Losing the tail [closed]

OOC: A short, closed topic setting up Almos' actions between his meeting with Ogreman and his adventure in Sant’Antonino, France. This is purely for my own enjoyment and the opportunity to flesh out aspects of Almos that I haven't gotten to play with for a while and go to some very dark places with him. Graphic content warnings yo.

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==> A Lovely Hotel

To say that the last several days had been exciting was a bit of an understatement. Infiltrating the strongest bastion of Catholicism, sewing some seeds of discord in young Ada Koch, massacring a few hapless paladins before finally making off with the letter he'd come for. While he would have preferred to grab the letter without a confrontation advertising his existence to the True Cross, he couldn't deny the tingling sensation of relief he felt grinding them into bloody sacs of meat. Obviously the hunt for the relic took precedence in the grand scheme of things but he'd gone far too long without venting some of the rage that put him on this quest in the first place. Ogreman had proven that in more ways than one...

Ogreman, a being with powers far beyond anything the vampire had ever seen before and an underlying sense of superiority to match. Now that he'd taken some time to mull the encounter over, he was beginning to string together a few guesses as to what exactly Ogreman really was but the particulars of his plan and Almos' own role within it were still an utter mystery. While he was sure that those answers would reveal themselves all in due time, the far more pressing matter was what the bald bastard had done to him.

With a single glance, every painful memory buried with Lorand's psyche had been pulled to the surface along with an assortment of painful potential futures. His parents, Aranka, his daughter, and even the monastery were all fresh in the vampire's mind, causing his blood to boil more than it had in months. Childish though it might be, Almos Lorand had no interest in the societal norm of simply "letting it go." No, someone was going to become the vampire's whipping boy regardless of their relation to his latest tantrum.

The trick though, was choosing a suitable target. Many of his kind would have simply massacred whatever town they happened to be in to satiate this form of bloodlust. But in the long run that kind of behavior would come back to bite them. Ogreman was right about one thing; the priests knew about him now and any signs of vampiric activity in the area would being them right down on his head. So if he was going to unwind, it needed to be in useful way that allowed him to lose any potential trackers.

According to the stolen letter, his next clue was hidden away by Buddhists on Sant’Antonino to the south of France. Therefore, Almos had spent an entire day moving north at his top travelling speed. Anyone in the True Cross smart enough and fast enough to trace his route after this incident would assume that he would continue north rather than backtrack to the south. Thankfully, there was only one copy of the letter that he knew of and the Vatican had always been horrible about underestimating the patience of vampires. Two very useful facts in his favor.

Beyond the general location of the target though, the target itself had to have a certain...gravitas to get the kind of cathartic release that Lorand wanted. He could butcher a bar anywhere in the world and it wouldn't mean anything. If he was going to get the True Cross looking at him, he really wanted their attention (pointed in the wrong direction of course). And so he drew upon the memories of the priests he'd devoured over the last several months, searching for enticing targets as he made his journey until he came across a passing thought in the stream of consciousness that was once a particularly annoying master of faeth based martial arts. It was another of the Vatican sponsored orphanages utilized in their recruitment process. Not as large or well regarded as the main house maintained by the Champion in Rome, but well-regarded for the kindness and devotion of its caretaker, Sister Margaret.

Young, kind, beautiful by objective standards, and skilled with a shotgun, the woman was a true role model for some two dozen children in northern France. As soon as the information had revealed itself to him, the vampire shifted his course slightly to make a beeline for the orphanage. It would take some time, but at his top pace he could be there just before midnight. The ghost of a smile appeared on Almos' face as he pressed onward to the orphanage. This is going to be fun.

