Deathknell Chronicles- Rick's Prelude

[daelrog]

Times were tough. Havensworth was on a downturn, and not surprisingly, hiring a private detective was usually one of the first luxuries to go. After two weeks of nothing, a large, heavyset woman came storming into Rick’s office. He was half asleep, jolted awake by her yelling. “You have to help her! You have to help my poor girl!”

He did everything in your power to calm the poor woman down… until the private investigator realized that she wanted to be panicked, that it was more melodrama than anything. His suspicions were confirmed, when he discovered that “saving” meant tracking the fifteen-year-old and her friends and find out who had sold them pot. The woman had found her daughter’s stash, and knew what it was, dismissing Rick’s query on how she happened to know what marijuana was be sight.

She offered a grand if he took a picture of the daughter and her friends in the act. She wanted all those little harlots caught red handed. She wouldn’t pay until after he got the pictures though.

It was a slightly chilly night, and the clouds were thick in the air. It felt like it might drizzle later. There was the daughter, Jasmine, and three others just as heavyset talking to a scrawny dealer by the name of Low Five. Rick had seen him a few times in before back in his days on the taskforce. Narcotics used to make fun of him for selling the weakest stuff in the city. Certainly such large girls didn’t get much high out of it. Probably just the thrill of rebelling.

[Dark Seeker]

Having read the morning paper three times already out of sheer boredom, Rick had just fallen off into a deep sleep at his desk when his first client in what felt like forever came in, screaming at him.

"Calm down lady, please. I can't help you until you relax. Please, have a seat. Can I get you a cup of coffee? Maybe a Danish?" that was probably stale, but hey, she didn't have to know.

Eventually he got her story out of her, and had to struggle not to roll his eyes. He was not the biggest fan of illegal drug usage, but even he was disappointed that this was the first case he had received in a long time. Still, money was money, and he had need for it, just as much as anyone else.
"I'll have the pictures within a few days." He told her And he meant it. Having little else to do really meant he could afford to be completely devoted to his job, which was the way he liked it.
***

Shadowing the girl had been easy. Just as expected, it was one of the less important scumbags. Low Five was his name, and he a laughing joke around the department. Or had been. Hard to say what they all thought now. Hell, maybe some of his former friends were buying from him.

No time for distractions, He chided himself. Raising his camera, he took a few pictures from across the street, of the girls buying the stuff, making sure to capture them all in the frame( a task which proved difficult, given the girls girth)

Task done, he put his camera away, preparing to develop the film and head home. He badly wanted to go and arrest Low Five, but he no longer had that power. Even if he did, the man would get a plea deal and be back on the streets within the week. That was how things worked in Havensworth.

[daelrog]

"Aye, top o' the mornin' Low Five!"

"Oh shi-"

The girls looked up and started running away in Rick's direction. They weren't very fast. It was laughable watching as the poor overweight quartet bounced at him.

Low Five crumpled into a ball against the wall. Rick didn't blame him. The man who had called out was Detective Harry O'Fallen. Harry was an oddity. He wasn't on the take like many officers. However, he more than made up for it by how mean he was. Some called him a pit bull. Others just a downright bastard. Rick had heard that Harry's second wife just asked for a divorce, and that his teenage daughter wasn't speaking to him any more, ahving jsut moved across country for school.

As Harry approached, Low Five began shrieking in terror. There wasn't a clear way to get to either men fast, not with the wall of scared teenager in front of him.

[Dark Seeker]

To the best of his ability, Rick moves out of the girls way. Once they're gone, he crosses the street, not wanting to risk Harry getting too rough. Low Five was a scumbag, but he was not about to be abused on Rick's watch. Rules existed for a reason.

"Detective O'Fallen, fancy meeting you here!" He called out, careful to show the man his camera.

"Client of mine wanted me to follow her kid, take a few pictures of the drug dealer who supplied her with pot. Good to know that Low Five here still has employment,even in these tough times."

