[IC] The Blood Compact

[thewizardguy]

Col. Blue, Valk Main Square -

@BlackPanther@Kazemitsu

Ah, what a shame. It seemed that he'd killed the party mood. In the meantime Tristan had been identified, so he was allowed to leave. There was no real reason to attack a teammate, so Blue instead focused his sights on the hybrid. A steady stream of information was given to him through his earpiece, identifying this creature as a certain Vlad. One of the extremely rare hybrids between werewolves and vampires, and a stable one no less. The rest of the information kind of blurred after that little tidbit. After all, who cared where he'd grown up or what his favourite colour was? A hybrid, and he was right here.... what fascinating powers would such an opponent display? His strength, his speed, his endurance... all of these must be top-class! Ah, it had been a while since Blue had been able to face an opponent who might truly challenge him. Truly, this was bliss.

"No flare, you say? Why that is a shame indeed! We'll have to fix that then, won't we?" Stepping forward, Blue unhooked a small object from his belt before throwing it into the air. Seemingly without a worry in the world Blue started walking forward, Glaive spinning at a rather alarming rate. Occasionally he allowed the blade's spinning arc to intersect with the ground, leaving long grooves in the stone. "Let's see if you live up to your legend, hybrid! I'll be disappointed otherwise!" With a bang the object exploded, a fireball expanding out from what was now obviously a grenade. And yet it was no normal grenade. Fire rained down from the sky, soaking the entire area in liquid flame. Nearby mook vampires screamed and ran, desperately trying to douse the flames that had touched them, as Blue walked calmly through the flames. His armour was designed to be completely fireproof, after all, and insulation protected him from the heat. Not giving Vlad a chance to recover he shot forward like a black blur, blade spinning and switching from hand to hand as he went straight for the throat. If he didn't react quick this fight would end in the blink of an eye.

[Shoe Thief]

Hank Miller

Hank had put away most of his gear when he noticed a vehicle approaching him. Where he was parked he would normally guess hikers that wanted to explore the local trails and such, but the black car with people in matching uniforms gave it away to be some form of organization. He wasn't on the best terms with most so this was probably bad news, and they probably knew who he was too. They at least would have to know the things he had done to be coming here, even if they didn't know who he was. "Dammit..." was all he could mutter.

He grabbed a shotgun and put his mask back on, no point in being subtle now, that went out the window when a car decided to drive up to him full of agents from somewhere. Walking out the RV he struggled to hide his pain, something was definitely broken and it was going to be a pain to get that fixed. "What the hell do you want?" He spoke through his mask as the new comers left their vehicle. A few of them started to work their way to the back of the car, he had a bad feeling about that. "There is no need to be hostile here Hank?" The leader Hank guessed, they went up to shake his hand. Hank just showed that his hand was already holding something. "No hands, got it. If it makes you feel better we're not here to harass you for your events in Florida, though it is on someone's to do list it's not on ours. We're here to help you Hank. Heard there was a hunter in the area causing havoc on the local vampire population. You wouldn't happen to know them would you?" Hank didn't like how this was playing out, something was going on he didn't know about.

He saw the ones that went for the trunk of the car pull out a girl, one who flinched at the light. "What is your gain? Why send four people and a girl to "Help" me? And who is she by the way?" That question was answered as he observed her reactions, the way her eyes dilated, the way she moved even. Vampire. "You see Hank, she is a healer. Figured you would try to another underground doctor that would patch you up barely enough to walk, then you would go out and try to get yourself killed again." Hank still didn't get why they were here to help. There were plenty of Hunters, and many of them were not on awkward terms with the Covenant.

Hank kept eyeing the vampire, physically she seemed pretty young, though she seemed oddly weak for a vampire. Maybe enough so that Hank might be stronger then her. Though that is something eh didn't want to test. "You still haven't told me why you are here for me." The man sighed. "There has been an attack, rumor has it you have some notes on possible Vampires of Interest based around the events. Our files are lacking in details that we believe you might have something. We will need them sooner rather then later." Hank looked at the group of people, they were all trained in some way, Hank could tell by the way they stood, by the way some of them kept their hands close to their concealed sidearms, he wouldn't be surprised if there were some decent pieces of hardware inside of their car still. "If I say no to your offer?" Hank said casually.

The leader of the Covanant group looked at him with a smile. "You don't get to say no, we're getting the notes. The question is if we decide to arrest you for the murder of one of our agents or not. Or if we decide to shoot you or not." Blackmail, worked close to every time. If they were all armed his one shotgun would not do him much in an open field of combat. At best, he would take one or two down before they shot back, then it would be a free for all. He sighed. "Fix me up first, then I'll grab the notes." The leader of the small party smiled, as if he was talking to a dog who just did a trick.

Hank started walking over to the vampire before he was stopped by more words. "Please set down the gun Hank, no need to scare her." Hank did so, but he wasn't happy about it. Now he had whatever he could pull up from his coat in a moment's notice. Before the vampire had a chance to do anything he grabbed her and turned her as a shield pressing the barrels of his sawed off shotgun against her neck. "One Wrong move and I take her head off!" She seemed valuable to them. He wasn't going to risk the Covenant taking everything he had, and there was no guarantee they wouldn't take him in anyways. He whispered in the vampires ear, soft enough that if she wasn't a vampire she might not have heard it. "Guessing you're a prisoner, help me get out of here and we'll both make it out of this with out anyone on our tails." He started walking to the RV, keeping the gun pressed against her neck, and keeping the Covenant in front of him. Now it would all depend on if she decided to cooperate. Maybe she would be too scared to resist, or decide Hank was a better option, or maybe she would turn and rip his through out, or maybe things would go south and shooting would start. It was more in her control then his now.

[BlackPanther]

Vlad raised a brow. He could hear the war piece. So they were talking about him. Lovely. He spied Tristan leaving from the corner of his eye and cursed the ability of teleportation. Speed was good and all, bit a wall was still a wall. His eyes flicked back to the guy with the ribbon and mentally he took note of that glint of glee he could make out.

Vlad tilted his head as the guy moved once more. He watched as the guy fixed his mistake of no flare and Vladimir wondered when he would learn not to make the situation worse for himself. Probably not anytime soon. "Well that is more of a flare" he watched the other vampires get caught in the flames and looked at his now burning shoulder. The smell of smoke and the sound of spider like noise filled the air and he sighed before shaking out his arm.