It really was a beautiful building to look at.  Two stories tall, large windows with freshly painted wood frames, and an adorable little circle driveway in the front for potential parents to pull through and signal the caretaker to march the little brats outside like prize cattle for inspection.  Oh yes, a nice warm loving environment to distract all the little kiddies from whatever trauma brought them here in the first place.  The thought was sickening to be perfectly honest.  Almos Lorand was not one to disguise his own nature.  He'd readily admit to vicious acts of murder, torture, and sexual deviance committed for nothing more than boredom.  However, even he could simply not abide by indoctrination or the lies of the Church.  For a moment, he'd considered the option of simply letting the orphans run along and find their way in the world after tonight but that idea was abandoned as quickly as it came.  He wasn't about to start getting sentimental enough to allow witnesses to walk away untouched.  

The vampire approached the building from the rear, hands calmly stuffed into his pockets while he sauntered to the base of the building.  After the fiasco in Rome he'd made sure to double check that this particular building was free of any holy barriers.  While their absence was reasonable enough, the vampire was mildly surprised by the various signs of life he could make out within the building.  Specifically, there were about two dozen children and only a single adult based on the pulses.  Evidently any help Sister Margaret received was limited to the day shift.  Amazing how things just sort of lined up for him every now and then.  

Clawed hands sliding from his pockets, Almos silently climbed his way up the brick wall of the building towards one of the large windows leading to a bedroom.  From the sounds of it, she kept the children six to a room with three rooms on either side of the large upper floor.  Reaching the jutting window sill, the former monk's hand lashed out like a saber stroke and severed the lock, allowing him to silently open the double doored window.  

For a long moment, he simply crouched on his haunches in the window, his black silhouette contrasting the starlight behind him while a pair of crimson eyes gazed upon six sleeping boy not even in their teens.  His face was an emotionless slate until finally, the orphans began to stir as if warned of danger by the intensity of the glares being leveled upon them.  Of course, it was still too early for screams tonight so Almos brought his newest vampiric ability to bare; hypnosis.  Rather than transform the weak willed children into mindless slaves as they woke, Lorand chose to restrain his control a bit, only going so far as to deny them the ability to make any sound or move from their beds while preserving all other faculties.  

After the first sat up and stared at his, mouthing silent cries for help from his caretaker, the vampire finally decided to enter the room, extending his control over the others as they woke until all six were his silent hostages.  Flashing a toothy grin at each of them, Almos made sure to maintain eye contact as the starlight was slowly blotted out by passing clouds to leave him as little more than a creeping shadow with burning red eyes and flashing white fangs.  The poor children, try as they might, were unable to voice their cries for help or even leave beds.  A few of the more skittish ones went so far as to soil themselves though whether they were even aware of it at this point was entirely up for debate.  Despite his relative inaction thus far, even the children could instantly tell that this intruder was wrong on a very deep level.  He was not meant to be a part of their happy little world.  He was not meant to be here.  

The silent stare down would not last terribly long though.  Despite his attempts to restrain his presence, the vampire had heard the caretaker begin to react as soon as he'd entered the property.  Even now he could make out her shoes clicking against floor as she made a hurried approach, obviously favoring speed over silence to reach her charges as quickly as possible.  His grin widening, Lorand made his way towards the door to meet his main playmate for the night at a range a bit more comfortable for conversation.  

Sister Margaret's arrival was explosive to say the least, kicking open the heavy wooden door with a single strike from her long, shapely leg before entering the room with a pump action shotgun already shouldered.  Her brown eyes fell upon the vampire instantly and with a flash of realization she fired a load of blessed buckshot at the center mass of the insidious intruder.  In all honesty it was probably the best response she could have mounted.  No hesitation, good target selection, and a proper weapon to ensure a hit even with a vampire's inhuman speed.  Unfortunately for Sister Margaret, Almos' Sphere of Desecration removed any and all need for evasion, causing the pellets to drop harmlessly to the floor before ever making contact with him.  There was no need to violently repel them just yet.  He still had plans for the children after all.  

