Enter Darkness

[DarkEmpress]

This thread is closed for Marauder13 - We hope you will enjoy the journey with us.

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The sky was devoid of all colour; a solid embankment of grey clouds draped across the horizon. It was a constant reminder that summer had gone as quickly as it came. You could feel the temperature drop … measure the decay of the summer heat in the cold that was slowly tightening its grip on nature.

Alice was sipping a Chai Tea Latte as she stood staring out at the throngs of people that were rushing to make their way home. She had to brave her daily dose of underground madness very soon and treasured her daily reprieve from the chaos at the Starbucks just outside London Victoria station.

The last rays of sunlight dwindled on the horizon before the monotonous grey colour was engulfed into darkness. Alice took the final sip of her Latte and stepped out into the cold. Binning the cup, she wrapped her long and flowing jacket tightly around herself and was about to throw herself into the milling crowd of people … when she stopped … dead in her tracks.

A soft frown played across her expressive features as she tilted her head to the side. She closed her violet blue eyes for a moment; seemingly deep in thought before they snapped open. She half turned to stare at the street behind her. Alice absently ran her fingers through her raven dark hair, her naturally pale skin in stark contrast as she smoothed a few wayward strands back into place.

She had the insane urge to walk there … as if something … no, someone … was pulling her there … calling her.

She turned fully and stood staring at the street for the longest moment with an almost haunted expression that dominated her features. Her feet started moving of their own volition … the gravitational pull towards that elusive destination was overwhelmingly powerful. She suspected she would not be able to fight the urge even if she tried. Curiosity and intrigue fuelled her progress … she needed to know what it was … to prove, even if it was just to herself, that she was not crazy. Alice, what are you doing? Her mind was asking in an exasperated little voice in the back of her mind.

Once she reached the centre of the street, she felt compelled to cross to the opposite side before she had the urge to make it to the next street to turn left into it. Alice was walking faster and faster … the urgency and the strength of the power growing with every step she took. Her initial curiosity was slowly turning into fear. Every instinct she possessed was protesting violently against every move she made … and yet she was powerless to stop herself. She had to get there … she had to meet him … Are you listening to yourself!? Her mind was screaming.

She finally came to a standstill in a park, out of breath … her eyes wide with fear as she furtively inspected her surroundings. She was a solitary figure completely devoid of the eyes and ears of civilisation. This was the place … this is where she needed to be … this is where he was … Alice!! Ruunnn, run away! Her mind was screaming.

“Hello …” the word siphoned into the air. Nooooo, don’t do it!

She felt him … before he even moved. In a blur of motion, a strong pair of arms wrapped around her in a vicelike grip. Her scream died on her lips as her eyes stared up into the sky … transfixed … a pair of fangs sank into her neck. Her heart was racing in her chest … pounding in her ears as she felt her life force being sucked from her veins, terrified gasps racing across her lips.

“Please stop …” the voice in the back of her head finally spoke up. She sounded weak … her voice barely audible. Tears ran down her cheeks as she felt a blanket of cold slowly wrapping itself around her. Her heart started faltering … the beats becoming sporadic … slower … and slower. The world took a dizzying swirl around Alice as her eyes fluttered shut … her body becoming limp in his arms.

“Please …” the final desperate plea fell from her lips before her head rolled to the side, the wind playing in her hair as if it was trying to blow her dwindling life back into her lungs … her deathly pale pallor eerily highlighted by the austere beams of a nearby lamp.

Something cold and wet pressed to her lips …

… Darkness.

 

[marauder13]

Byron Deveraux felt full and flush from the feeding he took from his soon to be childe. He had been watching her for weeks, captivated by her, with a feeling akin to the lust he felt when he was a mere mortal like she was. In moments, she would be his for all eternity, to please him completely, and she would love every moment of it too. He would see to that.

He looked down in delight as his blood stained wrist was pressed against her mouth. The first drops of his blood hit her tongue, its dark siren's call sparked the tiny fragment of her that remained, her hands lashing up with the last dredges of her strength to hold the source of existence to her lips as she sought to imbibe of the ambrosia that slaked her thirst. Soft mewling sounds interspersed the louder sucking noises as she continued to fill her stomach.

Her grip strengthened on his arm, so much so he supported her weight as he lifted his arm up to his shoulder height. He took a handful of her hair, pulling her hard away from his wrist. She fought back, applying her own newly increasing strength to keep her mouth on the source of blood. But his strength was greater, and his knowledge greater as well. Her head was drawn away further and further as her rational mind took over. Her hands loosened allowing him to remove his arm.

