A/N: Here's chapter thirty-five! The wrath of an angry Strauss falls upon the Tremere…but do remember, some things can fail to be the way they appear…
Disclaimer: I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.
Halcyon said it was her sister's dark skin that made her teeth appear so white and fragile. Harmonia said it was the black lipstick. Iphigenia resolved that maybe they just were.
She subconsciously asked herself why she put makeup on every time she woke up, after every shower. It wasn't like there was anybody in her life she needed to impress. And that was excluding Edgar.
She tried pushing her friendship with Edgar to something more, maybe to slake the thirst in the back of her throat that was left dry after her experience with Miranda. It wasn't his looks that drove her away, or even his clan, or attitude. It was just a combination of a lack of chemistry and lack of interest. Miranda would have been the perfect fit for her life. Iphigenia could relax, she could complain to the high heavens about her sisters, her sins, her scars, and Miranda would listen on with that perfect smile on her thin lips, taking a sip of her drink in fascination.
Maybe that's all she was to Miranda, but in that case, it's all she wanted to be. A fascination.
And now she'd caught sight of the Gangrel Miranda had tied up on a diamond-studded leash so the Prince would look the other way. But that wild look in his eye was undeniable.
Was she jealous?
Never expressing such vulgar emotions gave her pride, but she had to admit, it was true. She would kill to stand on four legs and bark to have Miranda praise her and scratch her head. That was all it took, wasn't it, to win over her affection?
Iphigenia gave herself one last look in the mirror, knowing if she stood there too long, she'd get hung up on how one eye seemed to have more mascara than the other, or how one piercing was a little less shiny than the other. She left and headed to the kitchen, searching for her wallet.
She knew she couldn't just, find another Chantry. That wasn't possible. She was too late to become one with the Nosferatu, and too late to be one with the Tremere. Her only other chance was disappearing. She just wanted to take her sisters and flee to some obscure suburbs where there were middle-aged parents, teenage girls and college boys egging houses the night before Halloween. She didn't want to be part of their lives, but she wanted them to cover up hers. Maybe, just maybe, her sisters could settle down and adapt to that sort of life. They could live and die naturally, and she would be left. After that, she could hide out in an old cottage somewhere, gather her years, and research whatever she desired to her liking.
Was that too much to ask?
"I'm going to stop you right there."
She turned over her shoulder, expecting a Hunter. Not another vampire, let alone a member of the Camarilla. "Can I help you?" She tried not to let fear bite into her tone.
She could almost feel his deep chuckle, like it reverberated through his chest and hers, "Iggy, is it?"
"Iphigenia." She corrected, crossing her arms, "What do you need?"
"I don't usually see the Tremere strutting about on their…toothpick legs, catching a fresh whiff of air. Usually they're inside, where it's safe, reading. What's got you caught out here?"
"Why don't we talk somewhere else?" She asked.
"A fine idea. Lead the way."
She had no idea where to go, or what this person wanted. She took him into the nearest building, which happened to be a small café. She sat in a booth, he sat across from her, watching her with a wide grin. "What is it?" She asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Do you remember me?"
"Vaguely. We did a job for Cadmus once, right?"
"We." He said, his voice haughty, "You hardly did a thing, yellow-jacket."
"What did you want?"
"Why are you out here?"
"Why am I out here? Why are you out here? I live around here."
"Tremere live in the Chantry or the red tower. What makes you different?"
"I don't…I just don't, alright?"
"Something binds you to a mortal living situation. Must be those damned sisters!"
"And so what if it is?"
He didn't respond for a while, he just snickered, "You poor dolly. You can't hide from them forever, you know. They're a very close knit clan." He weaved his fingers together as a display, "They like to know each other's whereabouts, especially."
"I understand that. You're far younger than me."
"Not in here." He tapped the side of his head, "I'm three times better than you in that aspect."
She seemed perplexed at his words, "Did you call me out just because I'm not in my Chantry? Is that it? Don't you have something better to do?"
