May 16 15:08:23 105 P
From Chronicles
Sat May 16 15:08:23 105 PA (21.56C, 70.81F):
It's just after sundown in the Northern dregs, and people are beginning to pile into places like the Laughing Skeleton, the Ivory Lady, and, perhaps most popularly, Sally Ann's. As the trailing people enter the establishment, there is a flash of motion, and one of the men going into Sally Ann's disappears without so much as a mumble, and no body appears to notice, or at least, cares.
Ah, the ivory lady. Home of all sundry sort. Sebastien leans against a slightly-cleaner patch of wall next to a dumpster in the alley behind the Lady, with a broad view of the street. An hour ago he parked Sara in her barding unchained in the parking lot within shouting distance, looking less out of place than one would imagine compared to the other myriad ways a person can get around in the city. Sebastien's face lights in the twilight as he lights another cigarette, scarred features glowing a moment framed by the wide felt brim of his hat. Below his feet lies at least a pack's worth in a messy pile, attesting to the duration of his stay. Tapping the cigarette, the young man exhales a long plume of smoke and eyes the doorway with a mild frown. That looked weird. He squints, not budging yet, having caught only a flicker in the corner of his eye. Lord knows in the time he's been here he's seen more than a few of those!
There's a very brief cry from the darkness beyond Sally Ann's. So faint that someone might not even notice it, unless they were specifically listening for that kind of thing. The normal patrons of the buildings in this part of the city don't seem to notice, so perhaps it was just a figment of someone's attention?
Sebastien carefully snubs the cigarette against the dumpster next to him, little burning embers falling earthward before he tucks it back against a ledge where the young knight might retrieve what's left. The dusty figure fingers his belt where a set of stakes hang, shaking it a little and frowning as one slips to clatter on the ground below. Shaking his head, Sebastien dips to gather that up and take to jogging steps back towards Sally Ann's at the opposite side of the alleyway, idly tucking the stake back into his belt loop as he walks towards the sound the back way, a little frown etched on his features. This is the seventh time he's been roused, darn it! Maybe that odd dream he had was just indigestion. Something's *always* happening in the dregs.
The Dregs are growing darker by the minute, twilight giving way to the cleansing rays of the full moon. The man who disappeared hasn't reappeared, yet, which is odd for man who might have just gone around the corner to take a piss.
There is another flash, this time coming across from the other side of the street and into a warehouse down to the south side of the Northern Dregs.
Cleansing. Sure. Sebastien rounds the corner, coming at Sally Ann from the back side. His riding boots thump rhythmically on the hardpack street, little clouds of dust being chased in his wake he draws nearer the maw of the street from whence he thought he heard that cry. Slowing then, Sebastien takes in the alleyway. The boxes, the ... Huh. Sebastien plays it cool a moment, keeping his pace slow as he rounds the rest of the alleyway; alert for blood or other signs of a recent struggle, only breaking into a jog as he hits the relatively busy street outside to head towards that flash. His bootfalls come quickly, drawing odd looks from around. Maybe a few people saw the flash, but nobody's chasing it as is Sebastien. The young man glances over his shoulder at the relatively-well-lit store fronts falling behind and grins as he hops up onto the far sidewalk, fingering the side of the warehouse as he looks for a broken window or other point of entry.
Turning the corner to the back around Sally Ann's is a horrific sight. A man, his chest ripped open, his throat torn so hard that it's almost completely off of his torso. There is blood everywhere, spattered up against the side of the building, in pools on the ground. The man is most certainly dead due to his wounds, and there is no sign of an attacker. The man is dressed simply as a city rat who was probably just looking to take a tumble at Sally Ann's.
