"There is definitely more of them, I don't have a solid count but there was close to a dozen of them on the first day I think.
You go upstairs to her fathers room and find the window broken but currently barricaded with several planks. The closet is closed and a padlock has been applied to keep the door shut.
Roy frowns and returns downstairs, the gun now held more comfortably across his torso. "Reena, what's with the lock on your dad's closet?"
"I put that there after they first night, wanted to make it harder for them to steal anything else."
Alisha looks to Domingo and says, "So what will be our next course of action? I am not too keen to be staying in this house and playing the waiting game with a bunch of Ghouls. I suggest we get into our vehicles and head back into town where we can rest, recuperate and get some real medical supplies without the risk of being ambushed."
Dom closed his eyes, thinking about what Alisha said.
Reena said she was fine. There was no reason to doubt her. The house was a good place to wait out the ghouls until dawn. Bunkering in for the night was the smart play.
But…
Ivan was dead. Ismark was missing. Seven hunters were dead. Reena could be infected.
Dom opened his eyes, and looked ready to kill.
“Roy!” he yelled. ”We’re getting out of here. Reena’s been bit, days ago. I’m not taking the risk of keeping her here. We’re getting her help.”
He glared at Reena daring her to say something.
“Xannder, go with Roy. He knows where the other weapons are. Get a dufflebag, bedsheet, something, and bundle up everything worth taking. Alisha, get to a window and keep an eye on the outside, you see something spook-tacular, you holler and open fire. And not in that order. If you can remember anything else on ghouls, that’d be gravy.”
”Reena, you’re with me. Whatever is in that closet that’s dangerous, we’re taking with us. And I don’t want to hear otherwise,” Dom said, his voice brooking no arguments.
“We’re getting you out of here. And we’re going to find your brother,” he told her softly.
“Let’s move it, campers!”
Roy nods, and though he doesn't say anything, his eyes give a clear message. Good to have you back, Dom. He jerks his head, looking at Xannder. "C'mon, norm. We're grabbing gear and hauling ass." With that, he takes off, scouring the house for weapons.
Reena gives Roy the key to the closet and heads to the bathroom for a minute.
She comes out and pulls Dom aside.
"I need to talk to you Dom...I'll be honest...This wound I didn't know about it until someone pointed it out. I had no memory of how it happened. ..Now I tried to think about and I checked and...I have small flashes like dreams or suppressed memories...there is this man, chasing me, catching me, kissing me and..."
She pulls aside her hair showing you the wound. Two pairs of puncture wounds certainly not the work of a ghoul.
"I'm scared Dom" says Reena tears starting to flow, she quickly wipes them and turns to hide her face.
You got it brother.
Xannder follows Roy and gets a duffle ready for equipment.
Alisha looks at the wound having followed Dom and Reena and spied on their private conversation. She looks to her Arcane Lore Knowledge to know what she is dealing with after seeing the wound.
Knowledge Arcana
Her eyes widen as she knows exactly what she goes to Dom and says, "This is not a ghoul bite. Its a vampire bite. Reena has been fed on by a vampire which explains her pale complexion as she has suffered from sizeable blood loss. Thankfully just being bit and fed by a vampire does not transform you into a vampire as if that were the case vampirism would spread like a plague and the world would have a vampire apocalypse. Now mythologically there are two methods one can become a vampire. The first and most common is being completely drained by a vampire and then buried in unsanctified earth without proper funeral rites and blessings from a priest. As Reena is not dead yet, this does not apply. The second method however could be a possibility. If a vampire feeds their blood to a victim, the victim will slowly die from the cursed blood in their veins and awaken as a vampire after death."
She looks to Reena and says "Quickly Reena. After you were kissed did you taste blood in your mouth?"
Dom sighed. He glared weakly at Alisha for being so dammed clinical about it. But, no, this wasn't the newbie's fault. This was squarely on him.
"Alisha," he said softly, before Reena could answer. "Go watch the door. We need eyes out there."