Vlad looked over in time to see the guy charging him. So now was the time to think fast. He had to move his throat. His eyes paled more and in a split second his hair seemed to be consumed by the white stripe in his hair. Another second and Vladimir stood at 8 feet with white fur. His Lycan form was impressive. A completely white werewolf shape with onyx claws and pale eyes that blended almost with his fur. Canines that peeked out of his maw and a form that was equipped to be bipedal or run on all fours. Ears flicked before the wolf blurred moving slightly to the side and snapping at the vampire...intentions to lock on that armor.

[thewizardguy]

Col. Blue, Valk Main Square -

@BlackPanther

Like a flash the colonel moved through the flames, even as the creature he faced changed for instantly. Even as his blade passed through empty space the beast sprung forward, teeth bared. A step back took Blue out of range of the attack even as he brought up the back end of the glaive, batting Vlad's head away. How unfortunately predictable. Beneath his visor Blue smiled, even as he spun away from another blow. If he hadn't known of Vlad's lycan heritage that attack might have worked. If Blue had been taken by surprise, even his impressive reflexes could not have saved him from those teeth. But by revealing his nature the hybrid had wasted it's trump card, and in doing so played directly into Blue's hand. Power without experience, without skill, was like a child with a sledgehammer. Dangerous only to fools and bugs.

"Come now, come now! Is that really the best you've got? When I mount your head on my wall, I want it to feel like an accomplishment!"

Laughing Blue twirled his weapon around his body, using his superior reach to slowly drive Vlad backwards. If the hybrid took even a step towards him he'd meet with a wall of flashing silver. Nevermore was no normal weapon, it was a highly advanced blade designed for slicing through even the heaviest of armour. A titanium alloy core, and a blade made from diamond fullerene. A lead sheeth around the core added a large amount of mass to to the end. And a sheeth of silver and cold iron around the weapon allowed it to play on the weaknesses of several dangerous creatures. Even a touch would burn most lycans, and Blue was most interested in seeing what it would do to a hybrid. Would it burn less, or twice as much? What would his face look like cleft in two?

Ducking down low Blue shifted the pole in his hands as it shot outwards like a bladed pillar. Moving his grip to the very back of the pole he went for a quick jab with great reach, intended to slice into the beast's legs. Whether it hit or not Blue would instantly retract the weapon and step back, before stepping forward with a broad swing for the head. By maintaining distance from the creature he allowed himself room to manoeuvre while forcing the creature to back up. He would control the ebb and flow of this battle, right up to the end. And with so little reach on those claws and teeth, there was very little Vlad could do about it.

[thewizardguy]

Lucas and Carolyn

Lucas sighed. He would've put up a fight had Carolyn not been present. Hell, he probably would have welcomed the challenge. But he couldn't let his pride get in the way, not when it meant endangering her. He put up a finger before he turned around to talk to Carolyn.

"Let me turn—"

"No!" Carolyn interrupted, her voice low but unyielding. He knew she wouldn't agree to the change, regardless of their situation. "I"ll go with them." Lucas started to protest, but once again, Carolyn interjected. "It's okay, really. Just find me later." With a faint smile, Carolyn walked past Lucas to face the soldiers. "Well, I obviously have no choice, so let's get this over with." Carolyn took a quick look behind her, but Lucas was gone. Good.

With a grin, the main soldier gestured at his companions. Two of them dropped down to ground level, and began tracking down Lucas. Even if he wasn't a human, they could always take him for extra credit. If worst came to worst, they could kill him for fun. After all, he had resisted them, hadn't he? And that gave them free reign to do whatever they wanted, didn't it?

"A most sensible choice, young lady!" The lead vampire stepped forward, as the only vampire remaining on the roof aimed his rifle at Carolyn. As long as Lucas was still in the area there was a danger he would spontaneously reappear. It was a classic, to jump the enemy when they were about to claim their prize. "Just put this on, and you'll be out in a moment. And when next you wake up, this'll all be over." The vampire was holding out some sort of face-mask, presumably it would knock out whomever wore it. A knife had appeared in his other hand, and there was no question what the penalty for disobedience was.

Carolyn rolled her eyes. She wasn't a fan of theatrics, and the guy was getting on her last nerve. "Fine, but just know that I would have gone quietly, so this isn't necessary at all." She eyed the strange mask, then the knife. It seemed that she'd be alright for the moment as long as she complied. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Lucas as he was now being chased as well. With a sigh, Carolyn donned the mask, unsure of what to expect.

Within moments the mask would take effect, and the last thing Carolyn would see before the darkness swallowed her would be the vampire stepping forward, as if to catch her.

.......

---

The truck was grungy, and there were many other people in there with Carolyn. All of them appeared to be women older than 18, but there were no elderly. While some of them were crying or whispering under their breath, most of them remained silent as the truck heaved beneath them. Several bodies could be seen on the floor, those who had yet to wake up. The only light in this truck was provided by an LED light in the ceiling, casting the entire room into a dim yellow light.

Carolyn stirred, her eyelids heavier than normal. Very faintly, she heard noises in the background--cries and chatter which slowly brought her back to her senses. She opened her eyes only to squint, the bright overhead light shining directly down on her. Carolyn looked around and immediately learned that she was in a moving vehicle. She slowly sat up, turning to the woman nearest her.

"Where are we going?"

There was no answer. Nobody was willing to speak up, or even move much. Most of the occupants just stared at a wall, or their own hands. It seemed that, given no options, humans naturally fell into this kind of despair. Certainly it was an oppressive atmosphere.

After some time had passed the truck would come to a halt. As the passengers murmured among themselves the doors were swung wide open, filling the back of the truck with harsh sunlight. Several vampires in uniform clambered in and began dragging people out of the truck, and someone was shouting something outside. Most of those inside were pulled out with little resistance, but shouting and crying could be heard in the distance. It appeared that there were more trucks than just this one.

Outside Carolyn would see that they were somewhere in the woods. Not far away she could see what looked like a wall, and a gate that was even now closing. But the rough hand of one of the vampiric workers quickly pushed her in the opposite direction, towards a large white building. It was an imposing building, with thick walls and small windows. Two heavy wooden doors were opened to allow a steady stream of prisoners, for that was what they were now, into this building. And in fact the inside appeared to have once been a prison block, now under new management. The walls were newly painted, and vampiric janitors could be seen scrubbing away at the floors. Past what looked like a reception were rows of cells, although those too had been recently refurbished. Already people were being assigned to different areas, with a variety of military vampires arguing about who belonged where. One vampire singled Carolyn out and led her towards a series of cells, declaring that this area was for young female prisoners.