For now Rick does nothing else, observing the hot headed cop's actions.

[daelrog]

"Rick." Harry turn around and wasn't human any more. His face was gruesome, white with red painted across it. Then there was the teeth. Large, flat teeth in several rows. "I don't give a damn about ye or your pictures of little fat girls." He emphasized the word 'fat'. His face looked back at Low Five who screamed again.

"Mr. Low Five here owes me a little something. Don't ye?"

Low Five was only muttering now.

"Oh wait. Ye just saw what I looked like. How careless. You know, I never liked ye much Rich. No creativity, no... glamour.." Rick could see a blade sliding out of Harry O'Fallen jacket sleeve, as if it had a mind of its own.

[Dark Seeker]

Rick backed up involuntary, heart pounding.

What sort of drugs is this guy on?

And the knife. Oh God the knife. Something was wrong. Was it machine operated somehow? That was the only explanation. That made sense, at any rate.

He had to keep cool, not show that he was intimidated. "A lot of people don't like me Harry. Join the club. Now what say you put the knife down and walk away?" He pulls out his own knife, a small pocket one, opening it. "Not had a cause to use this yet. Don't make me."

He was scared, terrified. Harry was on something and was acting crazy. But he wasn't about to let him harm the other man, scum though he was. He had seen too many of the police in this town think they could get away with anything. He was taking a stand against that tonight.

[daelrog]

"Hold on Rick. This'll only be a second." Something was happening to Low Five. In one moment he looked in pain, but then the next he was dazed, half passed out. Harry had not laid a finger on him.

"Mm... delicious." He turned around again, but this time his face was normal. "Why hello there Rick, long time no see. I was just giving Low Five a little talking to. Tsk tsk. Selling marijuana to teenagers, such a shame. You look pale Rick m'boy. Anything botherin' ye?"

[Dark Seeker]

One minute Rick was preparing to fight Harry, the next he did something to Low Five, turns around and looks normal. The private investigator nearly drops his knife in shock . Instead, he shakingly puts it away.

"What did you do..." he mutters, more to himself then to Harry. Was he hallucinating? Harry had just looked demonic... Low Five had just been awake, now he was passed out...

He shakes his head, trying to recover his senses. "Nothing's bothering me, ha ha. Just work. Being a private investigator takes a lot out of me, apparently." Something felt wrong. It couldn't have all been in his mind, could it? He looked at Low Five.

"He going to be alright? I think you frightened him into a coma. Wouldn't be the first time, as I recall."

[daelrog]

"Oh him? Well, maybe I was a little hard on the poor lad." He laughed amiably. That was not usual for Harry, even in his best days. "Say, how'd you like to see a magic trick? See here's how it works. I am cover my hands over my face. And when I removed them-" His hands slowly came off revealing the monster Rick had seen before. The only difference this time were his eyes were glowing red. "-you'll get a ten second head start before I run you down like a the filthy mutt you are!" He laughed hysterically. The 'knife' turned out to be far more, fully slipping out to reveal a long, jagged sword.

"Eight seconds Ricky boy!!"

[Dark Seeker]

What in the name of God are you? Rick wants to say. Instead, he just screams.

Any thoughts he had for the concern of Low Five vanish, as he struggles to run away. He takes off, hoping to make it to some populated area or open business.

[daelrog]

Rick runs. True to his word, Harry isn't moving if Rick bothers to look back. As he moves his vision gets a little blurry, and then it's there, a fence, tall with barbed wire on the top running across the street, blocking his exit save for the alley to his right.

"Three second Ricky boy!!"

[Dark Seeker]

Rick hesitates for a brief second, before veering right, praying to God that the alley's not a dead end.Not sparing a second to look back, he keeps running, faster then he ever has before, yet to slow all the same.

