Hunter's first Nest. (Featuring Adam the Vampire.)

"Ooooooh, this is so good." Penny moaned into her burger, eyes closed as she relished the gross combination of meat, cheese, fats and the occasional pickle. The young woman's legs were hooked around the legs of the chair as she leaned into her table, her elbows holding her up as she leaned the chair forwards, balancing it.

It was a peaceful moment. One she loathed to let go off. But the insistence of a voice in her head was threatening to ruin it. A voice she'd only known for three days. A voice that promised many things. Most of them were not to her liking. Most of them sounded far too dangerous for a pretty little thing like her. But she had promised to do what it asked.

It had saved her life after all. Instead of eating this burger, she'd have been a rotting corpse, hidden from the world in some damp cave. Never to be found. Not that anyone would have cared for the loss of a street rat... The sword had promised one good thing. She'd no longer be that. She didn't feel like that promise would be as fruitful, not when the money she had spent for her evening lunch was the last of a few dollars she'd stolen from a lady that got her into this situation.

Wincing as the voice grew louder and harsher, she sighed and relented to it's wants. She had told it she was in no position to go hunting 'vermin of the night, dark and evil.' But it refused to listen to reason. Leaning back so that the chair was flat, she unhooked one of her legs and gently placed it on the ground, she didn't feel anything for a moment, but then it happened. The pulse. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it. Like electricity coursing from her chest, down her body, through her legs and out her feet.

Normally, the pulse returned inside her and repeated the process, fast enough that every step was a pulse, a unnerving feeling she was thankful only happened when she was walking.  But like before she'd taken to hiding atop a chair and eating a burger, the pulse returned with something. A feeling.

She turned her head to the right, facing the direction, she instinctively knew that something was that way. Something the sword considered evil and vile. Of course, if it wasn't for the fact that Penny knew she had died, and knew a giant shadow spider creature with a face had been the thing to kill her, she'd have thrown herself into the safety of an insane asylum or something.

But the sword was insistent, and Penny preferred to not think herself insane. "Alright. Alright. I'm going. Let me finish my burger at least." Penny mumbled into said burger, nibbling on some loose crumbs as her feet happily tapped at the ground. The pulses stopped when she felt the direction of something. It was... So much better, yet terrifying to know that something like that monster was near her. She wasn't sure how far, but that scared her more. It could be in the next building!

Finishing up, Penny wiped clean her hands on her jeans and reached into a pocket, pulling out a hair band, she brushed her hair with her fingers before tying it into a bun. Her combat ready bun.

Leaving the comfort of the fast food restaurant, she watched the orange glow of the sun on the horizon grow darker. It would be night soon. Biting her lip, she tried to recognize which way it was the ping had come from, and after a few seconds, she decided on a direction. It seemed similar to the last one, but she wasn't sure.

Still, an hour later she'd feel another. She just needed to find some rundown building or something... Not the rarest thing these days. But she didn't have much else to go on. "You know, whoever made you really sucks... Yea I know, it's my fault. Well I didn't ask you to save me! Yea I know I promised. Just shut up." The young woman spoke to the empty air around her, the voice distant but hers alone in her head. It'd be more clear if she held the sword, but it was still weird.

"Fine the evil. Then the sword." She decided. Shouldn't be difficult. The sword was basically a vile slayer thing by itself. She'd just hold it and let it do the work. Really, the worst thing she had to consider tonight was if it was going to be late or not. Damn shelter was really picky on curfew.

”Did you need to come to New York with me?” Adam questioned sipping at a large glass of viscous red liquid, tasting the zing of alcohol mingling with the blood.

”I have a fondness for this city. One of the few I’m willing to spend any significant time in,” Osiris responded, the human he found himself enamored with lately  sleeping snugly beside him on the couch. Smelling of  the same human scents; Blood, sweat and the alcohol that once inhabited the glass settled on the table. He could see the two small bruises on their neck where the pinpricks from fangs would have been.

”I know, but you do usually complain about the people here. Something about them being too rude?” He smirked, reading over the small dossier the ancient vampire had given him. At times it made him feel like some kind of courier that got sent to and fro without any real reason. That was the whims of the ancients afterall. When they wanted something, it was always hard for the younger generations to refuse them. He just had a special reason why that was the case.

