Author: Naota, Posted: Wed Aug 3, 2016 7:04 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

He laughed, an oddly happy sound considering what they had just finished, “I wouldn’t worry so much about suitors breaking down your door.  I know you know as well as I do that there are far more interesting things than that.  Besides, when the right one comes along you’ll forget about anyone else’s lineup.”
 
His eyebrows rose at the knowledge of a good place to rest for a while.  Truth be told he was happier to hear that it would be an actual establishment.  It wasn’t that he didn’t like being surrounded by nature, but after a hunt he preferred to either be completely alone…or in an actual building.  And here he would have the ease of being able to get food and drink by purchase instead of hunting.  With her guide, he moved onto her Nightmare behind her, careful of his arms on her waist. 
 
As the mare took off though, he wrapped them tighter; not having anticipated such immediate speed.  It was a very different feeling than what he was used to.  With sprinting and even teleporting he was in complete control and his body would naturally brace, but this was so different.  He liked it…In fact, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d gone anywhere on horseback.  The smell of food wafted into his nostrils and he was suddenly aware of how little he had eaten that day.  He laughed at her offer, looking up to appraise the tavern and its attached inn, “I appreciate the offer, but I shouldn’t need a room.  A good time to sit, drink, and recuperate will be more than enough.”
 
Careful of their placement, he moved his arms from around her and teleported from the back of her mare; not wanting to distress the creature with what would most definitely have been a less than graceful dismount.  

Author: Echo-Rose, Posted: Mon Aug 1, 2016 12:19 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

She rolled her eyes at him. “Thank you for saying I’m flat like an oar.” She chuckled at him and blushed as he said she was lovely. “Sure, lovely that’s why I have suitors all the way around the mountain waiting for me.” She was full of sarcasm and spunk today as they talked. 

She blushed a bit and laughed. “They normally give long names to duchesses and the like.” She looked up with him at the position of the sun and had an idea about where they could go. She spoke about Brynn and seemed happy with his respond. “I would like to think so.” She chuckled at him and listened to him.

“Oh? Is there not?” She got up on the saddle before pulling him up with her. “There is a little tavern and inn not far from here. It’s set up as a traveler’s waypoint.” She settled his hands around her waist. “Hold on, Brynn is fast.” 

Brynn was like lightning as they traveled across the ruins and towards the forest. It really wasn’t that far away as they rode up on the tavern. It was quite busy as smoke came up from the chimney. “Dinner is on me but we will most likely have to share a room if we have to stay. It will be fine though I’m not shy.”

Author: Naota, Posted: Mon Aug 1, 2016 12:01 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

He chuckled as he watched her fret about her size. “Don’t worry young miss.  I’m sure if for some reason we were ever lost at sea, you’d make a promising oar.”  Of course he was teasing her and his smile showed it, “Though seriously, you should be proud of what you have.  Though you may be lacking in what others have, it’s clear that you are a lovely young woman.” With a gentle pat to the mare’s neck, he stepped back and removed his belt from his pants, using it instead to wrap around his own bundle of maps so that they would stay safe during travel.  Normally the job would be done by now, but this particular hire was turning into a small quest.
 
Her name was impressive and his fingers slowed and his eyebrows rose as she gave her full namesake. “Quite a mouthful.  Unfortunately, two is where my name ends.”  His eyes lifted up to the sky, taking in the position of the sun.  It was passed midday by now but the heat was still prominent against the back of his neck.  There was still a good deal of work and travel ahead of them, and even though they would need to split off to go their different ways, there were still things they needed to discuss with this case before doing so.
 
“Well with you as her guardian I’m sure she’ll get nothing less.”  He looked back down at her from the sky, a reassuring smile on his face, “For now though, I think it would be best if we found a place to recuperate.  Food, drink, a nice grove of shade if possible though I know that there aren’t any establishments within immediate distance.  What say you?” It wouldn’t surprise him if her mare could withstand heat, given her mane, but they’d just come from a quick paced battle.  If nothing else they’d need water and shade.

Author: Echo-Rose, Posted: Mon Aug 1, 2016 11:43 AM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

Echo blushed a bit more and laughed. “I would like at least one.” She looked away from him. “Men that tend to go after Rosenites look for ass and breasts… sadly I’m lacking.” She put her hands on her breasts and frowned a bit in his direction before laughing.