[daelrog]

Sadly for Rick it is a dead end. The service door is locked, and he can see Harry, or whatever it is, blocking his way out. He runs his hand through the fence and it dissipates. "Funny Rick, real funny. I thought ye were smarter than that. Figured out how corrupt the department it is so quick. What's a silly little mind trick? Oh, guess ye never been exposed before. Shame. Woulda made this more fun. So tell me Rick, how do ye want to die? You have your choice between me knuckles, me sword, or me teeth. If ye want to do ol' Harry a favor, say teeth please."

[Dark Seeker]

This situation was getting worse and worse. Rick realized he was either going to be killed or end up in a mental institution.

Well, best to focus. Even if this couldn't be real, he had to treat it like it was. An almost eerie calm descends over him. Terrified, the private investigator has the sinking realization that he's about to die. But damned if he's going down without a fight.

"Oh please, oh please, don't hurt me, oh God..." Rick begs, as pathetically as he can manage(given his situation, this is not all that difficult). He curls up into a ball, shaking.

He's hoping to make the demon lower his guard and approach. When he gets into range, Rick will lunge for his legs and try to bring him down. Maybe he could daze the monster, and use the opportunity to escape. Or maybe he'd be ripped to shreds. Either way, it was his best option at this point.

[daelrog]

"What's that, could hear ye? I think you said teeth? Oh, you're a swell one Rick. I tell you, you really are one o' the good ones."

Rick could hear the sword scraping against the concrete, as Harry neared. If he looked up he'd see a long, thick tongue licking his chops. When he got close enough, Rick lunged for his legs. He managed to grab hold of Harry's ankle, and twist, but the monster kept his balance, practically dancing the way he hopped. "Now that's what I'm talking about Ricky boy! All right, we'll have it your way. Fistacuffs it is."

Harry's sword vanished into thin air, and he took up a boxing pose.

Roll for initiative. House rules for me says initiative is wits+alertness.

Let's see how Harry does. Wits + Alertness = 8 :smalleek:
[roll0]

[Dark Seeker]

First time really using the combat system, so let me know if I make any mistakes during it.

Wits+Alertness= 3
[roll0]

[daelrog]

No worries on the rolls, I don't think this fight's going to be too long.

Brawl + Dexterity for Harry is also 8 :smalleek::smalleek:
[roll0]

And in case 10's are rolled since he specializes in boxing. He's for potential re-rolls
[roll1]

Take the number of successes plus strength of 4
[roll2]

Harry didn't wait for Rick to reply, moving forward faster than a man in his mid-forties should. He delivered two fast punches to Riick's abdomen. He could here two ribs fracture.

Roll stamina to soak. Harry's done 6 levels of bashing damage to you minus how many die you roll 6 or above.

[Dark Seeker]

Rick grits his teeth, even as the wind's knocked out of him. "Son of a ..."

Stamina= 3
[roll0]

[Dark Seeker]

In deep pain, Rick fights on. He may die here, but he'll make sure he makes this monster the worst for it. He throws a punch at Harry's gut.

Can I spend a willpower to ignore wound penalties? If so, I'll do that. If not, I'll just roll whatever I have left.

Dexterity+Brawl= 5
[roll0]

[daelrog]

Rick has four levels of bashing damage done to him, is at the wounded level. As such, you can no longer run. You can try ot hit him back though subtract two from the your brawl + dexterity.

"Come on Ricky boy, hit me! Hit me!" Harry motioned with his clawed fingers for Rick to try to strike him.

[Dark Seeker]

Dexterity+Brawl= 3
[roll0]

+ strength 4
[roll1]

[daelrog]

Dodge 4
[roll0]

Soak (in case he doesn't dodge all the successful attacks
[roll1]

Rick's punch misses its mark. Harry pulls his head back. Rick can see someone standing at the end of an alleyway, a middle aged man wearing a suit with no tie. He is carefully watching the fight as it unfolds.

I'll give you the chance to react about the new person before Harry most likely finishes the fight.