”It just takes looking in the right place. Never took you for making such broad statements,” He retorted, pale strong fingers absently brushing through the females hair resting against his side. He wondered how much she knew about his vampiric nature, though the cold flesh likely gave something away. ”I do hope you and your precious cambion are getting along. I hear he’s gone off the grid lately,”

”He does that time to time. Nothing to concern yourself about,” If he were human he would have blushed, instead he just averted his brown eyes to his drink and licked his lips.

”I’m not concerned about him, though I do see how much he matters to you. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that in you before.” He hummed, eyeing the folder as he closed it and set it down on the glass table.

”So what’s the issue here?” He questioned, pushing away the conversation.

”The usual lately. A few vampires claiming they serve a new sovereign though they’re mysterious on who that is. Not the first time someone tried to rip my throne away from me, and I imagine not the last. ” He sounded almost amused by the concept, smirking with eyes that took on a bit of playful light.

”Report says they’ve been attacking mages in the city. I don’t imagine The Families are too happy with that,” Adam noted, looking through the names that were missing or confirmed dead/injured. One of them caught his eyes in the missing category. ”shouldn’t you be sending someone a little older to be dealing with this?”

”I trusty you more than the older ones around me. I need you to do this,” Even without allowing it to touch his features, Adam could tell this was a personal request. Something that he couldn’t say no to. Something he didn’t want to say no to. The elder vampire didn’t play fair.

”Wish they didn’t keep going to Brooklyn of all places. First the wolves and now this,” He downed the rest of his drink, feeling only the faintest of buzz. Eyes lingering on the immortal before turning and walking away, padded footfalls against carpet mingling with the faint hum of the air conditioning.

Soon enough the warmth of the hotel room gave way to the cold New York winter air. His forced breaths frosted in the air, though he dressed warmly enough not to draw suspicion from the humans around him. Their warmth like beacons along with the heartbeats that thundered within their chests. He remembered when he was young and the call of blood was near impossible to resist. When it took all his willpower not to rip into the men around him; unwashed and suspicious as they were. Before the age of enlightenment made hiding ones self easier and the age of metahumans added to it. Even the internet made hiding easier with the advent of image editing software. Everyone was quick to brush something off as false or just the result of a metahuman.

His pale lips curled into an amused smirk as he walked through the streets of Brooklyn now illuminated with artificial light. Internally he yearned for delicate flakes of snow to fall, cold and pale like himself. He adjusted the cashmere scarf around his neck, picking out the inhuman from the humans around him and the vampires were even more obvious. His mind wandered outwards, feeling the thoughts colored by emotions. Knowing that most minds wouldn’t allow him even the faintest of mental communication. People feared having their minds invaded, though he knew that some ancients didn’t need that consent. Not normally. That was when he felt them, the thoughts tinted with malice. A woman muttering about a sword, though she was visibly human.  Perhaps she was an antique collector?

He paid no mind to that, instead following the few vampires that looked young enough to be in their first few decades. No way that such young ones could have taken down powerful mages but that was all assumptions. Doping was a mechanism afterall. He followed these immortals movements, far more careful than them as they followed the strange woman who looked vulnerable enough to catch their interest. The young and foolish didn’t sense him. They followed her to where they could likely feed without issue and he wouldn’t let them. Human life was something that he protected.

“Get lost?” One of them would question when the time came strike, a young-looking man with pale skin, steel piercings through his ears and lip with a shaven head. The perfect picture of a punk. Three others followed him, creating a small cordon around her and eyeing the girl like a tasty meal.  

“We can show her what happens when you get lost in our territory,” One of them moved in a blur to human eyes, though slow to his own in an attempt to push her against the wall. Flashing dangerous needle-like fangs at her.  “that’ll be just fine,”

”I don’t recall this being your territory. If I recall Osiris gave this to someone else and they don’t appreciate punk shits like you tormenting people,” One of them jerked to respond but found themselves being slammed against brick walling, shoulder bones crunching beneath his pale fingers. ”I don’t like it either.”

Penny bit her lip as she glanced from building to building. This was the right direction... Well, sure she had turned a few times, but still! Why was vile so hard to find. Not that it should make itself easy to find, but come on.

She could feel the sword was growing more impatient. The first real hunt, and she wasn't kicking in doors and requesting that anything evil be presented for execution. It was an old sword, that didn't listen when she told it that doing that would most likely result in it never being used again. Can't exactly slay the spawn of the abyss or the creatures of hell or whatever name the sword came too when it felt like it from a cell.

