A/N: Huh? November? It's…it's November? What? Huh? WHAT!? Oopsies. I'm more upset we didn't publish a Halloween chapter more than anything else…Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also Juliet.
The door to Sirius's house flung open, and he walked in, covered in blood and mud, "I'm taking a shower…" He muttered.
"Huh? Oh, alright babe. I'll come up in a few minutes." He heard her call back. As he went upstairs and got into the shower, he rinsed off the initial layers of mud and blood, finally feeling somewhat clean. The door opened and Juliet walked in, taking her things off and joining him in the shower.
"Hey." She smiled, combing her fingers through his wet hair to get it off of his face.
"Hey…" He said, "There's uh…probably a lot of dirt and shit on the ground…"
"That's alright." She looked down, "You were out at work, I get it."
"Yeah…" He looked down too, but not to observe the dirt or his surroundings. "So how have you been feeling?"
"I'm good. I'm doing good." She looked a little worried, "Are you alright?"
"Uh…yeah…" He gave her a hug, holding her close.
She closed her eyes, "Hey, it's okay." She kissed the side of his neck, "What's up?"
With all the water running, it was easy to mistake it for the shower. Although one stream of water was tears from his eye. He sniffed and squeezed her tighter.
She held onto him closely, "It's okay. You can cry, it's just me, baby."
He took a shaky breath, "Natalia…Natalia's back…she's in the city…"
"Your…your sire?" She asked, now looking worried, "What? How'd she…does she know where we are?"
"No…no one's ever gonna know where I live. I ain't changing that…"
"Okay…good." She gave a relieved sigh, "What did she say to you? What did she do? What does she want?"
"She wants me back by her side, so we can find Kemintiri and take over the world together…" He sighed, "She's…she's scary powerful…jeez…it's been a long time since I've seen her fight…but…she's brutal…she could take out the Camarilla…"
"You're…not joining her, right?"
"No." He said, "She wasn't happy to hear that…"
"Well, that sucks for her…"
"Sucks for all of us too." He said, "Any damage she causes to the Kindred of this city, and casualties, it's my fault. Cause I'm not able to stop her. Well, I'm gonna have to put an end to that…"
"It's not all your fault. She's not just here for you, right?"
"No…but…me being here probably works out for her just great…" He said, "Tomorrow, I'm gonna try to kill her again…"
"Just…be careful, alright? Bring a buddy. Don't do this alone."
His eye darted around, "Oh yeah…another thing…might be gone for a month or two…"
"…oh yeah?" She started lathering his hair with shampoo for him.
He nodded, "They want me in New York…I…I'll try to make it as quick as possible…but, you should be safe here…"
She seemed a little upset, but she masked it. "Alright. I get it. You think you'll be able to call me whenever you get the chance?"
"I'll try…I mean…it's some pretty hard shit we're in…I'll see if I can find the time…"
"I understand." She kissed him, "We're gonna have to have some pretty hot sex if you want me to remember you well in case you die out there."
"I ain't gonna die out there, remember?" He smiled, "I'm never gonna die."
"I know. Put your heart in the jar, alright?"
"Eh…I don't know…"
"Ugh. Then for god's sake, be careful."
"I will." He squeezed her, "You think I would leave you and the kids alone?"
"I know you wouldn't mean to." She held him back, "But you never know what the hell is gonna happen that's out of your control."
"I know." He kissed her lips, "I'm sorry." He said, "I love you, and I hate putting you through shit like this…"
She rested her head against his chest, "That means a lot to me. Thanks."
"I love you more than you think I do." He said, "You're on my mind a lot. Sometimes…it's just…dirty stuff…but…I don't know…I think about you a lot, no matter what I'm doing at work…"
She giggled a bit, "Yeah. Me too." He leaned in and started kissing her, rubbing her back and eventually squeezing onto her bum. She sighed into his mouth, "Can we do this somewhere else…? I don't want to slip and break my neck…"
"Sure." He said, "Let me just dry off first." He turned the shower off.
She hopped out with him and grabbed a towel, drying herself off as well, then she looked over at him, "So do you blow dry your hair or what?"
"Nah, I just…play with it for a while…" He said, looking up and instinctively trying to futz with it now, "I'm guessing we don't have time for me to fix it now, seeing as how wet you are." He smirked.
"Yeah, let's get to it already." She sauntered down the halls, towards the bedrooms. "C'mon."
He snickered, following her in, "You look hot." He said, "You still do. And you still will months from now."
She smirked, "I wonder how pregnant I'll look when you come back."
He licked his lips, "Not that different, I'm gonna try and make it fast."
"Who knows what my body will do." She shrugged a shoulder, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Damn…I really wanna fuck you right now…"
"Then do it." She smirked.
"Ah, ah, not right away…" He tackled her back and started kissing her, "You gotta let out a few rivers first."
She snickered, "Oh yeah? You gonna help with that…?"
"Well, you are laying here naked, looking sexy, it'd be a crime not to." He said, kissing her lips and resting his bulge on her stomach.
She sighed, her body melting under his touch, "You're gonna have to do a lot more than that, hun…"
"I know, I know…" He said, thinking for a while, "Hey…what's the most phallic thing you can think of…aside from a penis…"
Her brow fell, "…what? Like, body part…? Or just, thing, in the world?"
"Just a thing…anything."
"…but, like, not a dildo? Not a sex toy? Like an everyday thing?"
"Oh yeah…those exist…guess I could do that…"
One of her brows raised, "What are you thinking, hmm? I have some zucchini in the fridge if that's what you're after…"
"It doesn't have to be tonight…but…sometimes I fantasize about stuffing you in multiple holes at once…"
"Want me to go get you one?"