Reena was quiet. He knew Alisha had been right. Reena knew she was right. No sense harping on it.
"This doesn't change anything. Plan's still the same. Now we just got a better idea of what's coming. And how to stop it. We get this thing in time, more than fair chance you'll be okay."
He hugged her. But then after a while, he pulled away for a moment.
"Ain't no one alive I know who hates Vampires like Roy. Want to laugh? Check this out. -- Hey, Roy," he yelled out. "We're going to need holy water, crosses, stakes and garlic."
Dom used his fingers to silently count down the inevitable Roy explosion.
Three. Two. One.
Alisha nods and says, "Very well, I shall get ready."
She takes out the Beretta flicks off safety is off and leaves heading to the window, peeking outside to see if anyone else is lurking about in the front as well as surveying her path back to the car.
Three. Two. One.
"" The shout is incredibly loud, especially coming from Roy. It's accompanied by the thuds of his running, and soon he's standing in the doorway, wild-eyed with the Remington (and any gun he might havve found so far) in hand. "Tell me there's a vamp around. I'm gonna blow the damn thing's head off and then I'll stake it." Then he pauses and sees the look on Dom's face. Realizing the joke, he flips him the bird and walks away, muttering, "Jackass..."
Dom let go of Reena, and moved over to Roy. He put a hand on his shoulder and walked with him outside, leaving Reena to compose herself.
"Roy," he said to him quietly. "She's been bit by a vamp. We need to find the blood sucker that did this, and maybe we can stop the -- the change, Dom finished weakly.
As Roy looked about to explode, Dom calmed him down.
"Keep it together, there buddy. Reena needs us to stay focused. Save the rage for the spooks."
The closet contains large collection of guns and hunting tools gathered by Reena's father. The chest stolen contained his magical gear but what remains is:
-2 combat knives
-Amt Backup (.45)
Damage: 2d6 Magazine: 5 box
Critical: 20 Size: Small .45 ammo
Damage Type: Ballistic Weight: 2 lb.
Range Increment: 20 ft.
Rate of Fire: S
-Amt longslide Hardballer (masterwork) (.45)
Damage: 2d6 Magazine: 7 box
Critical: 20 Size: Medium
Damage Type: Ballistic Weight: 5 lb.
Range Increment: 30 ft.
Rate of Fire: S
-Colt Python (masterwork) (.357)
Damage: 2d6 Magazine: 6 cyl
Critical: 20 Size: Medium
Range Increment: 40 ft.
Rate of Fire: S
-S&W Model 64 revolver (.38)
Damage: 2d6 Magazine: 6 cyl
Critical: 20 Size: Small
Damage Type: Ballistic Weight: 2 lb.
Range Increment: 30 ft.
Rate of Fire: S
-S&W “Hush Puppy” silencer included (9 mm)
Damage: 2d6 Magazine: 10 box
Critical: 20 Size: Medium
Range Increment: 30 ft.
Rate of Fire: S
-M14 (7.62mm)
Damage: 2d10 Magazine: 20 box
Critical: 20 Size: Large
Damage Type: Ballistic Weight: 9 lb.
Range Increment: 90 ft.
Rate of Fire: S, A
-Crossbow
Damage: 1d10 Magazine: 1
Critical: 20 Size: Large
Damage Type: piercing Weight: 12 lb.
Range Increment: 120 ft.
Rate of Fire: S
Ammo
.45: 20 rounds
.45: 20 silver rounds
.45: 10 white phosphorous rounds
.357: 20 rounds
.38: 20 rounds
9mm: 20 rounds
9mm: 20 silver rounds
7.62: 40 rounds
7.62: 20 white phosphorous rounds
5 crossbow bolts (wood shaft)
Other:
-4 flask of holy water
-2 wooden stakes
-holy symbols of various faiths
-night vision googles (1 pair)
-small metal mirror
You pack all of it in the car and get ready to leave. You notice a large amount of bats have begun to circle the building. (By large amount I mean thousands)
Uhh guys... That doesn't look good. Xannder says while peeking out a window.