She was so lost in her search for what would be a place she'd avoid when forced to find some barren house to sleep in that she hadn't noticed the entourage following her, nor that she had found herself less in the busy streets, not until they made themselves known.

"Get lost?" The voice made her jump, her instincts kicked in and she turned on her heel to face it. Four, no, five men... She had first assumed, but looking closer despite the night's darkness, she noticed a woman among them. And the fifth was hanging back. She couldn't see much, but the feel was punks. Most likely looking to cause trouble. Not her first time. She could outrun them. The sword was telling her to leave. It didn't want to bother with them as well.

But just as she took a step back, five became four and in a instant she was being pressed against a wall by strong, cold hands. Far stronger then she expected. Her eyes went wide as she focused on the punk in front of her. A rush of information came to her. Strong. Fast. More. They weren't human. The fangs her wide eyes noticed made that more obvious. "Va..." Vampires. Actual vampires.

She felt lost as to what to do. The sword wanted to be unleashed, to be fell upon the beasts, but she wasn't sure... Flinching to the expected bite, she was saved when the one at the back spoke, his voice commanding as he spat ire at these... Vampires. The one holding her looked back to listen, his attention no longer focused on her, and she saw past him to see that the fifth one was now holding one of the vampires against a wall of its own.

In that moment her eyes glinted with a brighter gold color, her hand felt heavy and she looked down at the sword now in it. The blade wide with three blue and soft glowing runes along the center of it. Without thinking, she lifted the blade and thrust it into the vampire's ribs, angling the blade upwards. The man looked back at her, his eyes wide, until his grip loosened as she pushed the blade in deeper, finding its heart, she could feel the sword cut through it, before he became a dead weight against her.

She let him drop to the ground as she pulled the sword out. Now holding it in both hands, she pressed back against the wall and tried to threateningly point it at those that remained. "St- Stay back!" Penny yelled, but if any of them could glance her mind, or hear the voices of the magic inside her, they'd hear something beyond the scared red haired young woman. A dark whisper, without any clear gender, old and angry.

'Yes... Kill them. Kill them all. All the spawn of night. All will die. Do it girl.' It commanded, and she stepped forwards from the wall, her breathing hard still, her feet conflicted between standing her ground, running, or listening to the sword. The order grew stronger. It didn't care that she was frightened, for the hunt that it had desired was right here. So while she had now stepped past the fallen vampire, she willed herself to not move further.

She was scared. So much so that she didn't notice when the vampire she had thought she had slain was slowly recovering behind her, raising to its feet behind the young girl who remained clueless to the fact.

Adam could smell the scent of it on the air the moment the vampires made their move. Fear, it scented the air and tasted sourly on his tongue as he prepped his own moves. These vampires were nothing to him but to a human they were terrifying with just one.  Capable of likely killing a whole room of trained humans with little effort, so long as they weren’t trained to kill vampires. Not many had those skills these days, so the young began to grow arrogant with their power. Much like the metahumans.  He knew what his purpose was in these instances, which was making sure they didn’t threaten their people as a whole.

Adam felt the vampire wriggle and struggle under his fingers, the bone broken and kept from knitting back together by the fingers that had forced them to break. They weren’t going to get away from his grip, unless they ripped away the section of their body being held. That didn’t stop him from jerking around, shirt tearing and a bit of blood spurting from a new wound. It was annoying enough that he hit them up with a strong kick to the stomach, hearing vestigial organs mulch, and spine snap under the force of his knee. Putting them down like this was fine, they could take more than that.

What did catch his attention was the sound of flesh being punched through with metal. A telling squelch he had heard before, turning to see one of them dribbling blood from their mouth and with a sword through their chest. That was enough to cause the remaining unharmed to stumble back with the one stabbed slumping and hitting the ground. Likely it had cut through his lungs or undead heart, though neither should have put him down for too long. That didn’t stop his blood from running and flowing from around the blade. A morbid looking scene but something that he knew was the case. He had once been a burnt, barely alive shape but was very much alive then. Even still he knew they were in pain, the kind of pain that his kind felt.

“You…bitch. I’ll skewer you with your own fucking sword for that,” he spat with fangs painted red with blood. He didn’t however have time to react when a fist collided with their face, shattering their jaw and causing them to slam into the ground with a sickening thud. The other two look to him with renewed fear before deluding themselves again.