Carolyn's cell was nice, for a prison cell. The iron bars had been replaced with double glass, allowing her a view of the cell across from her own. An average-looking bed and wardrobe had been placed inside, and there was even a button that turned the glass walls opaque. Although nothing could block the view of the camera placed in the corner, which kept it's glassy gaze on her. On a small bedside table a platter of food waited, which looked like it had arrived there not long before she had. Slabs of ham in gravy, baked potato slices and sliced cucumber. Perhaps not a grand meal, but a good shot better than usual prison fare.

Carolyn was never particularly fond of dealing with a lack of privacy. She leaned over her bed to grab the pillow case, then pushed the small chair against the wall. Predictably, they would correct the issue as soon as they became aware of it, but she could buy some time for now. Carolyn stepped up on the chair and draped the pillow case over the camera. With a smile, she stepped down, then pressed the button to make the glass opaque.

Instead of using the table to eat, Carolyn grabbed the tray, placed it on the bed, and sat down next to it with her back against the wall. Such attitude stemmed from her belief that she wouldn't be locked in there for long, regardless of what it took. She lazily picked at her food after that, her mind preoccupied with her escape more than anything else.

[Kazemitsu]

Tristan only warped away until he was completely out of sight of the group...and from the two presences he sensed. He had very few problems with assaulting some flamboyant fool but he did have a problem doing it while under watch. Some would call him paranoid but he didn't live for thousands of years by not trusting his own instincts. Even if they did make him the fool sometimes. So he followed his instincts and darted off to find the presence he had felt. The one closest to where he had just arrived before the Blue buffoon. The other one 'arrived' with the loud one.

Giving his shoulder a slight roll as he moved he closed his eyes. Moving between the buildings as his form started to blur from the speed he was going at. Those long legs chewed up distance and easily dodged whatever obstruction was in his path. Upon opening his eyes he didn't know where the hell he was in Vance but he had followed that presence until he came to his location. Purple would hear the creak of leather as he stepped towards her. "Impressive. No wonder that fool is so ballsy. He's got his own little guardian 'angel'." Tristan stated.

"This might have been effective against a younger vampire and most older ones." He said while crouching down next to her. "But ultimately ineffective against me. I'd tell you how but that would just reveal to many secrets that I would have to rip off your head and crush it between my palms." Tristan said while giving her a deadpanned look. "I'm going to ask very nicely for you to hand over the rifle. I don't plan on killing the loud one so you don't have to worry about that. We are on the same side after all." He said, his voice deepening from his friendly tone to his normal dark one that was just a little hard on a normal persons or vampires ears.

@thewizardguy

[AtomicNut]

"Mmm..." The vampiress hummed thoughtfully as she looked at her cellphone. Beneath the weather app and the a game about destroying humans, instant messages piled up. It was part of the masquerade after all. With her thirst of new technologies, acquaintances with humans were inevitable. The anonymity of the net was a mixed blessing in that regard. Whoever saw her in person, she would either be called a child or a Nosferatu. In the internet, she could be as playful or as somber as she wanted.

And that wasn't beginning the part about hacking computers.

There was this young man, a fellow net crusader, whom she had been exchanging messages for technical feedback. He had been living in a place called Vance all this time, and the latest messages had been...extremely incongruent.

"Militar weird guys. Look like sci fi vampires." Pipistrelle scratched her head, as she squinted at the screen, from beneath the shade of her dark parasol and sunglasses. "Well, that -is- troublesome." The young-looking vampire mused once again, taking brief shelter from the unforgiving day. Truth to be told, she wanted to lounge all the time in her hideout in front of her computer, but she had grown attached to the skills of that particular human monkey. She had an inkling this incident had to do with the rumours of upheaveal from a certain Magnus.

So, when the cat is out, the mice play, eh? She frowned, looking at her own boots. She had attracted quite a bit of attention herself, but people dismissed her as some kind of weird kid that was too much in the gothic fashion. Weird, but not excessively outlandish nor punisheable. And she had made it into the outskirts, into a seemingly desolate area. She had half a mind of using her bat form... and then something caught her attention.

A vampire girl. Some Covenant humans. That weren't necessarily hostile? Well, just the people she needed at the moment. If anyone could help be a meatshield to counter whatever was in Vance, it was those guys. She smirked as she advanced, twirling her parasol and minimizing exposure.

"Hii, great day, no Covenants? Sweltering sun, ideal for roasting vampires, don't you think?" She jeered. "I think you might want to know this. Vance was taken by vampire weirdos. Some acquaintance texted me. You're welcome." She added, addressing everyone in the vicinity with a cheeky sing song tune.

Well, even under the sun, and armed with anti-vampiric weapons, they probably were undermanned to even consider catching her. Not that she was hostile to them right now. But these guys wee so snappy after the Compact had fallen through...
@Remipa Awesome@ayzrules

[ayzrules]

The hunters and the newcomer began speaking. Eloise picked up more than a hint of tension and thinly veiled hostility in their exchange, though she remained mostly clueless as to what they were actually talking about. She did, however, learn the man's name-Hank.

A sliver of fear ran through her as she noticed all the weapons everywhere, both concealed and visible. The hunters were definitely armed-they always were. And this Hank person was openly holding a gun. They obviously had some sort of history; otherwise, why all the hostility?

One of the hunters grabbed Eloise roughly and pulled her out of the trunk. Eloise stood unsteadily on her feet, struggling to remain clear-headed in the sunlight.

Then, without warning, Eloise felt herself being yanked to the side, and suddenly she was pinned against Hank's body, the barrel of a gun pressed against the side of her neck. Eloise whimpered with fright. She was shaking like a leaf, though she tried her best to keep still. She dimly heard Hank whisper something about getting out of there.

One of the hunters, the one who Eloise had identified as the leader, gave Hank a brittle smile. "You're hurt, Hank. You won't kill her; she's the only one with the ability to heal your wounds in a couple of minutes, leaving no trace but a scar. Besides, if you try to take her, you won't get far. We've got a tracker on her. Would you like a demonstration?"

He pulled out a small device that looked vaguely like something Eloise knew to be a TV remote, and Eloise instinctively shrank away from it. He pressed a button, and Eloise arched her back and screamed into the cloth tied over her mouth as pain shot through her. "Please, please, make it stop," she tried to say, but all that came out was a muffled groan. Tears sprang to her eyes, and Eloise writhed, still pinned in place by the man named Hank.

