Lloyd Greywalker's Story

(OOC - it feels good to write again! :D)

Nightmare was not in an advantageous position at the moment; a crazed madman held him at needlepoint and the lycan showed obvious hostility. The vampire should have known this lycan was no different from the rest. The mutual resentment between the werewolves and vampires was known throughout Europe. Thankfully, the days of the large-scale wars between vampire and lycan clans were long over.

Nightmare felt pathetic. He had lost so easily to the one-armed man, and now he was being interrogated as a hostage. He had no intention in giving in to the Requiem demands, however. All Obsidian Snow members were highly trained to resist interrogation. It was crucial to retaining Obsidian Snow secrets. Nightmare's fate would be far worse if he released any information regarding Obsidian Snow. Black Lace would torture him without second thought. The torture would continue until his untimely death. The vampire knew he had to stall to Requiem agents. Nightmare was a master of deception.

"I bow to no man, wretch, and I do not fear pain, nor death itself," he told the one-armed man, "you may claim to be crazed, but behind your exterior lies a scared, weak individual." He never broke his glare to the one-armed man. Nightmare was determined not to give this man any leverage over him. He needed time for his muscles to heal and dissolve the needles' effects. "I have no intention of dying today, mortal. I'll give you the information you seek. However, my overlord will surely put me to death for my treachery. I see a gruesome death if I reveal Obsidian Snow information or not... so I see no reason to relinquish anything to you for now, but I do not wish to fight, you've clearly won."
The fight is never over, coward!

"I wish to seek out negotiations." Nightmare turned his gaze over to the werewolf. He still had potential for Obsidian Snow, but a vampire was not the individual to bring him into the family. "Keep an eye on this one, Requiem agent," he gestured towards the now unarmed beast, "for now he is more man than beast... but that could quickly change."

Father Heinrich

Heinrich waited for Gregory to exit the room; he obviously had something important to discuss with Dr. Steinburg. Heinrich wondered if it was mission-related or not. After a brief moment, Heinrich could overhear Gregory mention to the doctor to bring his ammunition as he exited the doorway. Heinrich stopped him.

"If I may confide something in you," Heinrich stated, "I wish to tell you something but not here. Could you walk with me?." Father Heinrich led the way as he slowly walked in no particular direction; he only wanted to get away from Dr. Steinburg.

"I have some concerns, Gregory," Heinrich admitted, "you seem like a sensible man and I'm sure you can understand this, but even though I haven't been here long enough to have leverage within the ranks, we should keep an eye on this Dr. Steinburg. Subject 13 is a human being like you and I... I don't not believe the doctor shares that same view. I myself have no problems dealing with the forces of evil, but I do not know if I will be able to harm this girl. She's innocent." Heinrich disliked fighting those who did not deserve it. "I do not believe in robbing away someone's freedom in order to run experiments to find a possible cure for any illness, even vampirism. There has to be a better way." Heinrich wondered if Gregory was going to jump to the conclusion that Heinrich hated modern medicine due to his faith.

"I am a logical man, Gregory; I know that faith in God alone cannot save someone and our breakthroughs in medicine can save countless lives, but how far is Dr. Steinburg willing to go to get his cure? I do not feel that losing everything that makes us human is worth it."

Though he barely showed it, giving only a slight relieved smile, Gregory felt somewhat refreshed by Heinrich's comment. It was good to see that there were still people in the Requiem who weren't completely willing to sacrifice their hearts and consciences in the name of "justice". Then again, people like him never truly belonged in the Requiem at all. He couldn't help but wonder how and why Heinrich had join the organization. Men of such high morals rarely came willingly.
Perhaps he simply didn't know the full truth about the Requiem.
"I.... agree with your stance," Gregory began, "I want to avoid harming the girl if at all possible, but sometimes...." His voice drifted for a moment, "...The innocent pay the price for our mistakes, and we have to be prepared if it comes to that."
There was a gap of silence as they continued their walk. Taking a moment to think, Gregory spoke up again.
"Do you know what we are here? What the Requiem asks us to be?"
The question was rhetorical. Gregory continued talking before Heinrich could give an answer.
"We are the sin eaters." He explained coldly, "We are the ones who stick our hands in all the moral excrement and filth so the rest of the world can be clean. Perhaps eventually, we truly will lose everything that makes us human, but at the very least, all the sin will be upon us, and the rest of the world will benefit and stay pure. That is the truth of what we; of what the Requiem is."
Gregory stopped walking.
"If you can find it in your heart, please forgive us. And more importantly, forgive yourself. If it's any consolation at all, I think you're right."
With that, Gregory pulled opened the back gate of Buckingham, holding the door for Heinrich,
"Now let's begin the mission."

