[IC] The Blood Compact

[akje]

After jacking a car, getting on a plane and driving another long drive trough endless countryside, they finally arrived at a small cottage on some field in Wales.
Martin had talked pretty much throughout the journey about all manner of sorts of supernatural creatures, and the variation of powers documented in the most powerful among them. How it inspired the world of humans to create cultures of myth and religion around the creatures.
How it was up to the gifted to choose, if they would be gods to the world, would they save or condemn the world.

The car stopped and so did Martin's talking.
He was silent for a moment as he checked his phone again while Void looked around him confused.
Without a word he stepped out of the car and picked up a bag standing next to the neatly painted white picket fence.
He put it in the trunk and got back in the car where Void was looking at him like he was insane.
"Yes we are here, this is home. And now you have to make a choice.
I am going to the famous Castle Carfax."
He showed a blurry picture on his phone showing a plane painted in British colors.
"Satellite pictures or something, weather balloons, I don't know. But I got coordinates to probably Contagion, probably a nest full of vampires and most likely: at least one old blood.
But you got to see shit through to the end right?
You however can choose to come with me on that mission.
Or you can choose to go in there and and our team will help you finish your training.

Do you want to secure your sword? Or learn to be as powerful as you were meant to be?"

[Shikaru]

Once Magnus had arrived at his base he was informed that there was to be a meeting amongst the elders at Carfax Castle. He had been there once before, though it had been a hundred years or so. He immediately checked his weaponry before heading for Houston airport. He was told there would be a plane there waiting for him and to show the man outside it this invitation. It didn't take him more than a few hours to arrive, he snuck around back out onto the airstrips and such and eventually found the man and the plane. He handed him the invitation with a grin, displaying many rows of sharp teeth. "I assume everything is in order?" Magnus asked the man. The man replied with a slow nod and ushered for Magnus to board the plane, Magnus in turn did so. Sitting in one of the rather comfortable seats he leaned back and propped his feet up in the seat directly in front of him. He assumed Lady Mo would be coming shortly, it'd be a long flight to Carfax..

[Grimoire Gaming]

Mohowauuck unrolled the parchment, the style of writing and type of ink used indicated that the sender was old-fashioned and proper. Upon a quick glance, Lady Mo gathered that the letter was from Lord Bedivere, inviting her to join a meeting amongst other oldboods at Carfax Castle. He offered a plane ride to the private location, giving her most assurances that the fuel and aircraft were as sustainable as possible. She crumbled the invitation in her hand, disgruntled at the idea of having to fly in one of the misshapen mechanical bird vehicles. It wasn't her style, not in the least, but it was the quickest form of travel. Maybe just this once the ends would justify the means.

Lady Mohowauuck stepped onto the plane carefully. Her eyes were distrustfully and apprehensive until she found Magnus there, at least she wasn't traveling alone. She silently took the seat across from Magnus and peered out of one of the many clear glass planes, offering her a distorted view of the outside world. She muttered something that would be incoherent to Magnus under her breath.

[The Grey Dust]

"Who called for wine. Here of all places. The once Lord of this Castle did not ever drink... Wine. Bring out the reserve. Let them drink the recourse of the ancients then."

Surely he did not mean, oh but he did, wine so long ago forgotten it would be hardly a wine at all. Rolled from the ancient oak casks, covered in dust from the castle's last inhabitant since Dracula's acquisition. A perfect vintage for the occasion of all the old blood. Who was it that dared to insult Bedivere for wine? Did they dare turn down his offerings of blood? So they found his choice in tastes repulsive did they? Well, then, whoever sips from the same cup as he tonight will be...

"... Ah Lady Mo, and Lord Magnus. Welcome in." Bedivere greeted the last of the vampires bar Void who will most likely come to reclaim his weapon. But with the appearance of the last few vampires, the dozens of seat were finally filled as Bedivere bade the last two to come in and have a seat while he headed towards the podium. It was time for a speech, welcoming remarks by the grim candlelight.

"Good Evening Dark Lords and Night Ladies, Elderkin of the world, Lieges and sires. The night is young, but daylight comes too swiftly for us to have discourse on topics since the last council meeting in the 1800's. Now then, while I would very much enjoy a warm welcome and reception for this event as it is my honor to be able to accommodate all of us here in this Country of Mine. I do ask that we keep to the usual standards of the Blood Kin Council rules and attempt at least to be civil with each other despite our petty grievances here and there."