After what felt like an eternity, the hunter pressed another button, and the pain subsided. Eloise went limp against Hank, her breathing shallow. Through the pain and fear, Eloise smelled something...off. Hank was bleeding.

Eloise then realized that she felt the blood on her fingers, too. She wriggled them around a bit-not an easy task, considering that her wrists were tied behind her back-and determined that the source of the blood was from some point near his ribs. Was it a gunshot wound? If so, then Eloise could heal him; she needed to be able to reach the skin.

"You don't want him to take you away, do you? You're a good girl," the leader practically cooed at Eloise, like she was a puppy and he was her master. Eloise had never felt more like an object than at that moment. The Covenant was a hundred times better than her sire, that was for sure, but Eloise wasn't delusional-she was their prisoner. Her bound wrists ached as a testament to this fact, and she was suddenly acutely aware of the cuff-like tracker around her ankle.

And then there was Hank. What of Hank? She would have thought that she was just a bargaining chip that he could use to save himself to him, had she not heard him whisper in her ear. So Eloise would help him in the only way she knew how. The Covenant would hurt her if they found out, of course, but Eloise had endured over a century of pain. And humans, Eloise had found, didn't have very long memories (unless they were aristocrats. Both aristocrats and vampires had extremely long memories).

Eloise reached deep inside her, and silver sparks began flowing from her fingertips. Hopefully they would be able to heal the gunshot wound without much guidance from Eloise-she couldn't see what she was doing, so she would have to trust the sparks. In fact, nobody could really see what she was doing, given her proximity with Hank's ribs at this very moment.

There was a tense silence, and then a girl twirling a black parasol appeared. The parasol was strangely anachronistic-it vaguely resembled the parasols that some of the wealthy women who had passed through Eloise's village carried (her sire had carried one too, if Eloise was correct), though it was very obviously not from that time. Nobody had black parasols unless they were in mourning, before Eloise had been turned. And this girl didn't look like she was in mourning at all.

But no...she wasn't a girl. She was a vampire, and a very old one, too-Eloise could smell it in the air. She wasn't entirely sure what the other vampire was talking about, but whoever she was, she was bound to be dangerous. So Eloise didn't move, hoping that she would somehow get out of this volatile situation alive.

[Shoe Thief]

Hank Miller

Things were going from bad to worse, his "Captive" was more or less cooperating, but now guns were drawn. The downside to taking a vampire hostage was that they could take a hit. Had this event happened a couple hours earlier he would still have a functional vest to lessen the blast, but right now his vest was shattered to bits. Plus, if shooting started his shotgun held two shots before he had to reload or try and reach his revolver. Though it had the effective range of Non applicable. Best he could do was fire birdshot at them and hope at least a couple of the pellets his and injured a couple of his foes. He wasn't far from the RV when he realized the covenant forces were about to surround him.

Their leader mentioned she had a healing ability, but she was also bugged. Hank might be able to work past that. Everything came off somehow. Even if it was by pure force. Though the remote he pulled out seemed odd, not much like a GPS but, more like a controller. "If you want to make things worse, I will have at least two of your dropped before any of you get a shot off." This was a lie, they were too far spread out now. If they were still grouped up and he had something with a better range or rate of fire maybe. Not with what he had on him though. He had little options other then get the RV, there he had the firepower he needed. Even if it was just some sort of pistol, he could make that work. If his old rifle still worked that would be better, but he could make due with anything. Damn, he hated his planning skills sometimes.

The vampire in front of him started to scream in desperate pain as the leader pushed down on the button on his fancy device. It was brutal, it was painful for Hank to watch, but they still didn't have a clean shot on Hank yet. He had to make this work, for now he would be forced to ignore her cry for help. If he gave way that he was going to try and help her he would give up what little leverage he had. Which even then he may not have. The leader, pushed his button again. The vampire girl relaxed a bit as the pain stopped. Hank was relieved. One less thing to worry about. He knew if things got bad though he would have to take him out fast, the vampire in his hands was his best bet at making it out alive. And if she couldn't do anything he was screwed. "You want notes that don't exist, just get back in your car and I will drop off your asset when I am at a safe distance from you." The notes were real, but many could also be used to put him away in a jail cell for years to come. No matter the good he had done he had also preformed just as much evil.

He was running out of time now, they had almost completely surrounded him, and his RV was still to far to try and make a break for it. He figured he could fire a shot at one of the people in his flank, then take a shot off at the leader. That at least would keep the last two in his sights assuming that his shots took down the first two. There was no cover though other then the RV and the car, and they had better weaponry for this kind of environment. He had a plan, he had a way to make the first part work, all he could do was hope that he could do it without getting killed and that the others were bad shots. Not likely though.

Just as Hank was about to make his move a new piece came into the game, a young girl it looked like. Though those who knew what to look for could figure out that she was also a vampire. The way she moved, the speed she moved at, it was incredible. In the sense that if Hank shot his gun at her she could probably side step the pellets and then gut him to bits before the second barrel was able to fire. Which was saying something since both could be fired in a single pull. She brought up something about a siege taking place in a town now occupied by vampires. She seemed to be trying to recruit the Covenant for assistance. His guess, she needed meat shield. But it made him feel better that she wasn't aligned with them right now, that meant he at least didn't have to worry about her just yet.

The supposed leader of the small group had turned his pistol to the newcomer, chances are he put it together too what was going on. "We know about the fighting, that is our next stop after we get our information out of Hank here." He was tense, he was panicked, his finger was on the trigger ready to shoot anyone that moved too fast. Hank wasn't moving much at this point though, he was struggling breath as a light shot went off. A covenant to his flank had a clear shot and had taken it. Hanks reflexes were fast though, he had turned the sawed off shotgun to the shooter and blasted both barrels at him. Unfortunately for him the shots were too far out to kill, and the pellets that did hit him were spread and had lost velocity. He could feel parts of him shifting inside of him, was it the vampire? They mentioned abilities, and she was an asset, but for now he would muscle through it until he either passed out, or got shot again.

He pushed his hostage to the ground and turned to change his position, not by a lot, but enough that anyone panicked may still shoot at where he was less then a second ago. Within that turn he pulled his .357 and fired at their leader, taking a piece of his skull out in a single shot. Before he could get another shot off though one of the agents had fired and his him fight at the base of his shoulder.