"Nah, nah, maybe some other time…" He started rubbing her stomach as he slid his shaft down to her leg.
She hissed quietly, "Did you want to bite me then…?"
"Juliet…"
She grinned mischievously.
He sighed, "Alright…I gotta reduce the blood flow to the brain, you're thinking too much. Gotta distract ya." He reached down and started massaging her lower abdomen.
She closed her eyes, "Sirius…" She scratched the sheets a bit, "Maybe that's not true…"
"Eh?"
"Maybe…blood flow to the brain is nice…thinking…"
"Not when you're like this." He went down a bit further and started sucking on her stomach, reaching for her entrance and starting to massage that too.
"Shit, Sirius…" She shut her eyes tightly and gave a series of high pitched squeals and moans, not able to string together anything near a sentence.
"I don't know why you swear like a sailor whenever I'm fucking you…" He said, "It's kinda sexy…"
She gasped for air, "Please…god…please don't stop…"
"Of course not." He smiled and went in slightly deeper, "See…like…I feel like a dildo or something would be better than my hand…you know?"
She grunted, "You could…" She gasped and bit her lip, "A-Always get that zucchini…"
"Nah, I feel touched that I can do this much to make you completely immobile. It's nice."
"Fuck…" She hissed, her hips starting to twitch and jerk, "Sirius…"
"What? I haven't even used my mouth yet…"
"Oh god…" She gave a beaming grin, only for a second, then she gasped again, "Oh god…"
"Jeez…didn't know that made you so happy…guess I should get to it, huh?"
"It feels…so good…" She panted out, he could see her abdomen quiver as an orgasm approached.
He was about to go in with his mouth like he always did, then he stopped to look at her, his snake-tongue flickering out briefly, "You look so beautiful from here."
She gave a dazed smile, "And you look smoldering…"
He stifled a dry chuckle, "I should've expected you to say that." He kissed her entrance, rather than make it dirty and quick, he wanted her to remember this for a while. He gradually began to lick her womanhood, holding her butt firmly and doing what he could to follow the rhythm she set.
She closed her eyes and relaxed under his touch, rather than tense up and writhe like she usually would. It was like some sort of massage, something that eased away every fear she had about losing him. He let go of her butt, rubbing over her stomach with both hands and exploring her womanhood further as he opened his jaws a bit wider.
The feeling of his fangs against her sensitive skin lit her up and made her scream as her release suddenly claimed her. She let out a slew of hissed curses as she felt her essence pour out onto his mouth.
He sighed as he felt himself be washed over by her, his hands freezing on her abdomen as he rubbed it over with his thumbs. He went just a little deeper as he kept using his tongue to masturbate her to completion.
As her climax claimed its final reaction for her, she screamed his name out to the ceiling and begged for him, grasping her fingers through the thick roots of his hair.
He wiped his mouth off and backed off, "Oh, what's wrong, Juliet?" He smirked, "Need a penis?"
"Yeah…" She panted, "Gimme a sec…"
He gave her a soft hug and kissed her neck, "Need me to rub something? Anything sore yet, while you relax?"
"I just need to remember what having a vagina is like…"
"I don't know whether I should feel sorry or flattered…"
"Flattered…" He snickered and kissed her cheek, rubbing her stomach and squeezing her close. She nuzzled her face up against his, tracing her fingers along his jawline, then down his back.
"We could just go to sleep…I mean, I don't wanna kill you…not while you're pregnant…"
"Please…do it…"
"Soon?"
"Yeah…"
"Alright…it's huge…but…let me make it bigger…" He started humping her lower abdomen furiously.
She closed her eyes tightly, "Sirius…" She begged, "Please…"
"Beg a little more."
"Sirius! Fuck!" She demanded impatiently.
He burst out laughing, probably angering her more if anything, given that he couldn't very well laugh and make love at the same time. Once he finally calmed down, he started penetrating her. She gave a relieved groan, spreading her legs more to accommodate for the space he took up.
He grabbed onto her roughly and took advantage of her previous wetness to slide in as far as he could physically go. She let out a throaty grunt every time he reached in as deep as he could, her heart pounding loud enough for both of them to hear and internalize.
The rhythm he started was fiercer than any she had set that night, but honestly it was nothing but a benefit. She only encouraged him, begging him for more between curses and occasional bites, literally. She bit onto his shoulder and neck, whatever she could, especially as he brought her into another climax.
"Alright…" He said as he pulled out, "Well…that was good fun, right?" He moved beside her.
"…not when you put it like that…" She muttered, still trying to catch her breath.
"What do you mean?"
"'Good fun'…sounds stupid…"
"Jeez…had no idea my slang wasn't good enough for you kids these days…I guess it's what I get for growing up in the Depression…"
"Yeah…uh huh…"
"Come on, smile." He pinched her cheek and kissed her lips.
She kissed him back, "God, I love you…"
"I love you too."
The banging on Cadmus's door made him jolt, just from how loud it was. That wasn't even typical of Angelique. Then he heard a familiar graze, "Yo, Vanderbilt, open up!"
Cadmus's eyes popped open, still a bit bloodshot. He was all the way up in his bedroom, meditating on his bed. "It's open." He called, not bothering to move.
The door opened and then slammed shut. There was a slight pause where Cadmus just heard Ferrum's boots thudding against the floors downstairs, then thumping against the stairs. There was a light rap on the doorway before Ferrum walked in his bedroom, "Hey." He grunted, which came out as more of a bark.
