「R」【𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓】「IC」『REDUX』

**Rayfire** · 07-06-2017, 11:45 AM

Michael silently watched and listened to the queen and watchers meeting. With his own position and title he could have willfully took part in their meeting but choose to avoid the discussion since he couldn't agree with the watcher he saw it as a waste of breath.

It took a lot for him not to react as a war was exactly what he wanted. He spent a lot of time manipulating his own security forces to give the lycans enough room to slip in closer and closer to London however it took the beasts some time to actually get a hint and crawl into the security gaps he left. Part of the humans biggest out rage was that London had self proclaimed itself as one of the safest city's while the queen choose to resided here. Michael played his part and wiped out most threats that dare attempted to even get close to London causing the population to rise by a large margin. Yet even while doing his duties the Reapers goal, was always power, and destruction. Soon the little squabble that tried to bite at their heels wasn't enough. He was hoping the lycans would bring something interesting for him to kill.

The watchers parting words pointed at Michael's presence but he still didn't care to reveal himself till the Watcher was gone. After all hiding his power was only to make the meet more comfortable for them while he sat in the shadows and watched. There was no point in allowing his heavy aura to fall on them and bring enough attention to request his direct attention. The reaper is a lot of things but he is still akin to a butler to the queen, as such he acts appropriately enough in her presence.

Stepping out of the shadows Michael approaches Malia and bows respectfully in front of her before he begins to speak. "My queen. I honestly don't trust that man. His motives are opposite of ours." With his thoughts on the matter spoken Michael sets his mind towards business to quickly get it out of the way. "The public is no issue. The humans can fuss all they want. They dare not face our power head on. How do you wish to deal with the lycans? What are you're orders my masters?" His words spoke towards decades of knowing and serving Malia. He had a idea of how she thinks and didn't bother wasting her time on small talk. They both rather get business over with first and everything else came afterwards.

**Mystress of Shadows** · 07-07-2017, 01:32 AM

"We'll play the game, for now." Michael's appearance was no surprise to her; he had a habit of inviting himself in unannounced. She stood, walking past Michael as she spoke, the annoyance clear in the sneer she presented.

"I know you've had a hand in this, somehow, Michael. You have more than enough power to stop those creatures from coming near London, and yet, here they are." At this point, she paused at the door, turning back towards him. "When I give the order, you will exterminate every one of them, even at the cost of both vampire and human life. You are the Reaper, and Death is your job. For now, prevent any of those pathetic things for coming within 20 miles of either I or the human Serine. Blackwood, was it? Should anyone or anything kill him, you will pay with your head."

Once again, she turned away from him, resting her hand on the door handle. "You know full well his death will be by my hands and none other." The venomous hatred that laced her voice would chill anyone, but likely not Michael, knowing how little he seemed to care.

As she left the room, Alexia would enter to clear away the glasses and tidy the room. Meanwhile, Malia would return to her room to relax. If Michael followed her, so be it. It was better to tolerate him than kill her main protection.

**Dire Hoef** · 07-07-2017, 03:47 PM

“This is the best damn food you could have ever presented Lord Kresnik,” said a burly gentleman who then gave a hearty laugh of approval.

“Well it is the perk of being the Serine of London,” Blackwood said with a small smile, “But I thank you for your approval on the cooking. My head chef was specially handpicked by yours truly among my staff. He’s held to quite a standard; as is most chefs of the Blackwood family.”

“Heh! Ain’t that something!” The same man laughed even harder than he did before, causing all of the politeful (but deadly) eyes to fall on him. Though, having all of the eyes at the table on him didn’t bother him none. In fact, he readily welcomed the eyes and spoke with a manner that was almost too loose for this kind of refinement. “Say Kresnik,” Blackwood tightened his posture when he noticed the man’s piercing gaze, “What are you going to do about the vampyres? Being an alpha of the political wolf pack, you’ve got something to show for it huh?”

Seeing that the dinner party was moving as serenely as possible, Blackwood expected this topic to come up at some point during the table talks. However, he didn’t expect it so soon. So, he was completely caught off guard by it, but he couldn’t reveal that to the table. Instead he kept his posture tightened, cleared his throat, and spoke with an even tone. “Simple. If they do not comply with our demands we will have no choice but to forcibly put sanctions on them.”

“Forcibly?”

“Yes. Forcibly.”

The table fell quiet after this, which gave Blackwood the time to explain his response.

“The vampyres have been neglectful of their duties for the past year, and we’ve only seen their population rise exponentially over that one year period. Why? Well the B.P.A can only assume that they’ve trying been create instability amongst London and Great Britain, but that’s not the only assumption,” Blackwood would lean on his laced fingers as he began to ponder other options, “My own assumption is that, with the combined incident of the maulings, we could be seeing an undermining attempt at instigating a war at our expense.”

There were faces of horror and surprise at his statements. Some of the faces, from what he could see, couldn’t believe the words he was saying; mainly from the women at the table. The men, on the other hand, held expressions of anger and vengeance. They wanted to do something about this, but seeing the political climate as it is, they couldn’t do anything too bold.

“Darkness protrudes at many angles Lord Kresnik,” said a female voice from the table, all eyes fell on her, “If you what you say is tru–”

“–It’s not. It’s merely speculation.”

“Likewise,” she responded with a shaky voice, “If you speculate turn out to be true, and the vampyres are planning to wage war against us, how do you expect to win such a war?”

He gave a small smile, “I plan on winning this war at later stage but,” that smile died, “At our current strength it is impossible to win an armed conflict with manpower alone. Which is why I had some help in gathering the necessary manpower.” He’d snap his fingers and suddenly, from out the shadows of the room, soldiers garbed in a sort of armored clothing came stomping in with their armor clanking as they moved. “I introduce you all to the next step in vampyre eradication.. The Anti-Vampyre Brigade..”

“The Anti-Vampyre Brigade?” One said in shock.

