Another One Bites

The warning has gone out, alarms are going off through Alexandria and the guard is out in force. But not down in the warehouse district. They're sticking to the more residential areas to keep people safe and make sure that they stay off the streets. There's a scream from one of the warehouses, the sound of a man calling out through the chill air. The noise stops for a second and then it starts again but this time it sounds like he's dying. He screams as hard and as fast as he can so that it's almost like one long noise of pain rolling out of him.

As you rush toward the sound you see him. The vampire that has been stalking the streets of Alexandira; disappearing and reappearing. He stands on top of the warehouse holding the man. There is a woman at his side, tanned and elvish her long silver hair free. She looks down at you with wide silver-blue eyes that hold some kind of terror in them but she doesn't move an inch as the green-eyed vampire casually drops his victim to the ground from atop the warehouse with a grin.

Silver engraved flute clasped in her left hand, the rustle of cloth, the flash of reflected light off a small steel shield mounted to her right forearm. The priestess of Eluna, Chloe Ithil'Loth in her blue and white robes, her left arm wrapped with leather chords and white fabric to bind the Symbol of Eluna to her palm. As the sound picks up she stops in her tracks, panting, looking up as the vampire drops his victim, her right hand coming to her mouth as she gasps.

Oh yeah, it's on, a vampire alarm? It can only be that same vampire that homoerotically bit him and talked some trash about passion and not having quite enough. Darius runs to where the commotion is, readying his weapons as he goes. He's lighter on his feet this time, better able to keep to shadows and use it to his advantage even with his armor. That training with Ga'Elian really did pay off this time. His eyes narrow as he arrives just as the man is dropped from the roof and mutters, "You are going to die, and it's going to be bloody, I HATE vampires..." He carefully unslings his bow and nocks an arrow, pointing it at the vampire's chest.

Morgan was flying around the town to keep up with the fu.... practice and not to count bald heads from above. She keeps about 100 feet away "Ahh trying the brooding act, so what is your catchphrase?"

Azog peers left and right into the shadows of nighttime snowbanks, and eyes everyone suspiciously as he stalks around the city. He's an adventurer, but more than a few civilians worry more about him than some old vampire. Anyhow, he's the one that's here now. Well, if they stay inside for fear of him rather than some crummy old vampire, that at least keeps them out of harm's way. Hearing the commotion, he rushes toward the scene, growing to fourteen feet tall between strides as he bellows, "Come get some, bloodsucker!"

In Arisha's case, she's hopping from rooftop to rooftop as well. However, as Azog bellows his challenge to the vampire, Arisha is too busy chanting, and readying herself against the vampire. At least until she fires a shot at the vampire, which burns if it hits. No witty repartee from the dark elf.....

The vampire grins, flashing his teeth and touching the elvish woman on the shoulder. She flinches at the contact but otherwise doesn't move. He leans down to her, whispering something into her ear and her shoulders slump slightly. In a flash of to-quick movement she's pulled a bow from somewhere and she begins to let loose a volley of arrows. The first is aimed at Azog, his large size making him an easy target, but she fires one at Darius, and another at Morgan as though warning the flying mage to stay away.

Meanwhile the other vampire has vanished, disappearing smooth as silk and then reappearing silently beside Chloe. He's even faster than the woman is, leaning into her space and whispering to her. "Hello my friend."

Darius swears as the arrow manages to nick him slightly on the thigh. It's not a bad wound, but it makes him burn with hatred at the male vampire for turning the girl into one of his kind and using her. He adjusts his aim and fires at the male vampire, hoping to make him dodge and give Chloe a chance to get out of the way before she's trapped by his powers.

Morgan raises her hand as a blue field stops the arrow. "Arrows really aren’t polite please keep your space would of done." She is keeping her space wondering what is going on.