Cadmus faced him, still sitting on his bed, "Was there something I could help you with?"
"Nah, just noticed Angelique is out and about and yer not. You cut ties er somethin'?"
"No, I just thought I was burdening her and I told her it would be safer to hole up somewhere else for a little while. I have no idea when any of this is going to blow over."
"Uh huh." He continued to stare at the bed with a look that, despite his maybe dressed up appearance, still made him look rather unintelligent, "So she's not single or anythin'. That's what she made it sound like."
"Beg your pardon?"
"I dunno. She told me you two broke things off. Said it was mutual."
"What the hell?!" He sprang up like his bed was on fire, "How could she have mixed up what I said? I just…wanted to give her space…in case…I go nuts from being in here for a while, that's all. Where is she?"
"No clue." Ferrum stepped back, "She's been on the street doin' her thing since then. You know her, she's not the type to throw herself around to people anyway. You shouldn't worry about it."
"But I still need to tell her that we didn't break up." He start frantically looking for his boots.
"I could do it if you want. She's been visiting us a lot."
"It…it should come from me though…" He said, "She'll probably think I'm lazy or a douche if I don't tell her myself…"
"Then I'll ask her to come here."
"I would appreciate that."
Ferrum gave a brief nod, "It's just funny. Ever since I met her, I never thought she'd be the settling-down type. Always seemed like a little spit-fire to me. It's not just the blood-bond, right? You two got along before that?"
"Uh…" He paused, for what felt like minutes, "I…I'm not sure. We…uh….getting along…might not…be the words to use…for when we first met…"
Ferrum snickered, "I'd believe that. Hey, I mean, to each his own. She seems happy, doesn't really matter."
"Yeah…uh…you'll really try to bring her here?"
"Yeah, whenever I can find 'er. She's a wriggly little thing."
"Right…thanks."
Ferrum paused, "So, uh, it ain't weird to marry a Kindred, right?"
He sat back on the bed, "Don't think so, why?"
"I dunno. They say marriage is forever and for us…forever is…uh…a pretty long time. Some people would get bored a' that, I guess…get tired of…coffee ice-cream every night, year after year…"
"You want to marry Miranda?"
"…never said that…"
He smiled, "I don't see why she would be against it. She's not always a…social being…but…I mean was locked in a cage her entire childhood by the Society of Leopold, remember? She'll probably eat something like this up."
He sighed, "Yeah, and after a-hundred years with the same partner, someone like her's gonna get real bored."
"No she won't. She likes you."
"I get that. Doesn't mean she won't get bored. I could be her best friend in the entire universe and she'd still get ants in her pants eventually, wouldn't she?"
"Has she so far?"
"Well, no. It's only been a few months, at most…"
"Then you're probably good. A few months of her having sex with one person is something I would have never imagined in my time under LaCroix. You changed her more than you give yourself credit for."
"Well, it's not like anyone stuck a baby-monitor on her and made sure she was monogamous. She could be out with someone else every night for all I know. That's…half the reason I'm doing this. She's mine, dammit, and it pisses me off to think about anyone else getting their filthy paws on her."
"I know what you mean. Elspeth was a little like that…frisky…I guess you could say." He said, "That's probably something you should talk with her about. To make sure you really want to marry her."
"That'd be a hell of a dick move, doncha think? 'Hey, I was thinkin' a' marryin' you, yer not gonna cheat on me, right?' I dunno, sounds like a shitty conversation in the making…"
"Well…yeah…if you do it like that…" He said, "I meant…wait for time to pass…build trust…that kinda thing."
Ferrum grunted, "I'm not a patient guy."
He shrugged, "Then propose." He said, "Chances are she won't know the difference between how long a couple normally waits before marriage. If it makes you feel better about what she could be doing behind your back."
"It would." He said, "Well, now we gotta figure out how to get these assholes off your back before Angelique goes and takes care of them herself."
"Pfft, I have no idea." He said, "You figure out a way to get rid of a LaSombra and a Malkavian without dying, let me know."
"I dunno. I got this Kuei-Jin on my ass who kinda disappeared on his own. Sometimes they'll have better things to do besides hunt you."
"The Kuei-Jin were kicked out of this city months ago. After being attacked by the Camarilla one day, Sabbat the next, and then the Anarchs, they just packed up and left." He said, "But I see what you're saying, they might get theirs…"
"I'll hang around with you if you want to get outside."
"Really?" He asked, "Hey…thanks."
"It ain't a problem. Kindred don't like fucking around with a bear too much."
"Cool." He smiled, "Thanks for everything."
"Not a problem. I'll tell Angelique to get over here as soon as she can."
"Right, I owe ya one."
Sometimes even the most advanced Kindred spies brought conventional tools to help them out.
In Sirius's case, who was halfway up a tree, a good set of binoculars didn't hurt. He wanted to scope out the temple and see where exactly Natalia was. That way, Obfuscate could be his friend and he could be a quiet end to someone just before they got particularly troublesome.
Anyone who told him a telescope would work just as well as a set of binoculars didn't live long.
"Alright…now…I think she's at the top of the temple…where else would she be?" He asked himself, then he zoomed in on the stairs, a mix of shocked and disappointed, "Oh…no, no, no…what are you guys doing here?" He asked, watching a gaggle of Sabbat leaders climb to the summit of the temple.
Sirius flimsily got himself down from the tree, running to catch up with them, "God damn it…they wanna freaking kill themselves? What the hell are they doing here? She's mine!"