“You mean to tell me that there are five thousand of these soldiers waiting to be used?” Asked another.

“Precisely,” Blackwood stood up from his seat and calmly walked over to one of them patting his shoulder guard, the soldier clearly standing much taller than him, “These armored behemoths have been specially trained to specifically hunt vampyres should we require their assistance. However, they’ve only been used on the utmost secretive operations to rid London of those foul creatures..”

“The Lycans?”

“Yes. And unsuspecting vampyres should they get in their way..”

“But wouldn’t killing vampyres cause problems?”

“These vampyres are insignificant compared to the bigger entities among their circles. They wouldn’t mind if a few.. Unwanted.. Pieces of trash were wiped off the face of the Earth..”

“Could these soldiers really win us the war?”

“Most certainly,” Blackwood returned to his seat as the armored soldiers stepped back into the darkness, never to be seen by the naked eye, “They were trained from birth and biological enhanced to face off the impossibly strong vampyres.”

“How,” spoke the loudest among them, “How were you able to train so many?”

“I’ve been a part of this secret project for as long as I took the Blackwood name and became the Serine of this country. I desired the eradication of the vampyres but couldn’t do it myself. So I implored government researchers to look into artificially created vampyres.. And funny enough they were already doing such a thing. So,” he took the final sip of his wine and settled the glass on the table, “I funded their research and from what you can see this is the result of said research.”

“How were you able to hide this from the vampyres??”

“We had a strict line of communication with keywords and a made up alphabet that only those within the inner circle knew how to decipher. Even if the vampyres were able to get their hands on one of us, that person was sworn to never decipher the alphabet and was told to kill themselves if they were caught. Until now, we’ve kept this project a secret, but now I believe is the time to unveil this unit.”

The faces of worry and horror remained on the faces of these lords and ladies. They were unsure of how they felt about this, but the one fact they learned during this whole “presentation” was that Lord Blackwood was gearing up for war and with the other side, possibly, doing the same, they knew they couldn’t stand on the sidelines any longer. They knew they’d have to pick a side; the winning side.

They would, of course, weigh their options and side with Blackwood on this. From the look of things, he was practically holding them hostage. And seeing as how those soldiers traveled by shadows, they only assumed that if they were to speak about what happened, Blackwood would sick those soldiers on them in a moment’s notice; sealing their fate at the end of a bullet.

However one of them was openly opposed to this, and thus sealed his own fate.

“YOU CAN’T FOOKIN START A WAR!! YOU’D BE ENDANGERS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF LIVES BY GOING TO WAR WITH THOSE CRETINS!!!” The one who spoke like this was the loudest one at the table. His face held mercy. Mercy for both sides, but the other faces held contempt. Contempt for the other side. This was their chance at taking Greater Britain back from the vampyres.. They weren’t going to allow this pathetic ingrate to ruin that chance. However Blackwood had other plans.

“Well war was inevitable,” he snapped his fingers and the armored soldiers returned to the dining room from the shadows with a flash of lightning revealing their entire body, “And so,” he would snap again as thunder rolled throughout the room, “If the vampyres want war,” he would snap one more time, “then let us give them one.” Suddenly the soldiers opened fire with their light machine guns, and destroyed the man sitting at the table; subsequently destroying the table in the process. Everyone else scattered as the man was torn to shreds by the bullets. Bullet after bullet tore through flesh as though it were paper.

And eventually, after the firing had stopped and a clash of thunder rolled through the room, the corpse of what would have been the lord of that particular house, fell over onto the floor; nothing but a lump of torn flesh.

The other guests of the party were screaming and shouting in horror as Blackwood stood there at the window, just adjacent to the now destroyed table and mess, staring out at the storm. “NOW YOU SEE!?” He immediately turned towards the surviving members of the dinner party, “THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS YOU DISOBEY ME! THIS IS THE POWER OF THE SERINE, AND IF YOU WANT TO WIN THIS WAR YOU WILL LISTEN AND OBEY ME. SPREAD THE WORD. I WANT FULL SUPPORT OF PARLIAMENT BY THE END OF THIS WEEK!”

Seeing what happened to that poor man, the others fearfully oblige. They all left the dining room with absolute fear on their faces.

Though after about five minutes of ambient thought, Blackwood’s brother came and saw the mess. “Brother,” he looked around at the mess and the armored soldiers standing at ease, “I heard gunfire and screaming.. What happened here? Who are they?”

“The Anti-Vampyre Brigade and I had ordered them to kill a identified vampyre.”

“One of the lords was a vampyre!?”

Blackwood nodded, hiding the fact that he killed an “innocent” man, “Indeed. I will report this to the I.S.C and have them look into possible infiltrations in the Parliament and the I.S.C. This cannot go unnoticed.”

Preston nodded in return leaving the dining room with worriment.

‘Wherever you are Malia Nightshade.. If you want chaos.. If you want destruction.. Well I’m going to be making my proclamation soon.. You better be ready.. Because if it’s a war you want, then it’s a war you’re going to get..’

He turned away from the window and looked to the handful of soldiers standing at ease. “ATTENTION,” the soldiers immediately stiffened and stood at attention, “You are all to return to base and await further orders. Understood?”

A distinct, and insync, “Yes Sir!” could be heard amongst them before stepping backwards into the shadows.

“Now to set things in motion..” He walked out of the dining room to prepare for his departure for London.

**Mystress of Shadows** · 07-20-2017, 07:35 PM

Co-post: Rayfire and Mystress

A well practiced blank look appeared on the Reaper's face in response to the queen's comment on his own misdeeds. The spark of amusement in his eyes is the only thing that gave him away. They both knew the truth, but it wasn't like he went against any direct orders he had received. Almost as if to show her full understanding of Michael, her following orders made his duties clear and left no room for the trouble that she knew he loved to cause. Acknowledging his orders, Michael quickly focused on his Chief of Staff and passed the orders onto them telepathically.