If only to have Katsumi here. She could tell him more. Sebastien brazenly approaches the corpse, stopping momentarily to eye the body. Easy enough to be fearless if one can see mortal danger coming thirty seconds away. He stares into the wounds a long moment, stepping back as he lets out a breath he wasn't sure he was holding and has to take a whiff of fresh blood. It looks fake. Too fire-engine red to be real. Empty of life the man is plastic. But that smell, there's no mistaking it. Sebastien crosses himself and utters a silent prayer, hopping the body to step self-consciously into the street. Peering around a long moment, hoping nobody connects him to the recent violence. That's a real danger in the line of a precog. Jogging then, he makes for the warehouse. Picking up speed as he goes, barreling towards the side door. With a flash of his psi-sword that disappears almost as soon as it appears Sebastien bursts through the door, locked or not, and staggers into whatever lies inside.
As soon as the door is opened, a fiend appears, blood rolling down from its fangs, down its naked chest, and down onto the ground at his feet. It makes no noise, and simply rushes the man from about five feet away. Behind it can be seen two men armed with pistols, and a second creature standing with them. But of immediate concern, of course, is the creature attacking from five feet away. It looks barely intelligent, more like a wild animal than anything else, but it attacks with arms flailing.
Sebastien's eyes go wide at the creature in front of him, nearly within arm's length and closing fast. Immediately he lashes out a riding boot, less as a kick than to throw the creature back and clear some room as that blue-violet shaft of light reappears in his hand. "What in the..?" Sebastien yells, confused for a moment.
The creature - a vampire, most likely - catches Sebastien's arm in its own and throws it to the ground with such force that it feels as if it's being torn off. It doesn't literally come of, but it sure feels like it should.
Sebastien falls back, nearly tripping, and staggers back to the doorway to catch himself there at the portal. Slowly coalescing at his arm comes a shield of light, kite-shaped with a fleur de lis crest risen from its white sides. Slowly edging back in, Sebastien spares the gun-weilding pair a glance as he more cautiously approaches the fiend, setting into a low pose with sword poised over the knock of his shield. Presenting a smaller target.
The best rushes forward out of the warehouse, screaming an inhuman cry that is lost among the din of the people walking into the establishment and the techno-throb coming out of The Laughing Skeleton and Electric Joy. It throws its arms around the shield pressing its torso up against the psi-shield and flailing around.
Sebastien jumps forward against his shield as those arms swing close, grunting as one inhumanly-strong hand thuds against the side of his shield and nearly sends Sebastien spinning. Ducking into the beast Sebastien gives the creature a shove through his shield and stabs forward with his glowing sword, violet light aimed into the beast's shoulder just below the collarbone.
The shaft of light plunges into the beast's shoulder, searing a hole clean through the undead beast before the force of their unnatural union staggers Sebastien back and away from the creature. Sebastien stays hunched a long moment, waiting for it to fall over dead. But it's already dead, and a hole in its shoulder may not be enough...
Sebastien's shield drops with the creature, claws scratching against smooth impossibly-straight lines of psychic energy. Sebastien yells across the room, "Still alive over there?" at the pair with actual weapons used against their opponent, sparing them another glance and alsuo trying to get a view of what's about him as he whips his sword in an overhead slash, backing around beside the door to get some room behind him. Any wooden crates, catwalks, that sort of thing?
[Dice] [Apr 23 23:09:01] Sebastien(#1832) rolls 1d20+6: 7 + 6 = 13
This time, the fiend does crash his arm into Sebastien's, sending the arm clattering back from whence it came, most liekly leaving a nasty bruise where it landed.
With renewed vigor, the vampire claws its way toward Sebastien's half-covered head with a unholy war cry as it spots, for the first time, the silver crucifix. Still, as it's not touching him, and neither is a shadow of it touching him, it remains undeterred and crashes its way toward Sebastien's skull.
The warehouse is a wide open expans with a few shipping crates stacked against the walls. The duo of armed men and the other vampire stand approximately in the middle of this 40x60 foot warehouse.
And Sebastien's sword flickers up, catching those outstretched arms with sizzling light and a violet flash against his armored hide. No reply from beyond, and he can't quite see what they're doing back there. Sebastien hugs the wall, slapping the wooden shipping crates beside him with his psisword as he retreats, burning and splintering them as he methodically falls back. Scoring ones above his head and to his side, watching his opponent closely.