[Dark Seeker]

Just realized I messed up Rick's strength in the last roll. Not that it matters. Sorry about that.

Rick's attack goes wide, and he silently curses. The investigator doubts he'll be able to take another blow.

He observes a man off in the distance, though in his current state it was hard to tell much more about him. Having no other option, he screams.

"Help me! This guy's crazy!"

[daelrog]

Harry turned his face around. Rick could see it fade into his normal face, not making the same mistake he originally had with Rick. "Oh, it's one o' you lot. Hold on, you can have you share to." His face spun around and with another one two Rick was on the ground, wheezing. "Don't take it personal Rick m'boy. Sometime's life just likes to take a piss on the little guy."

"I claim him."

"Excuse me. I don't think I heard ye right?"

"I said I claimed him Harry. He belongs to me now."

"And why should I let ye have another ghoul?"

"I was thinking something a little bit more."

"Oh? Ye think this one is worth it? Ye think I want another goody two-shoes runnin' around the city? I think I may just take my chances and eat you too, vampire."

"Why don't we let him decide?"

Harry scoffed and leaned up against the wall. "Explain it to him then."

"How are you feeling Rick?" The stranger loomed above him.

[Dark Seeker]

Rick struggles to get up, falling back down as he does so. He looks up at his savior.

"Like I've just had a truck hit me. How did you know my name anyway? And who are you?" Rick did not think for a second he was going to survive. Harry seemed perfectly intent on killing him, and this new stranger may have been a demon as well. At least he did not look like one.

In any case, he was sure he was hallucinating now. He thought Harry had called the other man a vampire, of all things.

[daelrog]

"We've been keeping track of you Rick. Don't worry, it's not like we have cameras in your apartment, or have someone tailing oyu everywhere you go, though today was an exception. Lucky you." The man pulled out a cigarette, and handed it over to Harry to light. Harry still looked like the mosnter. "You see, you're number four right now. Of everyone we'll looking at, about eleven to fourteen total depending on how literal you want to be, people in this city we've been considering joining our fraternity. Sadly, this year we get one, and probably won't get another for ten years or so by our estimation." He takes the cigareete back and takes a puff. "That means there's three people I have to think about right now, three people who should be getting the opportunity of a lifetime, and who'll miss it because I'm taking pity on you."

The man knelt down to get closer to Rick. "You're not crazy by the way, and this is not a dream. You happened to stumble upon a dark, dark world. Happens a lot more often than you'd think. Unfortunately, you happened to open the wrong door at the wrong time. So here you are on the ground, dying, and yes, you are dying, but I can save you of a sort. Only that if I save you, three people more useful to us aren't going to get the chance. You following me so far?"

[Dark Seeker]

"Yeah. Lucky me." Rick laughed bitterly, wincing in pain as he did so.

"What exactly would I owe you by you... saving me? Are you guys like demon cops? I used to be a cop, though you probably knew that. If you do, you probably also know why I quit. So let me be clear. If I have to be like Harry or whoever he is over there, beating up and killing people who see the wrong things, you should just go ahead and kill me." It was tough talk, but Rick mostly meant it. He still assumed the creatures in front of him were demons of a sort, and he was not about to sign over his soul for a temporary stay of execution.

"But if your little "fraternity" has another purpose, I'd be willing to pledge. I'd rather not die here. As for the three people ahead of me, I suppose I'd have to prove to you that you made the right choice, correct?"

[daelrog]

"Hm, good question. I think you've just moved into third place, Rick. Keep it up. First of all, I'm not a cop. I'm an intellectual. I attend meetings where people pretend to be more important than they are, and I attempt to prove that their wrong. On the side I also delve into magic, the black arts that your TV shows tell you is only fiction." He tapped his finger to his chin. "And no, you certainly wouldn't become anything so debased as Harry, but you'd be forced to live alongside some you might consider to be monsters, those who make your former peers look like honest men."