Once she introduced him to Brynn she watched his eyes light up. Nightmares were incredible creatures and were well loved in the Rosenite community. She helped him pet her horse and smiled when he finally did it. “Aye, they are the national horse of Arri. We breed them for the rest of Revaliir though they might be bred elsewhere too.”

She chuckled at his name. “My name is much longer but I should introduce myself as well.” She gave a smiled as she cleared her throat. “I was given the name Echo-Rose Ellisiana La Reine Victoria. La Rein and Victoria are my parents last names. Ellisiana was given to me by Willow and Echo-Rose was given to me by Lily.”

She chuckled a bit more. “We live in a manor where we help breed Nightmares. I got pick of the litter so to speak. I chose Brynn, she is going to be bred soon as well. I would like to pair her with a nice stallion. She deserves it for all the work she does.”

Author: Naota, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 11:34 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

He chuckled softly, “Don’t envy them, after all, I’m sure it’s irritating for them to have so many suitors.  Not all men and women are pleasant.  I’ve heard enough horror stories of that.”.  Seeing as there would be no one here to tend the fires, he brought earth up from the ground to smother out the embers before going with her through the portal; his fingers curling gently around hers for stability.  When they made it out the other side he was happy to see that what he’d thought had been true: the sun had finished them off.  If any others made it here before they could get a patrol started then with any luck it would drive them away.  Of course, that would only leave them to scatter…at least it would be random, they’d be easier to hunt down, and it’d be even easier to pick out the good from the bad based on how they would react.
 
When he saw the Nightmare his lips parted and his eyes widened with awe.  He’d heard of this breed but had never actually been so close to one.  As a child he’d dreamed about having one of his own, travelling the world with one…but that was many years ago when he couldn’t even see over the kitchen counter.  She brought his hand closer to the flaming mane and he nearly drew his hand back before realizing that she’d made sure he wouldn’t be burned.  It was interesting, feeling fire but not being burned by it, especially when it wasn’t being maneuvered by himself.  A youthful smile spread as he moved his hand more comfortably.

“She’s beautiful is what she is.”  He looked over at her, keeping his hand on her dark fur even as Echo moved her hand from his.  It was then that he realized he’d failed to even introduce himself as of yet, “My name is Naota Uharu.  And you’re right: Ataiyo is lovely this time of year.  With any luck I’ll be able to go back there for more than a day before the season is up.”

Author: Echo-Rose, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 11:18 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

The corset was still not as snug as it should have been against her. She knew she was real petite compared to most women, she wondered if it had anything to do with what her mother had done to her as a girl but she decided against saying anything. “That doesn’t shock me. Many of Angela’s daughters are very beautiful. I would kill to attract men like they do but sadly most men want curves and.. well more developed bodies than mine.”

She smiled over at him as he took her hair back over her shoulders. “I’ve always wanted to go to Ataiyo but duties over here have always kept me from going.” She gave a smile. “I’ve hear Nisshoki is beautiful, especially this time of the year.” Not that anything was nearly as beautiful as Sularia was.

“My mother and father were put in an arranged marriage to become the most powerful mage family the Yellow Court had. It had little to do with if they liked each other, hell Father says they barely liked each other enough to conceive me.” She was one step ahead of him as she pulled him through the portal into the less than cool air. “It’s muggy out here.” She sighed a bit as she smiled up at him.

She whistled and Brynn came over. “Nightmares are what Sularia breeds. This is Brynn, she is the fastest Nightmare in all of the Yellow Court. I’ve trained with her since I was real young. Nightmares live a long time.” She pet the Nightmare’s mane and even took Naota’s hand. At first the horse’s mane was real hot but at Echo’s command the heat died down and he was able to pet her. “She is a real skiddish mare.” A blush came to Echo’s cheeks finally as she let his hand go.

Author: Naota, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 11:09 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

That was something he couldn’t argue: everything felt nice when compared to the desert heat.  If there hadn’t been so many lit fires around them then it would have been even colder…something he was hoping for now.  It didn’t take much to get him hot lately, but he certainly wasn’t going to take anything off like he would have had he been alone.  He rose up from his kneel and gently brushed her white hair over one of her shoulders, careful not to scratch.  There were so many scars, some faded and some fresh.  The bites from earlier were still red on her arms, even under bandaging, and he was urged to touch them, heal them, but he refrained from doing so.
 