Despite being visibly stunned at the barrier, Sister Margaret maintained her composure and kept her weapon trained on the vampire but did not go so far as to waste ammunition that may endanger the children until she had a better handle of the vampire's strange powers.  Looking at her now in the pale moonlight, Lorand couldn't help but agree with the opinion expressed in the dead priest's memories.  She was quite attractive.  Tall with exceptionally long legs and a shapely figure that drew the eye to her mousey features and shoulder length brown hair visible underneath the hastily donned habit.  Despite her outward beauty, the vampire couldn't help the contempt welling up within him with each passing second that he looked upon her.  Her eyes alone were enough to stoke the fire within him, that judgmental, scolding glare directed at what he was rather than who he was; that sense of superiority stemming from the supposedly lofty morals she stood for.  He was going to enjoy breaking her.

"Leave this place now, monster!  You tread on holy ground and if you so much as motion towards one of these children I will strike you down where you stand!" she said, pumping her weapon once to ready another shell.  

For his part, the vampire only smiled wider, cocking his head to the side while resting a hand upon his hip.  "You don't have to worry, sister.  I'm not fond enough of children to touch them like that.  Seems like the Church has that covered on their own anyway," he replied with a wink, happy to see that his insult had struck a cord with the now scowling nun.  

Now, it wouldn't have been terribly hard to simply overwhelm the nun as is but such a direct approach wasn't exactly Almos' style.  Especially not when he had such useful puppets on standby.  Flexing a little more mental control over the hypnotized orphan nearest Margaret and the door, Lorand allowed the crying child his vocal functions once more and sent him running to his caretaker begging for help.  

"Sissy Margaret!  Sissy Margaret, please!  Make the bad man go away!" the child shrieked into the nun's skirt.  To her credit, Margaret kept her eyes on the vampire the entire time but then again, the initial cries were never meant to be the real distraction.  Just as the nun opened her lips to sooth he child, white hot pain raced through her leg and she felt a sudden wet sensation on her inner thigh.  Once again commanded by Lorand's silent mental hypnosis, the crying child had ravenously bitten down on her inner thigh.  Though he had missed the femoral artery, his bite was strong enough to draw blood and inflicted enough pain to draw the woman's attention for a brief moment in time.  

That brief moment was all Lorand needed as he exploded forward in time with the bite, closing the paltry distance between them in the blink of eye.  One hand closed around the barrel of the nun's shotgun and turned it aside, supernatural strength bending it 90 degrees to ruin the weapon.  The other hand clasped Margaret firmly by the jaw, forcing her backwards with the charge to slam the back of her head against the door frame using the force of the charge.  Momentarily disoriented from the sharp blow to the head, Margaret was unable to keep up with the ravenous assault as the useless shotgun was torn from her hands before she was hurled headfirst against the hallway floor.  

Though performed with his token brutality and wrath, Almos' attack was carried out with a particular level of restrain.  These strikes were not intended to kill, only disorient.  However, the vampire's intent quickly swelled past disorientation to immobilization as he entered the hallway after Margaret, closing the door to the children's room behind him as he did so.  Far better that they simply imagine what he would soon be doing to their caretaker than actually see it with their own eyes.  A child's imagination was a wonderful thing, especially when it was crafting their own worst nightmarish interpretations of the violent sounds coming from the hallway.  

The first of these sounds would be the dull thump of Almos' boot heel coming down hard on Margaret's outstretched arm followed in short order by a crisp snap and a cry of pain from the nun as the bone in her upper arm broke.  Quickly gathering her senses, the nun moved to use her remaining arm and legs to push herself back to her feet but it was a hopeless effort cut short by the vampire hopping into the air only to bring both of his feet crashing down on the back of his shins, splintering the bones in much the same way as her arm.  Another cry of agony left the nun's lips followed by panting breath to try and steel herself while the vampire effortlessly hoisted her up by the neck.  

Pained tears running down her face, the valiant woman beat against Lorand's outstretched arm holding her aloft.  If he felt any discomfort, the vampire did not show it while carrying Margaret down the hallway, ignoring her struggles until they reached another door apart from the bedrooms of the children.  Using the bride of Christ as a battering ram, the former monk hurled her through the wooden door into what was revealed to be an activity room of sorts that was in the process of being painted.  The plastic tarps were still spread across the floor and a few unopened cans of paint rested harmlessly alongside the still struggling nun.  