A pause as he looked dead at Lady Natasha, and then chuckled to relieve the tension.

"Presently I believe it is an hour past sunset, and we have until Sunrise I believe before the council is to come to an official close if not resolved earlier and all protection clauses are revoked immediately upon sunrise. At which I do hope we can quickly decide and vote without too much discussion on two agenda items...

The first, is the unannounced and unsanctioned attack originating from my Domain to another Lord's domain by one amongst us. I believe Lord Void is the perpetrator here as my agents have picked up. And while I was aware of his presence here in London, it was merely tolerated as he did not make major moves against the cattle to rouse them to arms. This event however is sure to cause international incident at which I open the floor to appropriate remediation of his actions against the global vampire alliance. Should we continue to allow rogue vampires like Void to have free reign and do what he wills without proper communications and preparations to the regional sires? I call Lord Varomere as witness to the action of Lord Void..."

With that He sat down at his seat in the council room, but not before giving Mithias a look which practically said "You're up boy."

[akje]

Throughout the ride Martin had barely given Void a chance to think, let alone asked him a serious question. So this one came as a surprise. Martin was being suspiciously mysterious about the cottage, the castle. While Void weighed his options Martin took off in the car again. Assuming that Void would be fine on his own. He was in good hands here, and if he would follow, they could give him directions.

Several hours later and finally chronically aligning his story line with his mark Martin arrived at the Castle. It seemed like just another expensive mansion. But a glance at his phone revealed signs of tampering. "Illusions... fun." He muttered as he parked the car on the other side of the street and got out.

Martin took a deep breath... And with feigned confidence he marched over to the front gate.
There was certainly no sneaking up on this mansion. He didn't see any guards or camera's, but that didn't mean they weren't there. Assuming even the least, someone would notice him either way. Thus there was no point in stealth.

Now all there was to do, all that he could do, was wait. Wait for someone to greet him, and bring him inside.
Be it as guest or prisoner. They always bring you inside.

[Wraithblade6]

A white hand reached up to take down the hat Mithias had been so comfortably hiding behind. His peacful escape into the darkness was over. Glancing around at the other vampires for the first time, Mithias got up and walked gracefully to the center of the room, carrying with him a large object wrapped in black cloth. He would oblige Bedivere, but would be as succinct as possible. Quietly, he approached the podium where there was an as of yet unnoticed metal stand. Various judgmental gazes lighted upon him. The council of blood were arrogant, judgmental hags, yet they allowed him to live, so long as he was providing them with amusement. Mithias would have to be extremely careful not to incur any further wrath from his highly specieist elders.

The black-clad witness held up the object, letting the cloth fall from it to reveal a sword, a testament itself. Void, and/or his sword, had been the bringer of so many great plagues and catastrophies. Void's body count over the ages surely put his peers to shame.
A smile, a chuckle from somewhere in the room... Recognition registered with the audience as Mithias placed Contagion to hang point down on the stand and stepped back.

"I took this sword from two SOLDIER agents at Kilo Point airport on the day of the incident. I did not see its owner, the vampire known as Void. The building was already aflame by the time I had arrived and SOLDIER fighters were in combat with their enemies inside. I recognized Void's weapon, Contagion, from SOLDIER records. The SOLDIER agents I encountered with it were wearing hazmat suits, so SOLDIER must have know what or whom they were dealing with.

One of the agents opened fire on me in an effort to secure the artifact, and I killed him. I had not come there that night to fight, nor to steal, but to catch a plane. I took my flight, and as I left, I saw the eyes of dozens of werewolves chasing my plane from below. There is no SOLDIER record of Void having allied with werewolves. Their presence, and my perception of the scale of the battle within the airport lead me to believe..."

"No speculation!" Someone called out.

"...that Void was not alone, should he have been there at all."

Mithias got the impression this was going to be a tough crowd. He glanced at Bedivere.

[Kurai Assassin]

Katya awoke in a sweat at her bed at the SOLDIER base, she had heard the others bringing what could only be wounded operatives from the last battle. She longed that she could have been there but the medical team had deemed her unfit for battle at that point with a Fever. if she had been there for sure she would have bagged at least one vampire for the friends she had lost to them. how many people had actually died in that last battle, more so how many casualties had been brought back to be treated. Today would not be a good day.