"Why are you running?" He asked, "Those pretty little legs have lots of scars that slow them down. You're not going to make it far."
Now she seemed really upset, "I have to go."
"I don't think so." He stood up right with her, "Sit."
"You're in no position to tell me what to do." She said through bared teeth.
"Who did you wrong in that little stone building? Was it all of them?"
"It was the Magister, alright? Piss off." She turned and headed for the door. He let her leave, following after her. He giggled as she tried walking faster and he kept following.
"What's the matter, don't like the truth being so tangible? Don't like how you can hear it breathing down your neck?"
She whirled around, "Either leave me alone or…" Her fists were balled with rage, "Find someone else to creep on."
"You're planning to fly away, aren't you? You don't have the wings to fly."
"I'll find my way."
"Not with those two girls holding you by the ankles."
"This is the last time I'll ask you to leave nicely."
"Is it?"
She turned over her shoulder and marched off.
That's when Dragomir started losing his patience as well. He lunged forward and grabbed her, pulling her in so her back was up against his chest. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands back. She gasped and growled, trying to thrash away from him, but the awkward position provided her no leeway. "Now…" His voice was gravelly in her ear, "Why don't you tell me what you did to the Magister? I'm no judicator, I'm not going to administer a punishment unless I really feel the need…"
She swore she could feel his tongue against his teeth and the roof of his mouth, "It was just an argument." She spat, trying to dig her claws into his knuckles.
"An argument? A silly argument drove you away from your real family?"
She thrashed away from him, "They're not…" She closed her eyes and growled with frustration, "They're not home to me! They prioritize an illegitimate over me! I'm not worth their time, not when they never help me, not when they offer others more than they offer me!"
"I hear so much 'I' and 'me', what about the 'we'?"
"There is no we." She spat, "Only Victor Madison and his brigade of stone soldiers."
He grinned at the anger in her eye. "I don't think I've ever seen more regret on a person's face than I have right now…" She didn't offer a verbal response. His smell, his touch, his very atmosphere, it just reminded her so much of why she despised men, "Very well. I'll take care of matters myself. I think the Magister and Prince are busy enough."
"What?" Her amber eyes flickered up to meet his obscured glare.
"Come with me and I'll show you."
She screamed, breaking away from his hold and punching him in the face. He seemed surprised by the sudden lashing, trying to secure a hold on her again, but she clawed him again. She called on Auspex and Thaumaturgy, but it hardly came to her aid. It raised more questions than answered any.
The scrap went from one sided to even, to one sided again. It ended with Iphigenia unconscious, blood dripping from her neck, and Dragomir having a full stomach. He slung her over his shoulder and walked down the empty streets with her, waiting to get closer to the hub to find a taxi to call to Hollywood.
"Sister!"
Halcyon's voice jolted her from her memories, "Hmm…?"
"Look less dead. The Prince needs you."
She rubbed one of her temples as she strolled into the kitchen, "Halcyon…go back to bed…"
She looked uneased. "Alright. Don't let him take your head off."
She rolled her eyes, but as soon as Halcyon left, a sly smirk appeared on her lips. She drank an entire bottle of blood before she headed to the Chantry, paying extra for an especially speedy ride there.
The interior of the Chantry looked like some sort of bizarre scene in a play. Like all the other actors were waiting for the late, overdramatic lead. Victor, Delilah, Venus, and Donatello were all lined up in a militaristic style, with Strauss facing all of them. They looked at Iphigenia when she entered, "So glad you could finally make it, Miss Crystallia." The Prince said.
"…thank you for having me…" She said eventually, still feeling out of place. This new Chantry made her feel even less relaxed than if she was in the old one.
Strauss folded his hands, "You swore an oath to remain loyal to your fellow Tremere and aid us in this time of need." He paused, "How quickly oaths can be forgotten…"
"I was kidnapped, sir…" She bowed her head, "Though before that, it was…other outside affairs that kept me away from the Chantry, and I apologize for that as well."