The small pack of lycans that Michael purposely allowed to get closer to the human Serine where systematically hunted and killed by his soldiers before they even got within 10 miles of the human Serine. Michael left them with orders to tight up all security blocks and slowly push the perimeter for the human Serine till it was 25 miles out. He didn't need to comment on Malia's mansion since Michael never loosened security and had them maintain a 40 mile perimeter.

With his orders carried out so far, Michael respectfully bowed to Malia as she retired to her room. He decided not to follow her yet since it was never a good idea to antagonize the Queen too much. If he did, she just might lose it and not even he was sure of the end result. Turning his attention to Alexia, Michael slowly approached her with a question.

"Are you prepared for what's to come?"

As Alexia cleared away the glasses and tidied up the room, Michael's appearance caused her to tense up. "Whether I'm ready or not, I don't really know, but if I wind up dying so be it." She kept her back to him, hoping he would leave her be. "I'm surprised I'm not already dead," she said under her breath.

His presence always put her on edge. She had seen his transformation into the first Reaper, she had seen what he was capable of, and she hated the chills she always felt around him because of it. He breathed malice and destruction, both things she loathed with a passion. What's more, he managed to do it all while having no emotion. It was worse than the facade she was forced to present to Malia.

"Is there something you need?" With any luck, she could manage to keep him at a distance while she tolerated his presence. Though the toleration wasn't much of a choice.

A frown sat firmly on the reaper's face at Alexia's words. He knew her well and wasn't surprised by this response. However, he had keen ears and didn't find her remarks amusing.

"Do. You. Really. Not. Value. Your own life?"

Michael asked her slowly in a commanding tone. He punctuated each word with a slight hand gesture, causing shadow hands to rise up Alexia's body to her throat. The hands themselves didn't even seem corporeal as they constricted strongly against her as if she was suddenly bonded in steel cables. The shadow bind seemed poised at her throat and ready to choke her depending on her next answer.

She had been too light with her words, and now, it seemed as though she may pay for it. "You know what I meant, Michael. You know I value my life, but that has little to do with whether others value my life." She chose her next words carefully, knowing she was treading on thin ice. "I am a Nontron. Even though I am a vampire, I am still weak compared to almost anyone else in this world. If I die, so be it; there isn't much I can do about it anyway, but that doesn't mean I won't try to survive."

Michael would surely sense the sudden fear that coursed through her veins as she watched him use his power as though it were nothing more than child's play. Who knew? Maybe it was. To Alexia, the closest thing she knew was creating elixirs, and that was not as easy as waving her hand.

"Let me go. I don't have time for this." Despite her fear, this was not a plea for mercy. In actuality, it was more like a command. Once again, it seemed as though she wished to test his limits.

"To kill is easy and simple. The weak should especially value life." For a moment Michael seemed to be lost in his thoughts or memories as he comments. His voice even drops to a soft yet cold whisper. "If they dont struggle it would be boring to reap."

While he heard Alexia's words his attention only returns when his ears catches a commanding tone. He nonchalantly releases her with a expression that showed he thought nothing of the exchange or what he was prepared to do.

"You live thanks to our protection. You should serve me and learn to protect yourself."

This topic was bound to come up. Again and again, Alexia had been asked to serve him, for various reasons. Her answer was always the same though, no matter how many times he asked. Alexia pursed her lips, held the glasses close, and turned towards Michael, a careful defiance shining in her eyes.

"You already know my answer. I have no interest in serving you, or anyone else. The only reason I serve Malia is because I'm forced to. Now, if you'll excuse me."

She began walking towards the door behind him, tilting her head down as she did so. She could only hope he wouldn't stop her as she made her escape from the conversation.

"The only reason you serve Malia is because you're forced to?" Michael repeated in a deadly tone with narrowed eyes before laughing loudly at her look of defiance. "You serve because you are weak!" Michael punctuated his words with a tap of his foot and a show of power. A wave of power burst forth from Michael's foot instantly dropping the room into complete darkness. Despite the total darkness Michael and Alexia could still clearly see each other. Michael's shadow trap was a testament to his power and bad mood. He usually wouldn't use such blunt force in Malia's mansion since anyone with any sense of awareness would feel the cold power pulsing from him for miles away. Even a nontron like Alexia could sense the well of power pulsing mere feet away from her. "And here I offer you power and you turn it down?" Once again Michael seemed truly amused despite his outburst of power.

"Stop this." Alexia was struggling to keep from shaking at this point. She feared him, that was true, but she refused to outwardly show it. "I don't want, nor do I need your power."

She hesitated, knowing she was bound to anger him further. "Your so called power does nothing but corrupt. Look at yourself. Look at Malia. I don't want to become anything like either of you. Greedy for yet more power, viscous, and without a bit of empathy." For a moment, she fell silent, then muttered one last thing. "I don't want to enjoy cruelty the way you monsters do, if you can even feel anything to enjoy it."

All at once, what she said hit her. She spun towards Michael and backed up, true fear flickering through her. "Forget what I just said. I take it back."

Michael silently listens to Alexia while the shadows twist and turn restlessly as if responding to her words. However when he speaks his voice is steady, deadly calm, and cold. "Says one who doesn't even have the power to protect your own ideals. Or even someone you care about. One day you will call out and I will be there. After all mercy is for the strong." He releases a soft sigh at her last words. Yes he indeed is such a monster who felt nothing. A victim of circumstances who was forced to serve Malia and a embodiment of death itself. Yet who helped Malia achieve her goals? It wasn't Michael and the watcher alone. Nor did he intend to let her forget. "Remember Alexia you are not human. And who enabled Malia? Who gave her the power to shackle her victims and leave them powerless? Who helped keep them alive longer that she may torture them till their minds broke? You are as much responsible for my creation as Malia. You are not innocent Alexia." Michael pulls his power back letting the shadows slowly receded back into him.

