[h1] A Desperate Plea [/h1] 

featuring Rebecca, Andri, and Draco


Seren's Folly. Rebecca had no clue who Seren was, but folly seemed an appropriate tern for what she was doing. The undead sighed, prepared herself for a legion of curses and spite, and walked into town carrying a white flag.


Many of the people in town seemed to be at work, which was a blessing for her, though she still attracted many stares and slack jaws. The main tavern was named "The Witch's Paradise." Rebecca could only smile, hoping the name would prove accurate. A man was sleeping off a drunken stupor in front of the entrance, so she nudged him with her foot. "Excuse me, but would you happen to know where I can find some hunters?"




Draco had seen many gruesome sights... often in the aftermath of a beast attack but he wasn't arrogant enough to fail to recognise the blood that was on his hands in turn. However, there was nothing quite like watching a man drink himself into a drunken sleep in public that was quite as pitiful. Some people really shouldn't be hunters if they were ill prepared for the mental toll that it would take...




The masked man had been about to completely ignore the passed out shell of a hunter that had fallen asleep by one of the trees near the entrance of the village and continue about his day in finding rumors of a hunt when he noticed someone waving a white flag... and a lot more rot then any living person was inclined to have, kicking the drunk in an attempt to wake him. 




Draco tended to avoid the undead; His talents tended to fare better against supernatural beasts of flesh and blood instead of bone and decay, but he had been forced to tangle with such things before. The fact that it was weilding a white flag caused him pause through... Resting his saw-cleaver on his shoulder more out of a promise of what would happen if this turned out to be a trap, the masked hunter approched the undead woman. 




Sometimes it paid to no longer have a sense of smell. "[color=00aeef]Greetings to you. Might I ask what you are doing here?[/color]" He asked, surprisingly civil for a hunter.




Andri had been extremely tired and quite intoxicated when he had fallen asleep, but his shuteye was very far from being really restful. His brain was continuously repeating his experiences in the cathedral. Not so much Charon and not so much undead beasts, but being buried alive. He didn't know if this was Khan's influence or not, and he was just too unable to concentrate to actually ask him.




During one of his more shallow phases of sleep, he felt a disturbance around his leg. A very strange disturbance. Normally, even if the body contact was very short, one could feel each other's warmth. It wasn't the case this time, but perhaps his feelings had become erratic, too. Blinking, he opened his eyes and looked up from where he was lying. His stomach couldn't hold it any more. He had been close to puking multiple times in the cathedral and yet hadn't done it even when he had emptied that bottle in almost no time. But now... was he still trapped in a nightmare ? Couldn't be... everything felt just so real now - and so it smelled, unfortunately. At least the combination of beverage and acid did hit neither him nor Rebecca but the spot in between them.




Andri groaned heavily. There appeared to be another person standing rather close to the being in front of him. [color=00a99d]"What the hell..."[/color] and he started to lift himself in a more upright position. [color=00a99d]"Who are you and who are you ?"[/color] and he pointed sequentially at Rebecca and Draco. He had seen none of them yet.




The giant man vomited, narrowly missing Rebecca. "Charming," she said dryly. She then went back to the masked man. "I am Rebecca, and as crazy and ironic as it sounds... I'm looking to secure the services of some hunters for a very important mission." She leaned herself up against the tree, waiting for them to simply break down laughing. If she was lucky.




Strangely enough, Draco didn't laugh at the request. Saw-Cleaver still on his shoulder, he quite calmly replyed "[color=00aeef]Well clearly you are. And I have little doubt that the need is dire if you were willing to risk a white flag standing between yourself and a pack of hunters... Or this is merely some sort of ploy and we would be better off striking you down where you stand now. If nothing else, there is no harm in hearing you out Rebecca. My name is Draco.[/color]" Draco introduced himself with a slight bow, completely ignoring the giant of a man who had made his first impression with bile.




Anyone who bothered to look closely at his face mask might have noticed something strange about it, but it was hard to tell exactly what.




[color=fff79a][i]Did you know that I'm suffering from necrophilia ?[/i][/color] the demon worm in his head asked. [color=00a99d][i]Tell me something I didn't expect... And now [b]please[/b] shut up![/i][/color] Khan gnarled. He would not drop this topic, only... shift it to a later point in time when his host would be more susceptible for his words. The assassin slowly climbed to his full 87 inches and took two steps away from his own mess. The good thing: Now that the stuff was out, his intoxication wouldn't build up anymore but start rolling down the gentle slope again.