"Hello, my childe, and welcome to eternity. You and I are going to see the ages roll past us together. Wont that be a wonderful thing for us?" He helped her to her feet, seeing the confusion clearly in her deep blue eyes. He took her hand, leading her further into the narrow streets.

"You have much to learn, my childe. The first thing you will learn is that my word is Law, and your very existence relies on you following it. One little mistake, and you'll cease to be." He paused at the corner, looking around, leading her on.

"You will need to learn a whole new way of... living." Byron laughed at that comment, as neither of them were living as such. "But fortunately, you'll have a good teacher to show you what to do."

Out of nowhere, three men and one woman appeared around them. The one in front of Byron and Alice was dressed in an expensive three piece suit of navy blue. A white shirt and a deep red tie and black leather shoes polished to the point they shone rounded out his ensemble. The remaining three looked like they were members of a motorcycle gang. All leathers, black t-shirts, boots along with the standard accessories of chains, knives and large lumps of wood. Each of those that appeared were a few metres away from Byron and Alice, and were well dispersed.

"Mister Deveraux, the Prince of London would like to have a word with you over your recent breach of the Third."

"You can go tell the Prince of London to go fuck off, as this is not his domain."

"Oh, to the contrary, Mister Deveraux. A fortnight ago, your... leader, Sabre, announced to the Prince that he was withdrawing his spurious claim over this territory that was rightfully the Prince's Domain. Sabre informed the Prince that he would inform all those that followed his leadership that the area was no longer theirs. So, you either missed the announcement, ignored it, or are very lacking in basic intelligence.

"Either way, you and the young woman in question will be going to visit the Prince this very night. I hope that you will be civilized about this, but my companions here are really hoping that you wont."

Byron crouched slightly before he launched himself at the suit wearing man at a blistering speed. The woman, with a reaction superior to his, covered the 5 metres between her original position and the suit wearer in a blink of an eye. She interposed herself taking the brunt of the blow Byron intended for the other man. Just slightly slower, one of the gang dressed men threw himself at Byron, landed a fist blow that shattered ribs, his hand burying itself half way up to the elbow, before he tore it out of Byron's body. Byron lashed out at the woman, raining blows down on her as she blocked or deflected most, expect for one that caved her face in.

The third gang clad member casually walked up behind Byron, lifting him as if he was a kitten, and throwing him into the side of the building with the cacophony of shattering bones filling the silence. The thrower walked over to the limp mass and drove a length of wood into his chest.

The suited man walked over to Alice, cupping her chin, and looking her in the eye. "You will follow me, and remain with me until we have been greeted by the Prince." He felt the power gifted to him by his clan's birthright coalesce about the newly created vampire, tightening its grip on her will, molding it until she had no option but to obey.

"Master Toby, pick up Mister Deveraux and escort him to his audience with the Prince. Mister Calloway, please bring Miss Smith back while she heals. We have to ensure Mister Deveraux doesn't cause the Prince any more displeasure."

 

[DarkEmpress]

Death was wrapping its dark clutches around Alice as the first drop crossed her lips. She pressed the source to her lips with the last vestiges of strength she had left. The thick liquid filled her mouth followed by a burning sensation that seemed to ebb through her body … growing in intensity. The wetness trickled down her throat, her heart constricting painfully in her chest as it sputtered and missed a beat. The heat growing … her body wanting with thirst as she sucked at the source … long and hard.

Her heart gave another three spasms, wrenching the last act of life from her body before it stopped … deafening silence echoing in her mind. Excruciating pain flamed through Alice’s body as she gasped against his arm, her body shaking. She gripped the arm tightly as she drank with newfound fervour … her body craving for it with every fibre … needing it as her only link to life. The heat slowly subsided into a low simmer … until it stopped.

She felt a hand weave into her hair, pulling her away from the source of the life giving liquid. Alice finally opened her eyes …

She halted in shock. It was … breathtaking …

Everything seemed brighter, more precise … The details were overwhelming. She could see the dust particles floating in front of her and darkness held no barrier anymore, she could see for miles and miles as if the sun was still shining brightly in the sky above.