“There’s two of us and one of him, let’s kick his ass,” One of the punks stated with anger rising within their eyes.

”You might want to look away from this,” he said to Penny with a sympathetic look on his face, though he wouldn’t force her to look away from the scene that would unfold when he went against these cretins. The two of them tried to flank him with their speed which felt slow to him, one hand striking at his back and the other the front. Adam spun to the side, around and slammed his knee into the back of one of them as the two of them were thrown through the air into a wall. The smell of their blood went through the air once again, though he knew they could heal pretty quickly. ”now’s the time to run if you want to. I doubt they’ll be much of a threat in a few minutes though.”

Her eyes darted between the four, soon turned three. It seems one of them was... Well, not with the vampires, but the heavy weight of the sword still begged her to be ready, even if her arms were already trembling from holding the sword upright like this. The blade drooped towards the ground as she ineffectively pointed the sword at each vampire, she could even feel the blade's disappointment at her stance, but she choose to ignore it.

And she nearly dropped it when the vampire behind her spoke. He's still alive? The thought raced through her mind as she tried to turn, only when she did, the man who wasn't with the others was behind her now, and the vampire's jaw had been shattered. He was fast. Like the vampires...

The sword didn't seem to have an opinion on his actions. It saw what she saw, and she could feel the urge it brought forth inside her to strike, but she held back. She had cut that vampire. She felt like she had tore it's heart apart. She felt like vomiting from the act, and yet it still lived. Attacking the only thing helping her would prove pointless and stupid.

He then spoke, breaking Penny from her stupor. "I... I won't." She said in response, but not too the man as she glanced down to her sword. It was growing angry. She turned to face the other two, but by then they were already rushing towards them... No, towards the good vampire. To her eyes, it was almost instantaneous, like a cat fight. A blur of bodies that resulted in the two that had wanted to... Kill her? Being thrown against walls.

The vampire still standing told her to run. If she wanted too. Why wouldn't she? She wanted to run as fast as her feet could allow. And she knew she could run fast. Not fast enough to escape, but she didn't have anything but the situation to escape from.

The sword had other ideas. Both of her hands gripped the hilt of her sword as she turned to the remaining vampire, the good one. 'Do it... Kill him. DO IT.' The voice roared inside her mind, and without consent her arms raised the sword high in the direction of the vampire aiding her. She didn't want to do this. She wouldn't do this.

"Sorry!" She cried as she redirected the swing down at the vampire with the broken jaw, the sword cutting through it's neck like butter. She stared at the stump as the head rolled away, blood pouring slowly, as if it wasn't being pumped. The sight of the gore bore into her mind until she couldn't hold it in anymore. She dropped the sword and ran to the wall, vomiting against it with no where else to hide herself. "Oh god. I'm not ready. Ooh. Mmm. I can't... Shut up!" She yelled, looking back directly at the sword, before leaning her head against the wall, her entire body a trembling mess.

Adam took in a deep, extraneous breath watching the two remaining that were standing look on him with a renewed fear. Something about watching two of their own taken down with seemingly casual ease was likely something that could bring with it fear. A small part of him relished in that fear, knowing they had managed to finally obtain a healthy respect for him with that little beatdown. He could have let this be as it was but the sound of metal ripping through flesh and bone could be heard. The womans sword was slicing through the downed vampires neck, severing his spinal cord and leaving him even more crippled in pain.  His eyes widened mildly, looking at the girl curiously before looking to the vampires.

”Run away before she or I decide to finish you off too,” They and any not decapitated run away with all the speed available to them. It was expected really, though something about this girl was different than the normal human victim. Dark malevolent thoughts swirled around her but didn’t come from her specifically. What was going on? Lily would have understood but he wasn’t Lily, didn’t even really have that great of an understanding of magic. Just enough to know what was magic and how it worked.

She yelled at the sword and he took that to mind. Was it cursed or something? He kicked the sword, sending it skidding across the concrete into shadows. ”Are you okay? They’re gone now so they can’t hurt you anymore.”

Penny nodded to the voice, almost an echo battering at her ear drums, which were being pounded by the blood in her head. And the smell of blood and bile stung her nose, causing her eyes to water. She wasn't proud of herself right now. Nor could she carry her pride. She was vomiting against an alley wall like some drunk girl. Only her poison was her cutting a vampires head off.