"Now go before i bring this mansion down on your head." His words spoken softly didn't hide the strong killing intent behind them. Michael couldn't stand her so called sympathy. It was weak and feeble in that she claims to care but does nothing but fear and cower at the cruel and powerful.

**Mystress of Shadows** · 07-20-2017, 10:21 PM

As Michael spoke, Alexia's fear dissolved. It was instead replaced by an intense guilt and hatred, accumulating like a solid lead ball of pain in her throat and gut. There were many things she wished to say to Michael in this moment. She knew she was not entirely innocent. From the moment she first killed a vampire in self-defense, she has never been innocent. But that did not make her one of them. Not by a long shot.

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out, a red hot hand holding her words hostage in her chest. Instead, she was left with just a glare to represent how she felt as she spun on her heel and fled the room, shaking from the sheer amount of power she had been surrounded by. I am nothing like you, she thought.

By the time Alexia had returned to her room, she had calmed down a considerable bit, but what Michael had said still floated around her head. 'Who enabled Malia? Who gave her the power to shackle her victims and leave them powerless?' She pulled one of her oldest journals from her cabinet. 'Who helped keep them alive longer that she may torture them till their minds broke?' She then opened the journal a specific page and began reading over then recipes she had written then.

"You have no clue, Michael," she muttered, "what I've created, and what I've hid from Malia."

The recipes on this page and the pages that followed included different types of chains and elixirs that where much worse than simply cancelling a person's powers. One caused immense pain when powers were used. One knocked anyone who touched it out for as long as they were in contact with it. Still another increased a person's magical capacity to the point that they could not control their powers and die if in contact for prolonged periods through profuse bleeding. Alexia traced some of the letters with her fingertips and pursed her lips. These were recipes she refused to reveal to anyone, especially Malia. That kind of power should belong to no one. The only reason she kept them was so she could avoid making them on accident in the future.

"I am nothing like either of you," she said to herself. It may have just been denial, but in some part, it was the truth. She could not bring herself to abandon Malia's victims, and she was always on the lookout for some way to free them that wouldn't kill them.

Alexia sighed, closing the journal and placing it back in its place on the shelf before drawing out another one, much newer than the one she had just put back. She also grabbed several herbs from the cabinet and set up her work station. Maybe this time will be a success, she thought, setting to work on a decade old project of hers: finding the perfect painkiller. Nonaddictive, non-sedative, and complete nullification of the pain sensors in the body. Just a bit more. I'm close; I'm sure of it.

**CryoLilly** · 07-29-2017, 05:51 PM

A predatory glint shined behind Elise's glasses. She'd caught him off guard, that was good. However, she knew she needed to tread carefully. His expression read danger, and while she had the natural strength and speed of a vampire, she hadn't much paid attention when her father had sent her to martial arts training as a child. Perhaps she should have. It seemed as if she would be mixed up in this mess whether she liked it or not. Damned politics, damned wars. As much as she loved them in the history books, she never relished living through one. The point of her work was to learn from the past, not repeat it. She huffed and sat back in her chair, fixing her glasses.

"Vampires don't want war." She said, somewhat softly, "At least they shouldn't. Collectively, I mean. Individually, many of the vampires delight in the pain and destruction of the human race and so on and so forth and they'd love to just kill them all. But as a species, that is asking for destruction. To kill off the only food source available is simply... foolhardy to the extreme to put it politely. Now sure, a war could end in the human race enslaved but at what cost? Many of the humans would die before surrendering to a vampire, all the while vampires die off. Humans are not so powerless that it would be a war without cost, though ultimately, vampires would likely win, given the current state of the military."

She sighed and rubbed at the bridge of her nose, pushing her glasses up to her forehead. "It's not like humans are rabbits, breeding quickly enough that any dent in the population would swiftly return as long as we had a critical mass of breeding pairs. No, it takes a great deal of time to regenerate the human population. This is the problem with feeding to kill. It is far more effective to feed slowly, allowing prey to regenerate before feeding again. Better yet, allowing for donations to blood banks. It's a matter of sustainability. As such, for the vampires, initiating war is a drawn out form of suicide. For the humans, war is a more short lived form of suicide. Either way, it's unfavourable."

She stood and paced the room slightly, scanning the shelves for a few titles and plucking them off of the wall, never taking her gaze away from the Agent for more than a moment. "However, I would note that we are not dealing with perfectly rational beings on either side. It is not as if many among the humans or the vampires would take the time to reason out the possible consequences of a conflict. We are all creatures of emotion, motivated by hatred and anger as much as by rational thought. War is unintelligent, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. I am a historian, after all, and it would not be the first time a fools war was fought. Now," she finished her hunting for books and pulled out a moderately sized satchel. "These maulings are Lycans, which is interesting behavior. I haven't studied them as much as I have more standard breeds of vampire, but I have some research at the library if you'd like to join me for a nice walk in the rain."

Elise led the way into the foyer, pulling a long black coat from a hook by the door and slipped it over the white button up blouse she'd been wearing. She eyed the pair of heels she had worn earlier that day, but decided against it considering the weather outside, instead slipping into a pair of dark boots with a much more moderate heel and a slight trea. Much more appropriate. Turning back to the agent, she slung the bag over her shoulder. "Shall we?"

**Rayfire** · 07-31-2017, 05:26 PM

Naomi's heart pounded hard against her chest with every step she took. The town looked so different at night, the dim lighting from the street lamps cast creepy shadows on the buildings with the rain adding an extra element to the night. She felt like she was being watched, she felt like the walls around her had eyes but every time she would stop and turn nothing was there. Breathe, breaaaathe. She repeated in her head as turned down a smaller alley hoping to find a spot to hide in and get a break from the rain.