[Dark Seeker]

Rick remains silent for a long moment, processing the information. He does not want to die, and this... invitation or whatever it is seems like the only way to avoid that. But neither does he want to end up having to coexist with monsters like Harry. He had quit the force over bribery. Could he really join an organization that counted people like the monster among its members?

In the end, he decided he had better try. At worst they'd just kill him later, and that was infinitely preferable to killing him now.

"You make a tempting offer Mr...?" He pauses, waiting for the man to respond. "And I'm inclined to accept it. Before I do however, I must ask you honestly, does the work your fraternity does improve this city in anyway, or is it all about making a few men richer and powerful? If it's the former, sign me up. If not, I think Harry would be all too eager to finish what he started."

Fear was overtaking Rick, but he could still control it. He felt a strange excitement. Maybe it was the investigator in him, but the existence of a secret society intrigued him.

[daelrog]

"Quenton Albrecht." He listened to the rest of what Rick had to say. "Really? You know I'm inclined to let Harry do just that. What do you think?"

"I think I'm losing me appetite. I think ye should just turn the poor bastard and let him see the world for what it really is. I'd like to see the results."

"Mm." Quenton started thinking again, his brow furrowing. "I'll give it to you Rick, you're making me think really hard about this. I gotta say I like your attitude. Here's the rundown for you. I am vampire. I had all of my blood drained from my body in 1933. The kindred who did so then put a little of her blood, or vitae as we like to call it sometimes, into me. I awoke a dead thing. However, there have been vampires, or kindred, you'd best use kindred from now on if you make it past tonight, since Caine so they say. However, I wasn't just a vampire, but a member of a specific Clan, a Clan Tremere. My Clan is special in that unlike others whose history spans millenium, our only goes back to a little less than a thousand years, because the founder from our Clan drunk the blood of an ancient vampire, destroying his accursed line, and replacing it with ours.

"Now, we kindred are no better than humans when it comes to conflict. We had enemies on all sides, and so the Clan Elders did a lot of things, terrible things to survive. Maybe you can call them monsters for it and you'd be right, but the truth of the matter is many of them are still walking and you're flat on your back.

"Now you'd think after so many years things would be better, but they're not. The Founder was a sorcerer of sorts, and we still have the direct descendents of his rival sorcerers after us. We have another Clan of kindred who can warp their flesh still wanting us all dead. Even our allies want to put our power in check. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, we do what we have to.

"We've helped the city when we've needed to, we've hurt some of its people when necessary. It's the way it is."

He stayed silent for what seemed like a long time, Rick for some reason couldn't bring himself to answer right way, until Quenton spoke again. "I'll give you this choice Rick Valentine, willingly accept the embrace and become the living dead. You'll join my Clan of kindred and help us survive the coming days, and in return we will offer you secrets of the world. You will be asked to do things on behalf of the Tremere, but we are no fools. You won't be asked to do anything you don't want to unless you really want to climb up in our ranks. On the side, you'll have the freedom to do as you please with only certain restrictions. Harry O'Fallen and our kind have an agreement in this city and I'm afraid to say it will be a hundred years before you could stand up to him. However, there is still a lot of evil in this world, tainted by monsters as we, and others that are just regular people. You’re not going to help the people of this city as a cheap private investigator, and you’re not going to help them if you’re dead. Your other choice is that Detective Harry O'Fallen eats you, feet first. What do you say?"

[Dark Seeker]

"Here I was hoping he'd start with the head. I can never win."

Rick considers, but he's already made his decision. He's never been one to put much stock into magic tricks, but given what he's just seen, maybe he had better start. Besides, Quenton's words strike home. What was he doing with his life as a private investigator? Maybe by becoming like these ...things, he'd finally be able to make a difference. Change the world for the better.

He looks the man right in his eyes.

"I accept your offer. Make me a...vampire." That felt so ridiculous to say.

"Kindred, I mean."