"Kidnapped? Who was the captor?"
"D—"
"A deranged Cainite…if…reports from Mister Golden were correct…isn't that right?" Victor asked.
"And you have a sister." Strauss said, "Halcyon. To what is the extent of her involvement in the Jyhad?"
She paused for a moment, a little suspicious that Victor interrupted. But she figured she might as well continue, "Actually, sir…I have two…one is kine…entirely uninvolved…the other is a ghoul to Jeanette Voerman. I do not allow her to…be influenced by the Anarchs of course. It's just a blood bond and nothing more, something I wish I could get rid of, if Miss Voerman wasn't so adamant to 'keep her'."
Strauss's eyes widened slightly at her confession, "Then I am quite surprised that someone…who is…four years as a Kindred…is simply…unaware…of the fact, that we are to sever our ties with mortals. They would be ideal Tremere, if nothing else. Because, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but we are at war."
She closed her eyes, "They're family, sir, I cannot sever ties with them. They would hardly be of any use to our cause, they're much less capable than you're implying."
"They are either to be severed from your connections so that they may live out their lives, or Embraced into one of the Camarilla clans, preferably Tremere. Be grateful I'm giving you a choice in the matter at all."
She really tried to show how not pissed off she was, but it was evidently very difficult. "Very well, sir."
Evidently satisfied that he was done with her, he turned to Victor, "Mister Madison, I am quite ashamed of you."
Victor's eyes shrunk, "Me, sir?"
"I do not have time to come running ever-so-fervently to make house calls due to your own painful negligence."
His face tightened, his shoulders stiffened, "Go on."
"Nor do I like receiving calls that you have chased our apprentices out into the streets."
"I didn't chase—"
"If I may." He said, pointing at him, "You were told directly to trust the apprentices more and you went and disobeyed your orders, as a Magister no less."
He looked a combination of embarrassed and enraged. It was clear he didn't expect to be on the receiving end of tongue-lashing on this eve. At least not to the extent of Iphigenia. He slowly fell to one knee, "Yes, sir. I have tarnished our great reputation."
"Should an incident occur again, and I shall speak to my Lord about revoking your title. And that will be the smallest of your concerns."
His eyes burned with hatred as he stared at the carpet. They flickered up to Iphigenia, however briefly, before they faced ahead, dulling, "Yes, sir. I will not fail you again."
"Excellent." Strauss said, pacing to Delilah next, "Your studies have been quite admirable, Miss Blum. If you continue this upward trend, there may be a place for you in higher Tremere society."
Her throat bobbed, "T-Thank you, sir…"
"Mister Sorrentino…I trust you will keep more of a…watchful eye…on these neonates." Strauss said, heading for the door, "They seem to be less trustworthy than I have first assessed."
"Yeah, such a shame." Donatello said, his hands folded on his cane, "It's hard to find good Kindred help dees days. I'm pretty ashamed of them." He went on, ignoring the murderous glare from Victor, that probably had legitimate heat behind it, "I'll make sure they're attending their studies, sir."
Strauss took a deep breath, "Good evening." He left the Chantry. Not long after that, Victor muttering something about 'retiring to his room', leaving. The door to his room slammed with such force that the building quivered.
Venus sighed, waiting for Donatello to leave before she looked over at Iphigenia, "He's not too happy with you."
"I realize that." Her voice was low and quiet.
"He'll kill you if you run away, wouldn't he?"
"And he'll kill me if I stay, so what difference does it make?" She was done holding back her anger, but she still kept her tone down in case Donatello appeared, "I'm not Embracing my sisters and I'm not staying around under his tyranny. I don't give a damn what just happened, I'm leaving. I'm proud of you, Delilah, for advancing as far as you have." She reached for the door, "I'm not sure that ever would have happened if you weren't on his good side."
"And where the hell do you think you'll end up, hmm?" Venus said, "Not dead in a ditch somewhere else? He'll find you."
