Post by hannavictoria on May 30, 2016 3:52:19 GMT -5
Chapter One: A Disrupted Circle
“A house just appeared out of nowhere?” Victor stared at said building before repeating “Nope. A goddamn manor appeared out of nowhere. Definitely abandoned, definitely wasn’t there a minute ago. Looks like it’s from another century but it’s barely rundown at all.”
On the other end of the line Blaine frowned “Could you hold on a sec- second thought I’ll rally the stragglers and meet you there.” Most of the hunters were already out on their usual runs but George and Rayna were late getting started and Wes still with a broken arm wasn’t heading out at all.
“What was that about?” Rayna asked him. “Victor just found an honest to god ‘house that wasn’t there before’. Victor called instead of handling it himself that alone seems troubling. Probably nothing I mean it sounds like a bad movie plot for god sakes.”
She hmmed, “So either it’s going to be an old horror movie or on of those bad found footage knockoffs you make with your friends in middle school.” George looked skeptical, but kept it to himself.
“Boss! Can I go please~!” Wes begged. After much arguing and even more pleading he was coming. Little did they realize Victor already had backup lined up for his backup.
“It’s a solid plan, but this is still risky. Worst case you getting busted reveals your supernatural connections.” Victor groaned “Yeah that’s like half the reason I called you guys. Alps are pretty much built for stealth and what’s more if I get outed for working with the Alp who saved him it’s going to go a lot smoother than it would than most anyone else I could call on for this.”
Toni thought about it a moment “Yous gonna use me as a big neon sign that not all “monsters” are monstrous?” he smiled “I like this plan already. But first hide and seek.” And with that both Toni and Yiska were mist. Not long after the gang was all there. George gave that multi-layered look he’d been giving him lately, Wes per usual noticed but said nothing. Rayna and Blaine had perfectly acceptable explanations for all above co-workers to act weird and moved on. “Yeah that’s a creepy house. How many entrances?”
“Two doors, a cellar, a balcony if you feel like climbing, and of course there’s windows…” They fanned out no visible booby-traps ‘It’s going to be something the second we walk in.’ they were all entirely too certain. “Okay front door is shmuck-bait” George pointed out. Wes considered the second floor offering, “Balcony would either be unguarded or more protected simply because you know you aren’t going to vaporize a girl scout that way, same for the windows.”
“Odds are decent the basement doesn’t even lead anywhere.” ‘Basement is either going to be boring and mold filled or unending horror, but that’s most of this place.’ “You’re just saying that cause you’re allergic to mold.” Rayna jibbed.
They chose the back door “It’s… a servants entrance.” The room if it could be called such was terribly underwhelming. Bare coat hooks, an ancient wicker basket accompanying a few dozen wooden clothes pins, the room lacked any form of decoration save for a framed needlepoint.
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
“Union? Just how old is this place?” Everyone looked at Vic “Wait you mean like the Civil War?” he shrugged “I can’t think of too many other capital U unions?” it wasn’t really important.
Next up was the kitchen, well first a small washroom even smaller than the last containing a pair of simple empty sinks. To pantries one full of china the second contained… well food strangely enough. A fully stocked pantry of seemingly fresh foodstuffs as if straight local deli. For a manor that felt both antique and as if the whole of the house had just…left for a moment and… it was quite unnerving.
Finally the kitchen, a long table in the center, counters, and a large black coal stove. It all looked like it was ready to be used at a moments notice. “I’m starting to wish something would attack already.” Most of the group shushed Rayna.
Passing a small bathroom they finally got a glimpse at what the house must have looked like to guests, the first public room: a library. Sheet music, and songbooks, books on art and animals, sowing patterns, history, theology, political theory, science, medicine, military strategy and everything else it seemed; The Origin of the Species and a Bible sat beside each other both worn to breaking.
“Whoever lived here really liked twos?” Wes wondered “What?” Victor ignored them in favor of the globe by the window “Almost a quarter of these are doubles.” His had jerked as he traced colonial Africa, Wes was right.
Or to be more specific he was right up until the illusion on the doubles faded like mist at dawn “Spellbooks?” Blaine asked. Truthfully if they’d had any idea what they were looking at; well Victor knew enough to know he needed to bring the Twins and Kavon back here.
“What is that?” the large atlas sized book had gone from drawings of some kind ostrich-thing Victor’d never seen before to an uncomfortably familiar sight, “The chapter heading reads “subspecies of vampire”?” which somewhat explained why they were staring at the glowing eyes of an Ancient.
