Ronin: Blood and Wine (OPEN)

The spear's blade only grazed the hound's skin; its hide felt like striking a brick wall. The creature grabs at the spear shaft with its jaw, and with an unearthly power breaks it in a single bite.

"MRRRRGRRRR..." The hound bared its fangs at him, hostile and filled with deadly intent.

The clouds overhead soon passed over, revealing the full moon. When the pale light touch the hound it slowly transformed, growing even larger until it towered over Jardin... a werewolf. It let out an unholy howl, and continues its attack.

Jardin had a moment of calm as he looked up at the monster before him. After that pause he said, "Yeah, okay. Werewolves. That makes perfect sense." A sidestep let the nimble man avoid a slash as he shouted passed. "Diana, if you can hear me-" He ducked anoher swipe and continued. "I'll see if I can find a way around."

Just as he finished speaking, the beast snapped as Jardin, tearing the shoulder out of his jacket as he just dodged. In an instant, a push dagger was in his left hand. Before it could act again, the steel blade lanced toward the wolf's nearest eye.

All the while, Jardin kept is senses honed for anything behind him. After all, wolves usually hunt in packs.

The wolf man was quick, but not quick enough to get steel lodged in his eye. He swiped at Jardin in retaliation, hardened claws attacking wildly.

Diana vaulted the hedge clear after using her own werewolf as a springboard. She carried a back up combat knife, and goomba stomped Jardin's werewolf's face into the ground. Still, his bloody eye was already healing, and it wouldn't be long until he would recover.

"I think we might stand a better chance in the mansion. We can't stop these wolves without silver." Diana suggested, pointing to the mansion of who-knows-what's-inside.

Seeing the small girl come flying to the rescue, Jardin thought to question just how possible that was. Then he remembered: werewolves. Half joking, he mused, "One of these days, my "weird shit-o-meter's" gonna finally break and I'll be too jaded to notice the crazy."

By now, he had turned away from the monster and was leading the way toward the mansion. The truth was, Jardin could not see the building beyond the towering plant walls, but he had a pretty good on the overall direction of the manor.

The thief kept aware of his surroundings, though. He would glance over his shoulder to make sure Diana was still following...and that something else was not. And when he faced forward? He studied the walls, looking for a sign they might move again.

Left, right, left; he was careful not to touch the walls when he reached the turns. They had consumed the others, using the other "hunters" as bait. Jardin did not want to test his escape skills just yet.

"By the way," Jardin decided to ask. "How much do you happen to know about monsters?"

"Oh... Enough to know that we need to find silverware. fast. And some Belladonna too if we're lucky." Diana said, as a vine was about to coil around her leg. The knife she carried had other ideas, as her training reflexively kicked in to avoid that fate. "The supernatural sucks."

The old mansion's interior was regal and vast, but dusty and dimly lit. In lieu of bulbs it was still gas lamps on walls and candles on candle stands. There were plenty of doors and hallways, and antiques... and paintings of old people.

The snarling growls of the werewolves just outside the windows made Diana really uneasy. "Kitchen. Gotta find the kitchen!"

"Nightshade, huh?" Jardin mused as he bolted the door behind them.  "Aconite would have been more appropriate," he admitted as a joke as he turned to rejoin his acting companion.

His keen eyes pierced the dark with ease, taking in the room as though it were midday. This particular room seemed to act as a sort of family museum. It exhibited various nicknacks and things. A suit of armor in Milanese style; a heraldic shield covering a pair of longswords; ornate ceramic vases; several other Italian swords dating back to the Iron Age with what looked like a Roman spatha. Jardin decided to "borrow" one of the displayed falchions. The blade was a bit tip heavy but that could prove favorable...He decided to take a nearby buckler as his off-hand. It had a hook, allowing it to hang from his belt.

"I'd recommend getting something bigger than your pig sticker for now," Jardin advised. Not waiting for a response, the thief moved towards the nearest door. The tiny shield was easy enough to maneuver so he tested the knob, ready to lead with the shield if anything attacked...

Diana ignored the remark, seeing as how the iron blades wouldn't do jack against these werewolves. She simply kept moving, loosing her awful heels and making her way through the carpeted hallway on bare feet, her dress ripped to allow mobility.

As they passed through the living room they found the pile of gifts that were sent to the manor. "Jackpot!" Diana exclaimed, spying first the large unassuming box that was her sword. But she saw another wooden box beside.

A nice box set of sterling silverware. Spoons, forks, table knives and so on. "Hey, heads up!" Diana called out to Jardin, tossing him a fine assortment of silverware.

And not a moment too soon, the werewolves manage to catch up and cut them off. Diana had no time to get her sword, but she had two table knives, one in each hand. "Let's... dance." Diana said, circling around, not letting the wolves flank her.