Instead he gently but tightly laced up the corset.  Even if it was the smallest thing she could find, she was still so slight that he knew there was no way it could get tightened enough to hurt her.  At least it wouldn’t slip off. “As a matter of fact I do know that family.  Without going into too much detail, I was close to one of Angela’s daughters.  That started many decades ago and our lives have branched in different directions since then.”

He gently smoothed her hair back from her shoulder so that it hung down her back and took a good step away from her. “I’m from Ataiyo, my family’s main house is just outside of Nisshoki.”  As he spoke, he moved closer to the portal but paused just at the edge of it, “I’ve personally never been a fan of arranged marriage…sometimes they work themselves out into happiness.” He turned his head, looking back at her, “We should step through, get out of this place.”

Author: Echo-Rose, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 10:58 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

Echo tilted her head. “I’m from the desert, everything out here feels cool to me.” She chuckled at him as she nodded and tossed her tattered shirt. She looked around with him and found a corset. “This might have to do… Everything else is much larger.” It was nice that the air was light now between the two of them.

She held up the corset to her chest and looked back at him. “Can you? You might have to move my hair.” After he helped her she got really curious, acting her age really. “You know an awfully lot about the Rose family, do you know them?” She never ran into outsiders who knew about the royal family. 

After he tied the corset for her she turned around and took a good look at him. “Are you from this continent or the next? You know where I am from obviously.” She put strands of her white hair behind her elven ears and took another long look at his softened green eyes, her wild amber were always so warm even if she was upset or angry. 

“They never did like how she did things with me. In a way, I suppose Lady Lily spends everyday trying to make up for letting it happen. She is my godmother after all, another tradition. My father is an even bigger mess about it. He really does love me, but he is rather gentle. He wouldn’t have known how to handle my mother. He didn’t even want to marry her, it was a political marriage.”

Author: Naota, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 10:48 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

His eyes saddened as she spoke about her mother and father.  His own parents had been strict, but he’d never heard such horrible things from them.  No matter how many times he fell, they always made sure he was able to stand back up.  As a child he hadn’t realized that, but hindsight was always crystal clear.  And no matter what he knew that they’d always loved him.  Even after finding out that they’d hidden the truth of where he’d come from, that he wasn’t truly blood related to them…they loved him.  As angry as he was about the fact they’d hidden something so big, their love had never been lacking.  Right now he didn’t even care that she was topless, he looked over at her, the green of his eyes softening as he took her in much differently now.

This was a young woman who took those acid laced words and turned them to armor.  No, more than that, she tipped her weapons with those words.  It was admirable.  Every psychologically abused child should be so lucky.  Maybe it was time for the serious buzz in the air to go down, “I’m sure it feels much cooler against your skin, but it might be best for us to find something to wrap you up in.”  He smiled, “There are plenty of tents, though they’d swallow those thin limbs whole.”  He chuckled and moved over to one of the unexplored tents, stepping in just enough to see if there was anything in here that could be worn.

Author: Echo-Rose, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 10:34 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

Echo was quick to notice his blush and took time to torment him. “Oh please, have you never seen breasts before? They work like this.” She smacked the map out of his hands and took his hands so he was groping her. “No big deal. Jeesh for someone who can attack vampires like nothing you sure are squeamish around breasts.”

Letting his hands go she took back up her maps and left with him. “The extra bodies will be called for don’t worry. I wouldn’t hack and slash just anyone but they would attack the patrols if they were dangerous.” She reminded him.

She moved through the catacombs and looked around a bit more. “Expendable might not be a liked term but Mother lived and died by it. She got caught in an ambush outside in the desert. I’ve never seen my father so happy before. To be as miserable as we were with her to think her death would bring happiness? She was still my mother but the danger she has done is not something that can be forgiven. Expendable is what she makes me think I am and I’ve yet to break the vicious cycle of hate towards myself.”

Taking a moment she calmed her. “You aren’t good enough. We should just have another child she’s worthless. She can’t hold her posture right. She let too many demons bite her this time. She might as well be dead or damned. How can she be our heir? Those are things I’ve lived with my whole life. Things my mother had drilled into me as soon as I could walk. Years of damage that my father tries to undo with all of his might, but he can’t. No one can.”