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, before stepping away from the ground where she had vomited, disgusted with herself. "I'm okay. Thank you... I really didn't expect this. It said the vile things of the abyss, the creatures of hell, more. I thought maybe ghosts or more like that ghost spider... Not... Vampires. Now I'm thinking werewolves and zombies and demons and..." She stopped, looking at the literal vampire in front of her.

With an uneasy smile, she wiped at her mouth and flicked her wrist to remove any foulness wiped away. "I'm so sorry. This must be confusing. Um. Actually. Could I bother you... For help? I know I just killed... Wait." She looked back at the vampire's head she had cut off, noticing that perhaps... It wasn't dead. "Oh it didn't even kill him. Stupid sword. Talks big but can't perform. Typical."

With a sigh, she placed her hands on her hips and bit her lip, before looking back to the only vampire left standing. "Can I please assume you have questions so that I can ask some questions. Maybe not here... Before he... Regrows or whatever. Or anything else comes." She asked, almost begged of him. The sword was useless, and she winced at the spike of anger directed at her for that comment, watching past the vampire as the sword sparked with dull golden energy as it vanished, her own eyes seeming to glow that same dull but golden glow as it happened. "I'm Penny."

The sound and scent of vomit filled the alleyway while the unfortunate human woman emptied her stomach from the disgusting sight of a still living head. Well, that was his own assumption on the situation. ”Everything and more. You’d be surprised how many of the things from myth actually exist, though not all of them are dangerous from my own personal experience,” He wondered how she felt about the concept, though usually humans didn’t react well. ”he’s not dead but he might as well be. If you want to kill a vampire, silver, fire, sunlight or any kind of holy weapon works. Though something tells me your weapon isn’t particularly holy. ” Usually he heard about talking swords being demonic, mostly from Samael who knew enough about demonic things. How did this girl come across this weapon anyway?

”Not too many questions. I am curious where you got a weapon like that. Something about it feels off, but I can’t tell what it is,” He hmmed, considering what he should do about it if he should do anything about it at all. Not like Osiris really cared what magical swords that ended up killing bad vampires. ”I can kill him if you want, though he’d need his friends to piece him back together. Likely will burn up in the sun of nothing is done anyway,” he felt the fearful eyes looking up on him, as if he had realized the wrong he did. He hmmed, shooting a text for one of their agents to pick up the vampire and maybe rehabilitate him. If there was any saving him.

”I’m Adam. I know, doesn’t sound like an interesting name for a vampire right? People read too much Interview with the Vampire lately it seems,” Looking back to the sword, he noted it was gone and wondered what that meant. ”let’s get off the street and…well I can explain what I can.” He motioned for her to follow, taking in the sounds around him and walking out of the alleyway. ”I’d ask if you were hungry, but not sure if you…well would be after that. Do you want anything to eat?” He knew of a restaurant close by, though it was all up to her. All he did was bury his hands into his pockets and walk along.

A whole lot of information flew by the girl and she struggled to catch most of it at first. So much so her eyes seemed to stare ahead in deep thought. Seems the sword was a little out of practice. Ether in what it killed or what proper instructions were. It could rant on and on about the abyssal creatures of the deep, the dark beasts, but she'd have preferred being told. Vampire. Maybe even a zombie. Dragons? Now she wanted to meet a dragon, and frowned when the reply her magical companion of a living object was to kill it.

"Don't let it hear you say that. Albeit I can say it disagrees with your assessment. According to it. It's purpose is a rightious, holy quest to eliminate all the scum of the darkness, to purge the abyss. Yadda yadda. All I can hear is kill this and kill that." Penny yapped, doing her best to ignore the still alive head, only silently nodding to the words telling how how to really kill a vampire. A part of her kinda wanted to kick the head over to the body.

She didn't. "Well. It's nice to meet you Adam. And that works. I promise not to try and kill you as well. Albeit I doubt I could." Penny joked, but she still felt uneasy as they left the alley. Suddenly she wanted a scarf to protect her neck. And longer sleeved clothes. Or any sleeves. "No food. That was enough to turn me vegan. But I hardly eat enough as is, so I'll deal with it... Umm. Some place I could wash myself? I feel disgusting." She uttered, flicking her wrist in exaggeration. She needed to wash her face, her hands, her mouth. Get this taste out of her mouth.

