The time to strike is now!

[Lora]

It was a cold, rainy night in Alatus. The sky was overcast with storm clouds, no moon or stars daring to shine in the midst of the horrid weather. The trees of the forest surrounding The Castle creaked and groaned under the strong winds that whipped through the lands, their barren branches clattering together like dried out bones. Eerie shadows drifted through the dead branches, and there, amongst the shadows, sat a phantom.

Lora might as well have been a phantom. She had 'died' and technically she was haunting the woods, waiting to exact her revenge on Julietta and Midnight, and tonight was the night she would do it. Armed with the strength and knowledge she had acquired over long, grueling months of training under the watchful eyes of Seth, she was ready and able to destroy the women that had destroyed her life.

Lora peered out from beneath her dark hood, her icy eyes scanning the stretch of land before her. Her plan was simple enough. Sneak into the castle, make her way to the top chambers where the two women resided and slit their throats in their sleep. Easy enough. If they put up a fight, she would take them down. Failure was not an option.

Slowly, the ex-huntress slipped from her tree, keeping to the shadows she she wouldn't be noticed, just in case they had posted a guard since she had last seen this place.

Lora had been about to break through the tree line when she heard a soft rustling behind her. She reached for the pommel of her sword, her gloved hand wrapping around the hilt, ready to draw it and defend herself.

[Pashmina]

She loved scouring through the forests. It was easily one of Pashmina's favorite things to do, and maybe even the only thing she liked to do. She loved to hunt. Nothing big of course, maybe a rabbit or some other small game, and was getting the hang of turning her catch into a meal. Maybe she could commission the seamstress in town to make her a shawl or scarf from some of the pelts left over! It seemed like such a waste to just toss them out, after all.

It was a dreadful night for hunting, though. Pashmina figured that it would be an enjoyable challenge, dashing through the forests in the rain, searching for tracks and trails, but she had been wrong. The weather got worse and worse the longer she was out, and the young vampire wasn't even sure where she was anymore.

The downside to being new in town, she thought to herself. And then, a misstep caught her foot between the clutches of a thick, fallen branch, and the vampire fell, clutching her hood. Capella would be very angry if she came back with mud in her hair.

[Lora]

Lora swiftly made her way to the vampire's side, still hidden deep within the shadows of the thick forest. Stupid girl, why was she here?! didn't she know the territory she was trespassing on?! That's right, Lora could tell the girl was a vampire, her years of training had made her painfully aware of that. And of course there was the whole thing about her vampiric boy-friend. Needless to say, she could spot a vampire when she saw one.

"You should not be out here. You are treading far too close to the hunter's lands." Lora said simply, her voice barely audible over the heavy rain. She held out her hand to the fallen vampire, offering her a hand up. "You should turn back before you go much further." she added, helping the woman from the ground. Lightning cracked the sky, revealing Lora. She was dressed from head to toe in black. A sword hung at her side, a crossbow and arrows at her back. Her long cloak billowed in the wind, her hood and scarf hid away most of her face. A scary looking figure, no?

[Pashmina]

The only word that registered with Pash was hunter. The girl's eyes widened in horror and her heart nearly stopped. Is that where she was? Hunter territory?

"Oh... oh..."

She fumbled her words and got to her feet with the woman's help, but her long, lanky legs wobbled. What if she had never encountered her? What if she had never told her? What if she had actually been a hunter? Pashmina was ashamed of her ignorance, and didn't know what to say or to do. Despite towering over the woman, she still felt incompetent, and like the stilettos at her side were nothing more than frail table knives.

Mud covered her tight- and ill-fitting leather armor, but the last thing on her mind was Capella's scoldings. She was in hunter-territory. Far worse... right? But the imminent danger couldn't press Pash to move. Her legs were frozen in fear. Which way did she go? Which way was out? Was safe? Her head turned in every direction, but moved in none.

[Lora]

Lora sighed as she watched the woman stumble around, trying to decide a direction in which to head. Lora pointed off to her right. "That is the direction back to the Manor. I suggest you go befo-" Lora started, but her words where cut short when a loud whirring sound hit her ears. Arrows! "Get down!" Lora exclaimed, grabbint the vampire and dragging her to the ground as an arrow planted itself into the tree trunk just behind where Pashmina had been standing a moment ago.

"Bloody hell, We've been spotted." she hissed, pulling her sword from her belt. There went her plans for an easy night. "Ok, can you fight?" Lora asked, pulling an extra long hunting knife from her quiver and offering it to the vampire next to her.