Author: Naota, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 10:25 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

It was then that he noticed one minor detail. “I’d hardly call those minor.”  Blood rushed into his cheeks from Minasé’s words and he dropped the maps, all but one, and opened it quickly to cover her bare torso.  How had he not noticed she was topless?!  Was he that focused on work?  Maybe he really did have a problem.  Embarrassed lips silently moved, but quickly, trying to find the right words to say, “Y-Yes, well.  That many extra bodies on patrol would definitely be a great help to start.  Though I still don’t think we should hack and slash any of them that make their way here.  Some could be innocent…these were not.”
 
Being sure to keep his eyes up and away, he knelt back down and gathered up the fallen maps before moving out of the tent.  For now she needed bandaged and they would be wise to drop themselves through his still opened portal to the outside. “It would be best for you to send word to your employers, I’ll be sure to do the same with mine.  An underground migration of vampires is valuable information.”

Keeping his eyes out to the now empty pit, he recalled back to something she had said inside the tent and his eyes slowly lowered without him realizing it.  He didn’t like that word: expendable.  His focus remained on the ash and blood of their fallen foes, “Well, I don’t know your life or what you’ve been through, but that amount of talent and determination can be described by many words.  Expendable is not one of them.”

Author: Echo-Rose, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 10:04 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

“No, that’s not what I meant. My body is more so used as bait to draw them in. Holy water in the veins shortly before we fought normally keeps them grounded after they’ve ingested it. That’s just the way my mother’s family worked and that’s how she taught me. Though Lady Lily is trying other methods, she dislikes it as much as you do.” It was ingrained in her and would be a much harder thing for her to break.

She moved over to the maps and looked them over. “It’s a lot worse than what was described to us. If we need a patrol that can be arranged easily enough. I can have a squadron ready in less than thirty minutes if we really needed it.” She was thoughtful as she watched over the maps. “Or, we could simply lure them here. It depends on the quickest way to do it. They might not even come the way the map says if they hear about this little fiasco.”

She took the scrolls offered to her and smiled. “No, Echo-Rose is my first name. I’m under the Rose family as a Duchess nothing more nothing less. I’m not nearly as important as they are. To put it like my mother has several times, we’re expendable. My family is a combination of two high ranking mage families. My father is from an elven line and my mother a Rosenite one. No relation to the Roses. Lily Rose did name me though, as is tradition.”

Author: Naota, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:56 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

He knelt next to a piling of cloth and pillows used for bedding and slid his hand under, finding tools and papers, but his eyes brightened at the familiar feel of leather.  Hopefully it was something personal, with any luck a log of some sort.  His eyes narrowed in thought as he opened it and leafed through, slowly, thankful that it was written in common, “Your bite marks prove otherwise: they can’t bite you if they can’t touch you.”  His tone was soft, drawn out in thought as he tried to make heads or tales of what was here.  It mainly seemed like gibberish, scattered thoughts.  While it could very well make for an interesting read, right now it did little to help them.  Still, he pushed it into his belt strap and stood back up, moving out of this tent and into another one.
 
This area was much more helpful: maps were splayed on nearly every surface, making it feel even more cramped than a tent already did.  Each one had different colored markings on it and he sat on his knees in front of one spread, “In the past I’ve found it easier to kill first and puzzle later.  They were hungry, anything they might have said could be comparable to the ramblings of a mad man.  And I’m not about to feed one for information when we’d just kill them later anyhow.”
 
He arched an eyebrow, looking over his shoulder and up at her, “Sularia?”  He searched her eyes, but they didn’t have the familiar green and red of Angela’s descendants, well, her direct ones at least.  His attention was brought back to the map and he traced a fingertip down one blue colored line.  All of them led to a central point: the ruins. “Multiple starting points.  This was going to become a hub.  There weren’t nearly enough of them to justify how many lines are on this map alone.”   He shook his head, “This isn’t a job for one, it’s a job for many.  This area will most likely need a constant patrol.  If anything we can take these and follow them to their starting points, find anyone that has yet to make the move to the ruins.”  
 
For just a moment he hesitated, his voice lowering in volume despite himself, “Some of them may not be dangerous.  All the more reason to have more than two individuals working on this.  For all we know there could already be other people hired.”   He rolled the map up on itself and started to do the same with the others, “In any case, this is a place to start.”