[Grombus]

The man who had brought Void to this cottage had given him many interesting options, the most interesting being this so called training program. The other man seemed to want to wipe out the old bloods, to Void this seemed like a godsend as he had been bored out of his mind for the past while, interested Void strolled towards the cottage containing things unknown to Void. Void smiled, finally something interesting might happen. Void reached towards the door and knocked three times, now all he had to do was wait and listen.

[akje]

The cottage was seeped in old people smell, along with the usual scents one would expect in the country side.
As far as he could tell they had at least two goats. And something else. There were a few stranger scents.
Whiffs of various industrial chemicals and a host of different humans passed trough here.
The door slowly opened up with the sound of a rope rolling along a tackle.
"Come on in dear." A crackling old voice sung.
Inside was an ordinary bed and breakfast cottage.
An old lady holding a tray of freshly baked cookies came slowly shuffling out of the kitchen.
She was definitely human, and very old.
The trail of strange scents followed further through the hall and to a large two door closet.

[AgentFallenSoul]

Llusia Adoresl
Llusia sat in the tree's laughing to herself "One man dead, more will rise, one mans dread, more will die" she stood on the branch and her body was quickly covered in black, her eyes turning pure white "Let's go pay a visit to everyone, surely it's time to appear..." she sunk into the shadow that laid over the tree and quickly disappeared. She traveled in the shadowfied world that was around her and quickly approached the castle where the council was having a meeting about the drama that was the vampire world, politics all of it. Even the undead were just as bad as the blasted humans government, it was all one big game and it was a game that Llusia had no interest in, however, things seems to be at a fun point. 20,000 years forgotten, maybe no one would know who she was in the council, maybe they would. But either way she was going to make herself known, and make sure they would be aware that the Adoresl Bloodline was well alive.

Arriving at the gate of the castle gates and stood there for a moment, her shadowcloaked form waving in the wind. She once again sunk into the ground and traveled the grounds that was once the Great Dracula! She laughed to herself, the man was interesting, but she had no interest again the world of vampire much anymore. He'd died, and she simply shrugged, he was a character but he wasn't something to cry over, at least to her. She arrived at the hall in which the council was being held and she waited for the vampire at the stand to finish "testifying". She traveled through the shadows and up behind Mithias "Tough crowd, this place could stand to be lightened up" she rose from his shadows and the shadows melted off her in a mist like appearance. She walked around Mithias, inspecting him "What might and old blood like me do to get a drink?" her aura washed out from her body almost and hung in the air.

She looked at the faces of others and then to Bedivere "My apologies for being late, but it seems that my invitation was...not sent? I know I am but one of the many myths that many of you all had forgotten? Or have you all assumed we had all been killed" she her golden eyes with red pupils seemed to shake slightly with rage and she put her hands behind her back as she waited for someone to speak up. She completely side tracked the meeting but it was a question that urked her.

[Grombus]

Void entered the cottage apprehensively, unsure of what to expect. The old woman who greeted him ushered him along into a drab bedroom with a small bed pushed into a corner, with a nightstand holding only a lamp. The dark room smelled strange yet welcoming, Void had no need for the bed and as such turned to ask the old woman a question "What is my point in being here, what did the man mean by saying I could become stronger". Void was hoping whatever training he might do would start soon, as he wished to be entertained. If there was a way to become stronger Void was undoubtedly interested, and killing the old bloods would surely be enjoyable. Void had suddenly realized a smell wafting out from a large two door closet. "What might be in here?" he asked the old lady.

[Wraithblade6]

A chill ran up the 700-year "young" vampire's spine as he felt the presence of the ancient vampiress instantly manifest itself behind him. A memory triggered in the back of his mind that caused his heart to race momentarily, and Mithias froze like a human before slaughter. Calming himself, and remembering that all eyes were upon him, that he was a representative as well as himself, he turned to defiantly behold those wild eyes that had appeared out of the shadows. As she began to walk around him, looking him over, he stayed still, facing forward, unphased by her judgement.

Her powers were unknown to him, and for the life of him, he couldn't identify who she was. As Agent Varomere, Mithias had read everything SOLDIER had documented on all known vampires, especially the most dangerous and influential, but nothing described this vampiress or what he could see of her powers. The answer was simple, SOLDIER didn't know she existed. She was completely unknown.