His best bet was to stay close to the Sabbat, that way he would still have 'allies' at least. He dreaded the day where he would finally be found out, as a Camarilla spy, but that day most likely wouldn't come for a while. He hoped it would happen much later, when the Sabbat are a bit more broken down, like the Anarchs. The Sabbat were way too strong as they were. If he was found out now, disaster would strike.
Lafayette turned around and smiled as he say Sirius joined them, "Ah, good, more numbers for us."
"Yeah, I'll say. So what's the plan…we taking out Natalia?"
"But of course." Lafayette said, "We need to repay her for imprisoning us."
Sirius nodded, with himself, Lafayette, Remus, and Cedric, maybe they did have a chance.
Natalia was in her hammock, completely naked, getting a foot rub from one of her four loyal followers. The other three close by. "Hate to interrupt the hard work you're doing." Sirius smirked, "But I brought some company…"
Natalia scowled, then she smiled and laughed, "You stubborn fools, you've marched towards your deaths! It's five against four!" She said, clapping her hands together, "All of you, formations. I will join…" She yawned, "When I feel the time is right."
"How dare you! We come to fight you and you give us your lowly servants?!" Lafayette fumed.
"As long as I outnumber you, it's pointless to get up…"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Lafayette grinned. As a fifth member of the Sabbat quite literally fell from the sky.
Or flew, rather. Basil's blue wings folded up slightly as he landed, "At your service, monsieur." He said.
Natalia hissed, her serpent's tongue flickering out, "Who is that?!"
Lafayette clasped his hands together, "So? Are we worth your time now?"
A feminine laugh was heard, but it didn't belong to anyone at the summit. Madame Vaska ascended to the top level, crossing her arms, "I've got a few farewells for you as well…Natalia…childe of Kemintiri…I think this temple would be a lovely extension to my palace up north…"
"Madame Vaska…" Lafayette growled, then he smiled, a horrid one, as his yellow eyes lit up with glee. "I get to kill two ungrateful women in one evening? I shudder to think how wonderful it will be…"
Cedric looked from Vaska to Lafayette, "She should not be our priority. She saved us from this wretched place, remember?"
"Oh, how could you forget so easily…the time that she captured you and nearly had you executed? Remember? She set in entire events of the Phantom's Mask into motion!"
"Cedric, do you really want to be led around by someone a fifth of your age?" Madame Vaska smiled, "Or do you want to work alongside me, to find Lazarus?"
Lafayette clenched his fists, "How dare you! You're trying to split us apart! I won't have it, you old bag of dust, I'm going to make sure there's nothing left of you!"
Natalia raised a hand to mouth as she cackled, "You'll all destroy yourselves before you can even reach me…"
Another Kindred climbed to the top of the tower, trying to make his entrance silent, but Giuseppe was spotted quickly by Cedric. The latter's blood froze over as he reached for his scythes.
Remus took a few steps forward, taking in what he could of the twelve or so fighters, "I believe it's safe to assume that not everyone will survive this."
"Of course not, Remus. You don't need to be a Malkavian to figure that out." Lafayette said, "Madame Vaska will most likely be the first death, seeing as she was foolish enough to come alone…"
"Was I?" Madame Vaska asked.
"Your foolish Blood Brothers will not impress the likes of the Sabbat or Natalia's forces."
"I did not bring Blood Brothers…" She said, "I brought an ally…one like me, in the True Black Hand. The Tal'Mahe'Ra."
"…what…?" He looked shocked. After being lectured thousands of times about how she was independent and old-fashioned enough to be her own vampire. He was surprised that she was acting as a group.
A cane was heard as the thirteenth fighter made it to the top, "Didn't start without me, eh?" He asked.
"I don't get it." Sirius said, "Who's the fatass in the bowler's hat?"
Remus's eyes widened, he pulled his sword out, glaring at the newcomer, "You chose a bad night to come here now, Tremere."
Donatello snickered sadistically, "It's such a shame. I always loved working with LaSombra every once in a while." He said, "You seem to be an outlier…"
Remus boiled with rage, his eyes flickered over to Madame Vaska, "You've chosen a foolish partner. One who will most likely die before he even steps foot into battle."
"We'll see about that." Madame Vaska said.
Sirius scanned the battlefield. Things were getting out of hand rather quickly. There might not be much of a Sabbat if any of them made one wrong move. He was worried. He wasn't worried specifically about anyone in the Sabbat, the team he was pretending to be on. But he knew that in the Jyhad, one pawn or bishop falling too early could cause a whole cataclysm of backlash. Or a piece staying active for too long, and not dying, on the other hand. Something was most likely going to change here forever.
His own team looked solid, but not a shoe-in, for victory. Lafayette and Remus were terrifying in their own right, but they were only around a century old. Which meant that either Madame Vaska or Natalia could control their minds in mere seconds, rendering them useless, or worse, controlled by the enemy.
That meant all their faith was on Cedric. He was too old to be controlled by either witch. But the problem was he was going to focus on his rivalry over the Giovanni rather than help with either the Setite or the Tzimisce. That could cost them the battle.
And then there was Basil, who was a wild card, more or less. Sirius didn't even know he was assigned to this task. He could've been old enough to block the mental attacks, he had no idea. He knew he was a Volgirre, not necessarily a Toreador. But he also had Vicissitude. But, where did the Toreador end and the Tzimisce begin? He at least hoped Basil confused his opponents as much as he was confusing Sirius.
