Tuesday: Righteous Fury Who: Tayne and Lux (NPC) Where: the streets of Darkwater When: late in the evening, right before the electrical storm
It hadn't been as productive a day as Tayne would've liked-- which was why he was still out and about well after dark, and not eating dinner at the nice restaurant attached to his hotel. The morning had been taken up with hiding in his hotel room from the downpour, not even able to sleep in with all that rain coming down noisily. He'd kept his window open the night before, and as soon as the storm broke at dawn, he'd immediately rushed out of bed to slam the window shut.
No water in his hotel room. None. No way.
Thankfully, it finally cleared up enough that he felt comfortable going outside, but that still shaved a few hours off his plans for the day. Throw in the blustering, and he'd barely visited half the people he'd intended to, and only made one purchasing errand. He was on his way back to the hotel a visit to the hospital, on foot, eying the starless sky with more and more trepidation and wishing to heaven he'd brought his truck. Shame on him for thinking the rain was done for the day.
Lux found the impending electrical storm to be exciting. Of course, excitement was relative considering he'd just undertaken a true hunt: stalking a woman as she'd left the row of shops along the main strip of Darkwater. Had he ever seen a noir film, he might have appreciated the scenario he'd set up in a different light. Lovely woman, very nervously hurrying along as she tried to pretend she didn't hear the ominous noises from behind her. Once he'd become tired of his game, he'd caught her very easily, and he was currently draining the life from her in an alley, his mouth, chin and grimy shirtfront covered with a sticky coating of red. She was so far gone she'd ceased to fight, and he figured that even if an ambulance roared up right then, they wouldn't be able to save her. That was all right. He was a predator, and this was what he did.
Except there was someone walking by just then who happened to know the signs of a vampire attack. Tayne stopped as the smell of blood-- unmistakable, after his time as a hunter-- and looked around immediately, the storm briefly forgotten. There were shadows in between each of the buildings around him, and it was possible that one of them was moving. His sense of smell wasn't nearly good enough to pinpoint where the smell was coming from-- it wasn't that great, period, really, but that smell he knew too well-- but there was one thing he could do.
Two words in Latin, and the alley nearest him lit up like a sun with a sourceless flare of light.
Lux snarled, temporarily disoriented, holding the limp body of his dinner up as if to shield himself from the light. Heat lightning crackled in the sky, and he realized that it was night. Why would he be out otherwise? Feeling foolish and not liking the feeling, he started toward the source of said light, the body he'd nearly drained dry still held in his tattooed, muscular arms. Whoever they were, they'd be sorry for interfering, he decided. He was a very old, extremely strong vampire, and now he was pissed.
A vampire. What else could it be? There were fangs, there and a body, and blood.... Tayne's eyes narrowed, immediately and instinctively calling up the words to a fire spell, but... but. He couldn't quite spit the words out. Not yet. Not all vampires were evil... surely not all vampires were evil, if not all elementals were evil, not all psychics, not all golems....
So he waited, the spell hovering in his mind, waiting to be cast, but his throat closed on it, remembering someone else he could have cast fire on but didn't. He just waited, watching while he advanced, eyes fixed and face impassive, but not the least bit afraid.
Lux moved closer and closer, the blood that coated him clearly visible even in the dim light. The woman from whom he'd fed had died; her heartbeat had ceased moments ago. It didn't matter. He was full. He stopped when he was near enough to see Tayne, his bloody smile widening. It was a human, without even a weapon. Such a shame he didn't need to eat anymore. He decided he might try to stuff some more blood in, anyway. Taking the dead woman by the shoulders, he abruptly launched her in Tayne's direction, hoping to unnerve the man who'd dared to interrupt him.
Tayne was hard to unnerve-- like that anyway. He caught the body flung at him, stepping hastily back to absorb the momentum and ducking to get a hand under her knees and heft her up. Even as he did so, he could tell it was too late: she was too pale and too cold; she wasn't breathing. And looking down briefly, looking for whether her eyes were already closed, he realized with a painful start that he knew her. She came to Mass every Sunday-- she sat in the third row, on the left side of the church. She'd confessed last week to eating too much cake, swearing in the car at other drivers, and avoiding an old friend out of guilt.
Furious, the fire spell roared out of his mouth, flaring up in a wall of flame between him and the vampire.
Lux was both fascinated by the fire and afraid of it. Intellectually he knew that if he got too close to it, it would burn him to a cinder, and yet... it was so compelling. It didn't occur to him to wonder how the man at whom he'd thrown the body was able to do that. He stood staring raptly at the wall of flame for a few moments before realizing that he needed to take some action. Backing up, he edged out of the alley from the opposite end and zoomed around the nearest building, hoping to surprise the man before he realized that Lux was no longer where he'd been when the fire had blazed up to separate them.