[Pashmina]

"Oh God!"

Pashmina fiddled around to find her stilettos, her heart beating a mile a minute. Fight? Fight? She swallowed hard and unsheathed her weapons.

"A little bit," she answered. "I can fight a little bit..."

Pash tried to follow the example at Vita Manor of not feeding, but it was generally accepted that being such a young nightwalker, her own abilities to fight the cravings were weak, so it was also accepted - not without disdain - that she fed more actively than the others. The blood she had tasted just yesterday helped her heightened senses kick in, and the woman's muscles tensed. She could do this.

Two more arrows whistled through the air, one narrowly missing the woman and one narrowly missing Pashmina. They wouldn't keep missing forever, she thought to herself, taking but a second to look over who she was stuck in this position with.

"Pashmina," she said, introducing herself almost breathlessly as the adrenaline built up. "In case things go downhill. You?"

[Lora]

A grin overtook Lora's features as the woman pulled out her own weapons. Awesome. She re-sheathed her own dagger, the smile still on her covered face. "Good, you may just make it then." she said with a hearty chuckle. "I'm Lora, Nice to meet you. Let's save the rest of the pleasantries for if we make it out of this alive. If not, I'll see you in hell." she said with a laugh.

"From what I can tell, we've only got to worry about two archers. if there were more, there would be a lot more arrows coming at us right now." Lora started. "I'll draw their fire. Think you can get to that wall in 45 seconds without getting turned into ground vampire?" Lora asked.

_________________________________________

Tristram knocked another arrow to his string and took aim. "SHOW YOURSELVES!" He commanded, his voice echoing through the rain and the darkness. Stupid beings. If they refused to answer him, then so be it, they would die, human or other wise.

[Pashmina]

Oh God. Oh God oh God oh crap... 45 seconds? The woman was giving her a time limit? 45 seconds or what? Would they die? Of course they would die! Pashmina had been panicked before but it was washing back over her.

"I uh..." she swallowed hard, "haven't, well... um..." how long had it been since she'd last fed? Could she be fast? Was she fast?

Of course she was. "I can make it," she answered, taking a fast breath. "I can make it." She wasn't exactly sure where on the wall she was supposed to run to and then what she was supposed to do afterwards, but 45 seconds should be easy, the vampiress told herself. Easy. Should be.

Her feet carried her quick and nimbly through the trees, and her senses focused and mapped out the hazards for her - a rotting log a split second in front of her, an indendation in the ground ner a left footfall, a barbed tripwire after that...

And with more than enough time to spare, there she was, out of breath, her hand touching the wall. Panting, scared, and excited, Pashmina scoured the area for Lora.

[Lora]

Oh lordy, a skiddish vampire. All Lora could do was hope that Pashmina would over come her inner doubt and run like the dickens. "Ok, no time to stutter, GO!" Lora yelled, pulling her crossbow from her back and slipping the repeater on. Yay rapid fire crossbows! <3 Lora ran out before the vampire, trying not to lose her footing in the wet, muddy earth.

Lora ran straight for the part of the wall where the hunter(or hunter's) where firing from, hoping that her sudden outburst would draw their eyes to her and give Pash a window of opportunity. She took a moment to aim and fire at the one assailant she could see, and though she thought it had been a crummy shot, she could still hear a string of curses escaping her attacker.

Lora paused momentarily, looking for Pash in the darkness, Holy crap! she had reached the wall already!!! Damn, that vampire could run. Oh wait, duh, vampire. Thankfully Lora arrived shortly after, the woman pressing her back against the stone wall next to Pashmina. "Ok, I'm going to get up there and see if I can take out the guard." she said softly, handing Pashmina the crossbow she had been using only moments ago. It'd be a chore to climb the outer wall of the castle, but it was not impossible. She had done it before, and she could do it again.

"Try and stay out of range. Your best bet will be to keep your back against the wall. It's hard to angle a bow like that, so you should be safe. If anyone comes after you, use the crossbow." Lora said with a reassuring smile.

[Pashmina]

Pashmina looked doubtfully to Lora, and then doubtfully up the wall, and then doubtfully to the crossbow in her arms.

"I... I could do it..."

But her words didn't fall close enough to Lora's ears, and before she knew it, there she was faced with two archers, hunting hungrily for a vampire. Here goes nothing.

The angle was awful, Lora had been right about that much, and the volley being sent was easily avoidable with Pash's senses. She wondered if she could just hurry over to them and pull out her knives. Would they even know she was there by the time she was standing behind them? She was an excellent stalker and was fast... and then she realized the crossbow was in her arms. It was no stiletto, but Pash thought she had it figured out.