The way he figured it if he lived, he would be a prisoner, or he would be on the run from the covenant for the rest of his life. If he died his mission would never be completed. Maybe if he lived through this he could spin this as rogue agents who were attempting to pull something past Hank. He didn't have a plan yet, but he'd figured something out if he could get a few more shots off. His ribs were not hurting the same way anymore, though the second gunshot wound was rough. The first felt more or less sore now though. He could fight through it though, he had been through worse. Or that is what he told himself. He turned to fire again with in the same second he was shot, and a birth of three rounds went his direction. One missing, one grazing, and another deflecting off his head piece. That would also be something he would have to replace soon now. But that knocked him down.

It was chaos as Hank went tot he ground. But the light grass gave him some cover now. He took aim again as the blood started to block one of his lenses and fired at his second shooter blasting their hand and firearm to bits. Not the shot he was going for, not did Hank ever see that as possible, but it would work for now. One left. His vision was going black now as he started bleeding out. He took his mask off to get a better air supply, and to remove the tinted lenses. It wouldn't offer him protection anyways. But the effort needed to do that alone was too much. His body was done as the blood loss had caused his vision to fade, and his hearing to go next. His body was done.

[thewizardguy]

Col. Purple, Valk Rooftops

@Kazemitsu

Ah, it seemed that Tristan had arrived. Barely moving an inch, Purple glanced upwards. It was impressive that he'd been able to find her so quickly. Of course, nobody knew what Tristan's actual abilities were aside from the obvious. So perhaps it was one of his abilities that had allowed him to detect her. A matter worthy of curiosity, but little more.

"Unfortunate." Purple glanced back at her work, not even standing up to meet Tristan. "Threatening an officer in Magnus' army? I would have hoped you were smarter than that." Her voice was deadpan, monotone even, as if she were completely uninterested in what she said. Beneath her visor and featureless armour it was impossible to tell what her expression might be, but one could guess it was equally bland. Lying there she barely moved, only slightly adjusting the barrel of her gun to follow the action on the ground. "If you intend to fight me, then please kill yourself for convenience's sake. It would save me the trouble."

All in all, Tristan was given hardly any attention at all. It seemed Purple was unimpressed with his antics.

[Kazemitsu]

Tristan's eyebrow crept up his forehead at the lack of response the sniper gave the giant. "Do you seriously think I'm afraid of Magnus of all people?" He questioned before giving off a barking laugh. "I've been fighting and killing long before he even came into existence. And this little army? Hardly a threat but I do like what he's doing. Which is why I'm not stabbing you and your fancy armor." He continued before leaning down directly into her vision.

"If I did fight you you would lose. If I had fought your idiotic partner he would have lost." He growled out before lifting her and her rifle up off the ground with a single hand. "Now kindly let go before I do actually fight you. I'm not going to kill the dumbass nor any of your little toy soldiers. Neither have impressed me enough to even get a cut from my blades." He said, glaring into her eyes through her visor. Ages weighed down on her, time almost thundering off of him. "Uppity newbloods really shouldn't argue with their elders. It's part of the reason why humanity is so fucked." He stated while holding his hand out for her rifle.

@thewizardguy

[thewizardguy]

Col. Purple, Valk Rooftops -

@Kazemitsu

Purple sighed as she was lifted off of the ground. She was indeed quite small when compared to the tall brute. It seemed that there really was nothing more to this man. An angry brute, down to the core. Why he wanted her rifle she didn't know, but it was probably just some pointless show of strength. Why a person so undisciplined had been allowed to work with this army she didn't know. No matter how strong he was if he couldn't be controlled he was nothing more than a nuisance. "Going around making demands like this. I suppose I didn't expect much more, but I'm still disappointed. With all the tales I had been told, I really did expect more of the oldbloods. But it appears that with age does not come wisdom." Disappointed, she flicked a switch on her belt.

With a flash of light the entire rooftop was suddenly illuminated, before it was consumed by a wall of flames. High-powered incendiary grenades had been prepared around the rooftop, ready to burn up anything and everyone present. Of course, the cutting-edge Scarab Armour would protect Purple from both the heat and the shrapnel, in addition to making her utterly nonflammable. An advantage Tristan sorely lacked. With that much light there was no hope of Tristan teleporting off the roof, not that his range could have brought him out of the explosion to begin with. While harmless to Purple the explosion of flames was enough to instantly incinerate any normal newblood, and even with his impressive durability and regeneration she doubted Tristan would get off easily.

Dropping to the ground in the smoke and sound she instantly rolled to her feet, discarding the rifle as two blades popped out of her wrists. Each was designed to be capable of slicing through combat armour, and would have no trouble removing Tristan's limbs from his body. Augmenting her hearing with her suit's functions she had no trouble locating her prey even when vision was obscured. "Come on. I know that didn't kill you." Shooting forward Purple wove through the debris like a graceful leapord, the dampeners on her feet rendering her steps nearly completely silent. Even a vampire's hearing would not be able to locate her, while Tristan himself was obvious as could be. "If all you respect is power, allow me to teach you some respect." Getting in close and low she sliced away at Tristan, aiming to deal as much damage to his limbs as possible while taking advantage of any disorientation he might be feeling after the explosion. Her movements were fast and precise, her skill apparent in every perfectly timed swing. Even if she wasn't as fast or strong as the other vampire, she had been trained practically since birth in the art of war. Her sheer skill would be hard to match even unwounded.

[Kazemitsu]

Tristan snorted at her words. "You should expect a lot from the older generations of vampire, child." He stated while his ears twitched. The sound of a button compressing and she was already free falling. He however had leaped upward, escaping the blast of the incendiary grenades. The heat hurt a bit but it was hottest in the blast zone and since they were out in the open nothing got to contain the heat. Landing in an oddly silent manner in the rubble he looked around through the smoke. The only sound was the creak of his leather clothing. Blind until the smoke was gone his hands flickered and a pair of blades were within his grasp.

Deaf however, not so much. She spoke, which let him know she was there. "Talking while you have the advantage of sight. Foolish." he said figuring her armor had some way to compensate for the smoke. Her footsteps could be as silent as a cloud, the ground would betray her. The slightest shift of debris was in his mind, the displaced air alerted him to her actions. She might have been trained for war, he was born for it. Her blades were parried at each thrust and swing of her limbs. "You're using my preferred weapon. Blades." He said, laughter evident in his voice. "You're also incredibly young. How old are you? I doubt even one hundred." He said as sparks glanced off their blades while he parried repeatedly.

