"How much longer do you think it will be?" Lady Caterina tapped her finger on her desk next to the three books eagerly waiting for a message back from some of the other workers in the Vatican
Abel sat in the chair across from her desk with his head knocked back as he took the time to wait for a good chance to get a small snooze in. Sister Kate was standing holographically next to the chair and folded her arms unimpressed by the sleeping Abel. "No news as of yet. He is still bathing and being purified. The others believe he must soak in holy water for hours if not repeatedly for days. They believe the woman's blood is that of a curse. His Holiness is being blockaded from anything outside his royal room right now."
"And you've told them I must speak with him as soon as possible then?" Caterina traced the words on the books with her eyes.
"Yes, Ma'am. Every time I've inquired for you they sent me away with the same reasonings. Nothing has changed." Sister Kate lowered her eyes, almost ashamed, "I'm afraid I've even been kicked out of the room."
"Why don't we just go in forcefully?"
Both women looked to the slouched over Abel as he checked his coat pockets for a handkerchief. After wiping the drool from his mouth, he sat up stretching, "I mean, obviously they are playing you by now. They don't need to hide His Holiness any longer in his room. They know something is going on and they are just buying time from us. Days have already escaped us. A few more and it'll be weeks, then months. They'll say the same thing over and over to us until we do something different."
"Abel's right. I must speak to my brother. Francesco is just being petty and making things difficult." Caterina stood up and looked towards Sister Kate's projection, "Find a way for me to get in that room."
Kate nodded but looked up confused, "But, Ma'am, I don't even have clearance for the room, how will I even get you access?"
With a snicker, Abel started to clean his glasses, "I never said ask. If they want to play dirty then we might have to stoop just as low as them. Maybe we can bribe them too with some of our history books and findings. I'm sure they would love to dig through those books... Eden might not be so happy about it, but she doesn't really exactly... Uhm... Want to go through all of those memories again."
Caterina rubbed her temple thinking then quickly looked to Sister Kate, "Send Vaclav over to see me. I think he's our best chance to get into my brother's room. Maybe he can unlock a window or door to get me and Abel inside after."
"Right away ma'am." Kate faded away leaving Caterina and Abel alone together in their silence. Abel hunched himself over the desk and closed his eyes deep in thought.
As he exhaled, Caterina watched his shoulders sink down below his spine, "Abel. It'll be alright in the end. Everything will work itself out. There's no need to worry."
He stiffened a bit and stood up straight as he adjusted his glasses, "I'm sure it will be. Just this mess is either going to get extremely worse... Or," Abel looked at Caterina and smiled, "Or it'll actually get better. Which in our case, I hope it does."
Caterina stepped closer watching his eyes carefully, "And if it doesn't? If she never gets free?"
"Lamb to the slaughter, like blood in the water. It'll wash away, but still it'll be there taunting everyone who knows. That or she will find a way to get out and destroy the Vatican... Well, she might not actually be the one to destroy it here..." Abel made his way to the window, watching the sky start to darken into night, and pressed his palm to the glass with a smirk, "She after all is sided with our top enemy of the world... Contra Mundi..."
"If that is true, then why would she help us?"
"Because, currently, she is upset at him. She has her own reputation everywhere. People fear his name, and thus fear her knowing she might be the only one in this world that can perhaps control him."
"Hmm... Then we most definitely need to have her on our side."
Mary made her way along the street edges and alleyways away from any direct line of sight of any passerbys. She had been finding backyards and parks to sleep in for the last four days after leaving the old woman's house. There was only about another day's walk to get to the town she lived out her teenage years in. Just over a day's worth of travel and she would be able to see her grandfather.
Keeping her head low, she hoped her clothing would even hide her feminine scent. Mary looked up to the street signs and ground her teeth knowing she was nearing more vampire territorial grounds. Any false moves could mean her encapturement and torture by the beasts she hated most.
People started to roam the streets more frequently as the day progressed to night. Mary looked up to street corners taking various routes not to seem too suspicious. Carriages passed by with deep tinted windows, she bit her tongue just so she wouldn't scoff or spit at them passing her by. Some drivers would look to her only to see a boy marching on with purpose then turn away without double thinking at all. Mary made her way towards an alleyway between two taller, run-down apartments. The space in between clearly once another townhouse that was torn down, half collapsed in on itself leaving open floor ledges from the building on the sides of the other buildings. She crawled up a fence, quickly landing on her feet on the other side. She looked up to see a group of methuselah sitting around on cinder blocks. Several were smoking poorly rolled cigarettes, some worked on slurping down bagged blood, and another handful were busy sharpening either daggers or their nails. Up higher on window ledges sat another group of vampires laughing and drinking dark brown bottles making Mary scrunch her nose. Each one of them wore matching crests on their jackets.