"I'd rather die quickly in the middle of nowhere than be subjected to his torture for the rest of my life. He'll never forgive me."
"I thought you two got along?"
"I thought so too."
"What started this?"
"His…defenses." Iphigenia said.
"Defenses?" Venus asked, "Ah hah…so…what, you felt ignored?"
"I didn't feel ignored. I was. We all were." She scoffed, "If he paid more attention to all of us instead of trying to climb to the top of the endless ladder of Tremere titles, I'm sure Leo would still be here with us."
Delilah was distant about the entire conversation, until Iphigenia added that.
"Well, the Prince just dealt with that rather nicely. I don't see what the big deal is."
"That isn't it. He's patronizing. Oh, you should know, doesn't he feed you money by the spoonful?" Iphigenia asked, using her height advantage to step over Venus. She looked like she was going to argue more before she turned away, "Oh, but you have a damn blood bond with him, he's nothing but a saint to you…"
Venus's eyes looked skeptical, "He told me about this certain pair, Neo and Ebony. I'm really feeling the same vibe here…"
"I'm not an imbecile, I'm not going to engage in an entire war with the Tremere because of one shitty Magister. I don't want war at all, or problems. I just want it over, and I want to leave. Clearly the conflict lies between me and him, and the only way it will be resolved is if one of us go away."
"You can't be adults and sort this out over a cup of tea? Or…blood?"
"No."
Venus rolled her eyes, "Fine then. I'll make sure to tell him your plans of…disappearing then."
"Alright. While you're at it, tell him LaCroix was less of a nuisance than he is." She slammed the door behind herself and called a cab for Hollywood.
Delilah looked petrified, like she could start crying at the drop of a pin. So she did.
"Delilah, darling…" Venus had already started towards Victor's room, but she stopped when she heard Delilah crying. "Come here." She held her arms out.
She was actually heartbroken when Delilah fervently shook her head and ran upstairs, slamming her bedroom door shut.
Venus stood idle for a while. Even as a girl, Venus never delved into her parents' arguments, her friends', her lovers'. She naturally avoided them, maybe she'd glide over top of them to put them to an end, but she never really picked a side and stuck there. But was her relationship with Victor turning into a 'side'?
She was thinking too much. She needed a drink and some sex, (angry sex, most likely), and sleep. She entered Victor's room and took her boots off, "Darling?"
He was facing the wall, his fists clenched, steam could have been coming off of him at this point. "I won't forgive her. I won't forgive that nuisance…" He raged, "That…stupid, shaved rat…is making me start from the bottom again. One-hundred years of respect and trust from Maximillian Strauss…gone…"
"Yes…well…" She nervously took a seat in one of the armchairs, "She said she…isn't planning to be around much longer…I told her you would very well kill her if she ran and that excited her more. She…prefers that over living in whatever 'torture' you would put her through if she stayed."
He fell back to a sitting position on the bed, defeated. "Covering up a murder of that caliber would be beyond simple. If she is caught deserting again by the higher council, be it just the Tremere or the Camarilla itself, we would both die."
"I'm not sure she cares…I think she'll be pleased to just…get away from the Chantry." Venus wanted to tell him about how threatened she felt when Iphigenia loomed over her, but she decided against it. It wasn't worth it. "She compared you to LaCroix before she slammed the door in my face."
"Oh yes…" He gave a bitter chuckle, "Because I was that poor a would running even get her? Where would she go? There's no point in running anywhere…is she foolish enough to believe that the Camarilla won't find her?"
"I don't know." She said softly, "She mentioned she wasn't going to Embrace her sisters." She sighed, "I hate to agree with the little twerp but I don't know, should she really have to bring them into the World of Darkness? What if they aren't interfering?"
He gave a mindless shrug, "I have no idea how Strauss even discovered her sisters." He said, "That was a secret, between her and me, since before I met you."