"Suppose I'll go first. Are dragons real? And like, are they the dragons that hide under the earth or sea or mountains cause, you know. Dragons. Or the ones that turn into hot people. I read young adult books, don't judge. I have expectations." She asked the vampire. Wanting to know. The sword claimed to have already answered that question, but all she wanted to know was the important part.

”Sounds like your typical knights templar then,” Adam stated, brushing the statement about the weapon off. He didn’t know too much about sentient weapons after all, considering what he ended up working with. Vampires, demons and everything else that moved through the silent supernatural underworld. She turned down the food, though asked if he had a place she could wash up. Well, he had a place to let her wash up and get herself feeling more human. ”I have a room not too far from there. Should have a shower if that’s what you want to use,” He stated casually as the girl then asked about things, such as dragons and the like.

”Dragons exist. Think of the type of dragon that could exist and they most likely exists somewhere on this planet or in a plane connected to this one,” He explained, imagining the large dragon under New York and anywhere else. ”I won’t judge you about your reading preference. From time to time I indulge in the occasional young adult. Wonder what that means as far as expectations for me,” he chuckled a little, leading her through the streets to what looked to be a large and immaculate hotel with a decent looking fountain out front. He lead her through the lobby and to the room Osiris had picked out for him with windows specifically impossible to open.

He motioned for her to step through before following and closing the door behind. It was a comfortable cool, with a large bed likely meant to be laid on by a single or two people. ”Clean up and we can talk more about whatever you want,” He sat on the bed with one leg crossed over the other and waited.

Penny hummed in thought. Templar knights huh? She mentally questioned the sword about it, but didn't get much of an answer. Maybe it was still feeling sour that she wasn't trying to throttle the vampire she was walking alongside of, albeit a few steps to the side from.

So instead she focused on other things. Like Adam's answer. Any kind of dragon most likely existed. On the planet or connected to a... Plane? If that was true, then it was most likely the same for every other creature she had ever read a book about and then some... This quest of hers seemed to grow harder and harder as the seconds passed, and that wasn't even including the gripes she was going to have with the sword in the future. "Cool." Was all she muttered, remaining in silence for the rest of the trip before they got to the vampires... Apartment? Did you call hotels apartments? No... The vampire had a hotel room.

The surprise on her face was evident, and only grew as they got inside. She wanted to make a joke about the lack of a coffin, but one sniff and she felt it was smarter to head to the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and stepped up to the sink, washing out her mouth, hands and her face with water, almost choking when a twinge of sharp pain slid across her mind, the sword was uttering something she could barely make out, but she had some idea. "I'm not going to kill him. No, better wording would be to try. He saved my life... And he's going to answer my questions, which is something you're not able to do. And don't give me that 'slept for a thousand years, can't recall' crap." Penny tried to mutter quietly to the sword, wincing when it felt like her voice echoed in the closed room. Did vampires have enhanced hearing? She wasn't sure... Her gut told her yes. Perfect hunters and all that.

Looking at her reflection, she watched as her eyes glowed that golden glow they'd been doing ever since she picked up the sword, the weight of the sword suddenly in her hand. "These vile creatures are all the same. I demand you take me in there and slice it's head off. Leave it in the sun like it would leave the others." The sword hummed loudly in her mind, and she placed it gently on the sink, annoyed with it.

"Screw you. Keep talking and I'll hug him just to piss you off." She hissed at the sword, before taking a deep breath. That was rude. Remember. You owe it. "Look. I understand you want to kill everything dark and vile and evil and disgusting... But you need me to do that, and I can't do that. Not right now. So just... Wait here. Besides. Adam doesn't really fit the bill of evil, vile and all that." She waited a few seconds, but heard no response, and with a sigh, she reached back and pulled her hair free from the bun she had forced it into, allowing it's long waves to wash over her. Battle bun wasn't required.

Feeling clean, the girl stepped back to the door, took a deep breath and then stepped out. Adam was still on the bed and now she felt embarrassed for perhaps taking too long. Stupid sword. She also wasn't sure where to sit, so she just stood there. "Well... Before I ask anything. You did ask something I guess... I mean. Most descriptions are tall, dark, edgy and amazingly handsome. I won't say sparkly. You... You look tired. You have a cute baby face and we're about the same height. So you're already doing much better then the dime a dozen book writers." Penny truthfully admitted her 'expectation.'