He didn't laugh. Even through the layer of alcohol he could clearly see that this was serious. Noone would come here and risk his own...well...'life' for just joking around. If the thing that this Rebecca was asking for was real or a carefully designed trap - that was a different story that demanded investigation. For now, Andri mumbled a [color=00a99d]"Sorry."[/color] He became more and more aware that the impression he gave must've been a shame for the entire village, but... None of the other had been infested with a demon in his brain - and he couldn't even demonstrate that because that would probably kill him right away. [color=00a99d]"So..."[/color] he continued with slow words towards Rebecca: [color=00a99d]"What is your motivation ?"[/color]




Rebecca finally noticed that the masked man's face was disfigured in some way. [i] Really, he shouldn't mind that much. I mean, I have half my jawbone showing and I don't feel the need to hide myself.[/i] "There's little time or room for delicacy right now, so I'll just come out and say it. The Bloodrose Coven, my coven, marches to war against itself. I'm asking you to help me stop the fighting, hopefully before it starts." The words poured out of her in a nervous rush. She'd never had to actually fight a hunter, much less two at once. If they attacked, she'd swiftly go from undead to just plain dead.




To say that Draco was not amused by the request would have been an understatement. He didn't believe in witches in the same sense of other people; All that a witch tended to be was a medicine woman of some kind that knew how to use nature to heal or harm people who didn't bow down to the local church and was thus demonized... Demon worshippers however was a completely diffient matter. 




"[color=00aeef]Tell me Rebecca, why should we get involved in the fortunes of those who worship and convert with demons? Because you seem intelligent enough to know that if you're calling in hunters to assist with your infighting you know what sort of help we are likely to provide.[/color]"




Andri's mind was struggling to pick up the speed required to track down the implications of this entire meeting in an adequate amount of time. Rebecca had to come from a coven herself, otherwise she wouldn't have this information. Andri wasn't the one who was eager to kill every witch and other creature right away no matter what. Hell he had been the one who had openly stated that he believed that the hunter's owed something to a demon worm. It all was a matter of finding out what's going on with a certain person first and then making decisions. He looked over to the other hunter, Draco. The mask didn't reveal anything about his thinkings. Pretty clever... perhaps he should adopt this himself.




The assassin was quite willing to continue listening. Even if the entire thing would turn out not being compatible with his own ethics at all - what was the most probable outcome -, it could be quite worth knowing the details of this... civil war ?. But for now, something else struck his mind: [color=00a99d]"Sorry to interrupt, but we [i]have[/i] to get you off the streets right now! There are other hunters here that would probably give a shit about a white flag. Follow me."[/color]




The assassin didn't wait long for an answer. He had arrived himself just a few days earlier, but he had spent quite some time on nosing around, so he knew a path that would lead them away from the public road and to a more hidden place.




"Tell me, Draco. Why would you stand idly by with the sort of powers about to be unleashed? Lorelai Von'Strauss is calling up the Lords of Hell as we speak! You realize what that could mean- every living thing for a hundred leagues could well be slaughtered! And Medusa Bloodrose might be stronger still."




Rebecca swallowed nervously. "Hunters are sworn to protect human lives at any cost. I know this. But what you often forget is that witches are humans, too. I'm not here as a witch asking you to save her coven. I'm here as a human being asking you to save lives: witch, hunter, and civilian alike."




When the huge hunter offered to show her to a place where they could discuss things in private, she nodded. "Lead on then, good sir."




Draco was more then happy to take this conversation away from where the more... trigger happy hunters would see it. "[color=00aeef]You are mistaken about one thing Rebecca. Hunter's are not sworn to defend human lives; They are sworn to end threats to humanity. The importances of human lives is optional and normally left up to the individual hunter to work out.[/color]" It was a quote of something that his father had [i]loved[/i] to teach. While truthfully Draco wasn't a fan of his father's beliefs and to his knowledge favored protecting people more then most, there was no reason to let Rebecca know that.




"[color=00aeef]And what exactly do you get out of us getting involved in intenal spat of your demon cult? Say we go in and remove the various threats and save the world... where does that leave you at the end of the day?[/color]" It wasn't to say that Draco didn't believe that the undead girl cared about preventing massive loss of human life, but sometimes doing the right thing can [i]also[/i] be personally profitable as well...




The place Andri was leading Rebecca and Draco to was a rather tiny cave that was hidden below a bunch of small trees and bushes that probably just had starting growing a few years ago. It wasn't exactly near of Seren's Folley, but quite a few yards steeply uphill into the woods.