As for their enemies, there was of course, Natalia. Who hadn't even gotten up yet. The lady of the hour not only could do anything Sirius could do better, but she could turn people into snakes. He swallowed hard. Luckily, she had a limited amount of blood, so she had to save a powerful Discipline like that for whenever she needed to make a point. She couldn't just, turn all of them into snakes. Or could she? Being that she was fifth generation, her blood pool was ludicrously high.
Conversely, he wasn't worried at all about Jasper, Selina, Drake, and Axle. If they were lucky, they had maybe a decade under their belt. At best, they were fodder for Remus, or Giuseppe. Anyone with Dominate really, if they wanted to spend the blood.
Then there was Madame Vaska. The puppeteer. She was most likely going to start the match controlling someone. And if for whatever reason her Dominate was ineffective, she had her powerful skills in Animalism to lean on. She and Natalia were definitely the heavyweights of this battle, for sure. Cedric was the third heavyweight, but, he would most likely be distracted by Giuseppe this entire time.
Speaking of the Giovanni, he was in a similar boat to Remus and Lafayette. A century old, and terrifying to novice Camarilla Cainites. But here, he was drastically out of his league. He was hoping that Cedric beat him quick, so he could bail them out later.
Then there was this fat Donatello guy, who Sirius had never met.
Wait a minute. It all came crashing back to him.
"That's the guy who ran the Anarchs out of town…" Sirius said to himself quietly. "But…why is he with Vaska? Who is he? Is he really Tremere? Why does he care about the Anarchs?" For once, Sirius met someone with more confusing motives than him, and it bothered the hell out of him.
The more important thing was that Donatello could light himself on fire whenever he wanted. Meaning that this could be a very short battle if things went his way. He definitely boosted the odds towards Madame Vaska's favor.
He felt something in the pit of his stomach. Rage, anger, hatred. He wanted that fat Tremere to pay. But why? He was never an Anarch. He was the key to their destruction all along. But, part of him felt like it was only right for himself to kill Donatello to repay the Anarchs for the loss of the Last Round. Which in turn led to the deaths of Nines and Damsel.
Of course, Remus wanted to kill him badly too, for some reason or another. Judging by how much he was muttering to himself about revenge.
The long silence finally ended as Lafayette dashed forth, towards the hammock, "Let's start with you, Setite! I'll make it so that you can lay down forever! In hell!" He lashed a hand out, "Natalia!"
"Lafayette, don't do it!" Sirius frowned, "Don't take her bait!"
Natalia shifted her seductive form slightly so that she could better face the Tzimisce Ancilla. Her green eyes glowed with ecstasy as she rested her head on a hand. Her free hand extended out as a green glow came from it.
Lafayette froze in place, grunting as he, more or less against his will, fell to his knees. He then began to make his tribute towards Natalia.
"Shit…" Sirius said, "Everyone stay away from him. It'll turn into a frenzy soon enough…"
"Now that their leader is out of the picture…" Natalia laughed, "Kill them! Kill them all!" She pointed, and her four followers ran out to attack.
Giuseppe knew that he was going to need a little help if he was going to survive this. So a purple glow of skulls went around his hand as a chime went off. He called on Necromancy and summoned as many zombies and wraiths as he could.
The only problem was, that there were multiple other parties who had Necromancy and thought that using it was a good idea. One of them was his opponent. Cedric called on his hordes of undead, and Jasper summoned his mummies. The summit temple battle was beginning to look more and more like a Halloween party gone horribly wrong.
Remus's eyes were still locked onto Donatello. All the noise and chaos around him did little to distract him. He roared as his Obtenebration and Potence powered up, running towards Donatello to clash with him. Donatello cackled back, using his cane to block the strike. His body slowly but surely began to catch on fire, making him look more like a demon than he already was.
"I will strike you down." Remus spat.
"I'm afraid not, LaSombra. I'll never die, I'll always be one step ahead of all you fools!" He laughed.
Jasper gave a confident smile as his mummies went to work. He strolled along the battlefield, looking for an unworthy, dirty Sabbat fiend to take on in battle.
He heard a sound as if the wind itself was being ripped as he was slashed at from behind. He coughed up blood, tumbling on the ground. The armor shielded most of the assault, but he still flinched as he rose, "Who did that?!" He demanded, "Who's there?!"
Basil flashed right in front of him. Blood all over his arm, though it was clearly Jasper's blood. He flashed forward again and cut through Jasper. Jasper screamed in pain, never seeing a Celerity so fast before.
"Nice hat." Jasper scoffed, "Where did you get it from? The homeless?" He asked, "Hmm, I don't even want to look at it anymore." He held a hand out, creating a massive sandstorm. This not only blew Basil far away from him, but it caused damage to just about every Kindred on the field, as the top of the tower was not exactly spacious. He laughed crazily as all his foes were blown back.
Madame Vaska smiled despite the circumstances. She was getting bored, and getting hit by a sandstorm, although inconvenient, shook things up. She started to saunter around, looking for an opponent of her own.
Luckily, two came her way. "I'd go home if I were you, lady." Axle said.
"It's two of us, and only one of you." Drake said, getting his knives out.
She gave a sickening grin, "Oh…dear me…what am I…a frail scared lady like myself…to do?"
"This'll be easy!" Both former Serpents of Light went in for the attack.
Her eyes darted back and forth, picking a faithful servant. She lashed a hand out, controlling Axle, and accessing his Disciplines to turn him into a snake. "I haven't gotten to thank you lovely gentlemen for imprisoning me!"
Drake had no choice but to fight his friend, and Madame Vaska, as usual, did nothing but watch, smile, and pull the strings.