She stopped in her tracks and whipped her head to look behind her, she thought she heard someone approaching but once again there was no one. Letting out a relieved sigh she kind of giggled at how paranoid she was being, she had been wandering the streets for a while now and nothing happened! Quit being so paranoid! You're fine! Turning back to continue on with her little adventure she felt her blood run cold the second she laid eyes on him.

"Oh my god," Naomi gasped and felt herself take a few steps backwards. It was a vampire, he was a vampire. She was looking her superior in the face and she suddenly felt very vulnerable...but excited at the same time. He seemed to exude a threatening air, his red eyes piercing into hers as he stood just a few feet away from her. Then he spoke, his voice a massive contrast in how he looked and the energy he put out, his voice almost lulled her into a sense of trust with how soothing it sounded.

"I...uh," She could feel herself starting to become flustered and couldn't seen to form an actual sentence.

"It's ok." The vampire softly said as he moved in closely to the girl. "Just relax, ill take you back to your family. Where my friends await a feast." The vampires murderous aura rised up again stronger than before. The girl would clearly know he meant her harm despite his soft voice however the pull of his voice is hard to ignore. Even with ones reason in tact it still held sway over humans. " but first come i think I'll sample the fine wine first." His intentions was clear and his words once again a contrast from his soft voice and scary hands slowly making their way to him.

Everything in her was screaming at her to run, to go home, lock the doors and never come back outside again. Naomi could hear his threatening words and she understood what his intentions were, anyone with a brain could, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to move. It was like he had her in a trance.

"Ta-taste?" Naomi stammered and reached for her neck nervously. Run! Why aren't you running? Pull out a weapon! Do something! She mentally screamed at herself but she continued to stay still, gripping her neck, staring at the vampire in front of her as he crept closer to her.

Right when the vampire was close to touching her a voice spoke out loud and commanding along with the audible sound of someone heavy landing behind the tall vampire.

"While people are saying, peace and security, destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor poains on a pregnant woman."

"No." the vampire says with a audible gasp of surprise, shock, and fear. He knew tales of the irish sounding voice the spoke words from the bible and knew the man behind although he had never seen him before. Rarely did any vampire see the human reaper and live. With complete fear and dread on his face the sweat that immediately appeared spoke volumes of the terror the vampire felt. Without even bothering with the girl anymore he attempts to dash past her.

The sound of the second voice made the girls blood run cold, she thought for sure that a second vampire had come to join in on the feeding. She knew that if she wanted to make it out of this situation alive that she would need to fight for it, that she needed to use not only her brain but the weapons she brought with her. It was so odd to her that in such a terrifying moment that she was still completely fascinated with the vampire standing before her.It was amazing to finally be looking one in the eyes, hear one speak and feel the psychic pull he had. Just as she had made the decision to reach for a weapon the vampire standing in front off her took off in a dead sprint in the other direction. Whipping her head around she watched as he fled the alley way, almost forgetting about the other man until he spoke.

"and they will not escape." Joshua raises a pistol in front of the girl in his left hand causing a red dot to appear on the head of the vampire escaping past the girl, he finishes his verse and closes the bible while firing. The muzzle flash comes out in a bright cross shape while the powerful bullet graces past the girls cheek and pierces the vampires skull sending brain matter and bits of his skull to paint the wall he was just about to attempt to leap over for safety.

"Shit!" Naomi screamed and ducked down after the gun was fired. It was clear that the gun was not aiming for her head, but for the fleeing vampires, either way it was still scary to stare down a gun. She took a quick peek behind her but immediately turned her head away from the gory seen behind her, brain matter and skill chunks was not what she had in mind of seeing tonight.

"Th-thank you," She stuttered as she tried to catch her breath. "I don't know if I would have been able to get myself out of that situation," Naomi chuckled as she forced herself to stand back up even though her legs still felt like jello.

Joshua holstered his pistol on his side before sandwiching his bible between both hands in a silent prayer for the poor soul he just sent to the Lord for judgement. "Lord please have mercy on their souls for I have none." The priest says silently before finally turning his attention towards the lady he just rescued.

"I am sorry for that, it can be dangerous on these streets alone. Please allow me to be you're escort. I am the Holy knight Joshua Joel Trust." Joshua followed his words with a slight polite bow for the beautiful lady in the hopes that she actually accepts his offer.

"Don't apologize! You did what I needed to do and you did it without hesitation!" She was shaking, but not from fear anymore but from pure adrenaline. The encounter with the vampire and her knight in shining armor saving her life left her buzzing for more.

"I would love the company! As long as you aren't trying to drag back inside my home...I actually came out looking for something like what just happened and I want more. I've never been out at night before and I am not ready to stop."

Joshua tilts his head at an angle as he listens to the lady in slight confusion and surprise over her strange reaction. Yet this doesn't last long as he follows hbis own absured line of thinking. " A wandering soul? Of course God welcomes you and i his humble servant follows his will. I will be more then happy to show you around the city. In fact i am here to inspect the vampire vermin that have sanked their claws deep into this wretched city. I am the inquisition an with me i bring the lords judgement!" The priest spoke with a fanatic's excitement. With sweat dripping off him as he worked himself up and the wild look in his eyes one would definitely think him crazy. Yet the aresnal and large blade he carries gave off a serious sense of strength and power.

Naomi smiled and made a face like 'this guy is a little off his rocker', but either way she was still glad to be out and about. "Alrighty then!" She clapped her hands together and rubbed them against each other out of excitement.

"Shall we?" She raised a brow at him as she turned to head back the direction she came, she decided alley ways were not going to be her friend.

**Dire Hoef** · 08-09-2017, 09:59 PM

"Vampires don't want war." She said, somewhat softly, "At least they shouldn't. Collectively, I mean. Individually, many of the vampires delight in the pain and destruction of the human race and so on and so forth and they'd love to just kill them all. But as a species, that is asking for destruction. To kill off the only food source available is simply... foolhardy to the extreme to put it politely. Now sure, a war could end in the human race enslaved but at what cost? Many of the humans would die before surrendering to a vampire, all the while vampires die off. Humans are not so powerless that it would be a war without cost, though ultimately, vampires would likely win, given the current state of the military."