"Well…either way, I don't think a big deal should be made out of any of this. I'm sure the Prince would be willing to forgive you shortly. I'm sure of it."
"Not if she succeeds in escaping again."
"Surely we can catch her?"
"And what good would that do?" He asked, "She wouldn't be any more willing to cooperate."
Maybe Victor would accept the idea? "Maybe she would if we all sat down and talked like adults."
Another bitter chuckle, "I'm through with this. I've handed her an olive branch. Twice." He said, "And she rejected it, no, she burned it to the ground. I think burning her revolting flesh would be an ideal consequence…"
She looked away, "Some of the things she does remind me of what a child does, you know. Running away from home, getting jealous when one child receives more attention than the other. I don't think she wants peace or money, I think she wants comradery."
"She had it."
She shook her head, "With everyone here, darling. Well, excluding Donatello…he's…the odd man out."
"That…pompous little bowling ball…how he became Regent of anything befuddles me so." He growled, standing up and pacing once more, "I'll show them all. They'll all pay dearly…for underestimating me…"
"Darling, who is 'they'?"
He clenched his hands into fists, "You never had anyone else take advantage of you in the way that Boris did, yes? You don't have anyone I can go out and kill…murdering someone would take my mind off of all this…"
She looked genuinely concerned, "I think perhaps you should…just take a few deep breaths and relax."
He went back to staring at the wall, crossing his arms behind his back, "You're disappointed in me."
"No. I'm worried about you."
His shoulders sunk, "None of them respect my position…but…I assume it's only my own fault…I distanced everyone away on purpose…"
"Well, you were just trying to…build strong defenses. It's admirable."
"…why didn't she trust me…when I told her everything was going to be fine?"
"…I…I'm not sure…"
He closed his eyes, "I'm finished with this. There's nothing optimal left to do tonight…the sun will be up soon."
"Right…so…finished means…?"
"What you think it does."
"Well, clearly I don't know what it means if I'm asking."
"It depends on how long she remains from the Chantry." He said, "In order to survive, I'll have to kill her."
"…right…" She said, "Well…tonight, what did you want to do?"
He hung his coat up, "Whatever you wanted." He said, "I never wanted to force anything with you, given the circumstances I found you in."
"Well, if you're not in the mood, then it won't be any fun."
He undressed a bit more, getting into the bed and holding an arm out for her.
She stripped down to her underwear, getting in bed beside him and latching onto him, kissing his cheek over and over.
He gave her a hug, their vibrant blue eyes meeting as they kissed on the lips. He stared into them for a while, evidently the sight relaxed him. He gave a quiet sigh and got comfy with her in his arms.
"I love you, Victor." She said as she cupped his face with a hand, "But sometimes you worry me to death."
He squeezed one of her hands, "Worrying the great Venus Dare…quite a feat, in itself. I understand, you want peace in the Chantry."
"It would be wonderful."
He took a deep breath. Peace with everyone seemed illogical. It seemed much easier for Victor just, wipe out Iphigenia and call it a night. But, deep down, he knew it wasn't what Venus wanted. But he had a choice to make, for one more blunder from Iphigenia or himself will cause Strauss to execute the both of them.
Usually, driving took Killian's mind off of things. He could roll the windows down, take in the smell of the fresh air, and focus on the road. Just focus on following the path ahead.
Not this time. His mind was wracked with jumbled memories of his father, of VV, of all the moments he spent happy as an Anarch. Why couldn't that last forever?
He turned the radio down as he pulled into their camp, thinking over the best way to prepare the news.
The two Gangrel seemed to be out at the moment, but Killian needed to do a double take when he saw the giant, pitch black spider march around their base like it owned the place. Immediately upon spotting Killian, it shot out a large sticky glob of thread, sticking to the windshield of the jeep. The spider dug its legs in the ground and pulled on the vehicle, and unwittingly the car moved forward.