She inspected him quickly, his long dark hair, nearly white skin, two well-made swords and several other more hidden weapons, the black cloak and knightly armor, and his fairly beautiful, shimmering yellow eyes. If she killed him, if she could, his loss wouldn't matter in the least, but Bedivere would have been incensed, likely to violence. The whole meeting would devolve into chaos. Hopefully, she only sought a drink and an invitation. Mithias considered how fast he could move and draw one of his bloodletting daggers as agonizing microseconds ticked on. It was the host's place to answer her questions, not his, and Mithias hoped Bedivere's silver tongue would have some smooth words for this very quickly.

[akje]

Granny dearest looked at Void with confused bemusement until he inquired for the closet.
Her demeanor shifted to serious. Businesslike.
"That was fast. I'm impressed." She put the cookies down as she opened the door.
"Give them my regards dear."
Beyond the old and clasic wooden closet door was the sleek chrome and lights of a modern elevator.
The panel had only one white button. Down.

[thewizardguy]

The caravan of trucks arrived at SOLDIER. Large vehicles designed for carrying troops and gear equally. They parked themselves in the large building that served as one of 2 entrances to the SOLDIER base Blackadder Point, lining up beside one another. Several people in grey uniforms marched up, preparing to begin the unloading process. The soldiers would surrender their gear and move towards the barracks or the medical facility. Many of them would, at a later date, visit the on-site psychiatrist to prevent post-traumatic stress from forming - facing off against vampires was a mind-numbingly terrifying task.

With a bang, the doors of one of the trucks slammed open before it had even stopped moving. Kami no Kage marched out, a grenade in each hand, the pins already pulled, as the cameras on his helmet gave him a 360 view of the battlefield. Mentally, he marked the position of every one of his foes, knowing what trucks contained soldiers through the sheer power of memorisation.

Judgement was due.

The two grenades were thrown - or rather launched - beneath two of the trucks. The timing was perfect, as they exploded the moment they approached the gas tank. the shrapnel tore through the unarmoured bottom of the vehicle, even as the now superheated gas compartment exploded. Screams formed briefly, as two of the trucks went up in flames, those within either dead or dying. In each hand Kami no Kage now held a pistol, which had been magnetically attached to his hip mere moments ago. 40 men were down, there were about that many left to deal with as he turned.

The doors to the other vehicles opened as men rushed out, alarmed at the sound of explosions and screams. The loading personnel fled, unarmed and not trained for battle. Kami simply sniped his opponents as they left the vehicle, bullets striking eyes and necks, each shot perfectly timed and perfectly aimed. Several got a shot off as Kami no Kage slowly walked forward, but they never hit anything more than air. They had been dodged before the shot had ever been fired.

Out of bullets, Kami rushed forward, clearing the remaining distance in mere instants. Each pistol had contained 12 bullets, 24 shots and 24 kills. That left about 16 men, most of whom were at this point fleeing from the seemingly unstoppable enemy that was moving towards them at superhuman speeds. Calculating trajectories, Kami no Kage dodged the bursts of bullets that were sent his way, appearing next to his targets and killing them with a single blow.

Now he had a gun again.

Within moments, the entire garage was covered in corpses, in the centre of which stood Kami no Kage. Utilizing superhuman strength, he ripped open the doors to the truck in which the Purge had been held prisoner, as his 10 allies streamed out of the truck. Each quickly unlocked themselves and geared up, as Kami no Kage picked up one of his opponent's communications devices.

All channels were open. Kami no Kage's robotic, monotone voice could be heard by every SOLDIER remaining in Blackadder Point, including Katya.

[You have slaughtered my men. You have befouled our peace. You are heathens, heretics, and fools. Did you truly believe that you would go unnoticed? That you would escape reprisal? Make peace with the Lord. For Judgement Day hath come.]

Dropping the device, Kami no Kage retrieved his sword.

[Make ready. We shall slaughter them all.]