'We don't know who would be responsible as to send all of Greater Britain into a mass suicide,' he paused for a moment as he partially listened to the conversation that was now in her control, 'What reason would they have to instigate a war on such a scale? Is annihilation they are after? Enslavement? Abolishment of the C.D.G.B and the vampyre collective as a whole? All of this just doesn't add up to me.'

"It's not like humans are rabbits, breeding quickly enough that any dent in the population would swiftly return as long as we had a critical mass of breeding pairs. No, it takes a great deal of time to regenerate the human population. This is the problem with feeding to kill. It is far more effective to feed slowly, allowing prey to regenerate before feeding again. Better yet, allowing for donations to blood banks. It's a matter of sustainability. As such, for the vampires, initiating war is a drawn out form of suicide. For the humans, war is a more short lived form of suicide. Either way, it's unfavourable."

'There was a vampyre-human document that would give the C.D.G.B power to establish blood-banks, but the terms were that it would have to be voluntary and even then blood selection was incredibly cost-effective in terms of the manpower and equipment needed to establish these blood-banks all throughout Greater Britain. By that point the document had been dropped by the upper echelons of the C.D.G.B. Parliament wasn't so keen on it either.' He thought as he quietly listened on.

She stood and paced the room slightly, scanning the shelves for a few titles and plucking them off of the wall, never taking her gaze away from the Agent for more than a moment. "However, I would note that we are not dealing with perfectly rational beings on either side. It is not as if many among the humans or the vampires would take the time to reason out the possible consequences of a conflict. We are all creatures of emotion, motivated by hatred and anger as much as by rational thought. War is unintelligent, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. I am a historian, after all, and it would not be the first time a fools war was fought. Now," she finished her hunting for books and pulled out a moderately sized satchel. "These maulings are Lycans, which is interesting behavior. I haven't studied them as much as I have more standard breeds of vampire, but I have some research at the library if you'd like to join me for a nice walk in the rain."

'Surprisingly,' he paused his thoughts for a moment when he noticed that Ms. Crosshaven was beginning to leave. He sighed as he couldn't really finish his self-indulging dump of mental knowledge. And gathered his coat, hat, and umbrella as he prepared to brace the storm (that had eased up a little by this point).

Elise led the way into the foyer, pulling a long black coat from a hook by the door and slipped it over the white button up blouse she'd been wearing. She eyed the pair of heels she had worn earlier that day, but decided against it considering the weather outside, instead slipping into a pair of dark boots with a much more moderate heel and a slight trea. Much more appropriate. Turning back to the agent, she slung the bag over her shoulder. "Shall we?

"We'll take my car.. It's parked just out front," he said as he stepped past her, opened his umbrella, took her by the arm, and walked outside into the rain. After reaching the car, and getting a little wet in the midst, Grey had slid her into the passenger seat of the car while he came around and took the driver seat; closing the umbrella as he did. Once inside the car, he put the key into the ignition and brought the vehicle to life. "If I remember correctly the library was about five minutes from here, yes? Where exactly was it again?"

**Mystress of Shadows** · 08-23-2017, 05:05 AM

Co-post: Rayfire and Mystress

The mansion stood tall and proud yet quiet as a mouse. A cold chill permeates London in the aftermath of Michael's show of power. Even a heavy fog begins to roll in causing the heavy rain to finally to lighten up.

Michael continues standing in place thinking over the information he gained. To others his show of power seemed simply that a show of power. However Michael actually pulled the shadow realm closer to reality to monitor and check up on what he felt while talking to Malia. There was indeed others using similar powers all throughout London and more often then even he himself originally noticed. This was a slightly annoying thought to the reaper. Even more so such use of blunt power wouldn't go unnoticed by them yet as usual Michael wasn't worried about starting a fight.

With a sigh he finally heads into Malia's room slightly worried as how he should explain using such power in her mansion. Especially with how fond of the mansion she was. In fact Michael was almost sure it is the only thing she cares about.

When Michael had appeared in her room, Malia had been brushing out her hair as she hummed a familiar song. To be exact, she had been humming a dark, alluring waltz. However, Michael's presence, as usual, disrupted her peace. She laid down her bush and glanced a wry smile at his reflection in her mirror.

"I should hope you have a reason for disturbing me yet again. Especially since you deemed it necessary to use so much power within my mansion." She did not bother to turn around as she continued working on her hair, but she did not need to. By merely being present, she radiated an air of danger. "And you better not have broken anything."

Michael lightly chuckles despite the serious atmosphere Malia gave off. If he had actually broken anything he wouldn't nonchalantly enter her room and instead would have politely waited on her. "My apologies. The mansion yet stands nor do i believe anything is broken."

With the relaxed air of someone who visited often Michael sat down in one of her Victorian chairs without waiting for Malia's offer to sit. "Why should I need a reason to check in on you? After all my Queen, your safety is always my top priority." Despite the mischievous smile that accompanied his words Michael did speak the truth and actually cared for her safety even if that wasn't his reason for visiting.

As Michael spoke, Malia stood. She remained calm, still holding the same wry smile, and turned towards him as he sat. A flash of anger broke her composure for a moment before disappearing. "You have a nasty habit of making yourself at home," she said, punctuating her words with her true feelings. Annoyance, anger, and a bit of exhaustion.

However, amidst all of this, her eyes bore into him in a way only she could. He would know that she could tell he wasn't telling her the full truth, and in her eyes laid a silent but deadly reminder that she would not stand for his shenanigans. "Why are you really here? I know you have an alternate reason than merely checking up on me. You almost always do." She stepped forward as she spoke, her eyes never leaving his, stopping mere feet away from him. She did not plan to let him off easy.