Humming softly to himself, Almos fell upon his prey once again, stooping down to pick the bleeding woman up in the same manner as before.  With bruises already starting to form alongside the numerous cuts across her body and the odd angles at which three of her limbs limply hung, it was a true testament to the woman's will to even be conscious at this point.  

"D-do what you will to me...I won't let you take the children," she exclaimed through haggard breaths.  In response, the former monk cocked a single blond brow and lashed out with the spiked tip of Enkidu to remove the lid from the nearest paint can.  

"I already told you, sister..." he said, with an unnatural smoothness violently contrasted as he suddenly shoved the woman's face into the fresh bucket of paint  Pushing her deep enough to submerge her eyes, nose and mouth, the vampire kept her ears free.  "I don't want them!" he roared into the struggling nun's ear as he pulled her up for air.  The injured paladin sucked in wind, once again screaming in pain even as Enkidu coiled around her, binding her arms and legs behind her back while pressing against other parts of her injured body in bondage position.  Sensing the inherent faith present within the woman, the cursed links only dug in deeper against her form until Almos finally relented.  

With the nun forced into a kneeling position before him, the vampire knelt down on one knee and gently touched the tip of his claw-like index finger to the underside of her chin, inciting an involuntary shudder from his victim.  "I meant what I said Margaret.  I'm not here for the children.  I'm here for you.  Give me what I want, and I'll go away."  The monster's voice retained its hardened edge and yet, as he spoke it gradually took on an almost comforting tone.  

"What...what do you want?" she asked, glaring daggers at the monster while still struggling against the chains that bound her.  

"I'm going to give you a script and you're going to shout it loud enough for every one of your children to hear you.  Repeat after me word for word, and you have my word that I won't harm them."  That same smug grin spread across his fox-like features and he silently gave up all pretense at hiding the hunger in his eyes.  

The bound and beaten sister glared at him for some time, mulling over her options.  As much as it pained her, the vampire had left her with no alternative but to cooperate for the sake of her children.  Even if it meant throwing aside whatever pride she had, it would be worth it to ensure their safety.  "I'll do it...but so help me if you go back on your word I will climb the deepest pits of hell to see you burn in agony, vampire."

Nodding his agreement, Almos met her gaze dead on and gave her the first line of her script with an offputtingly casual tone.  "Tell you orphans that you're a sex crazed whore that dreams of raping them every night."  The moment that he finished speaking, the vampire was met with bloody spittle to the face, more struggling, and a prolonged series of curses before he sternly reminded his captive of their agreement.  Eyes shut tightly, the nun finally relented and shouted the line at the top of her lungs, her face twisted with a look of shame and disgust.  

"Now tell them that everything you've taught them about God is a lie you made up so you can get off on their misplaced hopes."  Another string of curses and yet another bout of resistance.  "You can shout that, or I can make you watch me peel the skin from their bodies, Margaret."  The threat struck home and the nun was once again forced to debase herself.  

"Enough!  Just stop, no more of this!  Please, no more," she finally said, shoulder sagging in defeat and shame.  Looking at her now, bloodied, broken, filthy, and beaten, there was a flash of recognition in Almos' eyes and he nodded his agreement.  

"If you insist," he said matter of factly.  At his mental command, Enkidu released the wounded woman to a crumpled state on the floor and withdrew to its resting place around his wrist.  The nun let out a sigh of relief, finally free of the cursed bondage only to be scooped back up by the vampire who tore away a large section of her dress to expose the entirely of her neck and shoulders.  

"What are you doing!?  You promised to leave us alone!" she yelled as the vampire leaned in close enough for her to feel his breath along her bare neck.  