Blaine flipped over pages ““The ever misunderstood vampire. For creatures man could call kin the amount not known is appalling.”” It outlined many things the hunters all knew, went into a few things they didn’t.
“Born vampires? A “Vampire Kingdom”?” They were in fact staring at the depiction of a man Victor knew to be King Roderick ‘Just who the heck wrote this?’
There was talk about what they could and couldn’t eat, a detailed dissertation on the ethics of hunting them, and even pictures and descriptions of a few of the more well known vampire ‘It sounds like whoever wrote this knew Charby with some familiarity?’
“Devil Eyes?” Rayna wondered, “You guys ever heard of this one?” Vic spoke up “Isn’t he supposed to be a master hypnotist or something?” “A classic Dracula-type “with a love of using people in the most literal of ways” please tell me he’s dead.”
“I… spotted him the night Vicki died I… this so far is just confirming my suspicion all we caught was Little Devil playing buzzard. It’s just to much up this guys alley.” He ground out with a bitter reluctance ‘This could blow up in all of our faces!’
Blaine stared disbelieving “Why didn’t you say anything?” he grimaced “I didn’t want to bring it up not unless I had something concrete!” Wes quickly turned the page looking for a segway to lighten the mood “Ooh~ ‘nother glowy eyes, “Lost Painter” never heard of him?”
And like that Blaine froze to his core ““Under normal circumstances vampires do not truly age past adulthood. It is said that in his sorrow the artist starved himself near to death in grief of his lost love. With his mind lost even to him this vampire is known only as he signed his works a simple “N” believed an initial.””
““Do not engage for any reason: The painter is normally docile until provoked, his senility makes him unpredictable and easily confused, if roused he will make a meal of one of your party when you least expect and pick you off one by one.””
“There’s a scribbling here… “The First Hunter”?” Victor put a hand on Blaine’s back “Is this the “N”.” he nodded before Victor caught a punch aimed he’d at the floor “Whoa, let’s not risk angering the magic house!”
Wes and Rayna took him aside while Vic caught George eyeballing the ethics page “Think one of their friends ate them?” Vic sighed, “Mages can live for centuries, moved or got trapped in a magic bobble are just as likely. Now, care to talk what’s actually bothering you?”
The other hunter looked at him “Why are you so okay with all this? Whenever you talk about… it’s like it doesn’t matter or even register to you.” Victor looked at him side eyed then pointed to the book whispering, “You aren’t the first hunter with pointy eared friends and you aren’t going to be the last.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Victor recovered quickly “Wondering what happened to the owner? Me, I figure Witch: could definitely still be out there somewhere?” The others considered the notion as they continued on to another room.
This one was full of trophies “Willing to bet some of these are stuffed monsters under a similar spell?” George was suddenly a bit more talkative. It was a relatively uneventful if creepy room, they’d managed to trip over each other. Knocked some things over. “Told you.” the bear head that had fallen on Wes was now the head of some large Chimera.
Then came a grand parlor with among other things a grand portrait “Sara… VanJulivan?” “You can’t be serious?” “Do you remember anything about a witch in your family?” the last one had been Wes.
“I…my parents knew…” he was quiet for a long moment “I always assumed they knew nothing.” This soulful contemplation was interrupted by a snarl. The room started to go hazy, there was something stalking amongst the shadows.
“No one shoot!” they were all far to impaired by this… whatever the smell was, for so many of them to be firing at what they couldn’t even see. It went for Victor first just barely missing, but he knocked himself even more senseless slamming into a statue in the corner.
It went for Wes next thankfully getting more cast than arm. It didn’t take kindly to when they’d tried to stab it after that. Back to the shadows and the haze just kept getting thicker.
Then they’re was this light almost German sort of accent and Victor was stuck wondering ‘Since when is Toni a girl?’ when this great blue woman nigh on seven feet tall charges in grabs out of the darkness an iridescent black leopard, by it’s ear no less.
The woman scolded it “How many times must we go through this you decoration, away with you!” she threw it hard against the wall with a horrible crack “Is that wall glowing?”
“Of course, couldn’t go messing Sara’s nice home with every little tumble.” Without another word she placed a glowing hand on each of them in turn and in that order their fog cleared.
“Now care to explain why you’re traipsing through her house guns drawn?” they all looked at each other. “This house hasn’t been here in my entire life, we were looking to investigate.”