[color=00a99d]"Here we are."[/color] and he squeezed himself inside the cavern first. It was pretty dark in here, but that would also prevent them from being spotted easily from outside and the environmental noise around them would consume their words. He didn't feel like he had something to add. The masked one had gotten to the point very quickly, something that appealed to him.




The cave was quite comfortable, all things considered. Rebecca sat herself on a little ledge of rock, knowing that what she was going to ask would be harder still. "Then this will most certainly not be a normal contract, Draco. You will be permitted to use any and all non-lethal measures, should you be attacked. Let me stress the key words in that statement. [i]Non-lethal[/i]."




"Gentlemen, something big is coming. Bigger than this. I'm not the best diviner, so I don't know what exactly. What I do know is this: witches and hunters will need to stand together soon enough, and we'll need all the strength we can manage. The hunters aren't strong enough to fight this evil on their own, and neither is my coven. Together, though, we might just stand a chance."




[color=00a99d]"Wait a minute..."[/color] Andri interjected, raising his hands as an additional gesture. [color=00a99d]"To summarize this up: You are telling us to prevent your coven from destroying itself inside out. At the same time you are asking us not to kill anybody and probably even just attack when being attacked ? So... this will be a diplomacy mission ? And... if the thing happens that I would expect to happen when a bunch of hunters approaches a coven whose inhabitans are up to threatening the entirity of humanity with whatever they are building up there... [i]and[/i] assuming that the bunch of hunters survives this... What are we then gonna do with the heap of witches that has been taken out of action in a non-lethal way ? Wouldn't the entire thing just start over again when we leave the scene ? That sounds a bit absurd to me, to be honest. You have to provide way more detail."[/color] And then it was that his influenced mind finally managed to remember something it had been missing entirely for minutes. "By the way... my name's Andri."




Draco couldn't help but nod his head in agreement with the points that the drunkard had raisen. He also felt inclined to raise a few more. "[color=00aeef]For starters, you could start by explaining the various sides of this internal conflict... and then explain to us how exactly you're going to convince the demoning worshipping lunatics to stop trying to murder innocent people long enough to actually work out a alliance?[/color]"




"The pleasure is mine, Sir Andri." Rebecca gave him a little bow. "I expect you to provide protection for all involved while I attempt to negotiate a settlement between the two sides as a neutral party. If we can gather enough hunters together, we should be able to create a situation where, should either side attack the other, the attacked group and ourselves would be able to easily crush the aggressors side by side. Makes talk more likely to succeed." 




"As for the sides of the conflict, I can only speak to one. Medusa Bloodrose is the reigning matriarch of the Bloodrose Coven, hence the name. Several days ago, she received a prophecy from the witches of Clan Seher, informing her that Lorelai Von'Strauss, her lieutenant, will soon betray her. Medusa hopes to defend her place atop the coven. Right now, Lorelai and several other witches from the coven are away on coven business at Castle Ruvina. This may be where the betrayal is taking place. As for Lorelai's goals, I cannot speak for sure, as I have never met her, but I hear that she is defined by her ambition. I presume she wishes to take Medusa's place, for whatever reason."




Andri looked at Rebecca in a [i]very[/i] sceptical way. [color=00a99d]"Or both sides could decide that the trap is working properly and squeeze the hunters in between them. Either because it was really intended to be a trap or because both sides see the opportunity at the same time and give it a higher priority than their mutual hostilities."[/color] He made a small pause. "You see the problem ? We have hardly any way to trust what you're saying and you must understand that. Do you have any kind of proof or can you think of a way to acquire it?"




There was a ton of other things now roaming in Andri's mind. Protecting Rebecca from the more trigger-happy hunters when it came to reveal the plan to all of them, for example. Or how to keep in contact as it could be assumed that she couldn't stay away from her coven forever. But the trust issue was the one that had to be solved first, no matter what.




For the first time in a long time, Draco laughed. It was not a pleasant thing. "[color=00aeef]Are you serious? Is your coven leader really stupid enough to fall for a self fulfilling prophecy?[/color]" Shaking his head at the stupidity of the world, he merely muttered "[color=00aeef]You cannot trust prophecy. Even if the seer giving it cannot lie, that doesn't mean they can't present it in such a way to serve their own interest... and that is provided that it is a real prophecy in the first place. For all you know, this Clan Seher is making a power grab by convining the biggest, strongest cult around to destroy itself by convining the leader that the second in command is out for her job.[/color]."




