Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Lutetia City: Caer Manor Ruins

As written by Emperor Jester

The master of the house was alone in the family library, nursing a bottle of extremely old red wine mixed with blood from his "cattle cellar". Virginal, of course, and young, no older than fourteen if the Caer had to fathom a guess. It was the last of the blood the girl had had in her before Nox had decided to add her to his growing number of spawn. A very rare vintage indeed. The scent of their master bleeding such a succulent young sow had brought curiosity and gluttony out in his demonic servants, though Nox hated to be interrupted, so they had scattered in his wake.

However, Nox as well as his spawn all started at the creaking protest of the front gate. With a growl, the patron would rise from his chair, spilling his drink in the process. With a curse, and without a second of hesitation, Nox would give his horde a single, telepathic command.

"Bring them to me! This instant! Bleeding and screaming if you have to, but ALIVE!" His voice would roar simultaneously into the enslaved, semi-feral minds of his collected host. And out of the house, and onto the grounds surrounding them they would spread, keeping to the shadows, the tall grass patches, the rubble piles, waiting for a glimpse at who would dare to disturb their beloved Father...
 
As written by Script

Jamie stopped in the middle of the pathway, his ears picking up the quiet footfalls of the spawn as they crept out of the house. "Hmm?" he mused aloud, tilting his head. After a moment, he smiled - a seemingly genuine, innocently sweet smile.

"Oh, hello. You must be the staff."

The young vampire removed his hands from his pockets and stretched, rocking back on his heels. "That's good. I was hoping for a warm up."

He paused, waiting.

One... two...

The first of the spawn broke from the overgrown grass, darting towards him at inhuman speeds. Its claws slashed down to try and latch onto his arm, but as they fell, he was already behind it. Jamie drove his hand into its back and out through its chest with a single strike, spraying ichor outwards as he pulled the creature's heart out and cast it aside.

Grim-scented, viscous liquid ran down his palm from where vicious claws had formed in place of his fingers. And then the rest of the creatures fell on him, driven into a frenzy at the sight of their kin's blood.

They were fast, but he was faster, and stronger. They tried to catch him off guard, but every time, he heard them coming. He snapped necks and shattered limbs, weaving through the creatures like a whirlwind. Their grotesquely long limbs proved more difficult to evade than a normal human's strikes. But more difficult than a walk in the park was still merely a jog.

Beset by five opponents at once, he wasn't to emerge entirely unscathed. He wasn't untouchable. As he was driving his foot through the knee of one of the spawn, another leaped at him from behind, and he hadn't a chance to move aside. It dug its claws in deep, and bit down on his flesh.

He hissed, driving his elbow back into the creature's chest, cracking several ribs. After a few moments of contending with its grip, he tore it free, slamming it into the stone of the pathway. Blood dripped from his shoulder and arm where it had latched on, his top shredded. But the wounds were already closing.

"Sloppy." Jamie frowned, surveying the broken forms of the six spawn that had assaulted him, before looking up at the house.

"I'm sorry. I think I broke them. I'll come quietly, now. I just wanted to see what they were like," he called out as though he knew that Nox would be able to hear. After all, he'd heard the gate.
 
As written by Emperor Jester

He was intrigued, that was for sure. This intruder was unlike Perilous. For one, they were already dead. They could also toe-to-toe a handful of his children, even if they were the lowest wrung of creature he could create. They were fierce, with plenty of combat experience. Yet, still, for them to barge onto his land, attack his family, despoil the soil which his father had once walked upon. Fool.

Leave him be. Let him into the house. I will deal with him myself. The rest of you, stay out of my way and help your sisters back inside. Patch them up if you can. He told them all this as he put on his iconic, brilliant white leather duster, still as immaculate as always, making his way outside from the upper floor. It would take him some time, at his leisurely pace, and Nox would probably reach the front door by the time Jamie was taking his first step onto the porch-patio.

Without waiting to see, a single, swift boot kick would send the heavy, ancient wooden doors from their fastens, flying with lethal speed towards the main path from the gate. "Consider that my invitation." He'd call out with a laugh, voice rich and mocking.
 
As written by Script

Jamie ducked. Fortunately for him, he'd remained in place on the pathway rather than advance towards the door. And so when the door came sailing towards him, he had time to react. A swift sidestep combined with the duck took him out of the makeshift projectile's path, and he straightened back up to his full height - still diminutive, compared to Nox - with his hands stuffed back into his pockets, turning to face the Caer.