The woman slimed a mile wide “You are the protectors! Oh goodness, which one of you lot is the VanJulivan?” Blaine sheepishly raised his hand and she tuted. “Don’t just flounder there boy! You think a Fairy Queen will take you serious like that!? You have a legacy to live up to!!”
They all, none more than Blaine looked at her goggle-eyed “There been folk in your line who wouldn’t know an elf from a hole in the ground and no small number of them got themselves killed getting overwhelmed when someone came expecting things of them.”
She turned to Blaine smiling “My name is Anniken and I will attempt to help you in that any way I can. However there are some things you must learn for yourself. So study well and don’t forget to look within. No two VanJulivan have done things the same way.”
“How much can you drink?” Victor interrupted. Anniken smiled, clasped her necklace and was no longer blue her armor now a copy of what Rayna was wearing “Quite a lot.” “You mind wandering back to the forest at daybreak with a hangover?”
She smiled “We shall see?” Blaine pulled him away rather hard “Victor why are you flirting with a…?” “I think she’s just a “troll” that was petrified in the corner?” he called over to her, “Miss, what if you don’t mind me asking are you?”
“No you were right Troll is more than close enough.” Blaine looked chagrinned “On an unrelated note this isn’t far enough away for those ears.” That earned the scared hunter an aggravated look from his boss. “She just saved us I figure escort her politely home and if I find something out on the way…?”
“I could go with him?” George offered “Yesss… he could?” Victor offered uncertainly; he’d hoped to talk Vampirate business with her. “Oh, do women have the vote now?” ‘Oh right we keep ignoring that…’ “Yes.” “Glorious! How does one register to vote?”
“When were you born?” Vic asked hoping for some miracle “Longer than most humans live.” He deflated a bit “You need proof you are either a citizen or allowed to be in the country. Faking that is kind of illegal, also harder than you might recall.”
“I see. Well where there is a will… Now I believe you boys said something about a drink.” George looked between Victor trying to look more certain than he was and Blaine who was not about to let them wander off with a random being they just met. He sighed, “Hole in the wall on Lexington maybe?” he had a feeling this was going to illuminate more than just their mystery woman’s secrets ‘Guess it’s good we’ll already be drinking.”
“I should call Diana once we get there.’
“A house just appeared out of nowhere?” Victor stared at said building before repeating “Nope. A goddamn manor appeared out of nowhere. Definitely abandoned, definitely wasn’t there a minute ago. Looks like it’s from another century but it’s barely rundown at all.”
On the other end of the line Blaine frowned “Could you hold on a sec- second thought I’ll rally the stragglers and meet you there.” Most of the hunters were already out on their usual runs but George and Rayna were late getting started and Wes still with a broken arm wasn’t heading out at all.
“What was that about?” Rayna asked him. “Victor just found an honest to god ‘house that wasn’t there before’. Victor called instead of handling it himself that alone seems troubling. Probably nothing I mean it sounds like a bad movie plot for god sakes.”
She hmmed, “So either it’s going to be an old horror movie or on of those bad found footage knockoffs you make with your friends in middle school.” George looked skeptical, but kept it to himself.
“Boss! Can I go please~!” Wes begged. After much arguing and even more pleading he was coming. Little did they realize Victor already had backup lined up for his backup.
“It’s a solid plan, but this is still risky. Worst case you getting busted reveals your supernatural connections.” Victor groaned “Yeah that’s like half the reason I called you guys. Alps are pretty much built for stealth and what’s more if I get outed for working with the Alp who saved him it’s going to go a lot smoother than it would than most anyone else I could call on for this.”
Toni thought about it a moment “Yous gonna use me as a big neon sign that not all “monsters” are monstrous?” he smiled “I like this plan already. But first hide and seek.” And with that both Toni and Yiska were mist. Not long after the gang was all there. George gave that multi-layered look he’d been giving him lately, Wes per usual noticed but said nothing. Rayna and Blaine had perfectly acceptable explanations for all above co-workers to act weird and moved on. “Yeah that’s a creepy house. How many entrances?”
“Two doors, a cellar, a balcony if you feel like climbing, and of course there’s windows…” They fanned out no visible booby-traps ‘It’s going to be something the second we walk in.’ they were all entirely too certain. “Okay front door is shmuck-bait” George pointed out. Wes considered the second floor offering, “Balcony would either be unguarded or more protected simply because you know you aren’t going to vaporize a girl scout that way, same for the windows.”
“Odds are decent the basement doesn’t even lead anywhere.” ‘Basement is either going to be boring and mold filled or unending horror, but that’s most of this place.’ “You’re just saying that cause you’re allergic to mold.” Rayna jibbed.
They chose the back door “It’s… a servants entrance.” The room if it could be called such was terribly underwhelming. Bare coat hooks, an ancient wicker basket accompanying a few dozen wooden clothes pins, the room lacked any form of decoration save for a framed needlepoint.
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
“Union? Just how old is this place?” Everyone looked at Vic “Wait you mean like the Civil War?” he shrugged “I can’t think of too many other capital U unions?” it wasn’t really important.
Next up was the kitchen, well first a small washroom even smaller than the last containing a pair of simple empty sinks. To pantries one full of china the second contained… well food strangely enough. A fully stocked pantry of seemingly fresh foodstuffs as if straight local deli. For a manor that felt both antique and as if the whole of the house had just…left for a moment and… it was quite unnerving.
Finally the kitchen, a long table in the center, counters, and a large black coal stove. It all looked like it was ready to be used at a moments notice. “I’m starting to wish something would attack already.” Most of the group shushed Rayna.
Passing a small bathroom they finally got a glimpse at what the house must have looked like to guests, the first public room: a library. Sheet music, and songbooks, books on art and animals, sowing patterns, history, theology, political theory, science, medicine, military strategy and everything else it seemed; The Origin of the Species and a Bible sat beside each other both worn to breaking.
“Whoever lived here really liked twos?” Wes wondered “What?” Victor ignored them in favor of the globe by the window “Almost a quarter of these are doubles.” His had jerked as he traced colonial Africa, Wes was right.
Or to be more specific he was right up until the illusion on the doubles faded like mist at dawn “Spellbooks?” Blaine asked. Truthfully if they’d had any idea what they were looking at; well Victor knew enough to know he needed to bring the Twins and Kavon back here.
“What is that?” the large atlas sized book had gone from drawings of some kind ostrich-thing Victor’d never seen before to an uncomfortably familiar sight, “The chapter heading reads “subspecies of vampire”?” which somewhat explained why they were staring at the glowing eyes of an Ancient.
Blaine flipped over pages ““The ever misunderstood vampire. For creatures man could call kin the amount not known is appalling.”” It outlined many things the hunters all knew, went into a few things they didn’t.
“Born vampires? A “Vampire Kingdom”?” They were in fact staring at the depiction of a man Victor knew to be King Roderick ‘Just who the heck wrote this?’
There was talk about what they could and couldn’t eat, a detailed dissertation on the ethics of hunting them, and even pictures and descriptions of a few of the more well known vampire ‘It sounds like whoever wrote this knew Charby with some familiarity?’
“Devil Eyes?” Rayna wondered, “You guys ever heard of this one?” Vic spoke up “Isn’t he supposed to be a master hypnotist or something?” “A classic Dracula-type “with a love of using people in the most literal of ways” please tell me he’s dead.”
“I… spotted him the night Vicki died I… this so far is just confirming my suspicion all we caught was Little Devil playing buzzard. It’s just to much up this guys alley.” He ground out with a bitter reluctance ‘This could blow up in all of our faces!’
Blaine stared disbelieving “Why didn’t you say anything?” he grimaced “I didn’t want to bring it up not unless I had something concrete!” Wes quickly turned the page looking for a segway to lighten the mood “Ooh~ ‘nother glowy eyes, “Lost Painter” never heard of him?”
And like that Blaine froze to his core ““Under normal circumstances vampires do not truly age past adulthood. It is said that in his sorrow the artist starved himself near to death in grief of his lost love. With his mind lost even to him this vampire is known only as he signed his works a simple “N” believed an initial.””
““Do not engage for any reason: The painter is normally docile until provoked, his senility makes him unpredictable and easily confused, if roused he will make a meal of one of your party when you least expect and pick you off one by one.””
“There’s a scribbling here… “The First Hunter”?” Victor put a hand on Blaine’s back “Is this the “N”.” he nodded before Victor caught a punch aimed he’d at the floor “Whoa, let’s not risk angering the magic house!”
Wes and Rayna took him aside while Vic caught George eyeballing the ethics page “Think one of their friends ate them?” Vic sighed, “Mages can live for centuries, moved or got trapped in a magic bobble are just as likely. Now, care to talk what’s actually bothering you?”