It gave Tayne time to set the poor, innocent girl down against a building, where he could come back for her and call the police. He could explain her blood on his clothes from his trying to save her. No one would think the local priest might have killed her, of all people. His anger was still strong enough to overcome his reluctance, enough that he forgot his reluctance, and he let the fire die down once his hands were free and another few spells came to mind, looking around intently for the creature who had killed one of his own. He kept himself ready to move, expecting to be rushed from any side when he didn't see it right on the other side of the flame.
If only he had a weapon. Ugh. Not even a pencil he could try to mold into a stake.
Lux peered around the side of the building he'd just circled, seeing that the man had put the body down and was looking around, trying to see where he'd gone. For the first time, the vampire noticed that his opponent was wearing a priest's collar. Nice. Holy warriors were the most fun to fight sometimes. He ducked back out of sight and glanced upward at the overhang of the roof, pondered for a few seconds and then jumped for it, his calloused, blocky fingers grasping it. He was able to pull himself up through sheer strength, then crawled across it until he'd reached the edge on the far side, nearest the priest. Gathering himself into a crouch, he abruptly jumped, aiming himself in hopes of landing directly on top of the man.
Tayne was ready. Not necessarily to be landed on, but ready to react to whatever did happen. Being crashed into by the vampire, from above, only limited his options. The first and simplest and the one that didn't require him to speak any spells or make any ritual motions: the rosary in his pocket, which he already had a hand wrapped around. He yanked it out even as the two of them fell, him backwards and the vampire forwards on top of him, and thrust it in the vampire's face with a wordless growl. A blood-drinker like this wouldn't be able to stand the presence of a religious thing like that, in the hands of someone who was truly of the faith and knew how to use it.
Lux's fangs were fully extended and he was lunging to bite into Tayne's neck when suddenly, his cheek began to smoke. As agile as a jungle cat, he flung himself back, landing in a crouch and using the heel of his hand to rub briskly at his face. "Coward," he accused, looking truly demented as he snarled at the priest. "You don't dare take me on without your fire and your cross." His voice dripped with the Southern accent he'd had all his life, thickened a little from sheer ire. He had no doubt that he would prevail, ripping the other man's throat out and showering in his blood, but he wasn't sure exactly how he was going to do that at the moment.
"If you would face me without your fangs and super-strength, leave your 'prey' alive to see another day, and maybe then you can call me a coward," Tayne growled back, gathering his feet under him, himself, as if to stand up. What he did, though, was launch himself at the vampire, his rosary wrapped around one fist as if it were a set of brass knuckles, pulling back to swing to the vampire's face. He was hoping surprise would get him what his human speed could not.
Lux hadn't been expecting the rosary-wielding priest to come for him again, and the fist did connect with his face, sending up another hissing plume of smoke. He made a sound that was more inarticulate roar than anything and let gravity take him to his back, where he gathered his legs beneath him and kicked out. His goal, of course, was to send the priest flying so he could gain his own footing and attempt to break the man's neck. If he could get the right grip, he could do so easily.
It was harder to kick someone off of you if they were clinging to your hair with their free hand-- which was what Tayne was doing. That, and trying to wrap his legs around the vampire for a better grip, where no kicking legs could get to him. He didn't have a stake, but he still had the rosary, and he drove it again into the vampire's flesh-- this time at his throat. And one spell that he could make with a fist, already coming to mind.
Lightning-fast, Lux's hand flew up and wrapped around Tayne's, the one that was holding the rosary to his throat. He pulled it away just enough that the cross wasn't burning his skin. "You better get off me," he breathed as he noticed that the man was trying to get a grip on him with his legs. "I might get excited." He figured that the surest way to offend a priest was to bring sexuality into it, although his own interests didn't extend to other men. He bared his fangs again, wanting to get close enough to tear into his neck, because he thought that blood staining that collar would be very aesthetically pleasing.
At this point, Tayne was beyond offense and into righteous fury, all but oblivious to anything Lux was saying as spells and tactics flew through his mind-- even if Lux had been begging for mercy, he might not have heard it. If he couldn't get the rosary onto the vampire's throat, at least he could use those hands to keep some distance between them, so no teeth could get at anything vital. Lux could bite at his arms all he wanted. Tayne could stand a little pain-- especially since, if he couldn't burn him out with the power of God, he could burn him out with the power of magic. He started growling out in Latin, trying to free up his non-rosary hand long enough to make the sign of the cross.
Lux whipped his head forward like a snake and snagged the cloth of Tayne's sleeve, easily tearing through it with his fangs. He bit here, bit there, got a few good tastes of the man's blood before he decided he'd had enough of being pressed to the ground on his back like a pillbug. Using Tayne's wrist, which he still held, as leverage, he lunged upward, managing to toss the priest off of him. His mouth was smeared with Tayne's blood, and despite the fact that he was full, he wouldn't mind having some more, and he scrambled to his feet, enjoying the game of seeing what the priest might do next.