The furious vampire stands up and stares into Sebastien's eyes, deeply, its eyes turning a firey red as it stares deep into Sebastien's orbs.
Sebastien may not know a lot about vampires, but this one's shoulder is damn near healed already! And those freaky eyes can't be any good. Wide-eyed and on the backpedal, Sebastien reaches deep down and summons his strength, reaching out with his mind to tilt that mangled crate above the vampire, sloughing the already-falling wood struts and whatever's inside the crate more directly onto the beast that it might, at the very least, hold the thing in place.
The falling crates do nothing but piss off the already pissed off vampire. I thrusts its arms over the shield once more, grabbing for Sebastien's exposed head.
Sebastien watches the crates drop around the vampire, crashing to the earth largely behind the fiend. Damn. Hunkering low, Sebastien swipes his sword across the fiend's shoulders, above his shield. That beast wants to decapitate him, but two can play at that game.
Sebastien's blow is ineffective as the vampire simply swipes the flat part of the blade out of its way, looking curiously to the pile of wood behind it.
Sebastien stays low as he circles, approaching a far door at a slow, orderly retreat. That sword sparks against the wall, testing its thickness, looking for a way to make a hasty getaway.
Sebastien's sword finds purchase, digging in to the exterior. But not well enough to make a hole while fighting the beast! Sebastien charges with a snarl, shield rising to smack the vampire from his way as he darts along that wall towards the door, looking for a way out.
The vampire simply steps out of the way, tripping the man as he flies past, sending him clattering to the ground.
Sebastien rolls! A valuable skill when wielding a weapon that can slice through steel. Least the young man's on the right side of the creature again, headed for the door. He backs away, swiping that sword high as he backs slowly but surely for freedom.
As the shield is parted from Sebastien it fades away, momentarily translucent and then as insubstantial as a figment of his imagination. Retreating still, Sebastien makes a face and slashes his sword across Stefanie's chest, carefully picking his way around the fallen debris before picking up the pace. He should be at the door soon!
Stefanie reels back in pain as the sword slashes across her chest from shoulder to hip. It does a good amount of damage, but the creature is far from in danger of death. Well, a second death, at any rate.
Stefanie's eyes burn with fire again as she pierces Sebastien's eyes with a deady gaze.
Sebastien, now under the creature's complete control, lays there until he is commanded to stand and release his weapons.
For a time, Sebastien can hear the thump-thumping of its cold, dead heart, hear its horrendous thoughts, and feel its cold, clammy skin. He is commanded, "Go outside and guard the door. Do not let anyone inside."
Thump thump. Thump thump. Sebastien stands dully, that glowing sword flickering out of existence as he waits with blank eyes. At Stefanie's voice Sebastien nods once, blinking, and jogs back to the front door, walking around the outside to stand just right of the door. He folds thick arms before him, feet just less than shoulder-width apart, watching the street.
There are various noises the come from inside the warehouse. No screams or cries or calls for help, just squishy noises. As the sun begins to rise toward a morning twilight, all noises cease, and Sebastien is left wondering what the hell he's doing standing outside of an old dilapidated warehouse.
Sebastien finally takes a few steps away from the building, frowning. He was watching the building. Why was he..? He had some sort of premonition. Something bad was supposed to happen today. Walking back towards Sara, Sebastien glances at the sky and frowns. He'll puzzle out the events that led him to stand in front of that door sooner rather than later, but for the moment his head hurts. He's tired and sore, and wants to get some sleep.
Later in the day, the KDPD will find the bodies of two men, apparently alive, but clearly fed upon by vampires - the second night of a slow kill. It's anyone's guess as to whether or not they'll be back the next day to finish the job, but the KDPD will have the place staked out. whether this is good, or bad, remains to be seen.Tags:sebastien