Her eyes snapped to an arm that was taken away from her as she realised that she was suspended in mid air. A deep baritone voice spoke next to her, and Alice looked up into a dark pair of eyes. As he placed her back on her feet, she realised for the first time that she was holding on to his arm … with her entire weight. A confused frown drifted across her features … she had never been that strong in her life!

Alice was trying to focus on his words, but she found herself distracted by everything in her surroundings. Every sound was amplified, every colour magnified … and every feeling enhanced. "You will need to learn a whole new way of... living, but fortunately, you'll have a good teacher to show you what to do," he said as he took her hand in his and lead her back to the streets. Alice was completely bewildered and remained absolutely quiet, desperately trying to make sense of everything.

Seemingly out of thin air, four beings appeared surrounding them. The leader was dressed immaculately in a three-piece suit that seemed … outdated, somehow. He spoke a very old dialect of English that oddly complimented his entire countenance. Alice was captivated by him, scarcely noticing the other three. He spoke of a Prince of London and it was on the tip of her tongue to correct him that there was actually no such title within the Royal Family when Byron answered with a curt, “tell the Prince of London to go fuck off.” She quirked an eyebrow and glowered at him, it seemed a tad rude of him.

As the conversation progressed, Alice quickly realised that they were talking about an entirely different matter with talk of a breach of the third and them having to pay a visit to the ‘Prince of London’. Byron’s reaction to the gentleman’s news indicated that it was a dire matter.

Alice took a step back, frozen in shock as a brutal and bloodthirsty fight ensued. She had never seen any human being move like that before. It was a futile effort, Byron’s efforts hugely outnumbered even though he fought bravely. Alice stood staring in horror at his crumpled form … paralysed with fear. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she saw them impale Byron with a wooden beam. She took an almost audible gulp before turning to watch the oddly dressed gentleman once more. Would they descend on her too?

Instead, he cupped her chin, his gaze captivating her ice blue eyes. "You will follow me, and remain with me until we have been greeted by the Prince,” his honey-like voice filled her senses, dissolving her resolve. She felt compelled to comply, an unerring need to do exactly as he instructed … and she did. Without any question and without any objection.

Alice followed wordlessly … her mind in turmoil at the chaos, none of it making any sense.

 

[marauder13]

The suit wearing man led the small procession to an awaiting limousine. The body of Byron was placed into the spacious boot, while everyone else climbed into the back of the well appointed passenger section. Everyone ignored Alice's presence, all simply waiting motionlessly as the car took them to their destination.

The limousine turned into Great Russel Street driving past their destination, before entering the car park that had been opened just for them. The car eventually came to a stop outside an elevator door. The driver opened the door, and the passengers exited the vehicle, pausing long enough to remove Byron's body from the boot. Together they entered the elevator, one of the suited man's companions punched the button to send the elevator to the upper level of the building.

The doors opened into a room featuring a large collection of Egyptian artifacts. The group moved through further rooms of Egyptian history before entering rooms devoted to the Roman era. The finally entered a room where a small gathering of people were located. The suited man continued to enter the room, walking up to a young man dressed in dirty, old fashioned robes. The suited man bowed to the other, the two talking softly before he signaled for the rest to approach.

"Why have the fishermen come back with two catches?" The dirty robed one looked at the two incapacitated bodies.

"One of those was the agent of chaos you warned me about, Your Majesty. The other one is a victim of the fight. But this one," he pointed to Alice, "is our other catch. A violation of the Third."

He turned to look at Alice, his expression and tone were both very serious. "Now, before you get any strange ideas, young miss, do not try anything violent in here, as it will be the final death of you if you try."

"Well, we know what needs to be done about that, my Seneschel. They will both need to..." The Prince of London looked closely at Alice, staring deeply into her eyes. His sky blue eyes deepened into a richer shade of blue as he looked deeper into her mind, heart and soul. He saw elements of her life come to life within her eyes, some of which she herself had thought she had forgotten.

"Seneschel," he whispered, holding his gaze steady, "you are aware of who this woman is, don't you?"

"Indeed, your Majesty. I would like to petition to have my special boon called in."

"Hmmm? Oh... I need to replace a member of my choir. A voice has been lost, another has moved onto heaven. They must be replaced, Seneschel! But I know the replacement is nearby. Take care of what needs to be done." The Prince ran from the room, everyone else turning to watch him leave.

A well dressed woman in a conservative business suit approached them. Her light brown hair was stylishly short, and the brown eyes were sharply taking in every detail about her. She gave the briefest of nods to the suited man.

