Night's Omen

Father Dantes made a short jump from roof to roof. On nights like this when the wind was blowing cold and the moon was full, the hunting was just that much better. He felt more in tune with the Father, more in touch with his divine power. He reached out with his mind, seeking those that deserved his judgment. Like the tentacles of some ghastly invisible octopus, his little probing tendrils of thought raced down into the alleys below, scanning for what he wanted.

"Ahhh, time to pay for your sins my child," he said to himself, for he had found a sinner in the alley below. He crept along the edge of the roof, looking down upon his pray. If his victim would have looked up, he probably would have tried to escape. Father Dantes stood on the ledge, the wind whipping his black trench around him, and the lights from the streets below gleamed dully in his black eyes. But his victim was paying far more attention to the prostitute that was currently servicing him behind the dumpster. Silently Dantes looked on, continuing to explore this ones mind. Sodomy, Pornography, even Rape...yes this one was full of Lust and must pay.

As the prostitute rose from her knees, the man forced a wad of money into her hand and turned and headed up the alley to the street. Walking silently above him Father Dantes waited until the prostitute had walked down the stairs into the basement of a nearby building before making his approach. He looked down at the man, and with a thought vanished from the roof and appeared next to the man, walking at the same pace.

"What the Hell...who are you?

"I am judgment, I am death, I am an angel of the Lord sent to purify this vile world."

As he finished speaking and before the man could react, Dantes had The Paladin unsheathed. Quickly he turned and speared the man right about the navel and then rammed the tip of the massive broadsword into a nearby wall. With its sharp edge, and Father Dantes' vampire strength, the blade easily embedded itself in the brick wall. Seeing that his prey was secure Dantes stepped back. He reached into his jacket pocket and removed a bottle of consecrated oil. "May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up." He then used the oil to make a cross on the man's forehead. Then he leaned in close to the neck and sunk his fangs in deep. He drained the man's body not overly quick, but at a steady business like pace.

When he finished, he drew The Paladin from the body and left it lying on the ground in the alley. In a city like this it would simply look like a robbery or perhaps a fight gone to far. Father Dantes vanished again, materializing on a roof several blocks away. As he stood and said a silent prayer, he heard the booming of a nearby church bell. He hadn't taken Communion in a couple weeks, weeks filled with doing the work of God. Perhaps tonight would be the ideal night for Father Dantes to take his Holy Sacrament...

"Are you lost, kid?" asked one of the more intimidating figures.  The man leered at West. "Got off at the wrong stop, this one did."

Dwarfed by the tall humans, West glanced at the other three men.  One had produced a handgun, but he had not yet aimed it at West.  "We're not bad people," said the man holding the gun apologetically. "We just need to eat, like everyone else, you know?  So just hand over the money and we won't hurt you."

The vampire smiled, not yet revealing his fangs.  Even if he had, the lighting was dim enough that human eyes might not notice the length of West's teeth. "I will not comply."

"Ooh, this one's got a smart mouth," growled one of the men, stepping toward West. "Little brat ought to learn his place."

The man swung at West's head with his fist.  It was far too slow to pose any danger to the vampire, who leaned backward and grabbed the fist as it traveled past him.  West used the man's own momentum to throw him against the nearest wall without any effort.  Unfortunately for West, the man with the gun was not as arrogant or rash as his cohorts.  The gun fired, grazing West's shoulder.  West was at the man's side in an instant.  He tore the gun out of the man's hand and snapped it in two.  The three men who were still conscious froze.

"I have no intention of harming you," stated West in a quiet voice. "Should you attempt to bother me again, I will not restrain myself and you will die."

The vampire dropped the pieces of the gun and walked away, leaving three visibly shaken humans behind.  They did not give chase, preoccupied with the task of treating their friend.  West had not gone far when he came across a corpse.  Frowning, West wondered if perhaps he should not have allowed the four men to survive... but he couldn't have used all of their blood.  West was a small person, and a relatively young vampire.  He only fed on live humans once a week.  Bending down to examine the body as church bells rang in the distance, West noted the obvious wound located immediately above the dead man's navel.  The blood was still fresh.  Was the man still-

West sniffed.  There was hardly any blood left in the man, that much was sure.  But there was another smell... a vampire, perhaps?  West was not sure.  He masked his own scent, and in doing so made it more difficult to recognize others.  Yet he was certain the dead man should not have died so suddenly.  He had not lost enough blood, and West doubted a human could have stopped such a large man without a fight.  There was only one wound on the man, and that was left by a large blade.  West was only an expert with the katana and tanto, but it seemed that the man had been stabbed by a relatively large blade.  In fact, he had been skewered by it.  The wound had to be made from the front - West was certain of that.  But why would a vampire wound a victim?  West was puzzled.  After a full minute of pondering the corpse, West decided he probably wouldn't find an answer.  Some humans were swifter than others, and some vampires were outright satanic.  However the man had died, his fate did not concern West.