As he stood up he held the scrolls under his arm, offering some of them to her with a light smirk, “A Rose and from Sularia?  Hard not to think you have a familial connection to that family.”

Author: Echo-Rose, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:43 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

Echo rolled her eyes a bit as she noticed they were done. “I didn’t need to. After all the training my mother has given me and the trouble I’ve been through, I don’t need to ward myself as much as I do others. It’s what I was raised for. Duty before health or so she would say.” Echo began to take off her shirt, there were so many other marks like those on her. Claw marks, bite marks, there were so many that dotted her flesh. “None have killed me yet.. Ever since she started throwing me in those pits when I was a girl. It started off as terrifying but.. you get so use to it that the pain isn’t there.”

She began to bandage herself up and followed him around. “We should have kept one alive but we weren’t thinking.” She mused softly as she picked up letters and notes. “They were plundering near by villages, my guess?” She put her shirt over her bare shoulder. “They belonged everywhere and no where at all. Probably came over from Kurayo. They’ve been making trouble up the Adeluna Coast, I would image that’s where they ported in at. Not completely unheard of.”

She threw the book down and stared at Naota. “Who hired you? I didn't see him because he technically went through Sularian officials for it. I just got hired on as being capable to do it by myself. Less man power that way Lady Lily figured." She frowned for a moment. "My name is Echo-Rose, not to be confused with the Rose family."

Author: Naota, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:33 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

He sighed, recognizing this stubborn attitude: she was young.  There were many a young hunter he’d come across over the years, he himself had even been one of them, eventually that streak would run out.  Rather than answer her he continued on with his own work.  Her raw talent was there, but her emotion needed better control.  He didn’t even flinch as a vampire came behind him, with the amount of wards he had on his body all it took was a hand on his shoulder and the creature burned up into ash.  He continued his slow walk, killing off each frozen vampire slowly and methodically until all of them were nothing more than a crumpled pile of their former selves.
 
The waves of attacks were reduced to a weak ripple, easy enough for even the greenest of hunters to take on.  Their attacks had been random, they were tired and underfed…it almost seemed cruel that they took advantage of their situation, but at least it was over quickly. “Ward yourself next time.  It keeps that,” he nodded to her fresh bite marks, “from happening.”  He quickly removed Torinasu from his hip and drew in the negative energy around them.  The gold sigils on the blade lit up with holy power and he dipped into a shallow crouch before lunging forward.  He teleported from spot to spot, slicing up their middles from crotch to scalp, back down, shoulder to hip, until the remaining of them were slain: their bodies hit the ground before their blood could.

“Now.  Let’s see where they came from.” With a flick of his wrist he lifted up the bodies and dropped them into the spiraling portal one at a time so that their remains would splatter to the ancient stones outside.  With any luck they’d be nothing more than burned stains in the sunlight by the time they were out.  He moved into one of the tents, rummaging through to find anything that would lead them to where they had originated from.

Author: Echo-Rose, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:17 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

Echo was rather annoyed at his words. “You don’t know me nor do you know my thought pattern.” He had no idea what her mother had put her through. She was trained for large groups, she was trained to take the pain no matter the cost… That was something Lily was still trying to get out of the young mage. She was the best mage in the yellow court and Lily did not want to waste the talent.

Her wild amber eyes watched as he gated light in. She held up her own hand and created sunlight in the room as if it were nothing. “For starters, this? This is nothing, I’m not being cocky and I’m not misjudging the situation. Until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes you know nothing about me.” Sure, she was a child probably to him but what she had been through, it made her much more than a mage it made her solider. 

He was distracting her as two vampires bit her on each of her arms. They began to burn on the inside out as she dropped the scythe and picked them up by the necks. “Holy water in the veins, I’m not that stupid.” She threw them away and re-summoned her holy dagger, going after one that was approaching Naota from the back. “Watch yourself.”

Author: Naota, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:09 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

Well if there was anyone incapable of this hunt, it certainly wasn’t him.  Not that he was doubtful of her abilities, he was just very confident of his own.  As she leapt into the pit he reached out towards her, eyes wide as he watched her land, thinking to himself, Not so impulsive!  More were upon her and her voice sounded in his head once more, having him realize he still hadn’t closed the connection.  Something about her mother…that definitely sounded personal and he instantly closed the channel and brought his own blocks back up.
 