"I am glad that the Prince has withdrawn to take care of other pressing business. It will allow us to conduct business in a more satisfactory manner."

The Seneschel smiled. "And what business would the Ventrue Primogen be seeking to do? If you are asking about increasing the Ventrue hunting grounds to include part of the newly reclaimed territory, then you are about to waste both of our valuable time. The territory is the sole providence of the Prince, as he as declared."

"Surely, Seneschel, we can come to some agreement that is -"

"No, I don't have the time. I have preparations to make regarding the punishing of a Breach of the Traditions. Anyway, you will need to talk about that issue with the Prince himself."

"I would rather deal with a Tremere than deal with a Malkavian any day."

"Indeed," the Seneschel answered as he turned away. "Master Toby, please escort Mister Deveraux to his meeting with Mistress Sharyn. The rest of us have places to go. Are you going to come along peacefully, Miss Cornwell?"

 

[DarkEmpress]

Alice mutely followed them into the limousine taking a seat opposite the suited man … her mind working overtime. She was apprehensive about Byron’s well-being and overwhelmed by a sensory overload that seemed to accentuate every sight, smell and sound. To add to the dilemma, she had a sense of mounting rage building inside her for no reason at all. Alice had been a gentle person her entire life … and she was not accustomed to having so much rage boiling in her veins.

The suited man’s command was unmistakable, and even though Alice did not quite follow the significance of the events … she knew that he was controlling her will in some way.

They came to a standstill outside an imposing building. Filing out of the confines of the limousine, Alice was lead through a massive double door that was guarded by two imposing gryphons atop pillars, the eyes of the statues following their progress in silent observance. Alice was infuriated by their gawking eyes, having to fight the sudden urge to climb up there and rip the statues apart. Thankfully, they entered the building, making their way up to the top floor and exiting into a room that closely resembled a museum of sorts. Alice was no expert on historical artefacts, but the items on display appeared to be priceless and authentic.

They halted just inside the door that led into a spacious room. A small gathering of people was congregating around a man that looked rather young and seemed to be dressed in rags. The noise that came from the group was irritating … and Alice was itching to pin a loud-mouthed redhead to the wall and silencing her insistent babbling. Whoohaaa, she gasped at herself in her mind … the rage was becoming more and more irrational.

Alice focussed her attention on the suited man as her violet blue eyes followed his approach to the tattered individual. She was quite surprised when he bowed to him … and was even more amazed when it became apparent that this was the so-called ‘Prince of London’.

Once they approached the Prince of London, Alice was quite exasperated at being referred to as ‘a violation of the Third’, which made her quirk an eyebrow and stare at the Prince with confusion clearly written all over her expressive features. She clenched her teeth together fighting another irrational urge to smash his face in. "Now, before you get any strange ideas, young miss, do not try anything violent in here, as it will be the final death of you if you try," he said as if he could sense the rage that was boiling in her veins. “I am trying to control it, Sir,” she said in a sincere tone, heeding his warning.

His words trailed off as he stared deeply into Alice’s eyes. She could feel him enter her thoughts, slowly paging through her memories as she gasped … staring at him transfixed. Images flashed through her mind … vivid and crisp … at a frightening pace. He was ‘reading her like a book’ and Alice was helpless to stop him.

"Seneschel, you are aware of who this woman is, don't you?" His voice entered her mind before she realised that he had actually spoken the words. His dark blue eyes were holding her captive as he said it, sending a chill down Alice’s spine. “Who … who am I?” Alice stammered.

Seneschel seemed to agree and before her question was answered, the Prince of London left the room amongst incoherent mumble about a choir. A rather stern looking woman entered the room speaking to Seneschel. Alice attempted to listen attentively as they spoke about territory and increasing hunting grounds but she found her attention span dwindling at an alarming rate. Her entire body seemed to crave for something ... something that she could not name. It was overwhelming. A soft hiss escaped Alice’s lips as she ran her tongue along her teeth, noting for the first time the noticeable increase in the size of her incisors.

“Are you going to come along peacefully, Miss Cornwell?" Seneschal’s voice intruded on her thoughts. She snapped her eyes to his as she clasped her hands together. Stealing a sideways glance at Byron, she slowly returned her gaze back to the suited man. She had no choice but to comply. “Yes I will,” Alice said with a slight nod, fighting down the urge to smash the condescending tone from his voice.