This wasn't like a fight on television where blades clashed and locked. That was a sword destroyer and would make their weapons completely useless after the first dozen attacks. No, Tristan was letting the angle of her swing and the angle of his sword to send her blades flying off harmlessly to both him and his weapons. Even though he talked and taunted he could discern what was his voice and what was her movements. His leather creaked and sighed, her armor clinked and whispered. It was apparent this wasn't his first time fighting blind and it certainly wouldn't be the last. "Any more traps, kid? As much fun as underhanded tactics are you could have just said you wanted a fight." He said while flashing white teeth in a smile. Or a baring of teeth, who knew.

[thewizardguy]

Col. Purple, Valk Rooftops -

@Kazemitsu

It seemed this wouldn't be as easy as she had thought. Shame. But it didn't matter, even if the initial trick hadn't worked this wouldn't last long. Instead of dodging attacks she allowed them to slide off of her curved armour, turning only to prevent a direct blow. This suit had been designed to hold up under heavy weapons' fire. An outer layer composed of layered graphene was easily tough enough to withstand low-calibre arms fire. Beneath that was a metal-foam plate to add sturdiness, and a third layer of aerogel. That superlight material provided immense insulation against heat, in addition to it's malleability absorbing direct shock impact. It would take a lot more than these simple blades to get through to her, even if they were wielded by a super-strong opponent. Only a direct hit would even cause any damage. Being able to take most attacks without even having to Parry she was able to push forward and stay in close, where her smaller weapons were harder to block. She dogged his every step, knowing that his speed gave him the advantage is they were further apart.

Of course, this wasn't her only trick by far. Knowing both your and your opponent's capabilities was vital in a fight like this. In skill they seemed to be matched. Even if she was more disciplined and focused he had a wealth of experience to draw on, as well as a natural fighting style that was hard to predict. And his physical strength and speed were significantly above her own. So she would have to press her advantages where they lay: in her armour and weaponry. Superior technology. "This isn't a fight. This is a lesson. Consider me your teacher in this." With a swift gesture she caught his blade, something that would have been impossible with lesser armour. But without any momentum it would be doubly impossible for that edge to penetrate the Scarab Armour. Of course his strength was greater than hers so she wouldn't be able to imobilise his weapons for long. But she didn't need to. With a swift gesture she slammed her own blade into his, snapping the dull-coloured weapon in half.

When cultures met it was the most advanced that came out victorious. Oldbloods were powerful, but they failed to advance with the times, and their weapons weren't nearly as strong as they were. But these weapons were designed to be worthy of a superior race, and could easily outmatch even the finest of old-fashioned blades. Brute strength was meaningless in the face of progress, and if the oldbloods refused to keep up with the times they would die out. Stepping back Purple halted her assault. "I think I've made my point. You lack discipline and technology. With those, even a Newblood like myself can defeat you. As for my age? It's 52."

[ayzrules]

Eloise jerked with surprise as gunshots started flying.

One second she was still pinned up against Hank, the barrel of his gun at her throat, and the next she was down on the ground, eyes wide as Hank began shooting.

Eloise watched as Hank was hit in the shoulder, and then a bullet must have hit his helmet somewhere, because he was pulling it off, and suddenly he had dropped onto the ground next to her.

Out of the four Covenant members, only one was still standing. Eloise knew that she shouldn't do anything-she shouldn't move, she shouldn't resist as the hunter put her back inside the car, and she certainly shouldn't oh, you know, help Hank over there-but dear god, she was tired of doing nothing.

Eloise didn't dare to look at the remaining vampire hunter. He was dividing his attention in between the parasol-twirling vampire who had randomly showed up out of the blue and Hank. Instead, she rolled over so that her fingers were touching Hank's arm, and she let the sparks flow.

With no direction from Eloise's part, the sparks would take the path of least resistance and target the gravest wounds first. Silver sparks shot towards Hank's head and shoulder, and as they made contact with the gunshot wounds, they began knitting the skin back together, ejecting the bullets in the process. Blood stopped pouring out of Hank's body as Eloise's sparks worked their magic, and although he was by no means perfectly healed when the hunter finally noticed what Eloise was doing, at least she'd staunched the flow of blood.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" he growled, whipping his firearm around and sending a bullet punching into Eloise's stomach. The pain was excruciating, and as she cried out, memories flooded her mind-her sire's brittle green eyes that glittered like emeralds in the dim light of the cellar, pale, slender fingers covered in rings wrapping themselves around Eloise's scrawny arm and snapping it with a frighteningly inhuman strength, snow and the smell of blood and horrified brown eyes...

Eloise struggled to keep focused as whispers of the past came back to her, and she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, forcing herself to remain in the present. The sparks kept flowing until the hunter quickly strode over and kicked Eloise away. She cried out again, tears springing to her eyes and streaming down her cheeks as the toe of the hunter's boot connected with her ribs. There was a sickening crunch, and stars clouded Eloise's vision as blood from where the hunter had shot her soaked the ratty hoodie she was wearing. But Hank-Hank woud survive. Eloise hadn't been able to heal him completely, but she'd gotten pretty damn close. For some reason, that made her breathe a sigh of relief. At least he would be able to get out of there alive. Eloise, however, would be taken back to some Covenant base, and she would pay for what she had done. But that was okay.

Eloise's breathing grew shallow as she lost more blood, and she quickly sent some sparks towards her stomach. Dear god, it hurt.

[Kazemitsu]

Tristan's grin was turning into a full blown smile as she seemingly kept up with him. It looked like he was having quite a bit of fun fighting with her, sending her blades this way and that with near casual flicks of his own blades. That smile was turning into laughter, she was very well trained and he was tempted to push her to her limits. As she stepped in he stepped out, it was like a dance and he flowed with it. He knew how to work with blades after all, so trying to get into his 'deadzone' was a fruitless endeavor. The smoke was clearing, and with it his sight returned. He got to see her nice and shiny armor, the superior cloth underneath. That maddening grin was back on his face at the sight.

"A lesson? You have nothing to teach me child." He stated while she caught his blade. The blow actually snapped the bones in her hand and made the palm cave in. "I'm not so foolish as to have a pure iron blade. It's merely a shell." He said while she snapped his blade. While she was preoccupied with that his foot snapped up and hit her in the chest with a sound akin to thunder, caving in her chest armor and sending her flying back into the wall. "You're to full of pride, trying to slap me down with advanced technology. You rely on it to much." He growled while his broken blade was replaced with a wicked looking axe. "Sometimes it's the old stuff that just works the best." He said while his joy and mirth vanished.