[Kurai Assassin]

Explosions. Katya heard them. the shrill of who evers voice it was, echoed through her earpiece. it was go time now. grabbing her helmet and M16A3 and her stake launcher. Her hair hung outside of her helmet because of the rush and this was gonna get bloody. this shouldnt be hard she thought, 1v40+ theres no way. "I dont know who you are but i will find you and i will Kill you." she said into her earpiece before turning it off. smoke billowed from the garage. they would be heading her way next, traps would be her best bet to defeat who ever it was. Tying a nylon chord around the trigger of her stake launcher and placing it so that who ever crossed the path between the the mess hall and the Medical Tent would get a whole lotta wood flung at them. Quickly she flicked off the safety and switched her Rate of Fire switch to Semi Automatic to make sure who ever this was got hit where she wanted them to get hit and not everywhere else.

[akje]

Hale absolutely hated airtravel.
With good reason; When a bus breaks down you have to walk, but a plane..
In fact. No sane person would board a plane with Hale if they knew him at all.
So as Magnus and lady Mo were on their little vacation trip to the old country, Hale was stuck at home.
Worst thing was, with Magnus out and no other strong psychs at the base, he couldn't go there either.
Not without putting his game station at risk. And Hale would sleep on the streets before he risked that.

So here he was, sitting on top of one of the taller buildings in Kilo Point.
Leggs dangling over the edge of the ledge, Hale stared out at the city and it's many lights.
While thoroughly enjoying a double cheese burger with extra bacon he wondered how other wolves could enshrew all this.
Humans were definetely the shit.
Weak and pathetic often. But damn they made the best stuff.

Explosions echoed in the distance. Hale focussed his concentration on the SOLDIER camp in the distance.
Was something going down?
Fluently Hale lowered himself off the ledge and on top of another building.
In the shadows on rooftops he ran over to the camp until he had a nice view.
Finding a comfortable seat on top of a chimney he looked at the carnage that was unfolding beyond the gates and fences.

The voice of Kami carried over the entire compound and Hale laughed silently to himself.
Humans are fantastic.
The street light in the street below him flickered, then died. Hale took the last bite of his burger.

[Grimoire Gaming]

Lady Mo stepped off of the plane with Magnus, thankful to feel the Earth beneath her bare feet once more. It was surprising that she was able to keep her composure, as the plane ride had made her more than uneasy. In the very few times that Mohowauuck had attended such meetings, he had always flown over the waters in her eagle form, taking rest stops in northern countries and continents to feed. But those times, she had notice months ahead of time. In times of war, drastic measures must sometimes be taken.

Castle Carfax was about as stuffy and aloof as Bedivere himself, but Lady Mo didn't seem to mind it too much. She took her seat and nodded politely at Bedi's welcome. Mithias was the first to be asked to speak, and he inevitably mentioned the werewolf presence. When another oldblood called for no speculations, Mo took it upon herself to clear the air.

"The wolves were mine, I was there, so they were there." At the sound of her voice, nearly every eye in the room turned on her. Some were filled with mild disinterest, others curious, and at least half of them clouded with hatred and disgust. It was no secret that werewolves and vampires often stood as mortal enemies. Lady Mo was seen as an outcast and a mongrel among her peers, but none dared to openly state their disgust, as she was far older than most of them.

Before anymore could be said of the matter, a dark presence manifested among them. The shadows built up into a slender vampiress with enough intimidation to nearly make the turn-cloak vampire at the stand wet himself. Lady Mohowauuck cracked a bit of a smile, perhaps this meeting would turn out to be quite the interesting gathering after all. Mo wondered who this vampiress must be, judging from her aura, she was almost as old as Mo herself.

[thewizardguy]

The meeting, of course, was in full swing. Guests from all over the world had arrived, gathered here in order to maintain their spiteful hatreds towards one another, forced to coexist only by the precarious balance of power. Vultures and fools, with all the power in the world and yet no clue how to use it. Arrogant beings for whom the gift of immortality was a given, those who would look down at 'lesser' beings from atop their pile of corpses and lies. Not a council, for a council would imply some form of cooperation. A war meeting, an overdrawn stalemate that had lasted for hundreds of years.

Gabriel had a headache. What HAD been in that wine?

Staggering slightly, he marched into the room. An inhumanly tall figure clad in black and gold, the red glow of a pair of eyes emanating unsteadily from beneath the brim of a top hat. A row of shark-like teeth twisted into a grimace. All eyes turned to Gabriel, the unexpected guest who had not attended a meeting such as this in 2.000 years. The first and last time Gabriel had joined at a table like this had been before the time of many of the Oldbloods now seated at this table. Potentially the oldest vampire alive, or perhaps the world's greatest charlatan, often known as the First.