[daelrog]

"Right, you're learning already." Quenton knelt down next to him. "Just try to remain calm Rick. It makes it a lot easier."

Rick was filled with an ecstatic feeling, as if some sort of new drug had been created. If so, he could see why people bought it. It wasn't a drug though, he knew it. This was something different. Quenton drained him qucikly, and all went black.

Rick found himself staring out into the abyss. A raging storm whipped around him. Looking back, he could see an outline of his own body laying, suspended in animation. There was a small fire burning in it. He looked out again and something was moving at him. No, many things. Moaning, and screaming they were coming from the abyss, coming from the void. Formless creatures of shadow were climbing up to where he, and his body were.

He was stuck, helpless as he saw them come towards him slowly. He began to make out hollow eyes, gaping maws. They spoke in a language he did not understand, but for some reason it seemed he ought to know. They were almost on him, the presence of the first was death incarnate. "Pleeeeese..."

Then he awoke. He looked up to see Quenton impaled against the wall by one of Harry's sword. He was trying to pull it out casually, though he was having a bit of difficuly. Of Harry there was no sign. Rick was hungry, starving in fact. Quenton could see Rick starting to stir. He slipped his oddly red shoes off, and kicked them at Rick. Drink those."

[Dark Seeker]

The bliss that Rick felt eliminated all of the fear and misgivings he had. It was perfect. For the first time in a very long time, he felt at peace with himself and the world.
And all too soon, it was over. He was dead,and surrounded by monsters, there was no other word for them. He screamed a voiceless scream as they approached. There was a fear here, a fear more present then it even had been with Harry. Because now he was dead. Maybe this was hell, he thought. Maybe I signed a deal with the devil and I'll be left here to rot for all eternity. Tortured by these... things.

Then just as quickly as the vision appeared, it was over, and he was back in the alleyway. Quentin was impaled against the wall. Rick normally would have helped, but the gnawing hunger in the back of his mind was consuming any sense of selflessness he normally had. When the shoes are kicked over to him, he drinks, not even questioning the ridiculousness of it all.

With the way his night is going, he has a feeling things were going to be very weird from now on.

[daelrog]

Once Rick finishes drinking the shoes, he'll have a total of five blood points.

As he brings each shoes to his mouth, they see to magical turn to blood, entering his throat and quenching a great deal of his hunger. He's calmed down after the second one though he feels unsated.

Quenton watched him as he drank, finally removing the sword. When the blade clattered against the gorund it shattered into nothingness. "Turned out Harry was just waiting for me to turn my back." Quenton gave a light chuckle. "Bastard."

He looked up as the rain came down. "I've called a servant of mine. She'll he be here in a few minutes. We'll both get patched up and fed before seeing the Prince for your proper introduction." He chuckled again, the kind of laugh that he was happy to be alive. "I hope you're worth it Rick. Our kind isn't generally in the business of risking our own necks unless we have to. We do that enough getting by day to day without being heroes."Rick noticed he didn't feel as hurt as before, he could even stand up.

"Don't try to heal all oyur wounds yet Rick. That takes blood to do so, and you're just going to get hungry again. Wait, and within half an hour you'll be as good as new."

Feel free to choose your disciplines now.

[Dark Seeker]

The shoes quench his thirst somewhat, enabling him to think.

"And here I thought vamp...Kindred had to suck blood. They can just drink blood from objects instead?"

He looked at Quentin. "Are you alright? Where's Harry? I swear, next time I meet him he's going to regret it." Rick found he was almost looking forward to it, though the rational part of his brain was greatly amused he expected to actually win said confrontation.

"Thanks for saving me. I owe you a lot. I can't promise I'll ever be able to repay it all, but I'll be sure to work for you until you're satisfied that I have."

He leans back against the wall. "Prince? Your boss, I presume?"