She remained silent for a few seconds more, before suddenly bursting. "Okay so who's Osiris. Are they like a head honcho vampire? Did they... Sire you? Are they a good person? What's your opinion on giant shadow spiders and are there any consequences to dying and coming back to being alive after being stabbed by one of those said shadow spiders, by a magical sword. Also are your eyes meant to change color in said case, cause mine did and I freaked out for a while."

Adam smiled, hearing the statement of how they were close enough in height. Tall for his time tended to translate more into short for the modern era, maybe average for a female but they were also tall these days. ”A cute baby face huh? Well that’s not the first time I’ve heard something like that and probably won’t be the last. Promise I won’t sparkle though, combust is what happens. Not a pretty thing I imagine, damn painful if you ask me.” He explained, remembering the first time he saw a vampire caught in the light of the sun and burning like a matchstick. Just thinking about it made him sick, feeling those reciprocal pains that caused him to shrink back into the shadows.

”I know a few others who fit those expectations, we’re as varied as human really. We’re cold to the touch normally, but that’s about it.” Then came the question about who Osiris was and what he did. Well, that was an interesting question, but he didn’t recall mentioning his name. Perhaps he was forgetting things, which happened from time to time. ”Osiris is a ruler of our kind, he makes sure we don’t break the veil between the human world and our own. The assumption that we’re nothing more than metahumans has its own uses. He didn’t sire me however, that vampire is…long dead.” Thinking back on him brought pain with it, something Adam didn’t want to think about.  It hurt in a way that he didn’t want to feel, not with a stranger.

So instead he pushed back the emotion that wanted to rise, instead letting his eyes scan over the room and return to her. ”A lot of what you just said made little sense,” Adam admitted with a slight frown. ”might have something to do with your demon sword. Could have some effect on your body or something like that, if I know something about magic anyway. As for spiders, well I don’t know anything beyond how spiders generally work. Shadow spiders are another matter.”  He stood up, walking over to a mini-fridge and pulling out a clear glass bottle filled with dark red liquid.

”Mind if I take a drink?” His alcoholic drink earlier was not as nourishing, he knew he needed this. ”I promise I was consensually donated.”

Penny refrained from any smiling or chuckling at the mention of combustion. What was normally a joke like phrase among supernatural fantasy settings was now real. Very real. That was real. She left some vampire to die. Why was she feeling really bad about that? The vampire was going to kill her... Shaking her head, she instead did her best to listen to Adam, the vampire in front of her.

Somehow she didn't burst out laughing when that came to mind. "Makes sense. Cause you said something like Osiris giving territories to vampires and those... Asses weren't meant to be there. Leader... Somehow that's comforting to know. That there are take charge of the masses vampires... And now I want to laugh at how insane that sounds. Again." Penny commented, deciding not to touch on the sire part. She wasn't sure if sire was the right word. Not sure if it was human made for stories or adopted from vampire terms. Whatever the case, it was a proper term.

But of course, it was all brought back to her. Her and the sword. "I'd prefer Templar sword, thank you. Demon sword makes me sound evil... That and the sword is currently hissing at the thought." She punctuated the pain with a small wince, letting it die down before continuing to explain the origin of her meet up. "Well. I suppose I can't have every answer. As for the shadow spider... I didn't really see it all that much. I was... Exploring." She tactfully lied. "Some damaged ruins. Maybe some battle between two meta eggs, collapsing buildings and the like not far from here. I may have fallen into some deep ass cavern. Which is where I found the sword... Picked it up. Then I got... Well... It's hard to say... All I know is. It hurt. And then the pain stopped... And I couldn't feel anything. And then I could. And I was moving and I drove the sword into this shadowy spider looking thing. One stab and it vanished." She stopped for a moment to feel just below her collarbone. There wasn't a scar at the front, where the hooked leg has driven through her body... Her back was another thing altogether. "Sword only called it a guardian shadow familiar. I don't know what it meant by that. It won't explain."

With a sigh, she'd take the free seat opened up by Adam leaving to grab a drink. "Memory is hazy after that. All I know is I can summon a sword out of thin air and every hour or so I can tell the direction of the vile and ev- I mean... Supernatural?" She took a breath. Thinking about what to say next. What mattered. Honestly everything mattered to her, but what mattered really? What didn't bother this very nice vampire who was currently drinking human blood and all she could do was stare at it and do her very best to not judge him.

"Yea... I know that doesn't help explain anything.. And really I doubt you'd know anything about it. But I feels nice to actually tell someone this because I was going crazy with this voice in my head telling me that we're arbiters of justice and good and all that craziness."