Her eyes outlined the crest's design as she realized she was in big trouble. The top half of a red skull with fangs as black bat wings extended out from the vampire skull. She looked up to the fence behind her as new clanging alarmed her for more unwanted guests. Mary spun around on her heel to see a winged beast like a gargoyle.
"Ey! Where you think you're going, kid?" A brunette man stood up from the window's edge and hopped down in front of the newcomer. He inspected the boy, smirking as he pushed his glasses up on his nose. He raised a hand up as another winged beast landed on a pole hanging out from a building. "Don't get antsy now. I wanna know who our guest is."
Mary looked up to large jaws filled with drool and sharp teeth. She clutched the fabric feeling for a few daggers hidden in her clothes. She took a ready stance as some others started to stand up to see the boy better.
"Oh. Right. Don't worry about them. Worry about me. Are you a messenger boy from another clan?"
"Cy, think they finally want to use our lab results?" A blonde woman made her way to the brunette man and wrapped her fingers around his shoulders, kissing his arm slowly as he adjusted his glasses. "Maybe, they finally came to their senses that our creatures are the best route for us to take in order to progress." She flipped her hair and winked towards Mary expecting her to be a boy.
The creature behind Mary outstretched it's wings almost smiling as it contorted it's body in a way shrinking down a body size into a more handsome looking man. "Careful who you call a creature Ellanor! Not everyone takes to that!" He snickered and ran his finger under his nose. His bright green eyes shining under his red curls. "Just some of us haven't been able to change back from our mutated form. This kid's been wandering around town. Looked like he was trying to shake someone off from his tail. Maybe we can sit and chat."
Cyrus snickered, pulling on the boy's coat, leaving Mary to ready a weapon, "How about we do that? Sit down and chat?"
Mary tugged her arm away, hoping to gain some ground away from the vampires closing in around her. She began to count. Too many to clearly fight off. Not to mention the fact that they are mutated beasts that can transform into creatures of the night.
Cyrus caught her arm tightly. "I don't think so. Who the hell are you, boy?" The red head stepped down and right behind Mary, almost inhaling her scent as much as he could, "Huh? Levi, what's wrong?"
Seconds into Cyrus's question, Mary spun around with a ducked punch clear to Levi's jaw. She kicked Cyrus backwards into the blonde woman before she could even catch a glimpse of the other people standing up. Some transformed into more beast-like monsters, and others with their jaws dropped. Mary pulled out a dagger and held it up in a defensive position.
Levi smiled, rubbing his jaw with one hand and used his other to reach out towards Mary, "Listen up, bitch!" Large wings started to sprout from his back, a mix of bones cracking as he connected with her throat. The man's claws dug into her skin before she could even react. "I'm not going to be fooled by your game! What do you want with us?"
Mary pulled up her blade slashing at his wrist. A metal clang rang through the buildings as her dagger shattered to the ground. Quickly, Mary was sent flying backwards into the midst of the crowd of methuselah. She struggled to find her footing as she made her way off of the ground. Mary licked her lips, tasting the iron of her own blood trying to come up with a plan to get away. She could run, but they can fly. Any of them could easily catch up to her.
The vampires around her started to cackle as she struggled. Each vampire readying some kind of weapon and began closing in around her. Mary used the fabric to wipe her blood from her face trying to hopefully distract them with her blood if she could find a way to escape. She kept her disguise on as she pulled out another set of daggers from her boots.
Levi kept a smile on his lips but pointed towards Mary. "We got food, my children! Make sure you share!" Levi walked over to Cyrus and Ellanor. "You guys good? She's got a decent fight in that little body."
Cyrus adjusted his glasses and started to laugh, "She? You mean?" He looked over at the nodding Levi and continued to laugh. "That's even better! She won't last then!"
Before some methuselah had a chance to morph or even those who were in the middle of transforming, Mary took the daggers and started slashing at throats or the most important points on a body to severely injure. She attacked wildly, but extremely methodologically. Every swing of her blade made a devastating cut into someone within her range. She kept a perfect circle around her body, protecting herself with perfect precision training.
More vampires from behind began to inject themselves with a red liquid which then was followed by them falling to the ground writhing in pain as their bones started to crack and contort their bodies in awkward positions. It was something straight out of a horror movie. Mary's eyes went big once the bodies started moving again, only this time letting out loud screeching roars. Their bodies darkened and grew large bat-like wings. Mary turned to the three watching her fear rise deep within her bones, realising once again who they were.
"You're not just vampires... Or Methuselah..." Mary gripped her dagger tighter and charged the red headed man.
Levi couldn't help as he started snickering while moving to his side out of her way, dodging her attack perfectly. He once again grabbed at her, only this time swinging her like a dance partner. "And what's wrong with us?"