She took careful aim at one of the archers who wasn't utilizing their cover. Tonight, they wouldn't get the chance to wish that they had, and she fired off a bolt.

[Lora]

Lora jumped up and latched onto the wall, pulling herself up the stones of the castle wall like spiderman. Thank god she had Pash on the ground with the crossbow, and thank god she seemed to have pretty awesome aim, considering that one of the unfortunate hunters fell past Lora, a bolt lodged through his chest. She turned her head down so she could look at Pash for a moment. "Nice shooting, ace!" she called down.

Within a few minutes, Lora had scaled the wall and pulled herself over the side. Now, to take out the other archer.

Lora drew her sword and began to run along the wall, her speed picking up to a sprint. Tristram never stood a chance.

Lora stopped suddenly, spinning into a high roundhouse kick, her heeled boot connecting with the man's jaw, the man only having enough time to fire a single arrow at the girl before he was taken down to the soaking wet stones of the battlements.

Dammit....Lora leaned against the stone battlement, gripping her shoulder. The arrow Tristram had fired had grazed her arm, the razor sharp steel arrow head had cut right through her leather armor and tunic. Blood seeped through her fingers, staining her gloves. At least the arrow wasn't lodged in her skin. That was certainly a plus.

She walked back over to the spot on the wall she had scaled and leaned over. Lora grabbed a long length of rope from her belt and dropped one end down for Pash. "Grab on." she said, wrapping both hands around the one end and bracing herself against the stones so Pash could climb up.

[Pashmina]

Pash looked to the rope, pursed her lips, and shrugged. She may have been able to scale the wall, if Lora could catch a crossbow being lobbed with vampire strength. Otherwise, there really wasn't any easy or convenient way to do this. Rope or no rope. Awkwardly, she lodged the crossbow between her ear and shoulder as she grasped the length of rope, and tried desperately to keep it in place as she ascended.

She was quick and fluid about it, and was at the top with Lora in no time, only to have the smell of blood assault her senses. Pashmina looked at her partner in the ordeal, and found the wound. Instinct kicked in, and her fangs started to come out.

"Your shoulder!" she exclaimed, letting the crossbow rest in her hand. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't, you know... I won't! Are you okay?!"

[Lora]

Lora chuckled. "It's fine. I've been hurt far worse than this. But I do appreciate you ignoring your thirst." she said with a smile, though it was pretty much covered and unseen by Pashmina. "Anyway, if you want, you can sit tight here, ooooor you could come with me and get some killing done." She added.

"Let's get down to some gratuitous violence." Lora said simply, taking her crossbow back and attaching it to the strap she had been carrying it with before. The girl then drew a long dagger from her side, swinging the blades to get a feel for them. Ahh, it felt nice to be back in action.

[Pashmina]

Gratuitous violence? It wasn't Pashmina's style. At all. She frowned and let her tongue slide over her fangs from behind her lips, taking to mind how they felt in her mouth. Did Lora really expect her to start killing at her side? Was she being seriousl? She might be able to take advantage of the situation with her nightwalker abilities, but that was wrong. Tearing, hacking, and slashing through the people, taking their blood, growing stronger, killing some more. She'd be giving the hunters a reason for their ways, and nothing more. It was now that Pash realized she didn't know anything about this woman, or what she was doing there.

"This seems like a bad idea," the vampire blurted out. "Hunters hate vampires. They'll be fighting with silver, won't they?" The muscles in her hands tensed. This was a bad idea. It was a bad idea. Such a bad idea. She took out her stilettos with shaky hands, and shook her head. "I'm not coming back from this. I'm gonna get killed. I was stupid to wander this far... at the very least, you snatched me up from certain death a little sooner than it would have happened..."

Some of her fonder memories started to play out in her mind.

[Lora]

Lora gave Pashmina a bemused smile. "It is a bad idea. There is nothing good, or easy with this plan. However, it needs to be done. Like I said, you can stay here. I'm only after the woman that ordered my execution. Worth a try anyway. Without the leader, the hunters will hopefully hall into disarray. But yeah. If you want, stay here. Once I get inside, I doubt they'll look up here." she added. "Anyway, I'm off. A pleasure to have met you, Pashmina.

Lora walked towards the entrance to one of the stone stairwells that lead from the battlements into the main building. From there, as long as the alarm hadn't been raised, it would be smooth sailing to Julietta.