Adam was unsure what the chuckle was for, but he kept his expression measured. The same calm one he was keeping before, wondering what information he was giving to this girl and if it were proper to be giving said information. ”Humans are actually dangerous to us. With enough preparation and time they could kill us, despite the physical differences between us.” He agreed with a nod, knowing that likely it was obvious through the information involved in pop culture media. While talking he couldn’t help walking around the room, hands occasionally intertwined behind his back and looking around as if he were constantly nervous or on the lookout for something. There were always humans wanting to kill him, even if hunters were dwindling in these times.

”Hissing is it? Well, I don’t know what to call something like that, but I suppose I’ll call it a Templar Sword. If it doesn’t piss it off,” Eyeing the bottle of blood he picked out from the fridge, Adam posed the question and picked out a seat for himself. It was a comfortable enough small seat on the corner, plush as he sat down and considered his daily(or should he say nightly) sustenance. He didn’t get a response and popped the cap off with a casual flick of the wrist, Watching it fly across the room and casually ping off the wall, and then watched it roll across the carpeted floor.

”I know it’s an obvious truth but you shouldn’t pick up strange swords on the floor. Though the situation sounds complicated. So I won’t judge you for making bad choices,” His body was poisoned by powerful demon blood, enough to change him in ways that he couldn’t explain. As if his very soul had changed. ”It doesn’t make too much sense but it also makes some. I wonder what it could mean. Sentient weapons are things I’ve encountered before but their personalities have never been…overly complex. Usually the pet project of some mage trying to prove their skills,” he shrugged, downing the blood within the bottle and feeling the cool warmth of vitality shoot through him.

”So what justice and good does this sword demand? Something tells me it involves killing anything not purely human doesn’t it?”

"Any and all things not human." Penny mumbled in answer, crossing her legs as she tried to ask the sword if there was anything near human it didn't want to kill. She didn't get an answer. Perhaps that was an answer all the same, knowing it. "And I will have you know, I didn't have much of a choice in picking it up... Or at least, I don't think I did. I kinda just. Did it. I can't say I was thinking... Anything. In that moment at least." Rubbing her temple, she stood up from her chair and walked to the nearest curtained window. It was still night out, so she took the moment to open up the curtain and then the window, allowing fresh air to waft in.

That was better. She needed this. She needed to think. Was this sword just some magic project? For some reason, she doubted it. Projects aren't put hundreds of feet under the earth in a tomb, protected by a familiar to make sure it isn't removed from such a tomb. They're kept. Used. Why wasn't the sword being used. Who put it there. Who made the thing that killed her. Too many questions she wasn't going to have answered any time soon. Leaning her head out the window, she looked down, noticing the shadows of the night dancing along with the lights. It unnerved her. "Ahem." Leaning back and away from the window, she turned back to Adam, taking a step.

And nearly going off balance as a wave of magic wormed through her body, down her legs, spreading throughout her feet and escaping from every angle. The pulse raced in every direction, and she expected the feedback to hit her suddenly. To find Adam and dance back into her thoughts like a hammer. It did indeed hit like a hammer. But it wasn't Adam. She felt a presence. Across from them, to the left. In another room.

Her golden eyes flashed brilliantly with a deeper gold as the sword, left in the bathroom form itself into her hand, the weight already dragging her arm down. Instinctively, her other hand grabbed a hold of the hilt and she raised it in the direction of the pulse. "There is another thing here... A hotel for vampires. I'm sorry. I just felt a sudden urge to hunt. And it scares me that I want to give into that urge." Lowering the sword to the ground wasn't too much an issue. The weight of it worked in her favor in that regard. But she couldn't find the fight in her to let go of the blade this time.

Her eyes kept shifting however to the direction of the thing she sensed. "Go" The voice urged. It was something to feel. That drive to fight, like your blood was boiling. "Why go far. There is a monster right here." Honeyed words had never been sweeter, and her eyes shifted from the figure she could feel, to the figure she could see.  

But she didn't want to hurt Adam. "Adam I think I might... Mmm" Stepping away, she put her head out the window. She needed to breathe. She felt constrained. But looking out the window, she noticed the shadows once more. They were getting closer. Jumping back, she held the blade up, strength coming to her where there had been none before. "Somethings coming. I saw it. Shadows." It might have been her. But she swear she saw a spider.