I mean bats are nocturnal right? They wont attack us when we try to walk to the car? Maybe we should just move quickly, hehe.
Xannder fakes a smile.
Alisha says, "We would have been safe if the window was not broken by one of those dammed ghouls. Nonetheless we need to get out of here and I personally would rather have a vehicle between me and a swarm of bats. Everyone into the car."
With the car fully loaded she gets into the driver seat flicks on the headlights and starts to drive out of there.
Roy exhales loudly, visibly controlling himself, and leans against a wall. "Alright, alright. It's just... Vamps are rough. If it were lycan bite, we'd deal with it, get some monkshood, things wouldn't be too hard. But vamps..." He slams his fist against the wall. "Damn. Let's grab everything and get out of here."
Loading guns and other gear into the car, Roy looks up at the bat swarm. That's not good... He looks back to the house, then to Reena. "Reena, you have any gas or propane around in the house? And, uh... You mind if it gets torched?" He shoulders the Remington on its strap and fingers the new Python on his hip, obviously uncomfortable with having to ask this.
Dom loaded the M14 with standard ammo, and slung it over his shoulder. He'd hold off on the White Phosphorous for now.
"We should regroup at the motel."
"Let's not torch it unless we really have too. Right now I don't see how it would help."
"I'm just saying. A lot of sh*t's obviously gone down here, and now we've got bats swarming the place. Superstition isn't va thing in our line of work, you know that--it's called the reality of things. And when I hear vampires and see bats, it all adds up to clean it with some godd*mn fire." Roy shrugs. "But, I could be wrong. I agree we should get out of here."
You head outside and make a run for the car when a cloud of bats come down and cluster together and transform into a handsome man dressed like a noble from the 16th century.
"What's this then, some lowly humans have killed my guard dogs and now are trying to steal my new favorite toy? Now I cant have that, heel Reena come to master." says the man.
Reena stops a few feet short of the car and turn around and runs back towards the man.
He looks to the rest of you. "What will you do humans? Flee or fight against that which you cannot defeat?"
There is a moment of hesitation, where Dom's mind processes all the possible ways fighting this prick was a bad idea.
"Silver. Aim for the chest."
Reena was in trouble. He didn't care.
Roy draws his Beretta and reloads it with a magazine of silver bullets.
Alisha decides a third option, negotiate. She says to the others, "Hold your fire people. We are seriously outclassed here in terms of what we are facing here."
She looks to the handsome, Likey vampire who has just manifested. "Now sir, I know you as as one of the norferatu have many needs in your existiance. You require blood to survive just as any man requires food and drink to survive. But certainly you as a gentleman can take what you need without taking needless lives or worse spreading a plague of undead upon the world. Indeed such would be beneath a powerful superior being such as yourself to grant the unworthy the gift of immortality. Such a power is for you to claim alone not spread and eventually create an endless chain of rivals that will theaten your monopoly on this region. This one is damaged goods. You should let her go and find something fresh to savour."
Xannder trains his M16 on the man and moves into cover.
The undead actually seems a little disappointed that you aren't attacking
Flattering me? How amusing. Do you propose to take her place then? While the offer is temping, I refuse. I am having too much fun playing with this one. First I dominated her mind, then I made her poison her father and in three days I'm going to turn her and make her my bride." he smiles in a sadistic fashion and he grabs Reena as she gets to him and gives her a long kiss while keeping her in between you and him using her as cover.
Alisha decides to stroke his ego a bit more hopefully turning him off his current course of action. She says to him "Ah so she is going to be your bride you say? And what would be the use of that? Creating yet another vampire that will only end up reviling you and eventually betraying you with a stake through the heart, either directly or indirectly. Surely a powerful vampire such as yourself has the forsight to understand this. Why be so generous with the gift of unlife to a pitiful mortal being? The power you have is yours alone to wield. A true vampire does not share their power but uses it for his own benefit."