Before too many more of them could swoop, he jumped down into the pit and sent out a paralyzing field: causing many of them to freeze but he knew it was only temporary.  He teleported forward, walking in between the halted bodies and touching the backs of their heads as went past.  As his fingers brushed their skin he sent out a ray of holy light into their skulls.  Each body twitched, their heads jerking back before life left them…each of them crumpled to the ground as he sent holy bursts through them, but that would only take care of the ones stopped by his field. “Don’t think hastily, think smart.”
 
The wards on his body illuminated, lining him with white lines and circles criss crossing down every inch of his skin.  For a moment he closed his eyes, centering himself for only but a second before opening them and opening a gate travel portal into the floor of the pit, the other side of which opened directly into the sunlight outside of the ruins.  “Save your energy and your strength for they surely won’t.”

Author: Echo-Rose, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 8:55 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

For a moment Echo was shocked but she shook her head. “Doesn’t surprise me that multiple people would be hired for this job. They might think one of us is incapable of doing it. I don’t know which but all I know is our court was hired for it and the job got handed to me.” She explained it lightly enough even though she was lightly annoyed. Was it because she was so young? She certainly wasn’t inexperienced.

His thoughts reached her mind and yet, she pushed her own. “Do not under estimate me.” She made the dagger of light disappear and the scythe reappeared. She ran ahead and jumped into the pit. She wasn’t scared, this was easy, this was too much like what her mother put her through growing up. She twitched as the thought had crossed everyone’s mind in the room, at least it had been sent to Naota. Her mother was a witch of a woman. “Never mind what you just heard.” She pushed it again as she got surrounded. “This is a large nest.” Never the less she swung the scythe as a conduit for the light magic that once again blew up in the room.

Those closet to her were light with holy fire. She hooked one’s neck with her scythe and swung into into the group knocking others down. “If we are going to fight the vampires we might as well do it together. Then we can question who the hell was the incapable lot that got over hired.”

Author: Naota, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 8:47 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

There was a metallic clang behind him to his left and he turned sharply just before a light lanky…someone, leapt on top of him.  His arms went out, gripping their thin shoulders as he looked up into large bright eyes.  Not a vampire.  Something about her smelled familiar but at the moment he couldn’t pinpoint it.  His mouth fell open, agape with surprise at her accusatory words. “I-I, me?!  You’re the one who-!”   But he couldn’t finish his sentence, unfortunately their light tumble had drawn the attention of one too many of the nearby vampires.
 
He recognized the holy light that she shot forth immediately and in that brief moment he was shocked.  Who was she?  She’d said she had been hired, but why?  How many people knew about this coven and wanted it exterminated?  That only cemented his actions more: they needed stopped.  With or without this girl here. “For your information, I also was hired here.”   Normally he would have tried to get her to leave, but her use in holy magick was, well, impressive to say the least.  It wasn’t often he came across others that were equipped specifically to take on this race, not unless they were part of his clan or the branch out of their organization.
 

“That being said, I can not just leave!”   His palms pressed together, drawing energy from his heart, his gut, up and down through his arms to build between his hands.  As he parted them, a thick beam of holy energy spiraled and snaked before he quickly held both hands out: shooting stream after stream of holy light towards each fang bared foe as they lunged.  So long as her mind would permit it, he attempted to push his thoughts into her head, “Stand back!  With the sun being high, I can send a good amount of them out into the rays!”

Author: Echo-Rose, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 8:32 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

Making her way down into the ruins was easy enough. She was elven and her steps were light and barely audible. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness as she began to plant mage lights around the wall using her abilities with magic. It would hopefully burn those who hated light like vampires. Her scythe was by her side faithfully as she climbed deeper into the ruins.

She found a hole in the ceiling to the lower levels and spotted a figure. She couldn’t tell what he was. She could only tell that by his figure, it was male. Taking her scythe she threw it into the darkness so it would cause a clinging noise against the darkness of the catacomb walls. After that she used her acrobatic skills to fling herself onto the man. She held him down, her rather fragile arms quite strong. Her wild amber eyes glared at him as she stared into his eyes. “God fucking damn it. You shouldn’t be here,” she didn’t yell as she sighed.

“There are vampires down here. You need to leave.” Her clanging about most likely had stirred the creatures around them. In a blast of strong holy light she gated them away to the upper floor. Screams came from below. “I only blinded them but you need to leave. I was hired to take care of them, no need to fear.” 