[daelrog]

Quenton smiled at Rick's questions. "Well, our Clan's specialty is the black arts. Hocus pocus and all that jazz. My shoes were for an emergency, and if you hadn't drunk those, you would have gone for my blood. Then I would have had to kill you, making the whole not worth the effort. Most of the time we drink for people, turning blood into objects is just a trick some of us have.

"As for Harry, he skipped out, probably torment more petty criminals. And no, you're not going to do anything to Harry. I already said, there's an agreement between him and our kind in this city, and we don't need you messing it up. Besides, Harry's what we like to call a bad ass. Don't know there's a single kindred in the city could beat him in a straight up fight, and Harry's usually one to stab you in the back. No, leave him be, there's other fish more important than him

"As for who's our boss... think of it this way. Each kindred generally has a degree of freedom to pursue his or her hobbies, to build her own niche to survive. We take orders from time to time from the Primogen, the eldest in our Clan. Nice guy if you get to know him. Then there's the Prince who's more of the judiciary. He gets to make the call when someone breaks the law, gets to make the call whether you get turned to ash, or just have to do some sort of task which will get you turned into ash. Once again, we're a bit lucky in that the Prince of this city isn't a vigilante. He keeps out of other's affairs unless he has to."

Rick heard a car slow down until it stopped nearby.

"Over here Chase!"

There was silence for about twnety seconds until the woman came into view. She was breathtaking. Indian, or maybe Pakistani, she held herself up as a professional. Her face was well balanced, and her hair was in a ponytail that shine like they did on the commercials. "The car's just around the corner. We'll get you and the new guy patched up." She took a closer look at Rick. "Number four?"

"Call it fate Chase."

"I'll all it you being soft. Still, not a bad choice."

Quenton laughed and smiled. "Come on number four," he playfully tapped Rick's foot his own, "Let's head to the chantry."

[Dark Seeker]

Rick sighed when he learned he would have to drink blood. "Yeah that was what I figured. I won't lie, felt pretty good though. If it's like that with humans I might not mind so much.

"You're the boss. I won't go after Harry. But if he tries anything with me again... well I'll probably die. But not without a fight."

The new vampire nods at Quentin's explanation. "Got it. I think this system and I will work just fine. Provided it's not hopelessly corrupt like the force is. But I've never been one to cause trouble for trouble's sake. I like to think my past has taught me a few things about picking my battles."

The interruption of Quentin's servant distracts Rick. He glares at her as she banters with her boss.

"The name's Rick. And technically, I moved up to number three before I was changed."

He follows the pair out, mind a buss with a million questions he hasn't the foggiest idea how to voice.

[daelrog]

Chase nods to Rick. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me. Your name is Rick, I won’t forget it.” Her voice was firm. It was both admitting fault, but also a hint of annoyance that he’d get upset over such a trivial thing. Her features softened slightly as she thought about it a second more. “This has no doubt been a tough night for you.”

Quenton scoffed. “I’m the one who got impaled with a damned sword.”

Chase glanced over her shoulder, her ponytail dancing as she did so. “Would you like me to kiss it better, Quenton?” She smiled playfully at her own jest.

“Yes, yes I do.”

They walked over to the car. The windows were tinted dark, but otherwise it seemed nice, but not over the top. Chase drove while Quenton took shotgun, leaving Rick in the back. “So Rick, I’m sure you have a lot of questions. Feel free to ask them.” It was Chase, not Quenton, who made the offer to Rick.

[Dark Seeker]

"Chase, you and Quentin seem to get along well. How long have you known each other? And are you a va...kindred as well?" Rick had many other questions, such as what exactly a chantry was, but he refrained from asking them. After all, he was an investigator by trade. Better to find things out for himself, and prove to Quentin that he had made the right choice.

"I can't believe I never figured out any of this exists. Magic, vampires... Your network must be extensive, if it could avoid any detection from the police or government. "

[daelrog]

Chase answers him. "No, I'm not kindred. I'm a ghoul. A mortal who once or twice a month gets some of their blood."

"Vitae, Chase. We call it vitae."

