Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Mandragora University

Tiko

Draconic Administrator/Mentor
Administrator
Mentor
Nexus GM
as written by Calcos

Outside the crumbling, decaying walls of the Gothic edifice, they set to work in the early morning light. There was a bit of a chill on the wind, but it bothered them not as their heavy suits of armor kept them from the temperatures outside. Hammering away at loose floorboards, ripping down broken siding and lathering fresh coats of paint where it was needed most, the Slayers of the Ardelean Society did their part to spruce the university up.


A man in a billowing purple duster looked over them, a medium-sized China cup of hot tea in his right hand. Thaddeus Cael Ardelean acted as somewhat of a foreman, overseeing the reconstruction of his great-great grandfather's university, making sure the Slayers here did their jobs correctly. It was an hour and a half before he would begin his lecture to a group of eager-to-learn students.


The Society was a small band, harboring some forty members; five Hunters, twenty Slayers, five Alchemists and ten healers...and that was on top of the fifty-student roster.


Alas, Thaddeus had sought to pick up the Society's legacy, to rebuild and thrive once more. Over the years, they had progressively made steps in assisting Lutetia City, by promoting scientific advancements and through philanthropic pursuits.


And of course, by hunting down any unruly and hostile supernatural entities that lurk in the shadows unchecked.
 
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as written by Knosis

Chloe staggered up the gate, ignoring the gazes that she knew followed her. It had taken her most of the day to get across the city back to the crumbling facility, her leg hindering most of the journey. She knew it was futile. She would be escorted to someone who would want to know what caused her to miss her curfew. "You are to come with us."


She sighed and turned, her eyes showing exhaustion, following the guard reluctantly.
 
as written by Calcos

The Slayers that accosted Chloe at the gate were quite surprised to see her return willingly to the University's premises. They looked to each other for an explanation, merely giving one another a metallic shrug from within their suits of armor before approaching the young girl with their weapons at ease, but ready to open fire if necessary. They halted her where she stood, explaining to her that Thaddeus would need to see her posthaste. They didn't particularly care why she had disappeared; that was a matter for the old Hunter to settle.


After radioing ahead to the University the current situation, the group settled into an armored truck, and drove down the elongated driveway leading to Mandragora's grounds. Chloe was made to sit up front with the driver, whilst a pair of Slayers sat in the back, their eyes burning into the back of her head, mentally daring her to make any sudden moves.


As they reached the University building, the Slayers filed out of the vehicle, ushering Chloe through the main door. Thaddeus was waiting for her in the lobby, his gaze stern and full of presentiment. "Follow me," he said dryly, clearly not in a very good mood. They made way for his office, in where Thaddeus sitting in the chair behind his desk, beckoning Chloe to take a seat opposite him from across the large, oaken surface. He folded his hands together, looking her in the eyes.


"Care to explain where you've been?" he asked calmly.
 
as written by Knosis

The woman crossed over and nearly collapsed into the chair, but she tried to have some respect left to not let her eyes droop closed. "A friend and I were attacked and kidnapped.." She muttered. "I was out with a friend of mine for a few drinks yesterday afternoon, and he was taking me home when we were attacked by this loon.. We were kidnapped by this lunatic, and once we were back at his base, his commanding officer reprimanded him, and held us over night in some cells.. We were released this morning.." She said. "They confiscated all my stuff, otherwise I would have tried to have contacted someone before hand.."
 
as written by Calcos

Thaddeus leaned forward, although his face showed no signs of surprise or worry. Despite this, he found himself relieved that Chloe had returned safely. However, he did need to press her for further information.


"I see," he began, "Did you happen to learn anything about your captors? Who they are, what they wanted?" He kept his hands folded underneath his chin, propping his head on the backs of his fingers as his elbows rested on the desktop.
 
as written by Knosis

The woman looked down. "I didn't find out much. All I know is the leader's name was Éclaire Hanley, fleet admiral and the commander of some Imperial Defense Force.. We found out the lunatic had kidnapped a friend of my friend prior, tried to make her a slave.. Some prior involvement that embarrassed him or something along the lines.. Either way, the lunatic was there for revenge and was planning on killing my friend.." She looked up at him. "That's all I know, I'm afraid. I'm sorry.."
 
as written by Calcos

Thaddeus looked the woman over once again, holding up a reassuring hand. "That is fine. Just knowing you've returned safely is enough. Get some rest, you look like you need it," he said humorlessly. With that, he stood from his desk, gesturing towards the door, dismissing Chloe.


As she started to leave, he spoke once more. "We'll have an assignment for you tomorrow. We've gotten reports of vampire attacks around the city, and we need to look into it..." He trailed off, concern flashing over his visage as he reflected. Returning to the present, he allowed Chloe to make her exit.


---


Somewhere nearby...