The Priestess of Eluna's eyes have followed the falling body of the man as it hits the cobblestones below. An audible gasp and she's just about to run towards his form on the walkway when suddenly there is a gust of wind and a voice beside her hear. The half-Sil woman spins on the spot with a high-pitched squeal that could almost crack glass as she raises her left hand up into the air. As she does so a bright burst of Light issues forth, starting from the medallion in her palm before radiating out around her, a pulse of Positive Energy meant to clear the thing from her area, hopefully. Maybe it will just piss it off instead.

GAME: Chloe rolls 1d6: (5): 5

Azog raises his shield, and the arrow skitters off. It'll take more than some hypnotized flunky plunking arrows to pierce his shield and magic armor. He bellows a challenge to the vampire, for what good it does, and flourishes his blade, demonstrating his high level of skill.

Arisha watches as the elven woman rains arrows on everyone...and one even clangs off her breastplate. "Now you're getting others to do your dirty work while you freak them out, huh?" She says before she fires a shot at the elven woman. Ensorcelled or not, she's still an enemy.

The vampire's eyes seem to glow, and his smile widens as the pulse of positive energy pulses through him. He quickly grabs the very woman that let loose the energy, his motions like lightning as he wraps his long arms around her body. Then he gives a little hop backwards to avoid Azog's skillful blade. Darius' arrow misses the creature as well, his movement backwards too quick for the shot.

Meanwhile the woman has not given up, concentrating her fire on Azog. Her bow gleams silver in the moonlight, clearly no ordinary weapon. Her leather armor deflects the shot fired at her, and she seems for the moment not at all concerned about it.

Wide-eyed, Chloe is snatched up by the sudden speed and strength this creature displays, the radiant Light of her Positive Energy fading just as he snatches her and then steps back to avoid the incoming attacks, dragging the Half-Sil with him. She's shaking, visibly, but she takes in a breath and closes her eyes as she projects her voice, weaving it with the sonic magicks she'd been taught... "As the Sun rises o' yonder hills... the deep shadows giving way to the greens of day... all the lil monsters go back to bed... so that we may play today..."

Darius lowers his bow, seething, shooting arrows is just a waste of ammo at the male vampire. He growls, "You <parental expletive>! Let her go, before I <EXPLETIVE>ing stick my greatsword straight up your <anatomically incompatible and impossible sexual act> and then just to make it better, stake you out in the DESERT and let the <avian scavenging expletive> pick your dessicated corpse while the sun <BEEP>ing turns you to dust and sends your <BEEPING> black soul straight to the ABYSS!" With that, he finally huffs and nocks three arrows, shooting them in succession at the vampire. Since he's not yet proficient at firing them at the same time, likely they all miss and the vampire needs not even dodge.

Since the woman seems to be ignoring her, Arisha hops down off the roof to run up to Chloe and help her out if she can. Except she puts her pistol away and draws her Khopesh, which begins to glow with a grey light as she nears the vampire.....and swings the Khopesh.

Morgan chuckles as Darius speaks. "Wow you got Darius mildly mad he is holding back on the dirty talk." she hovers above him to help him deflect all the arrows at him. "Come big guy."

Azog weathers the brunt of the archer's barrage without flinching, nor yielding ground, and while a couple arrows manage to catch between adjacent armor plates, they do not slow him down at all. Though, if this is how we're going to play it .... He plants his sword point-down in the earth and rummages in his belt pouch for a small figurine. He calls out a magic command, and it changes into a bronze griffon.

The vampire grins. "He has such passion does he not?" He's clearly talking to Chloe about Darius. Then in a flicker he's gone again, this time taking Chloe with him. Just a flash and he's gone. He reappears over by his companion, Chloe still in his arms. He tucks her close to him and sighs happily. "My songbird. Join us." His green eyes peer down and pierce this woman's soul.

Undeterred, and no longer attacked the woman continues to fire her arrows at Azog. So far they haven't done much but... she seems content with that.