The sword in his hand vanished while he used his foot to kick up her discarded rifle where he caught it mid-air. "Now be a good girl and stay there. I'd rather not kill you since we are on the same side." He stated before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Flames didn't stop him from using his abilities, even the damned sun didn't. Where there was light, there was darkness. Where there was darkness there was a way in or out. She also figured he had a speed at which he could move between the shadows. He didn't have one, but going to fast tired him and he didn't need that earlier.

Appearing on a rooftop nearby he turned his attention back to the fight between Blue and Vlad. The hybrid looked to be pushed back by the vampires superior reach. We'll have to change that. He thought as he sighted down the long barrel one armed. His thumb flicked off the safety and he pulled the trigger, sending the anti-tank round into the haft of the glaive closest to the bladed end. "Kids today. Never outside enough, always playing with their toys." He said while tossing the rifle aside. Once again vanishing in his tell-tale smoke.

[AtomicNut]

If there was one kind of expression that Pipistrelle would be making in this kind of circumstances, it was rolling her eyes. She did so, after the quick retort of the Covenant leader and how everything devolved in a heated mexican drug film shootout. Out of the humans, now two were left standing. Far too few for her tastes and intentions. The other vampiress- a fledging, by the looks of it lay in the ground, rather battered.

Oh, and some stray bullet had taken one of her eyes out while exiting her skull through the opposite direction, but that pain was a minor annoyance right now compared to the mess she was witnessing. She sighed, eyeing the scene with her remaining eye as the socket began to emit smoke, struggling to regenerate under the sunlight. Who was going to pay her shattered sunglasses now? They weren't exactly cheap. She frowned finally, and began her march. Only one covenant remained.

"My, what a mess." She said, and then let her go out of her umbrella, moving like a blur. Her hand became bloodied, as the throat of the remaining Covenant exploded in a shower of blood. She picked her umbrella afterwards, sheltering herself under the sun once more, licking the blood of her hand greedily. "You guys oughta control yourselves better." She muttered, a sulking tone in her voice.

She knelt down upon the prone, and battered frown of the fledging. A healer line? Interesting. It was then when she recognized her face. "Hey. I know you." She added, the mists of age summoning an scene, long time ago. "England. 1869, I believe? Miss-two-blueberry-muffins-instead-of-one-to-cheer-me-up." She chuckled at the sheer hilarity. Oh well, she had lost something. But she could gain something aswell. She hauled one of the fresh bodies with a single arm, as if it were a ragdoll. Forcefully, she then yanked the head of the fledling vampire, making sure Eloise's mouth was sunk into the neck of the incapacitated Covenant. "The blood is still useable, but it'll go bad quickly. Drink." She ordered the young vampire with a stern tone. "It'll cure that hole in your stomach." She added.

Well, she had partially regained the sight on her eye, that was a given. It was then when she inspected the gun-ho man who had picked a fight with the Covenant. She hissed, as she grabbed the man by the collar with one hand and shook him up, awake if she needed to. Expletives in latin came through her mouth. "You imbecile! This is your fault!" She hollered. "My sunglasses are ruined, and those covenants now will waste time finding the town because of your stupid gunfire. What's your problem, lackwit?"

She then tossed the burly man gently against the car, which she guessed it was his. And by gently she meant she hoped she didn't break any of his bones. "You're going to be the driver. And get me and this newfound fledging out of here. I'm not tall enough to reach the gas and this lady probably doesn't know what a car is. If you try something...like this...cheap flick action, I will tear your heart through your anus. Are we clear?" She snarled.

"Good grief." She finished, as she eyed both of her unlikely companions. She better had to finish her business quick, nausea was catching up with her finally and she felt growing weaker by the moment.

[thewizardguy]

Vladimir vs Col. Blue -

@BlackPanther@Kazemitsu

Vladimir snorted at the vampire. So the guy dodged....and now he was flinging that weapon around blocking off his moves. That weapon had iron in it...he could feel it. Though...perhaps he could use that. Vladimir allowed himself to be driven backwards occasionally sending swipes and letting out frusterated growls. He was waiting for an opening. Something for him to act.

Then, Vlad got it. The guy ducked Low and swiped at his legs. In response vladimir leaped upwards and attempted to land on the shaft of the weapon in his more human state. Thick leather boots to protect from any iron in the shaft. With a smooth movement his own dagger was pulled from his boot and he looked at the guys visor. "I'm rather attached to my head in afraid." if one shape doesn't work use a different one....that's a phrase somewhere. Probably.

Nimble. Impressive. As expected of such formidable prey. If the hybrid truly had been unable to fight back this would have gotten quite boring. Twisting the shaft of the weapon Blue attempted to knock Vlad off of it, even as he pulled it towards him in order to bring the blade itself to bear.

Vlad chuckled as the weapon moved under his feet. He followed with it for a moment before stepping off as it was pulled back. He straightened and tilted his head. "You know....I think I figured you out a bit. You like to fight. You have a hunger for it." He moved to behind the guy. Vlad luckily had speed from that vampire half. "I'm guessing other opponents bore you don't they." he had a habit of talking too much. He moved quickly and attempted to pull that helmet off of him.

Twisting towards Vlad, Blue attempted to swing, but at close range his long-reach weapon was at a disadvantage. Fortunately the Hybrid went for the helmet, soon finding that it was quite sturdily attached. But this gave blue an opportunity. He took a hold of Vlad's hand and twisted, making use of his hand-to-hand training to flip Vlad over his body and into the ground. With a twist of his left wrist he spun the entire glaive, and the silver blade shot along the ground towards Vlad's neck.

Vlad found the helmet was secure and then soon found himself getting flipped. Landing with an oof he silently cursed his ignorance of modern armor. He'd have to study that later. A huff escaped him as he heard that blade shooting toward his neck. With quick movements he managed to get free but not before that blade hit his side. A hiss escaped him and the smell of burning flesh and spider noises erupted into the air. The noises were slightly slower then expected and his flesh seemed burned for a few seconds longer then what would be expected. He turned and twirled the dagger in his hand.