Killian thought he had seen it all for one week. "What the fuck is this!?" He got out of the car, lit up Potence and Celerity and flew forward to smash it to bits.
The spider quickly severed the thread, now focusing on Killian. It darted out of the way. Which, Killian found impossible, because he was going insanely fast.
Until he realized that this spider was moving about with the skill and tact of Celerity too.
He grit his teeth, deciding to try the Toreador route. He popped the back door of the Jeep open and grabbed his shotgun, trying to fire a few rounds into its face.
The spider avoided what it could, given that it was only slightly smaller than his jeep, the shots that did land only slowed it down a little. Its thread shots were getting more and more accurate, given the speed it was blessed with.
He grunted as his leg was stuck to the car. "Motherfucker…" He reared the gun back to use it as a club.
The spider scuttled towards him, rearing back one of its razor thin legs to impale him. There wasn't much he could do to stop it. He yelped in pain, grabbing onto the leg as it was inside him and trying to snap it off.
The spider clicked its feelers, trying desperately to free its leg. It kept spitting thread at Killian to distract him.
He tried to wipe the thread out of his face, kicking the thing with his free leg, "Please god, somebody tell me this is a dream…"
The spider soon looked over to the right. It instantly vanished with Celerity. At first, Killian wondered why it would abandon a fresh meal, but then he saw that Skelter and Anastasia were returning from the distance.
He melted against the hood of the car, relieved and yet disturbed that it was actually real, "Thank fucking Christ…where the hell were you guys?"
"What the hell happened?" Skelter asked, "What…what is that?"
"Spider web." He tried to tear it off of himself but it stuck to everything, "There was a spider half the size of this fucking car."
Anastasia looked horrified, "Really? We haven't seen anything like that…and we've been here for…like a month or two…"
"We gotta move anyway…" Killian said, averting his gaze.
"What do you mean, 'we gotta move'?" Skelter gave him a scrutinizing look, "The fuck you do, Fitzroy?"
"I uh…got caught…"
"For the love 'a god." He looked around, "They follow you?"
"No. It was Madison…he…threatened all sorts of shit."
"And he let you go?"
"He wanted me to spread the word that we were gonna die."
Anastasia looked terrified merely at the Magister's name. No doubt from all the run-ins with him. "That sounds exactly like something he would do…"
Skelter shook his head, "We already got a camp set up…did he say he knew where we were?"
"Well…not exactly, but…I wouldn't be surprised…" Killian said.
Skelter gave a heavy sigh, looking over their base. Then he said, "You're bleeding."
He looked down at the hole in his torso, "Yeah, that spider…"
"It's not poisonous, right?"
"No, I feel fine."
"Alright. You'll heal up fine then. Gimme the night to think about all this shit. No matter what, we can't leave until Cissy and Catalina come back." He turned and headed back to their small structure.
Killian finally managed to pull himself away from the car after working the thread, "At least…at least he's dead…"
"Who?" Anastasia asked, "Did you kill your dad?"
He gave a shaky nod. "Yeah. Wasn't…even…a good kill." He wiped a hand over his face, "I meant to shut him up and then the cops came…god, it was messy…"
"I mean…at least…there was closure…"
He sighed and nodded, "Wonder what the hell his last thoughts were…probably how he was going to fuck me over in the next week or so…" He shook his head, "Oh, and, apparently, ghouls can frenzy."
"Really? They can?"
"Yeah…I…used Presence on that ghoul who was obsessed with me and she went nuts…Madison took her back to the red tower I guess…"
She swallowed hard, then she took a deep breath, "At least he didn't kill you."
"I don't know why. Whatever. We have to keep our eyes peeled and hope Cissy and Catalina come back as soon as they can."
"Damn it, all these stupid hallways look the freaking same…forget finding the others, Lafayette will beat us to the Antediluvian at this rate." Sirius growled.
"We'll be fine." Cadmus said, Phaedra more or less wrapped around him as they walked together, "It's just a good thing we got out of that…stupid pit…"
"Surely the Sabbat can't know their way around here any better than we can?" Phaedra asked.