"As if he knows all the terminology yet. Anyways, it gives me a few perks. I don't age, I get a few of the weaker tricks you kindred can pull off, but I still get to enjoy a nice meal, and can still spend a day at the beach. I think it's the best of both worlds personally. Don't worry about not stumbling upon us. The big trick is most people aren't looking for us. The signs are all around, but you'd be touched in the head if you had actually been searching for blood suckers."

[Dark Seeker]

The two of them really seem to get along, Rick notes with mild approval. He had no wish to serve a tyrant.

"Makes sense. I still can't believe I won't wake up at any moment. If we still even need to dream."

"Oh, that reminds me. Quentin, after you drained me, I found myself outside my body in some kind of abyss. All these shadow creatures surrounded me. Had I stayed on that side even a few seconds longer, I'd have been killed. Or rekilled."

"Is that the afterlife?" He asks, some degree of worry drifting into his voice. He makes a note not to die again anytime soon.

[daelrog]

"Really? That's a bit unusual, I don't think I've heard that one before. Probably having one hell of a bad dream. Have to admit I don't know much about the afterlife. There's a Clan that does know a lot more about death, but we try not to deal with them often."

Rick knew it was more than just a dream, but whatever it was, either Quenton didn't know, or he wasn't saying.

It took fifteen minutes until they arrived at the chantry. It was a small church of all places. "Church of Jesus's Ressurrection" it read. The car rolled up the driveway and stopped.

Quenton got out and motioned Rick to do the same. "All right, this is going to have to be a quick in and out. There's a bathroom to the left of the entrance. There's a shower too, you'll find some soap there. Chase'll get you something to wear. We'll come back after we introduce you to the Prince an give you the full tour."

By the by, Quenton spells his name differently from the norm. It's t-o-n, not t-i-n.

[Dark Seeker]

Rick's not satisfied with Quenton's answer, but he does not press the point. He makes a note to do some personal research later.

He gets out of the car, studying the church. For some reason, he expected more. Though maybe this is how vampires remained hidden. Large, looming castles were not good for secrecy.

He heads into the bathroom( Did he even have to use it anymore? He'd have to ask Quenton about that) He strips and takes a very quick shower, allowing his mind to drift for the first time since all of this crazy stuff had happened. And to think it had started over what he was sure would be a boring job.
Putting on the new clothes Chase brought him, Rick heads out and reunites with his mentor.

"Ready to go to this little gala."

Ack, sorry about that. I'll try not to have it happen again.

[daelrog]

Not a big deal, no worries.:smallsmile:

When Rick was finished showering, he found a suit hanging on the door to the bathroom. It was a good fit, and even had a pair of black socks and recently polished shoes that were his size. The tie and cufflinks matched Rick's eye color.

As he stepped out, Quenton gave an approving nod. "You look good Rick. We have some packs of blood waiting in the car for you. Try not to spill any on your suit. There should be enough to get you full and healed. Be sharp. Turns out you're not the only person who got embraced tonight, and we want you to impress."

It wasn't the car anymore but a limo there. The driver looked absolutely plain in all regards. Chase was sitting in the back already waiting for Quenton and Rick to climb in. When they did, the limo would take off and head for the Prince's.

And... your prelude is finished other than any parting words or thoughts.

Oh, and also you can assume you're completely healed and have full blood points.

It's good to be Tremere sometimes.

[Dark Seeker]

Rick looks at approval with his new suit, fancier then anything he had been able to afford for a long time.

He walks out to the car, pleased with himself. Perhaps lady luck had smiled on him after all.

He drinks well, very surprised as his injuries closed up. He felt good, better then he should, considering what he had become. But maybe this was for the best. Vampire society seemed like an exclusive club. Rick intended to impress.

Maybe, just maybe, he could finally change things.

Thanks, was a lot of fun. And yeah, the Tremere are doing an excellent job of winning Rick over.:smallsmile: