Post by Scar the AI on Jan 1, 2013 17:46:47 GMT -5
Xari kicked the door open, sending the bright moonlight spillling into the main room of the apartment building and adding to the light of the torches embedded into the walls. Carrying the body over his shoulder, he marched up to the empty main desk and slammed his fist on the bell. A moment passed, and he slammed it again. He could feel the blood of his friend dripping out of his body onto the floor. They should have noticed his presence by now.
An unseen force slammed the door shut and extinguished the torches, plunging the room into darkness - no light shone through the boarded up windows. "Shit." Xari muttered, making a ball of flame appear in his hand. Its dim light revealed nothing, even when held over his head. Nonetheless, he could sense something, just outside the radius of the firelight.
"I need to speak to your chief." he said loudly, shifting the body over his shoulder and sending a splash of blood onto the floor. Faint whispers and hissing surrounded him at the sound of the thick liquid striking the warped wood, but no audible response. "I need to see Chief Hermannstadt!" he shouted, silencing the vampires that were lurking in the darkness.
Finally, one of them spoke.
"What business do you have with him, pitspawn?" A man said, though he didn't step into the light. "Going to request a favor from him?" he laughed. "We don't accept dead bodies, boy." the vampires laughed.
"The body is the favor." Xari retorted, silencing the laughter and replacing it with a stunned silence. "Now take me to him."
They were silent for a moment, and a torch on the wall behind him flared into life, revealing a crowd of pale-skinned vampires. "Fine." One of them said, in the same voice that had spoken before. "But whatever happens is on your head alone." he turned to his right and moved briskly. Xari followed close behind,
"Isn't there an elevator in this place?" Xari demanded, and was ignored. He could hear a few vampires following them, lapping up the spilled blood. He hoped it wouldn't be too late by the time he got there. Donatello was still breathing, yes, but it was faint, and he knew that there was a time limit for what he had planned.
Finally, they reached the top floor, and the vampire knocked on the door to the penthouse. A deep voice responded, "Enter." he opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Xari to enter first.
Like the rest of the electricity-lacking apartment building, the penthouse was lit by torches screwed into the walls. At the end sat an imposing figure, his skin as pale as Xari expected and dressed in a Victorian era suit. The chief appraised Xari as he approached him, and lay Donatello at his feet.
He got on one knee and, without waiting for an invitation, spoke. "I need to request a favor." he started. "Let me guess." the chief said, his Transylvanian accent quite evident. "You wish for me to salvage this boy's existence." Xari nodded, not looking up. "And why do you believe that I will create yet more competition for myself and my clan, another opportunity for our existence to be revealed to the mortals?"
"I heard about your daughter." Xari said. Immediately, the atmosphere grew tense, and the half-demon's stomach knotted. "I can help you get her back from the werewolves."
The chief was silent. "Very well." he said. "Stand." Xari got to his feet and met Hermannstadt's eyes. "We will complete the Blood Binding." he said. Xari swallowed, but nodded, and took a pocketknife out. With a quick movement, he slashed the blade across his palm. Hermannstadt took the knife and did the same, and the two of them clasped their bleeding hands together.
"Do you swear to do everything in your power to retrieve my daughter from the clutches of the Timberhowl clan?"
"I swear.
"Do you swear to transform my friend into a vampire and save him from Death's doorstep?"
"I swear."
There was a burning pain in Xari's palm as the binding took effect, and he gritted his teeth and didn't move until it had passed. Once the pain faded, he released the vampire's hand and looked at his palm. The sigil for an agreement between demon and vampire was burned onto it, and he knew that an identical sigil was on Hermannstadt's palm.
"Go." the vampire said, kneeling down over Donatello's body. "Your friend will be fine by this time tomorrow night." Xari bowed slightly, turned on his heel, and walked out of the penthouse. he grinned slyly as he walked down the stairs, ignoring the vampires that he knew were watching him.
He had a maiden in distress to save.
An unseen force slammed the door shut and extinguished the torches, plunging the room into darkness - no light shone through the boarded up windows. "Shit." Xari muttered, making a ball of flame appear in his hand. Its dim light revealed nothing, even when held over his head. Nonetheless, he could sense something, just outside the radius of the firelight.
"I need to speak to your chief." he said loudly, shifting the body over his shoulder and sending a splash of blood onto the floor. Faint whispers and hissing surrounded him at the sound of the thick liquid striking the warped wood, but no audible response. "I need to see Chief Hermannstadt!" he shouted, silencing the vampires that were lurking in the darkness.
Finally, one of them spoke.
"What business do you have with him, pitspawn?" A man said, though he didn't step into the light. "Going to request a favor from him?" he laughed. "We don't accept dead bodies, boy." the vampires laughed.
"The body is the favor." Xari retorted, silencing the laughter and replacing it with a stunned silence. "Now take me to him."
They were silent for a moment, and a torch on the wall behind him flared into life, revealing a crowd of pale-skinned vampires. "Fine." One of them said, in the same voice that had spoken before. "But whatever happens is on your head alone." he turned to his right and moved briskly. Xari followed close behind,
"Isn't there an elevator in this place?" Xari demanded, and was ignored. He could hear a few vampires following them, lapping up the spilled blood. He hoped it wouldn't be too late by the time he got there. Donatello was still breathing, yes, but it was faint, and he knew that there was a time limit for what he had planned.
Finally, they reached the top floor, and the vampire knocked on the door to the penthouse. A deep voice responded, "Enter." he opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Xari to enter first.
Like the rest of the electricity-lacking apartment building, the penthouse was lit by torches screwed into the walls. At the end sat an imposing figure, his skin as pale as Xari expected and dressed in a Victorian era suit. The chief appraised Xari as he approached him, and lay Donatello at his feet.
He got on one knee and, without waiting for an invitation, spoke. "I need to request a favor." he started. "Let me guess." the chief said, his Transylvanian accent quite evident. "You wish for me to salvage this boy's existence." Xari nodded, not looking up. "And why do you believe that I will create yet more competition for myself and my clan, another opportunity for our existence to be revealed to the mortals?"
"I heard about your daughter." Xari said. Immediately, the atmosphere grew tense, and the half-demon's stomach knotted. "I can help you get her back from the werewolves."
The chief was silent. "Very well." he said. "Stand." Xari got to his feet and met Hermannstadt's eyes. "We will complete the Blood Binding." he said. Xari swallowed, but nodded, and took a pocketknife out. With a quick movement, he slashed the blade across his palm. Hermannstadt took the knife and did the same, and the two of them clasped their bleeding hands together.
"Do you swear to do everything in your power to retrieve my daughter from the clutches of the Timberhowl clan?"
"I swear.
"Do you swear to transform my friend into a vampire and save him from Death's doorstep?"
"I swear."
There was a burning pain in Xari's palm as the binding took effect, and he gritted his teeth and didn't move until it had passed. Once the pain faded, he released the vampire's hand and looked at his palm. The sigil for an agreement between demon and vampire was burned onto it, and he knew that an identical sigil was on Hermannstadt's palm.
"Go." the vampire said, kneeling down over Donatello's body. "Your friend will be fine by this time tomorrow night." Xari bowed slightly, turned on his heel, and walked out of the penthouse. he grinned slyly as he walked down the stairs, ignoring the vampires that he knew were watching him.
He had a maiden in distress to save.