He wandered, not quite aimlessly through the darkening streets, his cloak wrapped around him tightly. He felt famished, the hunger creeping at his mind, pressing into him like a drill. The chilly breeze was biting in his weakened state, causing him to shiver.


Destitution had been his undoing; no longer did he live like the lord that was his initial destiny, daily procuring scores of fresh vassals to feed off of until his hunger was sated, luxury surrounding him at every turn. Now, he found himself on the streets, attacking unwary prey like a common animal, feeding off of them with the ravenous hunger of the starved.


Even now, he eyed a new quarry; she was young, her small, tender hand within the clutches of her mother. They were both pale of skin, their beautifully-kept locks of straw-colored hair pleasing to his eye. Of course, his first target would be the mother; she would be more difficult to contend with, but once she was out of the way, the little girl would be easy pickings.


The children always were.
 
as written by Alara

Two days later...


A taxi pulled up just outside the Mandragora University, and Desmond stepped out after passing a few bills to the driver.


The driver thanked him before pulling away, leaving Desmond standing alone at the front gates with his hands stuffed into his coat pockets.


He turned and approached the gates, and the two guards amiably enough.


"Mornin'. I'm looking for a Chloe..." he paused and fished her wallet out of his pocket to check the drivers license inside. "Sandara?" he asked. "Is she in?"
 
as written by Calcos

The Slayers guarding the gate regarded the man with something akin to amusement. They recognized him; not just because his face had been plastered all over the internet, but also because it had been engrained into their memories due to his status as a person of interest, mostly due to his frequent involvement at the Den.

"Desmond, right?" one of the guards said while his partner radioed back to the University. The radio operator nodded his head, giving him the all clear. They signaled to open the gate, ushering the werewolf through. "We'll be watching you," the radio operator warned.

With that, he was loaded into an armored vehicle with three other Slayers and escorted to the university's grounds.
 
as written by Alara

"Just 'ere to see a lady," he assured the guard.

The armored vehicle and escort seemed a bit excessive, but then again he hadn't ever been inside the Mandragora University before. Perhaps it was standard procedure. Come to think of it, he couldn't think of any of the pack who had ventured past those gates before.

He watched out the window as the vehicle drove towards its destination, taking in the sight of the grounds as they went.
 
as written by Calcos

The truck came to a stop in front of the university proper, and Desmond was ushered out of the armored structure and led through the doors. From there, Chloe was called via radio, being told that Desmond was here to see her.

Hunters and students alike walked through the building, many on their way to class and others pursuing investigations. Whatever they were doing, many of them took the time to put their priorities on halt and give Desmond a look-over. A majority of the students, and even a few of the faculty, were beginning to grow worried about the abundance of werewolf presences within Mandragora University.

However, they figured the headmaster knew best and let the matter go, although their disturbances were not lessened by any means.

They waited for Chloe to arrive, the Slayers patrolling the inside of the building keeping their eyes glued to Desmond.
 
as written by Knosis

The call came for her and she released a slow sigh, placing down the papers of the investigation she had been working on. It had been a few days since she had last seen Desmond, and she had honestly been avoiding going to see him. She pushed away from the desk, steeled herself, and went to meet the man.

Her green hues glued on Desmond as soon as he was in sight, just as the other hunters and students had. It was obvious when someone from the outside was visiting. She had experienced very much the same thing when she had arrived.

"Hey.." She muttered, looking away now that she was in earshot. "Whats up?"
 
as written by Alara

"'ey now, no need to look so unhappy to see me," Desmond answered. "'ere, I brought you somethin'."

He fished around in his pockets again and turned out a wallet and a phone, both of which he offered out to her.

"I thought that you might want these back, an' I didn't know where else to find you."
 
as written by Knosis

One would think the woman would be ecstatic, but her shoulders slumped and exhaustion filled her eyes. "You know how much paperwork I've filled out to get new copies of everything important in my wallet after I reported it stolen..?" She sighed and took the wallet and phone. "At least I can get the pictures and stuff in it back again.. The phone's a big help too.. Thank you."

She shifted her feet slightly and hesitated. The silence between them, albeit brief, ate at her until she caved. "I'm sorry I caused so much trouble with your brother. I was probably a bit more irritated than it normally called for." She said.
 
as written by Alara

"'ey now, any troubles wi' me brother are between me an' 'im. You 'ave no fault in that."

He frowned though and lay a hand on her shoulder to look her in the eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

There was a heaviness to the question that spoke of more than casual pleasantries. He hadn't forgotten what he had seen when she was leaving his place the other day. He didn't want to lay it out in words in front of her co-workers though, in the event she hadn't shared recent developments with them.
 
as written by Knosis

She didn't keep his gaze. She looked to the side and cleared her throat uncomfortably. "You want to go for a drink? Its about lunch time, and I think I could use a break from staring at those papers for a bit." She didn't wait for an answer. She instead started walking through the doors Desmond had been lead through previously.
 
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