It was hard to see with all the sand, zombies, ghosts, and mummies everywhere. Not to mention the fact that Lafayette was prowling around, frenzying, it didn't make things any easier on them. Nevertheless, Sirius did what he could to search for an opponent. Soon he saw Selina snicker as she walked up towards him, "So you're Natalia's famous childe, are you?"
"I don't have time for you." He grunted.
"Come on now, you should be able to play, if the rumors Natalia said about you were true."
Sirius lashed a hand out. If Natalia was going to be blasting off Obsession, so would he. "I said, I don't have time for you."
Selina collapsed to the ground and began her forced orgasm. It didn't even look like she was fighting it, with the smile over her face. Sirius stepped over her body, looking for something else to fight.
Jasper narrowed his eyes at the ground, "Oh…so you survived that? You're like a bottom feeder…honestly…"
Basil slowly stood up, covered in bloody scars, as he took the brunt of the sandstorm. He winced as he folded his wings out, a magnificent wingspan they had. It hurt everywhere, but he needed his wings right now. "Do you know why I look the way I do?" He asked.
Jasper rolled his eyes, bored, "Enlighten me…"
"Vicissitude is a curse, I'll have you know…" He said, "It represents your darkest secrets and desires…"
"Oh yes, yes, I'm sure…"
"Allow me to show you. Why I am the way that I am." His bones cracked as he changed form, into a giant blue creature. Not the Zulo form, no, something a little more complicated than that. Something that no one here would immediately recognize. But a small gaggle of Camarilla members might, especially a few months back. It was the final dying scream of LaCroix's rule. It was the last dying breath he had.
The Chiropteran Marauder.
With Celerity.
Jasper did nothing but scream as the large bat-like creature screeched at him. "What…what the hell is that thing?!"
Basil flashed right in front of Jasper, rearing a wing back and swatting him off the top of the tower. Jasper gave one final scream as he fell. After all, it was a long way to fall. Basil then flashed around, presumably looking for more foes to simply knock off the tower.
Remus screamed as he was lit on fire for the umpteenth time. He pat the flames out, quickly going back in for the offensive.
Donatello laughed, "Face it, your shadowy shield is useless against fire! And you're running low on blood, you're gonna die tonight, friend. Hey, but you'll be able to join yer lover after all, won't ya?"
Remus took a firm breath, "I will not yield to the likes of you." He reared his sword back, "I will have my revenge!" He said, cutting through Donatello as the latter screamed and stumbled back.
Cedric and Giuseppe's conflict was more of a stalemate. Neither of them left a lasting wound on the other. The sword and scythes would keep clashing, but aside from that, it was largely peaceful compared to some of the other conflicts.
"You must be one of the Sabbat monsters, am I correct?" Giuseppe asked, "I don't even know what you are…"
Cedric chuckled darkly, "Don't know what I am? Then perhaps before I kill you, I'll give you a little history lesson!" He said as he reared his scythes back, slamming them into Giuseppe's sword.
Basil was flying around the area, at top speeds. He soon found Selina on the ground, orgasming. He knocked her off the tower, just like Jasper. He then moved on to someone else.
The Setite versus Setite fight was going magnificently, at least it was for Madame Vaska. After a bit of maneuvering. Axle knocked Drake off of the tower. She knew she picked the right one, Axle could turn into a snake, so he was a clear peg above the other sapling.
Her current puppet was weary, however. The battle clearly took its toll on both Followers of Set.
She then saw a giant bat like creature knock Axle off the edge with its oversized wing. She squinted as the bat flew off. That couldn't have been Lafayette, who even was that? Nevertheless, she had more puppets to look for now.
Sirius finally made it to the hammock, "Hey! You awake now or what?"
Natalia looked his way, "Hmm?"
"Your little chumps all got destroyed." He said, "Unless you weren't paying attention."
"Ugh." She growled, throwing her dress on haphazardly, and slipping her boots on, standing up, "You're really going to want to wish that I hadn't entered the battlefield." She held a hand out as a green glow came from it.
Sirius's expression only hardened as the respondent glow went around his head, "No. I do wish you would join the battlefield. Whatever kills you quicker."
"What?! How dare you resist my Obsession!" She tried again, but to no avail.
"Suck on this." He aimed his pistol at her head and fired.
Direct hit. But by no means a kill shot. Still, it did its job in a way. Natalia let out a piercing scream as she tried to pull out the bullet lodged in her forehead. The scream both deafening the other battlers and spread fear. As an angered Setite Elder was nothing to scoff at.
"Mmm…" She sighed as the pain eventually wore away, "Perhaps if I were naked the spell would work." She held her hand out again, "But I have other ways of dealing with the likes of you."
"No, don't—"
It was too late, Natalia shot a sandstorm at Sirius at point blank range. Sirius coughed up blood and fell back, skidding on the stone ground. Bloody scars covered his body, and no doubt his allies were caught up in that too. He tried to get up, quickly as possible, as Natalia was sauntering over towards him, most likely to finish him off.
He hugged himself as he kept failing to get up. One sandstorm was an inconvenience, but two? He felt sand in so many uncomfortable places. In his wounds, near his wounds. He couldn't be taken out of the running's this early into the fight. He finally got back on his feet.
"I'm surprised you can stand, darling." Natalia smiled, "But that won't continue for long."
His eye quickly darted over to Madame Vaska, who was strolling towards them. "Vaska, wait." He held his hands up, in no position to fight both of them off. "I know…that you and Lafayette hate each other, and I know we're enemies…but…you gotta know who the real threat is here. If we let Natalia live, even for another day, there's no telling what might happen…"
"I chose my own battles." Madame Vaska said, "It will be my decision who I fight tonight."