The other hunter looked at him “Why are you so okay with all this? Whenever you talk about… it’s like it doesn’t matter or even register to you.” Victor looked at him side eyed then pointed to the book whispering, “You aren’t the first hunter with pointy eared friends and you aren’t going to be the last.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Victor recovered quickly “Wondering what happened to the owner? Me, I figure Witch: could definitely still be out there somewhere?” The others considered the notion as they continued on to another room.
This one was full of trophies “Willing to bet some of these are stuffed monsters under a similar spell?” George was suddenly a bit more talkative. It was a relatively uneventful if creepy room, they’d managed to trip over each other. Knocked some things over. “Told you.” the bear head that had fallen on Wes was now the head of some large Chimera.
Then came a grand parlor with among other things a grand portrait “Sara… VanJulivan?” “You can’t be serious?” “Do you remember anything about a witch in your family?” the last one had been Wes.
“I…my parents knew…” he was quiet for a long moment “I always assumed they knew nothing.” This soulful contemplation was interrupted by a snarl. The room started to go hazy, there was something stalking amongst the shadows.
“No one shoot!” they were all far to impaired by this… whatever the smell was, for so many of them to be firing at what they couldn’t even see. It went for Victor first just barely missing, but he knocked himself even more senseless slamming into a statue in the corner.
It went for Wes next thankfully getting more cast than arm. It didn’t take kindly to when they’d tried to stab it after that. Back to the shadows and the haze just kept getting thicker.
Then they’re was this light almost German sort of accent and Victor was stuck wondering ‘Since when is Toni a girl?’ when this great blue woman nigh on seven feet tall charges in grabs out of the darkness an iridescent black leopard, by it’s ear no less.
The woman scolded it “How many times must we go through this you decoration, away with you!” she threw it hard against the wall with a horrible crack “Is that wall glowing?”
“Of course, couldn’t go messing Sara’s nice home with every little tumble.” Without another word she placed a glowing hand on each of them in turn and in that order their fog cleared.
“Now care to explain why you’re traipsing through her house guns drawn?” they all looked at each other. “This house hasn’t been here in my entire life, we were looking to investigate.”
The woman slimed a mile wide “You are the protectors! Oh goodness, which one of you lot is the VanJulivan?” Blaine sheepishly raised his hand and she tuted. “Don’t just flounder there boy! You think a Fairy Queen will take you serious like that!? You have a legacy to live up to!!”
They all, none more than Blaine looked at her goggle-eyed “There been folk in your line who wouldn’t know an elf from a hole in the ground and no small number of them got themselves killed getting overwhelmed when someone came expecting things of them.”
She turned to Blaine smiling “My name is Anniken and I will attempt to help you in that any way I can. However there are some things you must learn for yourself. So study well and don’t forget to look within. No two VanJulivan have done things the same way.”
“How much can you drink?” Victor interrupted. Anniken smiled, clasped her necklace and was no longer blue her armor now a copy of what Rayna was wearing “Quite a lot.” “You mind wandering back to the forest at daybreak with a hangover?”
She smiled “We shall see?” Blaine pulled him away rather hard “Victor why are you flirting with a…?” “I think she’s just a “troll” that was petrified in the corner?” he called over to her, “Miss, what if you don’t mind me asking are you?”
“No you were right Troll is more than close enough.” Blaine looked chagrinned “On an unrelated note this isn’t far enough away for those ears.” That earned the scared hunter an aggravated look from his boss. “She just saved us I figure escort her politely home and if I find something out on the way…?”
“I could go with him?” George offered “Yesss… he could?” Victor offered uncertainly; he’d hoped to talk Vampirate business with her. “Oh, do women have the vote now?” ‘Oh right we keep ignoring that…’ “Yes.” “Glorious! How does one register to vote?”
“When were you born?” Vic asked hoping for some miracle “Longer than most humans live.” He deflated a bit “You need proof you are either a citizen or allowed to be in the country. Faking that is kind of illegal, also harder than you might recall.”
“I see. Well where there is a will… Now I believe you boys said something about a drink.” George looked between Victor trying to look more certain than he was and Blaine who was not about to let them wander off with a random being they just met. He sighed, “Hole in the wall on Lexington maybe?” he had a feeling this was going to illuminate more than just their mystery woman’s secrets ‘Guess it’s good we’ll already be drinking.”
“I should call Diana once we get there.’