He smiled.

"You must be him. I'm glad. I didn't know if you'd be here or not."

Jamie stepped forwards towards the house, "That shows you're not afraid. All the houses in the city and beyond out for your blood, but you sit in your home without a care."

He stopped at the foot of the steps leading up to the porch. "They say your family were the strongest. I want to see it firsthand." He paused, smiling almost bashfully, "If you don't kill me, then I'm sure I can be useful to you. But I want to fight you, first. I want to see."
 
As written by Emperor Jester

"Mmhmm? Is that so?" After taking the trouble to put on his coat, there was only one way to respond: taking it off. He'd hang it over a porch banister before untying and kicking off his shoes, unbuttoning his shirt, removing his belt. It was a ritual. Your nice clothes weren't meant to get ruined in a fight. He'd even go so far as to mock the youthful vampire by stretching, as if he needed to. "I must admit. You have a lot of courage, doing what you've done. Saying what you've said. I think I might actually remember you."

His eyes would flash blue, and in the span of time it took one to blink or sneeze, Nox had cleared the approximate fifty feet of distance between the two of them, a single, open palmed strike aimed towards Jamie's solar plexus coming in impossibly fast, a half-hiss half-roar spilling forth from the Caer's lips.
 
As written by Script

He was fast. Faster than Jamie was, by a bit.

And there weren't many - vampire or not - who could claim that.

But he wasn't going down without a fight.

Jamie brought his own hand up to meet Nox's, slamming it forwards. The two met, and Jamie shot backwards, propelling himself away with his own push and absorbing most of the force into his arm.

He landed, skidding on his feet, aware that despite hardening the arm before impact that the bones were fractured. That was okay, though. They would heal in a few moments.

Jamie was fairly certain that had been a strike intended to end the fight before it started. That meant a moment of surprise whilst the Caer registered that he hadn't dropped. An opportunity.

Before the momentum of his skid had faded, the younger vampire shot forwards, coming very close to matching Nox's burst of speed as he went on the offensive. He dashed past the Caer, ducking under what he anticipated would be an attempted clothesline before darting up to strike at his back. His unharmed hand, once again already hardened and morphed into claws, was driven towards the larger man's heart.

After all, if he could kill the Caer, then it wasn't worth serving him. He didn't anticipate success. He merely hoped to make a good impression.

And survive.
 
As written by Emperor Jester

This boy was good, no, better than good, he was extremely gifted. He'd been fighting for a long time, and learned the hard way through countless scraps and brawls. He even had potential to become something much greater. Nox was indeed impressed.

But hardly fazed.

Street fights were nothing compared to war. A war with an entire city. Not to mention nearly four hundred years of being trained, constantly, to be a terrible killing machine, death given cold flesh.

Weaving around the attack, Nox would bring his elbow downward, aiming for the youth's forehead.

But this would only be a feint, the real surprise coming from below. Snapping his own bones to twist them at impossible angles, Nox's heel would rocket upwards, launching a surprise, front kick.
 
As written by Script

Jamie swerved aside, away from the elbow, but the kick caught him. The snapping of bones had given him warning a fraction of a second too late. Hunched as he was, the heel caught him in the chest.

He was launched backwards, up the steps and onto the porch. At least three ribs broken. They'd mend quickly, but not as fast as a simple fracture. No matter. They didn't stop him fighting.

Jamie rolled back to his feet in a flash, snatching up a thick splinter of wood from the shattered door as he launched himself forwards again without pause. In the second step, he launched the splinter forwards for Nox's face like a makeshift javelin, but it was only intended as a distraction.

He stepped in for a quick strike, driving his fist in towards Nox's stomach. A lance that was part-claw, part-bone protruded a foot from the back of his hand like a blade, enough to run the Caer through if the punch landed.

If given the chance, Jamie wouldn't stop, wrenching the blade free and darting away again before Nox could strike back, moving past him back into the open yard.
 
As written by Emperor Jester

The javelin was simple enough to swat to the side, but the arm-turned-spear was another matter all together. Too bad for Jamie that was exactly what Nox had wanted to happen. The head shot would've been a killing blow to any other creature, which showed Nox that his junior was taking this very seriously. But the next attack was something the type of mistake that ended so many inexperienced church-warriors lives during the first Caer Skirmishes.