Though the bites hurt, Tayne had had worse, and his casting only faltered a little-- he needed to get that spell out, and then this would be over and he could call the police. He didn't have the chance, though, even as he fought to pull his arm free from the fanged grip to complete the cross-shape. This vampire was stronger than he'd expected, stronger-- possibly-- than any he'd fought before, definitely stronger than any he'd fought without study, preparation, and a goddamned stake. He went tumbling away with a yelp, the spell energies disrupted and loosed without direction. They exploded harmlessly into a shower of only mildly heated sparkles, like the illusions he'd made for Jesse and the rest of the island, as he scrambled to get his feet under him and another spell back to mind.
Quite a bit of battle strategy involved psyching out one's opponent, and even though Lux did not have the education or the vocabulary to explain that in so many words, he was very well aware of it. He pulled his shoulders up, adding to his height as he stood up straighter and instantly advanced. He wasn't sure what the priest was trying to do with his Latin words: curse him? exorcise him? A spell didn't occur to him despite the wall of fire the man had produced earlier; nobody could claim that Lux was the sharpest knife in the drawer, to be sure. His hands curled into fists as he chuckled, fangs bared, preparing to drink from the priest and then snap his neck when he reached him.
His feet under him, and his expression tense, Tayne took a step back as the vampire started to advance. It was a slow stalk-- and he had time for something. Not something that would get him close enough to touch again... that would be too foolish, and Tayne didn't want to die like this. He swallowed, stood his ground, held up his hands, and spoke the first spell that came to mind. It wasn't fire, but light-- and he had enough presence of mind to put the last words onto the end, and the rapid gesture towards the sky, that made it a kind of light that at least might do him some good. He dropped his hands, both pointing directly at the vampire, and a ray of pure, high-noon sunlight exploded from the clouds, right at the vampire.
Despite knowing that it was night, the false light that Tayne produced caused Lux to dive for the wall at the far side of the alley. He couldn't help expecting his skin to blacken and sear, for the fever and the madness brought on by sunlight to begin. That didn't happen, of course, and being fooled for a second time only made him angry. The vampire pushed away from the wall and headed for Tayne at a faster clip now, ignoring the light that was like indoor lightbulbs: it didn't affect him at all. In the sky above, a mighty boom of thunder rolled, as if to give voice to Lux's ire.
It bought him time, at least, time to put some more distance between himself and the vampire, and time to come up with a plan. The brief flash of lightning that came before the thunder made him flinch, briefly reminded that there was a storm here that might drop rain on him at any moment, but it also gave him an idea. He started chanting in Latin again, even as he kept backing up, his fingers slashing through the air, the rosary still wrapped around one hand clinking together with each motion.
"Say your foreign words," Lux said, his voice a raspy growl. "Won't do you no good." He had no clue that the priest was speaking Latin, nor would he have cared if he had. He was one of those who'd always been of the opinion that people in America should speak American, dammit. He closed in, his arms reaching to grab hold of the man with his grimy and blood-stained fingers.
This was probably the dumbest vampire Tayne had ever gone up against. How the hell had he gotten so old, without being able to recognize a spellcaster? Tayne didn't think on it now. He had a spell to finish. While he wasn't going for an explosion, his usual best ability, there was so much electricity in the air that it was practically child's play to summon it. If only he could... finish it... in--
Time! Yes! He shouted the last word, cast his hands down at Lux again, and harnessed the flash lightning into a directed strike, right at the vampire.
Lux went flying, a startled scream leaving his lips as his body hit the brick wall nearest him and fell to the ground. At first he had no clue what had happened to him. All he was aware of was pain and a deeply smoky smell rising from the front of his shirt. Had he somehow been staked, despite the fact that he hadn't seen anything in the priest's hand? He writhed like a hard-shelled bug trapped on its back, in its death throes, then half-turned and began to crawl toward Tayne. Whatever that had been, he'd done it, and that made Lux even more determined to end him.
Feeling ill and desperate and still so angry, now that he saw the beast on the ground, Tayne knew he had to finish him. If he didn't, he was going to die, this time. And he didn't have much time. There were already sirens coming in the distance. As he had no stake and the vampire was too old for his holy objects to do enough damage, he had to go with the only other option. He made the sign of the cross over the crawling vampire and spoke again the words to the fire spell. His hand shook as he cast it through the requisite motions, exhausted and running out of strength with all this magic, and he tossed the rosary onto the vampire's head with the final words, in lieu of and oil or ash.
Lux had always been fascinated by fire, and it was ironic that fire would be what ended his long, long life as a blood-drinker. He paused just as Tayne made the sign of the cross over him, his squinty blue eyes widening as he had a vague sensation of unease about what the man was doing. It was then that the rosary hit the top of his head and he burst into flames. Instantly, he became a screaming, flailing bundle of hair and bone and charred clothing. The torment of the fire built, reached a peak of agony and then, strangely, diminished. It was possible that was the moment that his consciousness of who he'd once been and who he was left him. Behind his eyes he saw the face of his Sire and of his most loved vampire sibling, the one he'd never been able to forget. Then, lastly, the kewpie doll face of his other vampire sister, Sibyl, looking vaguely startled. Then nothing as the empty shell that was his body continued to burn in the lightning-swept darkness of the alley.