls underneath. And he knew they were. Something in him told him that - he could only hope that his master felt the same way.

That isn't to say that they didn't have a thing or two to learn from Sir Brightglory.

The Vatican had more experience hunting these creatures than any of the smaller hunting organizations. What was the Inquisiton, after all? Elizabeth and her cronies had worked hard to defame the work of the inquisitors during the Dark Ages, when faeries, demons, and vampires had ruled over the weak-willed and strong alike, when the only light that shone was in the hearts of man. But no longer. No, that had been replaced with reason and logic and science. All meaningless and faceless things. Not like Faith. Faith was more powerful than the three of those put together. Faith was what gave the Vatican and the Catholic Church its edge. It was what made the monsters truly fear them. And fear them they should. For while the kingdoms of Man have fallen over the centuries, rising and falling like the dunes of the Sahara, the kingdom of God still stands. And it will continue to stand.

His thoughts turned to more immediate matters as his eyes darted around the roof and examined it. He had to wonder if they nuns at St. Anthony's would mind - most of the Church, after all, knew little of the mission of the Inquisition, if anything. But there was usually at least one member in every Parish, be he or she a priest, nun, layman, or deacon. If he remembered correctly, a Bishop in Ireland was still an active member of the Inquisition. They'd be able to clear things up, although that was the worst case scenario. Then he saw a well-built man and decided to walk over to him.

The fellow up on the roof with them, Ballog, looked rather... well, he looked like the person who would sit in class and throw rocks at the Brother Teacher and then blame it on a weak and impressionable young fellow like Antony. Spare the lash, spoil the child. He had hated that particular part of the Bible. Still, Antony decided it would be best if he made some kind of conversation with the man. They might be up there for a while, after all. How to approach him, though? He was always terrible with these sorts of things. Perhaps he'd make a humorous remark based on their surroundings that would break the ice. Or perhaps he'd speak about his past. Yes, there were millions of options available to young Antony.

"Hi."

Standing on the roof some distance from his brother apprentice, Inquisitor Stark remained in his silent prayer. A few moment after when Ballog arrived on the roof he finished his prayer. "In nomen Diis, Amen." Stark was now dressed in his monk robes the signified him as a ranking member of the Inquisition. The hunters took his armor and his hammer, but he 'reaquiesed' them and kept them near his person. You could take the Inquisitor out of his armor, just not for long. At the first sense of combat beginning he plans to don his armor and charge in with his hammer. He turned his head towards the two younger men near him. The young, putting socializing above research and the hunting of daemons. He opened his book that he had chained to his body at all times. He looked towards the different pages and looked up the possible monsters that they might be facing. Stark knew that once he saw the monster, he would know exactly what to throw at him, besides himself of course. He considered going down into the church, but he knew better. Daemons and heretics flee before the Inquisition, and keeping them away will not catch the target.

Closing the book, Stark kept his hand on his armor and hammer, waiting, another daemon would fall at his hands, and more glory to the Inquisition; as well as another satanic being would be removed from this world. The world had been changing, the world was not quite the same as it had been in the histories, but just as the times change, some of the daemons changed as well, others did not. What would be the next daemon to fall, Stark wondered, and how would brother Antony perform in the face of the daemons he would be hunting later in life.

__________________

Credit to Valentine for sig

"We better had let everyone else know what we've found out," Noelle said after a moment, "if it's targeting pregnant women, and only taking the foetus and stomach, then we must find a place to put those women, to stop any more from ending up here."

She examined the stomach, checking the place of entry. She adjusted her gloves and pushed her glasses up her nose. "We can safely say that the baby being taken didn't kill her, but when the stomach was ruptured, then it killed her."