The time to strike is now!

[Julietta von Bastian du Sallé]

Julietta had been in her room when it happened.



After locking the wench Lora away with her fragile vampire companion, Julietta returned to her chambers to ready herself for the execution. To coax the power out of the rumbling, evil voice in the back of her mind. To invoke its presence and strength, as it wished, for she knew if she did not appease it, it would consume her mind.

She wrung the rag out over her bare back, the spicy oil dripping on to her skin and glistening in the candle light. The marking on her back was dark and crisp. It was the image of a daemon-summoning seal, but Julietta could never get a clear look at it to tell just what she was dealing with. She sighed, contorting her arms to the best of her ability to run the rag across her back, rubbing the oils in.

'You are accepting of me.'

The hunter shook her head. Accepting was the wrong word. She was merely dealing with the hellspawn for the time being. Until she figured out a way to get rid of it.

'The only way you'll get rid of me is if you summon me, wretch!'

She narrowed her eyes and tried to ignore the daemon's voice, running the rag along her arms. She would find a way. Someday, she would find a way. Suddenly, the voice made a noise, and a shudder coursed through her mind and body. The voice growled.

'Something is amiss. We must go.'

Quickly, the Hunter Queen dressed and donned her weapons. The daemon's senses pulled the woman along, down hallways and corridors and the like, until at last, she was in front of Lora's old room. It was disturbed. She could feel the leftover heat and excitement and fear in the air from when the last person had passed through. Julietta opened the door, finding the ex-hunter ready to walk out onto her balcony. She narrowed her eyes and raised her crossbow.

"Should have known my imbeciles would have locked you away in the same cell as the vampire. Can't depend on them for anything."

[Lora]

Lora turned, a dangerous smirk on her face as Julietta spoke. "They obviously take after their mistress." she said simply. She would not let this woman stop her from escaping. "Besides, I'm not the only one that has betrayed you. You may want to look into that new guy's credentials. I do believe you won't like what you find there." Lora added.

"Now, why don't you run along and take care of him, eh? Don't make me humiliate you by escaping in front of you." she added, grabbing a throwing knife from her belt. Lora jolted forward, making it seem like she was going to rush Julietta, but instead she threw the dagger with all of her strength, then turned and jumped from the balcony like an eagle taking flight.

[Julietta von Bastian du Sallé]

The daemon inside of her deftly moved Julietta's body to dodge the dagger, and then the huntress stepped up to the balcony. She was a much better aim with distance, and took only a few seconds to line up the shot with her crossbow before firing her last silver bolt. If there was one thought that comforted her, it was that Julietta had robbed Lora of the last thing she had to be proud of - her life. Her pure, unadultered, human life.

The daemon was not pleased. And now there was a question in the air.

Which 'new guy' had Lora referred to? And was her word worth even an ounce of pigshit? Julietta shook her head in distaste.

"Someone will pay for this..."

[Lora]

Lora hissed in pain as the bolt hit her through her shoulder, the silver burning her skin. Of course the impact of her tired body against the ground didn't help much either. A string of curses left Lora's lips as she shifted on the ground, going to pull the bolt from her shoulder. Well crap...seemed the shaft has snapped and she would be forced to dig the arrow tip out once she reached total safety.

Speaking of safety...where would she go? She didn't have the required tolls to help Pash at the belltower, she was also lacking blood, another staple to the woman's recovery. Seemed there was only one place she could go...The manor.

[Pashmina]

A wave of panic and fear washed over the trembling, bleeding mouse as the sudden realization hit her - she was outside. SHE WAS OUTSIDE. She could taste it. She could sniff the sudden crisp air, the lack of must and masonry. And, she could feel the jarring impact that Lora's body made with the ground.

Boy was she lucky she was not in one of the pocket's on the ex-hunter's left side. She would have been a mouse pancake.

A Pashmina pancake.

The vampire was ripped from her animal state as she came to understand she was now outside, and the change was so abrupt and sudden that there was no time to wriggle free of Lora's pocket. The mouse expanded to the woman's full humanoid state in a matter of seconds, tearing Lora's poor garment from the pocket out.

She tumbled into the grass, twitching and barely conscious.

[Lora]

Holy! What the crap?! Lora's eyes widened as Pash returned to her human state, tearing apart most of the right side of her garment. "Geez, Pash." she murmured, helping the vampire up off the ground. Come on, we're getting you to the manor." Lora said softly, picking the injured vampire up and cradling her in her arms.

[drazan]

Drazan stood leaning against the wall in a side passage way. He had followed after Lora and heard the commotion that he led to her escape. He figured that the new vampire-to-be would not have missed the opportunity to tell Julietta about him, but he could not be sure if she would believe him. Either way, it would be a good idea for him to lie low until the effects of the blood still in his system died off. If he could make it that far, then he should be safe, at least until he ended up drinking blood again.

Sighing, he stood up straight and began walking down the hallway. There were plenty of isolated places in the castle, and it wouldn't be hard to find one. The cut on his shoulder was stinging, as were the burns on his hands but he knew that he would have to deal with the pain himself. There was only one person who Drazan had told about the vampire part of him and that was Garland, a childhood friend and fellow hunter. But Garland wasn't here, so Drazan didn't have anyone to lie for him. As a result, his only defense was to stay undiscovered. Which meant that avoiding Julietta was a very good idea.....