Religion was not something West believed strongly in, yet he had not outrightly discounted it.  With nothing better to do, West made his way to the Cathedral of St. Sebastian.  He stopped outside the building, hesitating briefly before entering.

Ahhh, the ringing of church bells was music to Father Dantes' ears. His boots clicked quietly as he crossed the church lobby and headed to the sanctuary. Yes, tonight would be a wonderful night for communion, it had been far too long. As he entered the proper part of the church he manipulated the minds of the humans inside just enough that they wouldn't realize that he had a massive sword on his back. He sat in a pew toward the rear as the priest began the mass. To the untrained eye (and mind) he appeared to be just another one of the faithful.

As the priest concluded the mass, Dantes walked forward to take his place in the line for the Holy Sacrament. He took the Host, and the Wine.  He completed his devotions and turned to leave the church, because as an angelic being he had no need for confession. As he neared the lobby he paused, something in the air felt...odd. He reached out, seeking the source of this disturbance. Vampire...Angel...Kindred...he began searching with his eyes hoping to find the source of the power. As he entered the lobby he saw a small man in an over coat. He zeroed in on the man...yes...that was the source. With a knowing smirk on his face as if they shared some great inside joke, Father Dantes headed toward the stranger.

West immediately sensed the unnatural mindset of the human.  Due to his reclusive nature regarding his own vampiric powers, he did not reach out to sense the one responsible for subtly manipulating the human minds.  Instead, West waited patiently through the mass.  Once it had ended, he let down his guard.  There was no guarantee that an older vampire would miss West, so it made logical sense to start feeling around for another.  Standing in the lobby, West felt the presence of another vampire.  It was probably the one responsible for manipulating the human minds.  When West saw the broadsword on the taller vampire's back, it was obvious why the vampire had needed to shift the humans' perception of reality ever so slightly.  Few would not question the large sword.  Glad he had brought his katana and tanto with him, West turned to greet the vampire.  He kept his arms at his side beneath his overcoat.  The man was smirking, but West's face remained passive.

"Good evening.  My name is West, of Kendra's line," said the smaller vampire, bowing slightly in respectful greeting.  His eyes darted toward the broadsword. "An interesting weapon to use in these days.  May I inquire as to the purpose of the blade?"

Father Dantes was slightly taken aback by the forwardness of the vampire. He spoke of The Paladin in the open like this, easily within earshot of the humans filing out of the church. He also raised an eyebrow at the question of its purpose. What else did one use a sword for?

"I am Father Dantes..Priest, Angel, Bringer of Death to the Wicked. I sense you are the same as I, endowed with the angelic power. This blade is called The Paladin, and it is an ancient instrument of combat for the faithful. I use it for it intended purpose of course. What brings you into this place...a desire for Holy Sacrament?"

Dantes looked the smaller vampire over, deciding whether or not he was worthy to know the "true" nature of  their power. For the time being Dantes was going to keep his revelations to himself, and see how this vampire was aligned. He had encountered vampires in the past that had chosen to align themselves with the Demon kind...or even with the Fallen Angels, and had been forced to destroy them. He did not wish to engage in even righteous combat in the house of God, unless it could not be avoided.

West was surprised.  A priest?  Clearly a pious vampire, though the idea seemed paradoxical to West, this Father Dantes talked in an odd way.  West wondered why Dantes was so religious, and still didn't understand why someone needed to carry around such a huge sword.  His katana or tanto would serve just as well, and both could be hidden underneath his coat.  Still, whatever floated Dantes' boat...

"Er... no, not the Sacrament," replied West, slightly uncomfortable with the religious tone Dantes seemed to favour. "I just haven't been to a church in a while."

An odd thought occurred to West.  He ignored it at first, but it started to creep into his mind.  West had wanted to use a claymore when he had first met Sage.  It had been too long and heavy for him to use back then, and as Sage had explained, a katana was so much more elegant.  But if Dantes used a broadsword, maybe he could spar with West.  It wasn't something to ask a complete stranger, of course, yet the idea hung in the back of West's mind and wouldn't go away.

Not here for the Sacrament...that just wouldn't do. This vampire obviously didn't understand the Divine purpose of their power, or the duty that came with that power. But perhaps he wasn't lucky enough to have be granted his abilities by one as devoted to the faith as Dantes's sire. He also noticed that the smaller man kept staring at his sword. Hmmm, perhaps all hope wasn't lost with this one. Dantes just needed to figure out where he stood.

"You seem to have a keen interest in The Paladin, perhaps you are familiar with the art of the blade? It is a fearsome weapon indeed, and has slain its share of demons and sinners alike. Though it usually just holds the sinner still while I administer last rights and purify them of their wickedness. Do you have any knowledge of the demons that walk amongst us?"

Perhaps this one was just lost, and not aligned with anything wicked. Father Dantes could be merciful if the mood struck him. Especially in the case of one of his angelic brethren.