A body blow to non-vital organs. Or at least, non-vital to a Caer.

Nox would grab his arm, keeping him in one place. It had surprised him how fast Jamie was. Almost as fast as him! What a shock. However, from their blows alone, he knew he had an advantage like this. Up close, where all his raw power could be unleashed.

Even if the foe managed to get his arm free, Nox had planned it to be just enough time. Whipping his head back as fast as he could, only to slightshot it forward again, a single, well placed headbutt aimed towards his opponents shoulder blade, the very same arm he'd been favoring in his attack.

Nox was sure he wouldn't be able to weave out of this one, but who knew? The boy had already surprised him twice.
 
As written by Script

The headbutt was telegraphed, but Jamie was held fast. Not enough time.

Crunch.

The bone broke, shattered and dislocated all at once. But not before delivering another surprise. In the moments before Nox's headbutt struck, a spike of bone had jutted upwards from the shoulder. Not fully formed enough to be deadly, but enough to make it an unpleasant experience.

He hissed, pain radiating from his arm in pulses that were almost crippling. Almost.

His free hand struck forwards at the Caer's chest, clawed and aimed for the heart, hoping that the headbutt had left him reeling enough to let his guard down. A futile effort, no doubt, but he had few options. He couldn't move away. His other arm hung useless, slowly repairing itself - the bone was crushed, it would take more than a few minutes to be functional again.

And yet, he was grinning.

It seemed as though he was actually enjoying this.
 
As written by Emperor Jester

Nox too had a wild look in his eyes, though he hadn't relented in the slightest. Even the spike hadn't slowed the monster down, no, it only seemed to drive him to even greater violence.

"Show me more!!"

Another palm-heavy strike, this one coming straight down on the same spot his forehead had moments before.

"Give me more pain!!!"

The Caer's eyes had become swirling voids of shining blue, deadlights of a monster thought extinct by most of the city, an ancient, irrefutable evil monster. There was no better word for it. Another strike, this one raking claws.

And another, and another, a flurry of ice cold claws in the night. Laughter, harsh and echoing with dark humor, for even as Nox released Jamie from his old, the assault would not relent. Elbows, knees, claws, fangs, fists, grapples and throws, Nox became a whirlwind of savage intent, all the while screaming a simple word:

"MORE!"

Before a final boot, aimed square at Jamie's face would attempt to send flying in the air towards the east wall of the ancestral Caer home.
 
As written by Script

Like a ragdoll, Jamie slammed into the wall of the building. Blood ran from multiple injuries across his body, bones jutted at odd angles where limbs had snapped under the assault. He spat blood.

And then he pushed himself up. His mangled arm hung uselessly at his side, but using his other arm, he pushed himself first to his knees, and then - supporting himself shakily on the wall - to his feet.

He wasn't grinning, not any more, but his eyes still held the same fire.

"Definitely..."

The word was practically a whisper, his voice weak after one of his lungs had collapsed.

"Definitely stronger than him. You're ... on another level."

And then he laughed. It wasn't a mocking laugh, or even a mad one. It was pure, excited and gleeful.

"Incredible. You're the one that's deserving. Fuck Sylvestre. They're nothing to... to this."

Jamie straightened slightly as more of his injuries healed, the sound of bones readjusting rhythmic in the air. He fixed Nox with a level stare, his eyes bright in the darkness.

"So, do I die now?"
 
As written by Emperor Jester

Nox had been strolling towards his prey, a hungry look in his eyes until those two magic words were spat out from between broken teeth and mouthfuls of blood.

Oh how did they make him purr with excitement. Slowly, Nox's shoulders would relax, the light in his eyes dying, replaced by a light of a different sort: affection.

Three surprises. That was more than enough to make the Caer Patron take notice of the lad.

"No. No, no, no. You don't get to die yet." Instead, pausing before the broken kindred before him, Nox would extend a hand, with no malice behind it what so ever, remaining eerily silent, waiting for the boy to react.
 
As written by Script

"That's good."

Jamie watched the hand, and Nox's eyes, for a long moment before he took it. The faded hostility didn't escape his notice. He was good at reading people, but it would be foolish to expect a Caer to show the same tells as a normal person. Similar, perhaps. But unpredictable.

"You deserve me more than they do. It would be a waste, dying for them."
 
As written by Emperor Jester

"I couldn't have chosen better words myself." Nox's grip would be strong, though if he caused any pain it was purely accidental. He'd even help the boy stand easier if he could, his smile never fading.