"I have never heard of the prophets of Seher being wrong in foresight. They descend from the Oracles of Delphi, and their name holds as much respect as any royal house among our kind. If it was said by a Seher, it shall come to pass."




"I'm not sure how I can convince you to trust me. The best I can offer is to place myself at your mercy. I presume you have either gold or wolfsbane on you. Let me take them, and strip myself of my magic, save what keeps my in this state. If I am lying, you may kill me. I suggest aiming for my skull or my bloodstone heart."




"[color=00aaeef]If these are the same Oracles of Delphi that told King Croesus of Lydia that he would destroy a great empire if he went to war only to tell him that it was his own [i]after[/i] he lost, I am not impressed. Tell me, since learning this information that Von'Strauss was going to betray her, would I be wrong in guessing that Bloodrose is currently planning to strike first and try and deal with the betrayal before it can happen?[/color]" Draco asked, his eyebrow raised as he looked at the lich but continued before an answer could be given.




"[color=00aaeef]And let's face it, if Von'Strauss was loyal before it would be completely reasonable for her to defend herself from her paranoa driven former leader that wants her dead. For all you know, your coven leader is creating the betrayal against her by attacking those your 'Oracles' claim will betray her.[/color]."




Andri was stunned. This undead was really asking him to torture her in order to proove anything. The assassin smirked at Draco. He wasn't very well educated in terms of history, but the other hunter's point was clearly visible: If you want to make a prophecy work, just keep it vague enough until the situation you've been waiting for has arrived and then adjust the details. It was so simple and yet so hideous.




Turning back to the ongoing discussion, he attempted to be polite towards Rebecca, as her offering was something one didn't hear every day and was indeed most likely implicating some sort of good will. [color=00a99d]"No... sorry. This won't work. It has to be real information. So..."[/color] He started thinking. What could he ask ? [color=00a99d]"Given that the plan includes a big witch-hunter-witch meeting anyway... Would it be possible to speak to Medusa directly ?"[/color]




He knew that this probably could be considered very daring, but he also knew that the entire level of planning and discussion they had already reached here was somewhat out of the ordinary.




"Ah, but you haven't heard all the information yet." Rebecca shook her head. "You seem to be under the belief that Medusa sent Lorelai away on her mission to get her killed and remove the threat, correct? That would fit with the facts... if the prophecy hadn't arrived after she left. As far as Medusa knew, Lorelai was indeed loyal. She hasn't had a chance to talk to her since."




"I believe I can arrange a meeting with Medusa in the woods. That's the best I can do. She may or may not allow you into the Castle, so neutral ground will be the best bet."




Draco shook his head, slightly confused by the arguement. "[color=00aaeef]No, I never suggested that the mission was a means to get rid of her... through that isn't actually a bad plan in and of itself. I was honestly expecting Medusa to either try and arrange it that Von'Strauss and those most likely to support her will either die on the way back or full on ambush them once they return to base. Since Medusa doesn't have contact with Von'Strauss, she can't really prove or disprove that there is treason in the air...[/color]"




Twisting his mouth a little bit, Draco looked over at Andri for a moment before saying "[color=00aaeef]Honestly? I think we're going to need to get the opinion of more hunters before we try and set up a meeting on their behalf.[/color]"




[color=00a99d]"I don't believe that discussing about the purpose of this mission will get us any further. If I was planning a betrayal and would be sent on a very dangerous mission suddenly and just with all my followers and almost noone else I would possibly smell the rat, take a few days off at a place noone can find me and where is no danger at all and then come back pretending that the mission was an utter failure. Or I'd just do the very same thing if I just felt that it was acting against my plans. So there's quite a chance that this entire thing didn't have any effect at all no matter what the correct sequence of events really was. We'll likely never find out so just skip that."[/color]




He turned to Draco, with a little grin on his face. [color=00a99d]"Who said that I intended on doing this on the behalf of the entire hunter community ? We are already discussing and planing with a member of the Bloodrose coven without having asked for permission first. Noone can forbid us to do that as long as we point this matter out as it is."[/color]




"I will leave to try and arrange this meeting. I shall return to the The Witch's Paradise tomorrow at sunset. If I am wearing lilac robes, it means that I was successful and shall have more details for you. If my robes are grey, it means that Medusa refused to meet. Regardless, Draco, Andri..." She turned to the two hunters, tears welling up in her eyes. [i]"Thank you."[/i] She departed the cave, her heart just a little lighter. She had taken the first step on the road to peace, and gotten her foot in the door. Now, it was just a matter of forcing it open.