Mary ground her teeth using her free hand to drive her dagger towards Levi's neck. "You're the Red Phantoms who attacked my parents' laboratory and murdered them!" A mangled clawed hand blocked her attack, leaving the blade to shatter once again. He let out a howl as his body started morphing along with the others around him. Judging his body compared to the others, Mary noticed he was indeed larger than the others. More of an alpha type compared to the other creatures. Without much thinking, Mary immediately tried to make a run for it, hoping an escape would be easier than fighting right now.
Her legs moved only as fast as she could manage and made her way past some of the dead bodies on the ground, leaping over them smoothly. Not long into her great escape, large wings encompassed her small frame leaving them to roll into the ground. A more female looking body pinned Mary to the ground, her drooling jaws dangerously close to her throat.
"That's enough! Don't kill her just yet. I say we save this one for testing!" Ellanor stood her ground but eyed Cyrus most of all. "Don't you think, my love?"
Cyrus folded his arms, nodding, "Levi, call them off."
A gust of wind passed the couple as the largest gargoyle-like body passed them. He perched himself behind the balled up Mary and another of his minions and proceeded to let out a loud screech at the others around him.
Upon seeing that the woman over Mary still hadn't moved, Levi let out another roar in an attempt to scare her off of their new toy. Still, as she didn't move, Levi reached a clawed fist and began tearing the woman's wings from Mary's body not understanding why she wasn't following orders right away. After he had detached her, Levi let out another screech, but more pain and sadness mixed with it.
Mary looked up from the ground, the dagger from Eden in hand, held over her chest. The blade pierced the vampire's heart and actually passed through directly killing her on the impact of the landing. Mary fidgeted once she was free and began to make a run for it once more. Levi howled out into the night sky as he held the vampire woman's body tightly in his arms. Slowly he turned to Cyrus and Ellanor with pleading eyes determined to kill Mary.
Ellanor gasped in terror momentarily before screaming out, " Levi move!"
Levi whipped around, the demonic vampire still in his arms just in time to catch Mary before she drove the dagger into his own heart. He blocked her arm just enough that instead striking his heart, the blade passed through his hand and into his shoulder.
Pulling the jeweled dagger out, Mary stood in shock as finally she was able to land a blow into Levi's flesh. Before she could finish processing what just happened, pain ripped through her body as she flew through the air and landed back first into the brick wall of the building beside them. She felt all of her air be expelled from her lungs in a second of time though she felt it lag on for several minutes after. Mary clutched the dagger tightly before her body slumped to the ground, completely lifeless.
Still clutching the woman's body, Levi approached the unconscious Mary grinning evilly as he started to reach out for her throat. Subsequently before reaching her, a hooded figure leaped in between the two, sharp blades pointing outward as he guarded what he saw as the boy below him. Levi let out a vicious roar towards the two before retreating. He flew over to Cyrus and Ellanor before they both hopped onto his back and flew away with the last vampires around either running away or flying away. Some that started to fly off met their doom as the hooded figure threw a silver blade at them. He retrieved the sword from their limp bodies as he swiftfully sliced through the others running from him.
With his fluid movements, the hood shadowing his face fell, leaving his blond locks to flow with him bound with a tie towards the end of his hair. His green eyes scanned over the dead bodies, some slashed by smaller blades and others with his own sword. The man adjusted his cross along his collar and took off his cloak, throwing it over the boy. Seeing that the vampires either fled away or were killed, he took the chance to pick up the boy and leave with him.
The blond man made his way to a safe house, laid the boy on a small cot before leaving to clean himself up. He made no effort to say anything to the boy but began to boil some water in hopes to clean up the wounds on himself and the boy. First he sought out some extra bandages and sat on the floor next to the cot. Carefully, he started searching for any wound he could find. Not seeing much, he feared that the hit into the brick wall had caused some internal bleeding or bruising he should tend to first. The man shook his head at the multiple layers the boy wore and started to unravel most of the fabric. He carefully took off the jacket and started removing the rest of the clothing once he inspected the boy's arms carefully for any cuts or bruising.
"You barely were touched... You're lucky...'
He continued to remove the boy's clothes and paused once he got the main shirt off. He eyed the black tank top and the clear outline of a bra only to realize the boy he was undressing really was a woman. The blond priest stood up in a panic, completely uncomfortable with what he had just done. Quickly, he covered Mary up with a blanket before finding a seat a ways away from her. He sorted the pockets of Mary for any type of identification.
With a small sigh, he pulled out a Vatican's Nun pass. Without much more thought, he pulled his chair up to the cot before rolling Mary over to her stomach making sure her back wasn't punctured. After his inspection, he tried his best dressing the nun in order for him to put his cloak back over himself and find a way to carry Mary on his treck back to the Vatican. This time he might have to find a ride. He figured he was on his way there anyways and that the nun needed medical attention completed by other women instead of himself.