"You're smart to realize how weak the are. They are old, and far too stuck in their ways, afraid to take what their birthright from the mortals of this city. We deserve to rule them, to break them, to make them kneel and weep in fear of our rule. Don't you think so, young...?"

He'd wait for Jamie's name to be publicly given, keeping an eye on the boy. This was all a test of sorts. Nox would be stupid to trust the boy, especially now, after he admitted his supposedly now abandoned allegiances. He was old, even among their kind, and knew to be suspicious of a supposed ally who not only previously served his most hated enemies, but whom Nox had also kicked the stuffing out of not minutes before hand.
 
As written by Script

"Jamie Évariste."

Évariste was a name that Nox would no doubt have heard before. They had been a powerful and influential house for centuries, alongside Sylvestre. They ruled over the city of Isarthè, west of Lutetia City - though they owed their loyalties to House Sylvestre on a regional scale. The two houses had never gotten along smoothly, but neither had there ever been open conflict between them.

As a bloodline, Évariste was powerful. What they lacked in the manipulative mental powers of other vampires, they made up for with their enhanced physical ability, potent senses and shapechanging capabilities. Évariste vampires were feared for their strength and skill in battle - a reputation they took care to cultivate. Their number were raised from birth and turned once they reached an acceptable level physical maturity, supposedly all the while being trained not just to survive, but to kill.

"I'm not so interested in ruling. It seems like it would be boring, and time consuming. But if that's what you want, I'll help make it happen."
 
As written by Emperor Jester

"Well spoken. For now, lets go inside and talk. I'll have you meet my daughter and my housemaid. I would prefer it if you didn't murder anymore of my children." Nox would move past him, towards his ruined door. He'd have to give Perilous money to replace that, but that was a simple enough task for such a resourceful girl.

"When I finally have my heirs, perhaps I'll let you be their trainer, Jamie. You are a pride to your House, and you'll be a pride to my new empire."

Nox would have to keep an eye on him. Évariste and Sylvestre had never seen eye to eye, but centuries of partnership and sworn oaths were not easily forgotten by immortal races. Warriors and assassins from Évariste had been seen in the vanguard when his home had been attacked from all sides. This very home. Fifty years ago. That was something Nox would never forget. Not just Jamie's house, but all of them. Each and every family.

Every single one! Would pay! For taking his family away from him!

"Come! We'll get you some nicer clothes, get you patched up, maybe a bite to eat from my cellar."
 
As written by Script

Taking a moment to stretch, ensuring that aside from his still recovering shoulder, the rest of his body was largely operational, Jamie followed after Nox. He glanced down at himself as he walked. His jacket and tee hung in tatters over his pale body, his jeans torn in several places. Everything was thoroughly bloodstained. Yes, new clothes were in order. He'd be surprised if the giant had anything in his size, mind.

"Am I the only one who's shown up, here?" he inquired. "I wouldn't be surprised. There's an order for your head, but they're all too afraid to try and fulfill it."
 
As written by Knosis

Noemi leaned against the wall, her eyes closed as she had listened in on the fight. She looked almost like a statue that had been molded into the wall for aesthetic reasons, with one of the dresses Nox had had tailored for her. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever worn, yet she felt like a bear stuffed inside a tutu.

As the two vampires entered the manor, she opened her ice blue eyes in minor disappointment and relief. She had half hoped this assailant would have out done Nox and killed him. The other half of her hoped that he would fail. If anyone were to kill Nox, it would be by her own two hands. Still, perhaps this new vampire would prove useful to her in the end. She raised her gaze up to the pair slowly, pure hatred for the man who deemed himself her father clear upon her visage.

"Hello." She greeted stiffly.
 
As written by Emperor Jester

"Oh, I'm sure not all of them are scared. I was in another scrap the other night, though he wasn't after my head. And speak of the devil!" Nox would exclaim, slapping Jaime on the back as he beheld his lovely daughter. "Just when I thought you'd never come out of your room. We have a new ally, daughter. Jamie Évariste, meet my lovely young daughter Noemi. Shes rather new to our life style, but she'll adapt to it in time."

He'd move off to the side of the great entrance hall, putting his cloths back on until his was prim and proper once more. "Once Perilous returns, I'll send her out with your measurements. What sort of clothes do you like, Jamie? I'm sure we can have something made quite easily."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top