Michael carefully watched Malia for any signs of action. After all the Reaper knew he had a bad habit of pushing her buttons. Moving slowly he raises his right hand and lightly scratches at the air creating a shadow rift. Reaching in Michael skillfully retrieves a bottle and two glasses while he smiles at Malia's suspicious look. "Relax my Queen, I am not the Watcher whom you need to remain on guard against. I am your Reaper, your weapon, your sword. I bring death to all who oppose your will."

Michael paused for a second as he poured a red wine into the first glass. The label on the bottle clearly showed the bottle to be older then both the vampires ages combined. It was clearly one of the fruits of war Michael gained when he put down the other reapers, "I know he unsettles you but my motives is always in your best interests my Queen."

Malia watched him as he performed his little trick, thinking over what she should do. However, upon seeing the wine, she could not help the grin that overtook her previous tense expression. She graciously accepted her glass and relaxed into the chair beside the Reaper. Of course, her guard was still up - he was a harbinger of death and destruction after all - but on the outside, she appeared relaxed and calm. She leaned back in the chair, unlike with the Watcher, and sipped the glass.

"A rare find, this wine. Older than me, and I'm the oldest living thing on this planet." She offered a slight laugh and sipped from the glass once again. However, as she did, her ears picked up the faint sound of a woman screaming in pain and, in that instant, Malia revealed a murderous smirk. "Right on schedule," she muttered. The screams were from one of her victims trapped in the dungeons. Earlier that day, Malia had forced the lady to consume a poison with a delayed effect. Now, it had appeared, and the quiet screams of terror in the background were extraordinarily pleasing to Malia's ear. "Isn't it wondrous how hard they fight only to fall?" she asked Michael, knowing full well he himself once stood in the prisoner's place centuries ago.

Michael smiled as he watched Malia visibly relax and enjoy the wine. After all it was one of his finer spoils of war. "Yes, us Reapers are fond of collecting things." Michael could hear the woman's screams of agony and instantly knew where it was coming from. Malia's mansion was no stranger to such sounds and in fact was designed to carry them up to her room. Michael could feel Malia's gaze on him as she asked her question. Despite all the centuries it was a test. Malia constantly used all sorts of things to inspect her Reaper to prepare for the day she loses his loyalty. However, despite Alexia's words playing back in his mind and his old memories clawing at him, Michael was too far gone. After all, all Reapers were too far gone and removed from their humanity. This was especially true for Michael, the first of his kind.

Yet Michael wasn't one to allow such a situation to escape his use. Still smiling, Michael projected his thoughts to Alexia and read her mind to create a two way connection. He knew that she could hear the woman's screams. It was now a sound track in the background. "Mercy is for the strong. Only those of power can afford mercy," Michael said to Alexia through their mental connection.

Looking at Malia, he finally answers her question as he opens and closes his hand into a tight fist to emphasize his words. "I prefer to feel the final struggle as the light leaves their body. In that moment of death, their true selves and desires is revealed." Following his words and hand gesture, the screams stop mid scream.

Deep within Malia's mansion in her underground dungeon, shadows danced around and played within a woman's cell. The woman screamed and pulled at her chains as poison caused her body to convulse. Her veins, black and visible against her skin, continued to expand and contract in a highly unnatural manner. They would seem like black thorns running all across her skin causing her to sweat heavily and experience unimaginable pain. Almost as if in answer to her silent prayers to end it, the playful shadows begin to rise. While the woman continued to scream, she would think it was her imagination until, in the guise of a pure black rose, it slams into her body. The black rose brutally pierced her chest through her rib cage and gently embraced her heart. To her it felt like a warm and loving hand embracing her heart before it exploded outwards through her veins, causing her arteries to turn to mesh. Many black thorns would appear on her skin before disappearing, finally putting a end to her suffering. She lets out one final ear piercing scream before closing her eyes, thankful for an end to her nightmare.

It was clear that Michael had killed her. He knew Malia wouldn't be pleased and instantly hopped out his chair, knelling at her feet and taking one of her hands into his. "Apologies. I could not resist that satisfying feeling. Please forgive me, my Queen." While Michael begged for forgiveness, he continued his mental conversation with Alexia. "Peace is a Lie. There is only Power. Through power we decide life and death. Truth and lies, it is decided by victory. Through victory my chains are broken."

Malia thought him her toy and, while she took many precautions, not even she fully understood what she had created. Through the centuries, Michael has faithfully, loyally, and diligently followed her orders to the letter. Yet even a chained dog dreamed of freedom. He continued to grow stronger and as time went on she had become lax. The time is coming, thought the reaper. She thought to test him and keep him under heel. Michael finally decided to remind Malia that even she couldn't keep control of all the pieces on the board.

Using his quick reflexes, Michael quickly rises from his kneeling position and draws Malia into his arms to kiss her. His kiss held his love and hate. Michael's defiance and admiration all flowed through him in the gentle and intimate embrace. He relied on his cleverness to get close and the alcohol to dull Malia's senses. The Reaper never bluntly relied on his strengths. Michael's intelligence and diligence is what made him fearsome and earned him the title herald of death. The Reaper "weapon of mass destruction". This time, what he was unleashing, none would be prepared for.

How dare he?! Of all the things he could have done, he decided to attack one of her victims, her captured prey, her plaything, her food! She slowly stood as Michael took her hand, begging for her forgiveness, saying that he could not resist the satisfying feeling of killing someone. Disgraceful. She sneered, as though disgusted to even be touched by him. The fury in her brow and the ripple in her power would warn him he had crossed a line. Her slight annoyance before paled in comparison to the controlled anger Michael now knelt before.

“You ungrateful, disrespectful twat. You serve me. And yet you think you can just waltz in and do whatever the hell you feel like doing?! You–”

Then, to top it all off, he pulls her into a kiss.