The speed is in a way, exhilarating. The Priestess' breath catches in her throat as she's so suddenly whisked away and up, her hair coming slightly undone from its careful braiding and leaving flyaways all over her head, her song dying in her throat but its melodic sleepy tones drifting along the buildings for a few more moments before even its faint echoes die away underneath the onslaught of pinging arrow heads and shouting individuals. Fingers still curled around her silver flute she reaches up and pounds very ineffectively against the vampire's chest, "Let me go now! I'm a Priestess! You don't want to hurt me, or you'll have Eluna herself after you!"

Oh now he's done it, Darius screams in rage, he's no barbarian but he'd literally be able to compete with them with how angry he is. He shouts incomprehensibly at the vampire and literally starts to run and intends to scale the building to fight him for saying that. If the elf shoots him, so be it, he really doesn't care at this point.

Azog mounts his bronze griffon, and it flies up, letting him engage this annoying archer in melee as he catches most of her arrows on his shield. He's an in-your-face type fighter, and so he gets in her face. His sword, for all that he wields it with one hand, hits like a ton of rectangular building things. This happens when you're a fourteen-foot oruch.

Arisha chants yet again....except in this case, Arisha begins tosses spells at the vampire. These particular spells go right through Chloe....and into the vampire.

Morgan while helping Darius she sends three lances of fire at the archer that misses wide as the archer did not need to move at all "For the love of @#$ why cant I @#$ @#$$^ ##^&7 <this goes for a while> and the dog that humped your mum..... wow that felt good."

Azog's attack literally break's the woman's arm. She screams in pain but manages to keep her hands on her weapon. Her silver eyes grimly narrow and she shudders as the injury begins to heal itself in a rolling noise that makes the skin crawl. She then attacks with the bow as if it was itself a weapon. And notably, her attacks are incredibly accurate. It seems that this is not the first time she has used her bow as a battering ram.

The vampire lets loose an amused noise. "Oh that would be interesting /yes/." He shudders as the spell pulses through him, emitting a low noise and then leaning down to bite Chloe...

By now, Arisha is using her left arm to climb the building, and once the bite is administered to Chloe's neck, she rushes the Vampire to hit it with her Khopesh.....

Darius continues to scale as fast and as frantically as he can shouting, "STOP! DON'T! THAT'S MY WIFE YOU'RE BITING! I'LL KILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" and reaching the top he attempts to do a 300 jump stab at the vampire himself not even caring if he dies, he's that angry and out of his mind by this point. Obviously Chloe isn't his wife, and he's only saying something to try and stop the vampire and probably Chloe - if she's even still conscious at that point she along with everyone else will be like, huh? What?

Morgan sighs "Darius buddy you need to try better."

So many things happen all at once, everything on the edges of her vision as if coming to a stop as the forefront of her sight is forced on watching the thing encroach upon her, then her view shifted up to the night sky as her chin is turned up. There's a pure, high-pitched note that rings out, not a scream but like the first opening note of a ballad that will never be sung, because after just a brief second of its life it dies as the one singing it slumps into the arms of the vampire draining her lifeblood, eyes rolling back as the Priestess faints.

Iskandar bursts out of a door on the street below. While he's wearing his armor and gear he looks a bit disheveled, as if he donned it hastily. He carries a short bow with only a handful of arrows clutched in his free hand. following the looks and gazes of the bystanders he tilts his head back and spots the vampire. "So it's true!" he bellows. Then a moment later he adds, "At last!" and lets fly an arrow - which buries itself on the edge of the roof.

Azog wards off the bowstrikes with his shield. Her hits, which occasionally hurt him, don't hurt him much. He thrusts and stabs furiously, if he can take her out of the fight quickly, they can focus on the vampire.

Nothing happens the way that anyone plans for it to. The vampire releases his bite, licking his lips and grinning at Darius. He smoothly sidesteps Arisha only to catch Darius' blade as it comes down. The attack doesn't strike quite as the warrior intends it too, but it bleeds the vampire and that's something. With a little laugh the vampire's eyes burn. "You want me to let her go? I will trade her for you." He grins, dark things swimming in his eyes. "Come with me or... I will take her instead."