"One cannot conquer a nation alone. I was a king in my world. I ruled an entire realm using undead soldiers to conquer those who opposed me. However ghouls and zombies have limits. An army of men, elves and dwarves defeated my legions and lay siege to my castle. Using the magic of the crystal heart I was able to transport my castle here with a handful of my servants. I have learned my lesson, this time I will be using a different approach to conquer this realm and I will start by creating more of my kind and eliminating those pesky mongrels in the forest!"
Roy stands by, the Beretta gripped in two hands down by his side. He steps sideways and mutters to the others, "Reena's in the way, I don't have a clear shot on the sucker..." He wracks his mind for anything he might know of this character and what he's said...
"It's okay, Roy. We're just talking."
Dom frowns when the vampire starts talking about "elves" and "dwarves". The guy was obviously cuckoo for cocoa puffs.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you came from a land down under, where beer does flow, and men chunder," Dom said dismissively.
"Sooooo, this is about conquest? Seriously? I mean, I get part of it. You obviously can't get a girl the old-fashioned way, so you have to resort to mystical vampire roofies to prove your manhood. I mean, it's pathetic, but I get it. And getting Reena to do your dirty work on the old man? Well, that just sounds like a heaping helping of performance anxiety to me. No shame in that. The guy was a legend, after all. No one expects someone like you to measure up to that."
"But the rest? That's where you lose me. You're here for five minutes and you want to, what? LARP Twilight? That just seems like a colossal waste of time."
Alisha gives a slight look to Domingo thinking that antagonizing the vampire would only put Reena in Danger. What he said may not be delusional after all, there is little that is far fetched in a world with Ghouls, Vampires and Werewolves. Dimensional travel is certainly a possibility.
Alisha looks back to the vampire and says, "Certainly milord, you have achieved great things in the past in the world you came from. But ruling lands in this world work far differently than where you hail from. If you continue to cause too much commotion, eventually even the US government will have to acknowledge your presence. The US military has approximately 1,429,995 active soldiers in their service and approximately 850,880 reservists and that is just the American Military. The modern armies of this world are far more dangerous than a bunch of humans, elves and dwarfs armed with swords and far more numerous. If you keep doing overt actions such as creating vampires left and right, eventually the sleeping giant of the US Government is going to catch on and you'll have the most powerful military force on earth marching on your doorstep. A better solution if you wish to remove people from these lands is to legally purchase the lands and evict the occupants by legal means. It would be better for you milord to play within the system rather than try and overthrow it.
"Yeah, I hear drone strikes can put a real damper on things there, Lestat."
Roy continues to stand by, gun at the ready, waiting for a clear shot, and lets the people with more reigned-in tempers do the talking.
"I have learned much already about your world already and my magic fog has isolated this area so you cannot call for help. I will turn the strong into vampire lieutenants and weed out the weak. The testing has begun. If you think you can stop me then by all means come to my castle." he says and bats start circling him and Reena so you cant see them anymore and when the bats disperse they are gone.
Alisha sighs after the vampire has left and looks to the others, "Well I tried to negotiate in order to have him free Reena by playing on his pride and warning him where his course of action will lead us. I am sure eventually he'll overstep his bounds and the US government will get involved but not before he spreads a blight upon this region and makes Reena into a vampire. We either press forward to the castle and fall into a trap or return to town and get some help from the G-Men."
She looks to Domingo and says, "According to legend, it takes three days for the transformation to complete from human to vampire. If we do not stop him by then you know what happens. If we kill the master vampire she will be free from his control although if the transformation is complete she will have to live as a vampire. It is something I hope we not have to deal with."
"Damn it!" Roy shouts as the bats disperse, firing once at them to no effect. "We've gotta get Reena. We've gotta take out that damn vampire. And then we've gotta kill the damn lycans. And then..." He kicks at the ground, obviously angry. "And then I don't know what."