At first, she stood in silent shock as he kissed her, her mind failing to register just what he had done. However, the moment it dawned on her, her rippling power erupted away from her, creating a kind of static in the air. She held him in the air by his neck in a matter of moments and locked eyes with him as she slit her thumb. “I’ll make sure you pay dearly for that, perhaps even with your life,” she said. “I’ll make you wish yet again that I were merciful enough to kill you.”

As she spoke, the slit she had just created on her thumb erupted with thin, wire-like whips of blood, all targeted at Michael.

Michael was finally at ease despite the huge amount of power crackling all around him. The deed was done and he was more than satisfied with the results. Malia's fury and grip on his neck doesn't even seem to phase the self-satisfied smile on the Reaper's face. With a twitch of his fingers, Michael's shadows had already embraced him from the feet up while taking on the appearance of his clothes and skin. Michael seemingly stood there and took the brunt of Malia's whips causing bloody marks to appear across his body. Before her whips have the chance to break his shadow cloak, he uses it to phase from her grip. In Malia's hand, she holds the phantom for just a moment before it disappears, taking with it the illusion that he was ever injured. Standing at a distance from her, Michael bows in farewell. "Good day, my Queen." He says, like the entire incident had never happened. He then fades away into the shadows, appearing at his original perch on top of her mansion.

Not one. Not two. But three times he had attempted to make a fool of her. And all the while, he smiled and acted as though it was nothing. The alcohol in her system began boiling alongside her blood as Michael nonchalantly disappeared. Ever thought, every calculated move was dissolved, replaced with such unbridled hatred and, above all, a searing need for revenge. A need for a show of power. A need for control.

She twitched as she glared at the spot Michael disappeared from, near growling as her normally crimson eyes blazed a candy red. This full bodied, bubbling hatred was something she had not felt in a very long time and, while she was by no means intoxicated, the wine Michael had previously served her only helped to block her logical decisions even further. "You disillusioned fool," she spat, "you will see my power, and you will fear me." He had to fear her. She created him. She controlled him. If she could not control him, her own dog meant to do her dirty work, no matter how strong he was, then what was the point behind all the centuries she had spent forming her defenses, her power, her reputation?! Nothing. It was worth nothing.

With a fierce determination, she yanked one of her drawers open, snatching her two daggers from the depths. They glinted as though echoing her feelings and thoughts. However, how would she go about proving herself? As she thought this, something tugged at her throat. The urge to sing. The urge to summon death upon the land of London. She smirked, embracing the idea wholly. Today, she would present something to this world that even Michael, in the centuries he had served her, had not seen her do. Today, she would do something she had not done since she first began to gain power.

Malia left her mansion, ignoring the moisture that saturated the air and ground, soiling the bottom length of her dress. And, as she walked, she began to sing, her voice melodic, haunting, enchanting, irresistible. Her voice would draw in anyone who could hear it. They would be compelled to find the source, to know just what the beautiful sound was. The further she strode into the heart of London, the more pronounced her song became until it could be heard by almost all in the city. Those on the outskirts, such as Blackwood's mansion, would be least affected, but those directly around her would stare in awe, as though in a trance.

"Sorrow and silent tears
Rest upon fairest skin
Close your eyes, my dear, and
Dream a dream lost with time
Drift away to a land
Filled with sweets, tender love"

She sang, filling every movement with the sway of her voice. The tremors, the pitches. And as she sung, she began to climb a building, her figure stark in the moonlight. Soon, she stood at the edge of the roof, her eyes shining, her daggers glinting. She wanted blood.

"With each breath surrender
Yourself to forgotten thoughts
Touched with hope, quiet bliss
Breathe the fumes, fall away
I’ll be here I’ll catch you
If you cry, if you fall"

The people gathered, humans, Midnights, and vampires alike, all swayed by the voice that seemed to promise them eternal safety from the horrors of this world. Malia watched them gather, and she smiled. Her power would not be questioned. Not by the humans. Not by the vampires. And certainly not by Michael.

"I’ll guide you along, my child, if you take, my hand
When the darkness calls, stay strong, there is naught, to fear
When I leave you here, I shall soon return"

As she sang, however, Malia could feel her power draining. She would have to act quick if she wished to perform her feat. In one swift moment, she lept off the building and began her fall towards the earth, summoning her blood whips about her. Soon, the ground before her would become a playground of silent misery and death.

Spoiler: Accompanying music to Malia's song

**The Texan Queen** · 08-29-2017, 04:51 AM

The two walked the empty streets of London in silence for the most part. Talking would only attract more attention to themselves and as much fun as that encounter was earlier she’d rather not do it again. Naomi wanted to watch the vampire’s from a distance, see how the moved and talked. Did they joke around with their friends? Did they have little romances and family feuds like humans? Or were they the blood thirsty monsters with no emotion her father constantly described to her.

She could feel the rain soaking through her outfit, a sign that they had been out for quite some time now. She frowned and looked around her hoping to see something of interest, but the night only offered her a clap of thunder. “Maybe we should just turn in. I feel like we’ve been walking forever now with no luck!" She crossed her arms and sighed, she wasn’t ready to call it a night but she also didn’t want to get a cold from being in the cold rain all night.

“And if I’m being completely honest, I don’t know if I want another run in like earlier…” She bit down on her lip nervously as she replayed the intense moment back in her head. “Well…maybe I do. I don’t know.” She threw her hands up in frustration at her indecisiveness and walked over to the porch of a building besides them to shield herself from the rain.

“Wait…do you hear that?” Naomi whispered and grasped onto Joshua’s arm as she listened intently through the rain. “There it is again!” Her heart began to thump a little harder against her chest in anticipation, of what she wasn’t quite sure.

“It sounds like….singing?” She strained to hear through the rain hitting against the streets and buildings. “I think it’s coming from that direction!” She took off without waiting for Joshua, she had to see what that noise was.

Thread: 「R」【𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓】「IC」『REDUX』

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