"How adorable. You've resorted to begging…haven't you?" Natalia looked at Sirius, "Because I'm just so big and threatening." She laughed, "Of course I am, I'm the most powerful woman in the country!"
Sirius looked at the sky, Basil was circling them in the air, like some sort of buzzard. If he could stall long enough, maybe Basil could knock one of both of them off the tower and make things easier for him. "Well, you got a choice to make, Madame Vaska." Sirius said, "No better time to make that decision than now."
"Indeed, I agree." Madame Vaska said, "And…if I'm ever going to have the chance to take down Natalia. I'm going to need some help, no?"
The second Basil made landfall, Madame Vaska held a hand out, controlling him immediately.
Sirius gasped. He overestimated Basil's age. He was young enough to be controlled by Madame Vaska. She then shot out tiny black shards that all stabbed into Sirius. He yelled out and fell to his knees, convulsing in pain as the Beast Shards worked their way into his body.
"Now, that I have taken care of two Sabbat pests." Madame Vaska said, she looked at where Natalia last stood, but she was gone. "Hmm? Where did she scamper off to?"
Sirius felt pain quake through his body. He felt as if he were going to throw up, die, and explode all at the same time. He closed an eye, peeking occasionally to at least spectate the events. Maybe this is how Phaedra felt whenever he forced her to frenzy.
Natalia, meanwhile, went to two Kindred that she knew she could easily wipe out, "Hello boys." She grinned at Donatello and Remus, "Ready to die?" She clenched a hand into a fist.
Remus and Donatello exchanged a glance, "Truce?" The latter asked.
Oh yeah, truce with the guy who murdered his lover and ruined all of his plans. That was going to happen. "Even if I were to ally with you at the moment, my blood pool is diminished, as you have pointed out. I have no powers to use against her."
"I do." Donatello said, shooting fire at Natalia.
She gave a high-pitched scream as she was set on fire, running around like crazy and trying to pat the flames out, but they kept multiplying.
Donatello laughed, "Where's all that stuff about us dying, heh?"
Cedric and Giuseppe's grudge match had been going on for quite a while. "Cease this nonsense!" Giuseppe said, "The battle will be over at this rate, and we'll still be in the some locations! I need revenge on that Tzimisce, and that LaSombra!"
"Oh, trust me, you have no room to talk when it comes about vengeance!" Cedric said.
Giuseppe was mauled, by a huge blue blur. It was Lafayette, who had since long gone through the three phases of Obsession. He was in Zulo form, getting right down to business by drinking from Giuseppe's neck and biting off pieces of him whenever he rebelled.
Sirius finally frenzied, running around and looking for who he could tear into. He chose Remus, slashing at him with his frenzied claws.
Remus mildly flinched, "Sirius, what in blazes are you doing?!" He asked.
But this provided an opening for Donatello, stabbing Remus with his flaming cane. Remus coughed up blood and hit the ground. "Heh, heh, thanks pal!" Donatello nodded at Sirius.
Death looked as though it was looming poor Remus. There was no way he would be able to fight against Donatello and the frenzying Sirius at the same time. He looked at the two monsters heading for him.
He had one option, and he didn't like it.
He would have to put Sirius to sleep to end the frenzy. Then he would have to turn off all of his other Disciplines or he would immediately frenzy. (Given his wonderful Humanity). But, he figured Donatello was somewhat of a similar boat, in terms of blood, at least.
He held a hand up, as a blue glow came around it. Sirius thudded to the ground, asleep for now. He then deactivated Obtenebration and Potence. (The former wasn't even helping him against the fire). He took a deep breath and held his sword out. His odds of victory were now even slimmer, but he was not going to run away. Not now.
Cedric faced his next opponent, which was Natalia. He stood protectively in front of Lafayette, who now had Giuseppe inches away from death. "You seem troubled."
Natalia growled, her dress tattered and soot all over her, "I want all of you off my tower. Now!"
A brilliant green glow of Fortitude came off of him. Lafayette too glowed with Fortitude, (not that Giuseppe could really fight back against the Zulo form in the first place). "That's a shame. We're all so accustomed to it now. We had such a lovely stay…" Cedric's voice oozed with sarcasm.
"I'll shut you up you pointless tin can." She held a hand out, "You may be too old for my mental Disciplines, but I'll have you know that Serpentis is one of the most versatile Disciplines there is!" A sandstorm blew right towards Cedric's face.
She laughed as the dust swirled all around, at the very least disorienting her enemies. But as the sand and dust cleared, so did her smile. Cedric barely moved, maybe an inch or two. But he was much too heavy for wind based attacks.
Cedric charged at her, "Without all your tricks, you're useless." He slashed at her twice with his scythes.
Natalia screamed and fell back, "Very well then…" She rasped, "I will turn you into a snake!"
Lafayette's head perked up, due to the form he was in, he looked like a dog who just heard his master be threatened. He looked down at the bloody, hardly recognizable Giovanni. If he attacked now, Giuseppe would be able to retreat. But, if he finished off Giuseppe, Cedric would be a snake, which would be a minor problem at the best.
Lafayette leaped in the air, to throw off her aim for any possible surprise attacks. He swatted at her face with both of his large claws. She screamed and fell back.
Cedric held his scythes firm as Lafayette regrouped next to him, "Face it, Natalia, your brief reign is over. We have defeated all of your subordinates, and you look like you have five minutes left, at best. Surrender."
"I will not leave! I'm not going to be bested by Sabbat animals like you. I will kill you all!" Natalia growled.