As the silverware was hurled toward him, Jardin let the antique wepons slip form his hands. Amid the storm, the thief picked out a knife and plucked it from the air. The rest drifted harmlessly passed.

For a moment, he studdied the blade. He was not happy. Silver was a notoriously soft metal and truthfully made abysmal blades. Maybe it was an alloy, using silver as a component to justify higher prices. After all, rich people were stupid.

The flurry of motion signalled the arrival of the monsters and Jardin saw his fellow prey square off against them. Not wanting to let her bite off more than she can handle, Jardin ran at one of the wolves. He let his legs come out from under him, sliding by one of the creatures, he took an opportunity to lash out at the thing's leg while it was not ready to counter attack.

Damage done, Jardin pushed up with his free hand, turning into a tripod with the knife pointed away. "Do I have your attention, now?" he mocked. He hoped to draw its ire. After all, one-on-one was easier to manage for the both of them.

The silverware light and flimsy as they were, was frightfully effective against the lycanthropes. Flesh parted and fur burned when Grey touched the silver to the wolf, and now for the first time the creature stepped back, afraid.

"...Oh no you don't!" Diana capitalized on Jardin's attack, leaping on the wolf and plunging the knife into its throat. While it had the ability to reach Diana and throw her away, Diana aikido-rolled and landed on her feet. The offending metal in his throat, the werewolf soon fainted from the pain... and began to revert to his human form.

The werewolves were about ready to tear Diana and Jardin a new one, when they were held at bay by an applause coming from the grand staircase landing.

"Bravo, bravo. I did not expect to see prey that could fight back. hahaha!" Those aristocrats from before had managed to reach the mansion, and were now condescendingly coming down the stairs. Three of them, all dandies.  

"Please, please. Tell me your names. I so do like to speak to potential... family." The first vampire said, addressing them directly.

Diana "...Sorry, no. I can feel your thirst since we met. Alot worse than a college guy on Tinder." She said, hand already on her sword.

"College? Tinder? Oh, but immortality is so tedious! Speak with us, and perhaps we'll even let you go." Another said.

"They are powerful, but do not look like vampire hunters either. Perhaps we can offer them more." the third said.

"Quite, quite, Vladislaf." the 1st dandy agreed with the third, whose name really started with 'Vlad'.

Jardin's thoughts drifted to the falchion he had dropped and in an instant, he wished he had kept the damned thing. Sadly, all he had was the silver blade. Was silver effective against the undead? He wondered.

Still, the thief kept his eyes on the three vampires. Reversing his grip on the knife, Jardin said, "I suppose if all you want is to talk, we don't have any problem with that." He passed Diana a glance as he stepped ahead of her. Hopefully, if the negotiations broke down, he could buy her time to defend herself. After all, he could survive being drained of blood. Jardin doubted the girl would be so lucky...

"So, Vlad," he continued, exaggerating the man's name. "As I have said several times at the party, I am Dorian Wolfe. This is my half sister Diana. We would both like a chance to leave with our hides intact..." He waited for the monsters to reply...

"Not just us. We want you to let your guests go. Or we'll make you." Diana had to stick to her hero guns, brandishing her black sword in the vampires' faces. They were apprehensive, looking at the killing blade.  

"Oooh is that one of those Oriental swords?" The second vampire asked, marveling at Diana's Katana with little fear. But he still kept his distance.

"No, no, no it's not that simple... our progenitor, Petyr, started this festival to bring in guests to last us a year. We're technically still trying to talk you into staying." The first vampire suddenly explains, causing his two companions to look at him in shock.

"Hansel! Why don't you just tell them where our coffins are too eh?!" Vlad goes into a tirade of italian cursing, waving his arms in indignation.

"Vlad, please. I am tired of all this hunting and killing and hunting and killing! I want to try something new! I want to learn!" Hansel ranted, clearly frustrated at the usual vampire M.O.

"So... what do you want to know about?" Diana asked, curious what these vampires could possibly be going on about.

"Lately we've noticed you humans no longer talk as much... the younger ones' attentions are all taken by some small... rectangular... thing. Did some vampire create them to enthrall you all? It's quite distressing." The second vampire asked, and quite civil too.

Diana pondered the question a moment, then turned to Jardin in realization. "I think they're talking about our phones. Show em... some youtube vidoes?"

Jardin was quick.  Moving with the subtlety of an expert pickpocket...admittedly on he nose comparison...he held up the girl's phone.  "Hope you don't mind.  I don't have my own cell."

Turning back to the vampires before the sense of violation could set in, he began typing a web address.  In spite of how small everything was, Jardin's thumbs were quick and he opened youtube.  He had an idea what he could show them...

Into the search bar he typed: "Moonlight Interview with a vampire."  A click on a picture braught up a video, a scene from an old television show he had watched way back when...

He turned up the volume in time for Alex O'Loughlin to say "Being a vampire sucks. It's a bad joke, I know, but it's the truth..."