"I promised that I wouldn't harm you children.  Instead you'll be the one to do it," he explained, opening his mouth to reveal an intimidating set of vampiric fangs.  The nun's eyes widened as realization hit her and she screamed once more, thrashing with all her strength to try and prevent the vampire from condemning her and the children to a fate worse than death.  Unfortunately for the brave paladin, her struggles were all for naught as the former monk's fangs sank into the flesh of her neck and he dined upon the currency of her soul.  Gradually, her struggles died down until she hung limply in his grasp, staring at the ceiling until he had finally had his fill and discarded her to the ground.  

The change occurred at a breakneck pace as muscles knit themselves back into place, broken bones reset and healed themselves, and the nun's once brown eyes took on an unholy crimson glow.  Her formerly stern, mousey features were all but gone, replaced with a euphoric, lustful grin as she stared into space, her tongue sliding over her newly formed fangs.  Standing over her, the former monk examined the newborn vampire with the passing interest of a man strolling through a zoo.  Were he a kinder man, he might have left the woman with her will and personality intact but that would defeat the purpose.  After dedicating her life to the service of his most hated enemy, Sister Margaret still had too much to atone for in Almos' eyes.  

"Get on all fours," he eventually said, his voice filled with condescension despite retaining its undercurrent of perverse entertainment.  Without hesitation, the former paladin shifted onto her hands and knees, looking up at the older vampire with vacant obedience.  "Good dog.  Let's go for a walk."  Enkidu once again slithered forth from Almos' sleeve to encircle the woman's neck like a leash as he led the newly turned vampire back down the hallway to the bedroom he had first entered through.  With a gentle push, Lorand opened the wooden door and filled the entrance while making sure to keep his new pet out of sight of the children cowering in the corner.  There were far more than when he had left.  Evidently they'd reached the conclusion that there was safety in numbers.  A poor miscalculation.  

"You're going to make good on your comments earlier, Margaret.  Defile every one of your charges and then butcher them before destroying yourself."  The cursed chain retracted from around the former nun's neck and she took a single step forward before being cut off by the older vampire momentarily.  "And before I forget, make sure an enjoy yourself while you're at it."  

The corrupted paladin nodded her acknowledgment, her mouth watering agape while paint continued to drip from her features.  Rounding the corner on all fours, her new crimson eyes locked in on the cowering bundle of orphans who began shrieking in abject horror at the sight of their formerly loving caretaker.  Letting loose a horrifying cackle that could have been mistaken for the howl of a wild beast, the former nun bounded into the room like a rabid dog, leaving Almos alone in the hallway and the screams reached an indistinguishable cacophony of chaos.  

Hands in his pockets, the former monk leaned against the doorway with one foot crossed over the other as if he were watching his children at play in a local park.  Despite the horrors being committed before him, the vampire's satisfied smirk never wavered even as he began speaking into thin air.  

"Are you really content to sit up there and let me do this?  You really don't care about them, about any of us do you?"  A blood-curdling scream tore through the night as the former Sister claimed her first life of the night.  "I can do all this, and you won't lift a finger.  You know I won't stop until they're all gone though.  One way or another, I'll drag you down here kicking and screaming and force you to acknowledge exactly what you've done."

The next morning, the day workers employed by the orphanage would arrive to find the once happy haven, a blackened shell of its former self.  Though no fire had broken out, a black feeling of dread had descended over the building along with a startling scent of iron.  Within the walls they would uncover the scene of a massacre, with horrible signs of violence and blood splattered across the walls of the second floor.  Not a single soul survived that horrible night that Almos Lorand decided to unleash a taste of the murderous rage he'd kept locked within himself.  The children, the sister, the hopes and dreams of a better life that they all shared were trampled and burned as nothing more than kindling in the vampire's one man crusade against the Almighty and his own selfish urge for release.

----> Limbo

After a prolonged period of time Kheda finally exited the building her eyes red and a frown firmly planted on her face. "Let's go...There's nothing more to know..." Kheda said. She had much to report upon her return to the Vatican. She spared one last glance back at the orphanage before moving on pulling out her cell phone to inform her superiors that the investigation had been completed.

----> Exit