"Hey, lady! Get outta here! Would ya?" Donatello said, advancing to the battle. He summoned a flaming demon, one that seemed hell bent on chasing her.
"He still had enough blood for that?" Remus asked, recognizing the demon from his last battle with him.
Natalia backed away slowly from the demon. Given Kindred's weakness to fire, one wrong move and she was ash. "This isn't the last of me, you hear?" She snarled, "I will be back! I will have my followers, and you'll all be dead!" She retreated down the steps.
"There is truth to her words." Cedric said, "While it may put them in torpor…her followers could have likely survived that fall…"
Sirius's eye weakly opened. All that was left now was Lafayette, Cedric, and Remus on one side, with Madame Vaska, Donatello, and Basil on the other. (The Volgirre still possessed by Vaska). He didn't think the fight would get this close. He also didn't expect Natalia to flee. But, even an Elder would be overwhelmed with that many attacks against them.
This was trouble, he would need a plan in case Madame Vaska killed the three Sabbat leaders. (Which she very well could if she wanted to, with a super-fast giant bat on her side). He would have to pretend he was dead. No, that wouldn't work, vampires were ash when they died. He would have to escape if things got worse. Obfuscate would be very helpful in that case.
"This is your last chance Cedric." Madame Vaska said, "You may join me, or you may die foolishly with your allies."
Cedric looked surprised that Madame Vaska was still interested in working with him after all this.
"Do not listen to her." Remus said, "It is a ploy, to get us to destroy ourselves."
He wondered about that. He wanted to see at least one clan-mate before he died. And so far no one has shown interest in that goal aside from Madame Vaska.
"You will not find your salvation in the Sabbat!" Madame Vaska said, "You will only be destroyed!"
"She will stab your back whenever she gets the chance." Remus said.
Cedric closed his eyes, "I reject your offer." He said, "I'm sorry." Why did he apologize to the enemy?
Madame Vaska smiled, leaning towards Donatello, "I'll have to use the bat against him. He's heavy, it will take a few tries. You need to hold the Tzimisce and LaSombra off. Once I get rid of the Harbinger, I can destroy them myself. Buy me time."
"Of course, Madame Vaska." Donatello smiled, getting his cane ready.
Remus snarled and dove at Donatello, their weapons clashing immediately. Neither men had any blood left, so it would be a normal, old-fashioned duel.
Madame Vaska meanwhile focused all of her efforts on Cedric. She commanded Basil to fly into Cedric with everything he had.
Cedric sheathed his scythes. With a combination of armor and Blood Buff, Cedric held his ground. The Volgirre and Harbinger pushed back at one another like some sort of vampiric bull fight. Every time there was a stalemate, Madame Vaska would try again, at a harder or different angle.
Lafayette learned something about Madame Vaska, in their many years fighting alongside or in this case against one another. Her Dominate was seemingly limitless, superb. But one needed to concentrate to maintain a connection to their slave. Even if they were one of the great progenitors of the Discipline Ventru himself. Occasionally, when she could handle it, she had her second hand poised with an Animalism attack should someone breech through her slave's defenses. But for a bullfight like this? No, she was using both hands.
He began to stomp forward, snarling. He slowly but surely remembered every disparaging thing she had ever said to him.
That he was a stupid kid who was in over his head. That every battle tactic he'd ever drawn up was wrong. How he was 'infected' with Vicissitude like all the other young stupid Tzimisce were. That without her tutelage, his worth amounted to dirt. He was closing the distance. Remus had Donatello distracted, and Madame Vaska was trying to slowly kill Cedric. But they had forgotten about him.
It's time.
Lafayette grabbed Madame Vaska and bit into her neck. Using his superior muscular structure and all the benefits Zulo form gave to hold her still. Madame Vaska hissed and flailed about, powerless as Lafayette began to drain her with passion.
Her spell wore off and Basil turned back into his normal form, collapsing on the ground. Cedric looked around, now freed up to fight someone else. But Madame Vaska was more than tended to at the moment. He raised another horde of zombies to fence Donatello in.
Donatello gulped, seeing his chance of escape slim. He would try to help Madame Vaska, but he had no blood left. Instead, he made a run for it as soon as he physically could.
As soon as Madame Vaska stopped fighting back, Lafayette turned back into his regular form, still holding her closely. From far away, it would almost look like some sort of romantic, classy gesture, when in reality it was the most painful feeling of her life. Her jaw slowly fell open as she felt all of her vitality be drained away from her.
The soul was coming next, and it burned him, but he didn't care. He drank, wanting to stop and yell out, to scream in agony, but he kept drinking all of her. Only when she collapsed and turned to ash did he stop.
Cedric and Remus exchanged a glance of pure shock, and from where Sirius lay, his eye was trembling with fear. The Sabbat were supposed to be the easy part. Now he wasn't so sure anymore.
"Sir…are you alright…?" Cedric asked.
Lafayette stepped across the now silent battlefield. A white mist was still pouring out of his eyes, and different parts of his body would quake occasionally, he was still adjusting to the deed he had pulled off.
He picked up a spare bone, be it from a zombie or mummy, it was unclear. He then picked up a piece of fabric, it was a burnt remnant of Natalia's dress, given the dusty brown color it was.
He tied the piece of fabric to the bone, like a flag, stabbing it into the stony summit with all his might. Then with a smirk that could split his face in half, he faced his two subordinates, "Well, now I'll have less generations to jump up when we finally visit New York!" He laughed.
A/N: Lafayette is doing everything he can to make LaCroix as jealous as possible…Thanks for reading!