"I mean…they probably weren't distracted nearly as much…"
"I wonder who's fault that is…" Phaedra glared at Sirius in a playful manner.
Cadmus looked like she poked a dragon in the tail with a stick, but Sirius brushed it off with a 'Tch.' He put his hands in his pockets, "We gotta find the others fast…we're running out of time as it is."
Phaedra tried sniffing them out with no avail, "I don't have the nose of a Gangrel…I don't think any of us do…"
"I hear something." Cadmus stopped, "Hopefully they're friendlies."
Sirius charged ahead, given that he wasn't slowed down. He eventually found the other half of the group, "Alright, guys, we're good."
"Oh…yay…Sirius is back." Catalina muttered sarcastically.
"Phaedra." Poe looked at her, specifically at Cadmus helping her walk, "What happened?"
She chuckled softly, "I hurt myself." She gently let go of Cadmus and took a few uneasy steps, "Really, it's fine, I just slipped and fell."
"Come here." Poe held his arms out.
She gently leaned against him and kissed his cheek, "I don't want to be a burden."
"Shh." Poe held her close, when the group began to move again, he helped her walk.
"So, now we're all accounted for." Cadmus scanned around, then he took on a look of horror, "Crap…where's Angelique?"
"I don't see her…" Phaedra said.
"She couldn't have died, right?" Cissy spoke the words nobody wanted to hear.
Cadmus's eyes wavered, he looked around, growing more and more livid, "Where the hell did she go? Where is she?"
"Hey, hey, relax." Cissy said, "She's a tough cookie, I'm sure she's fine, we just have to find her."
"I'm here…" Angelique called, followed by raspy coughing, "I'm okay!"
Cadmus looked relieved, "Angelique." He hugged her.
Sirius's snake-tongue flickered, "Alright, good, we're all accounted for. Let's move."
"We need to get Cedric out." Angelique said.
"Eh? Cedric?" Sirius asked, as every looked at the tiny ghoul in confusion.
"He's stuck. We need to get him out."
"But…he'll attack us…" Cadmus said slowly, "He's Sabbat…"
"He won't. We…made a truce. We got stuck together." Angelique said.
They looked shocked, "A truce?" Cadmus asked.
"No way in hell you and Cedric got along down there…I don't believe it." Sirius said.
"I have the same name as his sire so…we had a nice chat." She said, "Why the hell would I lie? I'd be dead if he wanted to kill us."
"Still, it's a wild goose chase." Catalina crossed her arms, "It would be better to leave him there, so we only have to fight Lafayette by himself."
Cadmus thought about it, "Let's go back and help him."
Phaedra chuckled quietly as the group eventually turned and followed him. "The Antediluvian will kill us all at this point…" Cissy muttered.
When they found the hole where Cedric and Angelique were, they discovered that it was empty, "Uh…where'd he go?" Cadmus asked.
"I don't know…" Angelique seemed a little hurt, "Cedric?" She called.
Rainy shivered and hugged herself, "This is like one of those horror movies when it turns out that they're right behind you…" She cowered.
Catalina rolled her eyes, "Nothing like that is going to happen."
"Well, well, well…" A refined voice that no one quite wanted to hear said, "It seems I found you vampires once again."
"Shit." Cadmus pulled his axe out, facing Arthur, Gavin, and the hunters, "It's these guys again."
"Enough, we don't have time for you." Sirius said, "Get out of the way."
"I don't think so." Arthur snapped his fingers, and Cissy was immediately bound by a large group of tentacles. "Fire at will." He held a hand out. Gavin as well as the other hunters began firing with their flamethrowers.
Phaedra could feel Poe shivering, with the fire starting, "Stay behind me." He held her protectively.
"Nonsense." Phaedra said, "I'm starving."
It seemed Angelique shared in that sentiment, because she fired her sniper right for one of the hunter's heads.
