SystemFailureV4 !BLzojn4jRY 2012/06/12 (Tue) 15:44 No. 481 ▼ File 133951586252.jpg - (77.32KB, 464x750 , 2359-1785347488.jpg)
This first story is about Wallace's encounter with the vampire hunter in Paris.
it's been a long, hard night. You've been working at this store for about two weeks, now, and you've had to deal with irritating customers before.
But it's never been like this. Tonight, it seems as though every single magic user with the clich'd, stereotypical magic user personality has come to this shop, sought you out, and? and?
it's though there was a knob with ten notches, and they turned up the annoying factor to eleven.
? No, that doesn't make sense.
While your brain searches for an appropriate metaphor, you take the money of the customer in front of you (a blond witch who, very surprisingly, has been nothing but polite and understanding), and hand her the magic thread and doll parts she selected. She thanks you and leaves.
"Ugh, you need some blood. You haven't fed for OWCH!
As you take a few deep breaths and wait for the pain in your toe to subside (who decided to put that shelf there, anyways?), your eyes wander to the nearby clock. Just forty-five minutes until the end of your shift.
"Excuse me," says a voice from behind you, dripping with self-importance.
Maybe it's because you've had a long night. Maybe it's because you haven't fed in four days. Or maybe it's because of the stupid tone of his stupid voice. Whatever the reason, you've had enough. You whirl around, wings extended, and with every ounce of vampiric superiority you can muster. ?WHAT??
The man in front of you is ruggedly handsome, with stubble and a heavy scar across his face. he's dressed in a lot of leather, with a long whip coiled at his side, a bandolier of knives that look to be made of pure silver (probably blessed), and a pouch that's very likely filled with a lot of holy substances.
But most telling of all is the nauseating scent of dead ashes that surrounds him.
Luckily for you, the very obvious vampire hunter looks to be completely stunned, giving you enough time to plan a course of action. You wind up your leg, call forth all of your physical strength, and kick him in the shin.
As he falls to the floor, cursing, you spin around and make a mad dash for your quarters. Adrenaline pumping through you, you reach your room, fire a large bolt of magic at the window, and dive under your bed. Not half a minute later, you see the leather boots of the hunter stomp into your room. Just as quickly, he leaves.
You stay where you are for about ten minutes, and then crawl out. The shop owner is there, looking supremely confused. "Mr. Scarlet, just what in the blazes is going on?"
"Vampire hunter. I can't stay in Paris anymore? it's too risky. Thank you for your kindness, Marcel," you say, and hand him a small handful of coins. "Here's some money for the window."
The man shakes his head. "No, keep it. You've been a great help. I wish I could repay you, but it looks like that will have to wait."
"Maybe I'll come back in a few years, and claim my pay," you reply as you pack your things. "You'll probably still be here, right?"
"Most likely. I've been running this shop for nearly two hundred years? I see no reason to stop anytime soon."
"Heh. Well, I'm off. Thanks again."
You make your way to the back entrance, cast a minor cloaking spell, and slink off. The sewers should be a good place to hide, you think.
About three hours later, you put down the book you were reading, deciding to head out. As you put away the tome, you hear footsteps behind you. You turn around.
it's the hunter. And his face is twisted in an ugly expression of rage and hatred.
He leaps at you with an unintelligible snarl, and you press yourself against the wall, narrowly avoiding him. As he passes you, you fire a bolt of magic at his head, causing him to fall into the sewage.
Got to get out of here. You grab your pack, and run as fast as you can for the exit. As you get closer, you can hear the hunter gaining on you. But the exit is there, and you jump onto the ladder and scramble up. The moment you hit fresh air, you cast a flight spell (you can't use your wings, as they'd be covered by your pack), and soar into the night.
That was the plan, anyways. Before you can get high enough, something catches your ankle. You have just enough time to realize that the hunter's whip was a lot longer than you thought it was before you're slammed into the ground. To your dismay, you hear various crunching and tearing sounds coming from your pack upon impact. Damn it, some of that stuff in there was expensive.
But you doubt that the very angry man stalking towards you will be willing to reimburse you. Looks like you'll have to fight this one out. Sighing internally, you disengage yourself from your pack? and then dive to the side, just in time to avoid the knife that was aimed at your head. Summoning Tyrfing to your hand, you get up. As you do, you scan your surroundings. Noticing a very solid-looking brick wall, a plan forms in your mind.
Five minutes later, you have your back against the wall. The hunter charges, at which point you step to the side and set the probability of him tripping to 100%. He does, and smashes into the structure. You then abandon any pretense of grace and good sportsmanship, and proceed to grab his head and slam it into the brick until he's unconscious.
Wow, that was ugly. You stand there for a moment until a trio of ideas hit you. You kneel besides the hunter, and plunge your fangs into his neck. Despite the heavy scent of ashes, your meal is one of the most delicious things you've had in a long time (although the hunger might be influencing your opinion). Then you search him for a moment until you locate a small sack with what feels and sounds like money. Once you're finished, you turn to the wall and use your magic to carve ?Bite Me? into the wall. Satisfied, you turn around and start moving towards your pack.
And then you fall flat on your face.
Undeterred, you get up. Not even the side effects of your ability can damper your now good mood. As you pick up your belongings, you start to plan your next course of action. France is too dangerous to stay in. For that matter, most of Europe probably is as well. You need to go somewhere away from the reaches of the Church.
? Maybe you'll head to America?