Gabriel had arrived.

"Yer all schtoopid!" Slurring his words, Gabriel leaned against a wall, an empty bottle with a label decayed by age held in his off hand as he swayed unsteadily on his feet. He glared around the room, as he used the bottle to point at each vampire in turn.

"Yer a whore"

"Yer mother's a whore"

"Yer a manwhore"

"Yer an attenschun whore!"

It was a rather odd break, in which the vast majority of the attending oldbloods simply sat back and stared, the only sound in the impossibly silent room the repeated insults. Slowly, anger and disgust replaced astonishment, and yet even as one of the gathered Oldbloods stood to interrupt he promptly and unceremoniously crashed face-first into the floor, breaking his nose. Had he been a human, it would have seemed like an act of extreme clumsiness. However, the figure who now was now picking themselves up off the ground was Ach Tikkeh, a 2.400 year old Mayan God.

When he next got up, he knew better than to press the issue. There were too many present who would be glad to utilize the excuse to kill him and take his lands, as well as his 'flock'.

Lastly, Gabriel turned to Lady Mo. "Yer sitting on mah chair. Dun worry though, ye can sit on ma lap.

[thewizardguy]

Kami no Kage moved through the base like a shadow, soundlessly passing from corner to corner. SOLDIER agents encountered had barely a moment to registed his presence before their necks were snapped. He was shadow, he was death, he was judgement. And as he moved through the base, foes fell before him like wheat before a scythe, his allies blockading the exits so as to ensure there would be no escape. All had sinned, all would perish.

A simple nylon-wire trap had been rigged up in one of the hallways. It was surprisingly intricate for something so clearly placed down on the fly, and betrayed a certain degree of skill. It wouldn't be an Elite - SOLDIER didn't trust it's vampiric agents enough to grant them access to the base. As such, it would be a human, most likely one of the lower-ranking agents of SOLDIER.

It would do well to give a demonstration of who he was.

Stepping forward, the armour-clad figure seemed to look straight ahead, face invisible behind a reflecting visor. Then, he quite carefully and intentionally stepped on the wire. With a pang, highly pressurized air was released inside of a cartridge attached to a metal-reinforced wooden stake. A twisting ridge created a spin, vastly increasing the accuracy of the tiny wooden spear as it soared through the air at immense speeds. A modern high-speed crossbow, capable of firing multiple round rapidly after one another at long range with good accuracy. A weapon expertly designed to hunt vampires.

Time seemed to slow down, as Kami simply applied the trajectory and force application calculations he had formulated before stepping on the wire. He knew how the weapon worked - the force it generated as well as it's projectile speed and accuracy. He already knew where the bolt would hit, as well as why. When his hands moved, it was according to a plan that was set in motion before the projectile had ever left the barrel, with only tiny alterations based on the observations made during the stake's flight.

Inches from Kami no Kage's chest, the stake stopped, the 10 cm dart caught in his hand. Moments later, it was crushed through the application of brute force, metal bending to match the imprint of Kami no Kage's armour-clad fingers.

[Those who repent may be spared judgement. Undoubtedly, you have a reason to fight. However, would it not be a shame if you were to die right now?

.....

You stand before a choice. You may attempt to oppose me. Run, fight me, hide, it doesn't matter. In the end, judgement will find all those who oppose the righteous path. Or you may choose to reveal yourself. If I deem you repentant, your life will be spared, should you release the mantel of the warrior. This is my offer of mercy.

Accept it at your own discretion.]

[Kurai Assassin]

That Shrill monotone voice hit her again he was stood there only meters away from her safety in the shadows. she shouldered her rifle and aimed for his head. turning on her earpiece she spoke so that he could only hear her through his radio or whatever he had. "Thats a pretty nice offer you got there but it is not i who should be running. Those men, My friends youve murdered they didnt even have chance to fight you coward. so thanks for the offer but ill go down fighting rather than face the life a life of cowardice. and you know what makes this better. You dont have a clue where i am. i could be mere meters away or you could have passed me playing dead. either way it doesnt matter now. Paranoia is now running through your mind, i can feel it. so Mr Kage, i think its my turn to propose a deal. Leave now or face the rest of my traps and me" she now waited for Kages reply.