Alisha looks to Roy and says, "I hope we can save Reena in time but we also have to face the fact that none of us stand a chance in a straight up fight against a master vampire, a pack of lycanthropes and who knows what other undead servants he has under his wing. If we attack, we have to do it smart or we are just throwing away our lives."
"That's your ace in the hole?" he said to the vampire. "You're going to screw with our cell phone reception. Congratulations. You're almost as evil as AT&T. You gonna cap my data plan, too?"
When the vampire swirled away in a flurry of bats, Dom yelled.
"Damn it! Come back here you overgrown leech!"
Dom raves for a few minutes, along with the others.
He finally calms down when Alisha mentions the ticking clock. He nodded. "Yeah, I know."
"Change of plans. We're hitting up a church to get as much holy water as we can, I don't care if we have to spill the beans to do it. Then we're hitting the local 24 hour Wal-Mart. I'm going to get me a holy water squirt gun in case he tries to do this hostage crap again."
Xannder watches as the others make their remarks but continues to aim at the vampire. He can't get a clear shot, and he doesn't want to take an innocent's life.
He turns to Roy. In that order? Maybe we should get the Lycans to attack the count? Then we might be able to eliminate two problems with one stone.
Xannder holsters his weapon and puts the safety back on.
He laughs as Dom suggests squirt guns. I call dibs on the super soaker!
Roy looks at Xannder and shrugs. You can see that he's starting to lose steam, and fast. "I don't think so, norm. That's way too risky, and either way, one problem will still be standing after the other's taken out. Might be weaker, but... I don't like it." He shakes his head and moves to the car, putting the Remington and Python in with the other guns.
"I've tracked a few vampires before but never actually caught one. Damn slippery bastards. But that crap about elves and dwarves? That's a new one on me. Are they usually that crazy?"
He listened to Xannder's idea.
"He might be onto something, Roy. Think about it. We know some werewolves can keep the beast under control. They usually need cages and crap, but it's doable."
"What if we got this wrong? What if I got this wrong? And these werewolves are just minding their own? Like a Werewolves Anonymous or something? What if the evidence I thought pointed to werewolves was actually the ghouls?"
"I mean, Jesus Christ! Ivan Thomson himself lived here. The man's a legend. Can you really conceive that he didn't have clue one about a werewolf clan in his own backyard?"
Dom sighed.
"Besides, it's the wolves or the Feds because we're running out of options."
Roy sighs. "Damn, you're right, Dom. We need support, and I'm inclined to stick to what we know. Which is to say--" Roy turns and belts the Python back on, then rests his hand on the revolver's grip--"we're going to meet with those wolves."
Roy pauses for a moment, thinking. "We need to meet them during the day--less likely they'll be full beast, and like you said, it's possible they're defending territory. We'll go in cautious, but not weapons drawn or anything like that, we want a meeting, not a massacre. But if there's time, I want to check that camp out again, see if it can be traced back to ghouls or wolves."
It's clear that the plan is giving Roy some energy again. "So, norms, what do you say? Ready to make an alliance with the other side?"
So were too?
Right after I get my holy hand grenades! hehe get it?... WATER BALOONS!
Xannder laughs at his own joke, seeing no one else gets the movie reference he zips his mouth shut and gets into the car.
Alisha says to Domingo, "I have confirmed proof that Walking Mummies, Werewolves, Ghouls and Vampires exist. Dwarfs and Elfs are not that far fetched considering what we have seen. It is possible that this vampire has done some kind of dimensional travel, using magic to transport himself from a realm where such creatures are common. There has been numerous scientific theories on the the existence of parallel dimensions to our own. So do not dismiss his claims so easily."
"I've heard of alternate dimensions, too. It happens, like everything else we deal with, I guess." Roy starts walking over to his motorcycle. "Let's get back to the hotel for tonight, rest up. In the morning, let's do our shopping, hit that campsite, and then talk to the lycans."
You go to the hotel and rest for the night and it the morning you go back to the camp by the road. You search the area and find plenty of wolf track indicate that this camp was most certainly attacked by werewolves and not ghouls.