Arthur frowned, targeting Angelique first, cloaking himself with both shadows and flames as he dove for her. Cadmus jumped in the way, clashing at him with his axe.
Arthur looked at Gavin, "Take out these lowly demons at once."
Gavin aimed his flamethrower around, but Sirius stood in his path, "Sorry, pal. Looks like you got more than what you bargained for." He said, turning into a snake.
Cissy thrashed and squirmed, "Somebody get me out of here!" She demanded in a fiery tone.
Catalina stood protectively near Cissy, taking out hunters who got near, "It's probably linked to the Kindred working with him, he has Obtenebration."
She grunted, "What does that mean?" She pulled and pulled, "Am I getting out soon or what?"
"It means one of us have to defeat him first in order for it to wear off."
"Shit…" She hissed.
As soon as one of the hunters was knocked out by Catalina, Phaedra edged forward, grabbing his body and searching for rations. A piece of stale bread was tossed Angelique's way before Phaedra slung the body over her shoulder and strutted off towards a different hallway.
Angelique caught the bread, jamming it in her pocket before she fired again at another hunter.
Cadmus was pleased with this outcome. When they weren't at each other's throats, and when Sirius was behaving, they were unstoppable, "Ready to give up?" He grinned at Arthur.
"Never!" Arthur proclaimed.
"Pfft, give up. Your soldiers are falling like dominos, and you're going to lose."
"I would rather die than surrender."
Raven watched on at all the chaos, trying to ignore the stifled scream down the hall from the meal Phaedra had secured herself. Something distant called to her inside when she saw the men on the floor, writhing as Catalina's poison slowly brought them to the edge. She wanted to heal them, despite the fact that they were the enemy. She gave a listless sigh and forced herself to look away. This is why Raven never picked sides.
Cissy's knuckles grew paler and paler as she kept trying to fight the tentacles, "God, this is fucking gross!"
"We'll get you out of there soon, I promise." Catalina assured, clashing with the hunters.
"Look, just a temporary truce, alright?" Cadmus asked, perhaps inspired by Angelique's standing with Cedric, "We need to save the world."
"Ugh, this nonsense again." Arthur muttered.
"It's true…there's a Tzimisce down here ready to diablerize the Tzimisce Antediluvian, we have to stop him now or else!"
"And what would you need my help for?"
"Pfft, you have fire. Do I really need another explanation?"
Arthur paused, seeing as how most of the hunters surrounding him were dead, "Hmm…"
"Arthur, don't tell me you're seriously thinking about joining the—"
Arthur held a hand out, a blue glow came from it, and Gavin fell asleep. Arthur picked him up and slung him on his back, "Alright, let's do this before I change my mind."
"Really…?" Angelique lowered her gun, "Huh…"
Cissy sighed as she was released, still looking a little bitter about the whole thing.
Raven nervously adjusted her hood. She hadn't expected outsiders to live and see her and Rainy for a prolonged period of time. "What was your name?"
"Arthur." Arthur said, leading the way with Gavin slung over his shoulder.
"And…uh…what exactly are you?" Cadmus asked.
"Angellis Ater." Arthur said, "Mind you, I am only doing this…because apparently we'll all die. Should this be a falsehood, and you'll pay dearly."
Everyone exchanged a glance, having never heard the term in their lives.
Phaedra rejoined them, looking quite like her sire when Victor first met her due to the amount of blood all over herself, "I tried to make it quick, did I miss anything?"
"Christ…you need some…uh…napkins there…?" Cissy said.
Phaedra looked at her gory hands and chest, "Oh, I'll be fine." She spotted Arthur, "Is he joining us…?"
"For now." Cadmus said, "Can you walk okay?"
"Just fine." She reassured, "Let us move onward then, as a team, at last."
A/N: Spoiler-not-spoiler, that'd be pretty funny if Gavin woke up in the middle of a fight or something to see himself surrounded by vampires…Thanks for reading!