Once more spinning into stance, Blue grinned beneath his visor. "What? No cocky comment this time around?" Stepping forward he raised the weapon over his head, ready to respond to even the slightest movement. With his weapon's superior reach there was no way he could lose this. Nevermore was truly a most astounding-

*BANG*

With a loud explosion of sound, the haft of Nevermore exploded into splinters. Blue stepped back, shocked, as he glanced around for his unknown enemy. The bladed top of the glaive dropped to the floor, now little more than a dysfunctional shortsword. Anger boiling through his veins Blue hissed something into his comms, and suddenly the surrounding vampires spread out as if looking for something. Blue himself moved away, standing where a house shielded him from the angle the bullet had come from.

"Purple! I'm getting sniper fire here. Aren't you supposed to have my back?"

The monotone voice of his partner came back at him. She sounded tired, hurt even. That was bad, Purple was no pushover. And she rarely emoted anything. "It's Tristan. He took my rifle. Tell the others he's gone rogue, I'm going after him."

Cursing, Blue turned back towards Vlad, now holding an unbelievably expensive stick. Not exactly the turn he had hoped this fight to take. "Well now. Seems I've got business to attend to. I don't suppose you'd be courteous enough to resume this later?"

Vladimir rolled his eyes and got ready to deal with the next swing and then....gunfire. He straightened and tilted his head as the weapon fell apart. "Well...that's unexpected" he moved to the blade of the weapon and tapped it with his boot. Temption to grab it grew while the peanut gallery moved out. He looked up as the guy moved away. So it certainly was not planned then. He moved his head so his ear was toward where the guy was. He could hear part of the conversation. How interesting.

vlad let his gaze hit blue and chuckled. "Most likely very soon considering I have some people to save. I'd recommend changing weapon types. That way you might actually kill me next time" he gave a two fingered salute before running off. His next plan to follow those trucks he saw a bit of earlier.

Although he had his own business to attend to, Blue gave one last glance at Vlad. That creature had been both faster and stronger than him. It was only through skill and superior armaments that he'd been able to press his advantage, and even then it had seemed like his opponent hadn't gone all out. If they did, even Blue wasn't sure he could've won that fight. The thought was just.... delicious.

Imagining the setting for the next match Blue ran up a nearby wall, flipping himself onto a roof. He took a gun and a combat knife from a nearby vamp, as two others grabbed what was left of his weapon. It'd be fixed later. For now, he had a hunt to carry out.

[Kazemitsu]

Tristan simply appeared near a fixture on a roof to observe the fight now that it would be on even terms. Unfortunately Blue relied on his weapon and bailed after yelling into his helmet. Most likely communications hidden within it. "Foolish foolish children. You take away their favorite toys and they crumple like paper dolls..." He muttered, clearly disappointed with what was happening. Looking at his broken sword he chuckled softly. "I'll have to tell Magnus how...pathetic his new soldiers are. Reliant on a single weapon is bad. It's why I learned everything I could from ages past." He said to himself.

Tucking his broken blade into his coat he looked up at the sky. "If it were night I'd show him how bad his soldiers are. Relying on new age technology. It's not a particularly bad thing to move on with the times...but as I told that girl...sometimes the old ways are best." He said as he looked off into the distance. Even during the daylight his eyes narrowed in on Blue and his little squad of children. The giant man wasn't even trying to hide now did he have a rifle on him. But he figured the simple soldier would believe him if he said he didn't do it.

I have no interest in fighting a broken toy... He thought before he turned and flickered from view. This time using simple movements to leave instead of his shadow warping. No point wearing himself out when the newbie vampires had little to no hopes of actually catching him. "Lets go talk to this Johnathan. I want to talk to the child who got his kiddie soldiers to specialize..." He growled as he went towards the edge of town via rooftops. If he couldn't find him in one of the camps on the edge he'd head for Magnus' mansion itself.

[thewizardguy]

Elimination Squad, Covenant Base -

Emerging from the burned shell of the Covenant cover building came the ten figures who had stepped inside. Some brandished strange specialist weaponry, while others were carrying armfuls of unconscious Covenant operatives. Some had wounds, but all had been bandaged up. At least one looked like he'd been turned on the spot in order to allow him to survive the massive hole in his chest. Lesser soldiers rushed into the building, removing more unconscious captives from it and tending to whatever wounded remained. Dead enemies were of no value to the Army, but living ones presented a variety of enticing opportunities. With the superiority embodied by the ten Death Troopers it had been easy to take out these humans without any undue casualties, and the majority of them were even now being loaded into trucks. Perhaps they would be turned into thralls, or used as human livestock. Regardless, they were useful.

One of the Death Troopers looked around as they listened in on radio chatter. It appeared there were more Covenant forces in this town than expected, and only a few of them were in the base.

"North, south, east and west are secure. The four divisions are prepared for a counterattack."

"A Hybrid covenant ally named Vlad has been spotted. Last seen fighting Col. Blue. Requesting backup."

"Tristan has turned on us. Reasons are unknown. Take him out ASAP."

Sighing, Brig. General Sky interjected with his own comment. "The base has been cleared out, all hostiles dealt with. No friendly casualties, minimal enemy casualties. Trucks should be arriving at the South Gate soon. No significant intel acquired, they fried their hard drive before we captured them." With that he finished, there was no time for unnecessary chatter. He had completed his orders, and in the lieu of further commands it was best to work towards securing the town. It appeared there were two dangerous enemies on the loose, both of whom needed to be dealt with before this town was fully under vampire control. As such it was only logical to hunt them down and deal with them, while protecting all important assets.

"Jade, Gold, guard the central base. It's possible the enemy will try to free the prisoners. Crimson, you're with me. The rest of you, hunt in pairs. Our targets are a hybrid named Vlad, and the rogue vampire Tristan. Both are highly dangerous. Subduing them is preferable, but lethal force is authorised. Move!" With that the Death Troopers went their separate ways, each already knowing who their partner was. They leaped onto nearby buildings and began running along the roofs like dark spectres, superhuman speed and agility allowing them to cover ground rapidly. It wouldn't be long before their targets were discovered and then eliminated. Even if they were able to hold their own against two Death Troopers, the rest would be quick to back them up in the event of a fight.

Sky himself simple walked through the open roads, soldiers rushing past him this way and that. Although he looked relaxed, nothing escaped his gaze. Crimson followed behind him, covering his blind spots. Even if he covered ground more slowly, he wouldn't miss a thing. If the enemy was foolish enough to remain in town, he'd encounter them eventually.