The woman is dealt several heavy blows, but her healing is impressive, continuing to keep her in a fight that she clearly should have been out of already. Quietly she whispers to Azog as they fight, the sound of the words lost to everyone else beneath the pulse of their fighting.

Darius struggles to try and push the blade into the vampire's chest and snarls, "Let... her... go... first..." He says, his eyes glancing down at Chloe for just a fraction of a second, and then continues, "Do that... once she's safe... I will drop my sword and go willingly with you." With that, he pulls his sword back, conceding that he has no chance of winning. At least he's done something by this... provided the vampire keeps his word.

Azog will keep fighting the woman. If she's locked up with him, she's not fighting his allies. But when she whispers to him, he growls, and shouts, "Don't let him take her!" He'll disengage from her by the simple expedient of flying away, and he sets his bronze griffon after the vampire, where he'll try and stab him a lot.

Iskandar pulls his bowstring back, ready to send another arrow at the roof. But he pauses. Is Darius doing what Iskandar thinks he's doing? "What honor!" Iskandar calls. "What a sacrifice!" It's not what the giantborn would do in Darius' position, but he can certainly respect it. "We'll make sure you're remembered!" he promises.

The vampire throws Chloe at Azog bodily, even as the elvish woman moves to block his actual attack with her bow. It all happens quickly, the vampire stepping into Darius' space and then with a grin he wraps his arms around the other man. "As you promised." The low words are easy to hear in the night air, but they're clearly meant only for Darius. Then they're gone. The two of them vanished without a trace.

They leave the elvish woman behind, her shoulders hunched and her silver-blue eyes sad; her body still broken from Azog's attacks. "I am sorry. For your loss." Then she becomes mist and she too vanishes.

Darius looks back at Morgan, "Morgan... take care of my family..." He takes a breath, "Let Aika know I was a hero to the end, and tried to save her damsel in distress like I promised." He then says, "It's ok, retreat, all of you, I'll be fine." With that, he relaxes his battle stance and drops his sword on the ground in front of the vampire once he's let Chloe go and she's safely away and waits for the vampire to finish him off if that's what he wants.

Morgan nods as she says "You won't be gone for long." The slight sarcasm on her face is gone as she wishes she could fireball the vampire now.

Iskandar climbs up onto the roof where Darius was taken. During the fight he might have found such a feat difficult, but now that the danger is past, for one of his height and grip strength it's as easy as climbing a stairway. When he reaches the roof he scoops up Darius' sword, holding it carefully with both hands. "Who was this Aika that he mentioned," he asks, turning to Morgan. "Do you know? Should we pass his blade to her..."

Morgan sighs "I am going to go to my house and scry where he was taken, if any one wants to help me come to my place in the morning, now I have a kid to get... and this will not be easy."

Iskandar blanches. "You mean to say," his voice is uncharacteristically subdued. "Aika is his daughter?" He holds out the sword, offering it to Morgan. "Then she -must- have this."

Morgan she floats near Iskandar waiting for what will be given and she umps a little as she is holding a sword a bit bigger than she is. "Thank you and it will be soon I hope."

Iskandar says, "Tell when she's old enough, to come to the Guild. We'll teach her to use it." He clenches a fist and glowers at the spot where the vampire disappeared. "And how to be a hero, like her father was."

Morgan says "Mister Iskandar I will know where he is in a few hours and if I need a group, and most likely will. I will come to you and teleport us to where he is."

Iskandar blinks. "Er...you will?" His reverent tone from earlier is gone, replaced by one of surprise. "In a few hours? That's...well...that makes things easier, I suppose." He tilts his head slightly to one side and peers at Morgan. "You're sure? A few hours? Ah...well...I suppose I'd better get my quiver." His tone is completely businesslike now. After all that, it's turning into just another adventure.

Only, Morgan's spell doesn't work. Her scrying is met by darkness and nothingness as though her spell is being blocked by powerful magics. Leaving everyone uncertain of Darius' fate.

-End-