"I'm familiar with the katana," replied West, increasingly worried about Dantes.  West had never met a vampire that was very religious, and this one seemed to be an extremely devout believer. "I've never had the chance to use anything like your sword, though.  As for demons, I can't say I understand what you mean.  There's shapeshifters and witches, and even a few beings I've heard of that don't really fall into any category I'm aware of.  I haven't met any demons."

Dids Dantes mean to imply that non-human, non-vampire species were demons?  West doubted Dantes was that blinded by his religion.  Maybe there were demons, and Sage had never mentioned them.  Or perhaps one of the older, darker beings she had told him about were what Dantes called 'demons.'

Hmmm, so Dantes was right, he had no idea about the true nature of these beings. Shifters? Witches? He was being deceived by their common names. Dantes had also come face to face with more than one Katana in his day, and The Paladin had cloven them in two with ease. He could feel an apprehension rising off of this vampire, and his words were further evidence of his being lost to the true nature of the world, well the true nature as Father Dantes saw it. He tried to keep the scorn from showing in his voice, but it was hard to restrain himself when he spoke of those he was dedicated to eradicating.

"Shifters as you call them are Demons..their very nature spits in the face of the Lord, and those that call themselves witches are nothing more than fallen angels who took the wrong side in the war in heaven. It is my divine purpose to destroy those foul abominations, lest they corrupt mankind any further."

Most witches, vampires, shifters and even some humans would have laughed at Dantes and called him insane. But he was very serious...deadly serious.

West showed his first serious display of emotion during his meeting with Father Dantes, furrowing his brow and narrowing his eyes.   The vampire couldn't be serious, but West sensed that the lunatic was sincere. "I... see," mused West, checking to see that the lobby was clear.  A few humans still lingered, but it was unlikely Father Dantes would harm churchgoers.  There were none close to the vampires, so West was relatively sure none would be injured if Dantes turned violent.

"I see," repeated West. "Forgive my ignorance, but I can't accept your interpretation of shapeshifters with my current knowledge.  How did you come to this conclusion?"

Guns were useless at this range against a vampire.  If Dantes became agitated, West would need to flee.  His katana would not block a direct blow from a broadsword, but West was sure he skilled enough to deflect a blow from the Paladin.

Father Dantes heard West's words, and was amused. Ahhh what an unlikely place to encounter a heretic. But Dantes had dispatched his share of those too. He looked quickly around the lobby, and his eyes followed the last human out the door. As the door swung shut Dantes moved with a speed possessed only by a vampire or perhaps a very skilled witch. His left hand shot under his long trench coat and brought out one of the big Schofields. He quickly leveled it between West's eyes, knowing that at this range, though a bullet probably wouldn't be fatal to a vampire, the threat would be real enough. His right hand reached up and drew The Paladin, slamming the end of the blade to the floor, cracking the tile beneath it. Dantes allowed the black to bleed from his irises and flood his entire eye.

"Your words mark you as a heretic...you are lucky that we are in the house of God, or I would kill you where you stand, and I doubt you could stop me. But this is your one chance, you know the truth now, search your heart for understanding or make your peace with God, for our next encounter may not end so easily."

With those words, Father Dantes quickly holstered the gun and sheathed the sword. He turned his back on West, perhaps over confident that he would not be attacked. He crossed the lobby with super natural speed and as soon as he was outside, he teleported, leaving the church far behind him.

Though surprised at Dantes' sudden show of force, West was not intimidated.  Only when a vampire didn't carry any weapons at all did West begin to fear his enemy.  Dantes couldn't pull the trigger on his gun instantly; West could probably move quickly enough to avoid the bullet so long as he kept his attention on Dantes' trigger finger, which he did.

"Your words mark you as a heretic..." said Dantes. "...you are lucky that we are in the house of God, or I would kill you where you stand, and I doubt you could stop me. But this is your one chance, you know the truth now, search your heart for understanding or make your peace with God, for our next encounter may not end so easily."

With that he was gone, disappearing faster than the human eye could follow... but not so quickly that West could not.  This could be a problem... a self-righteous vampire that probably has no regard for his own well-being, so long as his 'holy' objectives are complete.  West contemplated pursuing Dantes instantly, and almost immediately threw out the idea.  The broadsword posed a serious threat while used with a pistol.  West could best Dantes if Dantes used both hands to wield his broadsword, but if Dantes only required one then West could not face him head on.

Let it go.  If you cross paths with him again, simply feign compliance and worry about killing him later.  Or, better yet, alert a stronger vampire anonymously.  West departed the building, and a thought occurred to him.  Dantes had mentioned using the Paladin to 'hold the sinner' while he administered the final rites or whatnot.  That would explain the corpse West had discovered earlier.  Content that at least one question had been solved, West disappeared into the city, carefully masking his presence once more.  Dantes had not found West until West had started to find Dantes, so logically West had the capacity to hide himself from the other vampire except at very close distances.  West hoped, for both their sakes', that they did not cross paths again.