She was noble, her voice and the way she held herself spoke that much. A vampire jumped from the darkness as a bright holy blade was summoned to her side. She slammed into the skull of the vampire turning him to dust rather impressively. “You need to leave, I’ve riled them up because I mistook you for one of them.”

Author: Naota, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 8:24 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

The only thing he didn’t like about this job was the nature of his prey.  In that he wasn’t sure what their intentions were.  Though seeing as they were starting the rise of their home in the Ancense Ruins, it couldn’t be anything good.  Hardly anyone with good intentions travelled into the maze of tunnels.  At the same time, he knew there were many creatures in that dangerous darkness that would be happy to prey on the otherwise predators…which meant they’d have to be strong or foolish to take up residence.  Seeing as they’d been there long enough for rumor to get back to his clan, he was assuming it was more the former than the latter.
 
“And what are you going to do if they’re peaceful?” He kept his stride as he answered his daemon back in their shared mind, “It’s a bridge I’ll cross if it comes up.” There was a soft chuckle, “It seems to me that you’ve been saying that a lot more lately.  Is it your ‘morals’, or your haste?”  Now that he didn’t have an answer for.  Not one so cut and dry as what Minasé had laid out at least.  As the first curtain of ivy came into view he realized this was the furthest he could go on bare sight alone.  Even with his demonic eyes it wouldn’t be enough to cut through that consuming veil of darkness.  He could always manipulate the shadows, but that would still only do so much…best to stick to light, it’d cost him less energy and draw less attention.
 
A small orb of light pulled up from his hand and gently moved in a circle around his hand as he made his way in.  The golden bubble around him only permitted him enough sight to see about three feet in any direction, and so far all he saw was wall, wall, and more wall.  It was quiet, and vacant…unnaturally so.  Where was the growl of monsters unseen?  The quick skitter of claws against stone?  Something was keeping the otherwise dangerous inhabitants at bay, and that almost always pointed to something much higher in the food chain.  Vampires fit that description.
 
He brought his hand to his chest, lightly pressing and reactivating the wards that outlined all over his body.  It wasn’t a permanent protection against them, but it’d keep him safe from an ambush at the very least.  Just ahead he saw something you normally didn’t see here: a glow of light.  Signs of life.  He quickly let the light orbiting around his wrist go out as he drew closer, and was sure to envelop himself in invisibility. 

As he came upon them, he realized he was higher up, looking down into a vast pit filled with more treasure than he’d ever seen in one place.  More so than that were tents, fires, and…bones.  Some old, some still ripe with fresh decay.  Images of men and women being dragged here only to be fed upon like non-sentient animals flooded his head and immediately his mind was made up: this new vampire coven needed to be stopped.

Author: Echo-Rose, Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 8:01 PM, Post Subject: The Job [P/R]

“We have a job from Adeluna, apparently there is a vampire nest starting near the ruins. They want it eliminated and hired us to do it. I’m sending you because you are my most trusted. I still feel horribly about your parents Echo.” Lily frowned a bit as she watched the half elf.

Echo-Rose had long white hair, like snow, and was so petite and small. She was only five feet, most likely from her elven heritage. Her brown eyes hid any trace of being sorry except for her father. Most of her life so far had been horrid at home and now she owned it all. She wasn’t happy about it, that wasn’t her but it was like a light at the end of the tunnel.

“Take a horse and go to the ruins, you might be able to even gate there with it.” Those were Lily’s final words about the mission as the half elf left the room and found the stables with her Nightmare in it. She saddled it up and got on the horse. With her power she opened a portal near the mountains and went through.

She had never been to the ruins before on a job but she had heard stories. The blazing mare stood across the ground as it carried her to the ruins. Her stare was determined as she remembered that she lived to serve the Yellow Court. She was a duchess for a reason. She looked more like a wild princess as she arrived at the job. “Stay safe Brynn.” She got off and kissed the horse’s fiery mane.

A scythe appeared in her hand as she prepared herself to enter the catacombs and eliminate the threat. It would bring her family more honor, she was sure, but it wasn’t her favorite thing to do. She led her house now and it meant she had to do things she hated every once in a while. Echo-Rose didn't bother to tie the Nightmare up just in case it needed to protect herself.