"This site," Jardin explained, approaching the three vampires. "Contains video content uploaded by thousands of users around the world. This video is taken from a show I watched when I was younger."

He let the vampires watch as O'Loughlin explained, in character, the show's canon regarding vampires. He hoped they'd have questions...

The vampires watched the video with enthusiasm, laughing at the right times and nodding in agreement.

"Hahaha so true!"

"Oh he's exaggerating."

"Mister O'loughin, could you tell us more about the blood bank?" Yacob tried to ask the smartphone, but soon found it wasn't how it worked.

"Hello? Ugh, how rude! Can he not hear me?" Yacob asked, frustrated at how the little man in the box could not hear him. Diana couldn't help but laugh.

"What is a blood bank?" Moustachio Vladislaf asked Diana, figuring out what the video was.

"Oh. people go there to donate blood for later use, such as when other people need transfusions."

"Wait. So you mean it is like a bank. but for blood?"

"Uh, yeah."

The vampires looked at each other with urgent alarm. They huddle to talk to each other.

"Miss Diana, Mister Wolfe, We would like to make a deal with you." Hansel started it off.

"If you help us... get ... 'a guy at a blood bank', we will release our guests. We will have no more reason to have these... banquets, but you must let us live in peace. Will you agree to these terms?" Vladislaf laid down the deal with them. It seemed these three at least, were tired of being monsters.

Diana was quite surprised at the vampires' sensibility. Seems they might settle this without bloodshed after all. It was her and Jardin's turn to huddle. She brings him in close to whisper. "Hey, so, you know anybody who works at a blood bank?"

Jardin rejoined Diana. So, it seemed his gambit had worked. Now came a more complicated part. "Sorry," he admitted. "I've never needed medical help so I don't know many doctors."

Glancing at the phone he said, "I do have some ideas, though..." The thief quickly ran searches on options: reading up on the National Blood Center, European Blood Alliance, et cetera. He began to formulate a semblance of a plan.

Turning back to the vampires, after returning the pilfered phone, Jardin said, "I can't make any promises yet, but I think I can help you get in touch with the sorts of people who can help you. I propose that in exchange for letting your other guests go, I stay and help you. And while I am helping you establish your infrastructure and sources, I will also act as your..." Jardin paused, perturbed by unpleasant memories.

"You may use me as your food source for the time it takes to establish your alternative."

Diana "Wolfe, no. What if they get... peckish?" she wondered, shooting the vampires a suspicious glance.

"If he leads us to a peaceful solution, we swear we will hold true to our word." Vladislaf the moustachio said, assuring them.

"There is just one more problem though...." Hansel raised a single finger as per his body language.

"Your Progenitor?" Diana filled in the blank. The trio nodded in agreement.

A massive double door on the second floor, on the far residential wing. An imposing figure in red and black strode into view, lording over the vampires and guests from the railing.

"..." Silent, wordless. The baroque vampire shot his progeny a deathly stare.

"Petyr! We.. we were just... preparing your next meal!" Hansel tried to explain.

"I am not deaf. I will not accept blood taken and stored. I hunger for warm, living blood, fresh from the veins of the living." He shadow walked down to the ground floor.

Diana took a look at this Petyr fellow, and was not keen on the fight ahead. His spawn were manageable renaissance men, but Petyr was a hard man from harder times. In addition to being at least an elder, he was practical enough to wear his plate armor, which had significant reinforcement and spikes. Petyr's weapon of choice was no slouch either- he carried a halberd, and he carried it one-handed with ease. And he had a helmet.

"...If you will not bring them, then I shall take them myself. You will have scraps." He said harshly. "Come. Show me your parries, your pirouettes, your techniques. I seek to be... amused, if you are up to the task." He brandished his weapon like German warriors of old.

"Fuckity fuck." Diana cursed, entering an Iaijutsu stance. She wondered what Jardin could bring.

Jardin turned to Diana.  "Language, my dear," he advised.  He did not seem to be tanking the situation seriously but the truth was a bit more complicated than that.

Jardin's attention returned to he armored vampire. This one looked like he just wanted a fight. No reasonable discourse would sway him from his idiocy.

Jardin also scoffed at the old man's flashy armor. The gothic ridges and ornamentation was all well and good, but spikes? Spikes were little more than hand holds. That combined with his polearm, which lost much of its speed and mobility without using the off hand, meant Jardin could contol the fight easily if he closed quickly enough. All he had to do was get rid of his blasted silver knife...

A single step let Jardin hurl the knife forward, aiming for the helm's visor. He soon lept after it, hoping the knife would obscure and distract. The thief hoped to take advantage of this, get inside his weapons reach and pull the "man-at-arms" into a through.

Still, he kept the halberd blade in mind. A knife throw was not the world's best opening gambit...