-Nightmare-

The vampire nodded curiously as Lilith expressed her excitement for bloodsport; she was growing increasingly patient and wanted to show Nightmare her true potential. Nightmare admired her enthusiasm, but noted that her overconfidence might play a pivotal role in her overall combat performance; nonetheless, she was going to be quite a surprise for any Requiem agent who attempted to engage in combat with Lilith. From what Nightmare was able to gather in Lilith's rantings, the Requiem was coming for her. Nightmare was quite impressed with Lilith's attire; she had put herself together quite efficiently. Her beauty astounded him, despite her many scars and uncontrollable mental state. The vampire had to intently focus on the task at hand and not become distracted by carnal thoughts. He shifted his thoughts completely to Lilith's combat capability. Nightmare felt she was ready for combat against any opponent, but Nightmare's recent encounters with the Requiem had taught him many lessons, particularly against the one-armed man who had regrown his limb thanks to the effects of the tainted blood. Nightmare would be ready for the next time he faced off with his new nemesis, regardless of his mental state. His new ally was also the secret weapon he was going to unleash on the Requiem, but only when the time was right.

"Patience, pet," Nightmare cautioned her, "when the time comes, we'll-" Nightmare was cut off by his chamber doors opening and a dark-hooded Obsidian Snow servant entering with haste. "You know not to enter my chambers without adequate reason," the vampire warned. The servant quickly apologized; he had a concerned look about him like something was seriously wrong. "The local police forces are launching an all-out assault on a vicinity near here," he explained, "we're outnumbered."

"Muster what forces you can and join the fray. Thank you for the information; now go!" Nightmare ordered in a stern voice. Nightmare turned to his new comrade. "It seems like the wait is now over for you. I will give you the location of the battle taking place; I want you to go there and deal with the problem. I will be watching intently, but I will not come to your aid. You will prove yourself to me. There is much more to this than meets the eye; the police would never launch an un-organised attack like this." Nightmare paused to think for a moment. "Keep your guard," he warned, "Let us remain vigilant, lest we pay for it later. Now go; kill them all. Leave none alive. No Police, no requiem... and no Obsidian Snow. Kill everyone. Leave no survivors." Nightmare looked deep into her eyes; he had never been so serious in his life. He needed to send a message; not just to the forces of 'good', but to everyone.


-Father Heinrich-

The priest was astounded at the pure brutality that Gregory was displaying; it was like he was an entirely new man. One who not concerned with the lives of others or his own for that matter.

"Unless," Heinrich whispered to himself, "he's Lloyd again!" It was the only plausible solution to the enigma. Heinrich was busy pondering this new-found change when Gregory-or Lloyd ordered him to capture one of the Obsidian Snow operatives alive. "I can do that!" he called back to the man now driven by bloodlust, laughing manically as he slaughtered foes without effort.

Heinrich darted away from Lloyd and focused on the task given. Heinrich was certain he had reverted back to Lloyd as Gregory would not be acting in such a way if he were in control. Heinrich came across a group of three Obsidian Snow soldiers dressed in black uniforms who darted for the priest. Fortunately he was familiar with combat enough to handle himself in a fight; though he had fought with humans, he had killed much larger, faster, and more powerful creatures. "Lord forgive me for what I'm about to do..."

Heinrich side-stepped the initial flurries of swipes and slashes; the men were armed with short swords. The man who was seemingly the leader of three soldiers foolishly lunged forward and attempted to stab Heinrich in the ribs. The priest was able to catch the man's arm and avoid the fatal blow. With stern force, Heinrich snapped the man's arm at the elbow. He fell to the grown, screaming in pain. Heinrich caught the man's sword before he dropped it to the ground and plunged it deep into the side of the man's head. He twitched for a moment before the life faded from his body. Heinrich pulled the blade from the soldier's head and threw it with considerable force at the second soldier; it plunged deep into his chest and knocked him to the ground. It would not be long before he died from the wound. The last soldier turned to run, but Heinrich was in pursuit. Thankfully, the priest was much faster than the fleeing Obsidian Snow soldier. The soldier reached into his pocket and pulled out a flintlock pistol and turned his arm to blind-fire. The weapon roared like a canon as the ball flew towards the priest. Heinrich was able to duck and avoid the poorly aimed shot. Coming so close to death inspired Heinrich to push harder and erupt into a full sprint; in a few seconds, the priest was close enough to the soldier to tackle him to ground. Both men hit the floor with a loud thud. Heinrich climbed on top of the man and attempted to restrain him; the soldier managed to punch Heinrich in the jaw and disorient him long enough to gain the upper-hand.

Before Heinrich could regain focus, the soldier was on top of him, delivering full-forced punches directed to Heinrich's face. The priest was able to block most of the shots while he figured out a plan; he needed to capture the man alive, which was going to prove difficult. Heinrich caught the man's flurry of punches and pushed him off of his chest. Both men scrambled to their feet; Heinrich was able to gain his balance first and delivered a stern roundhouse kick to the man's temple, knocking him out instantly. Heinrich rushed to check the soldier's vitals. He felt for a moment before a heartbeat was sensed. Heinrich let out a sigh of relief and took some rope out of a small pouch in his coat pocket to tie up the man.

Firing two final shots to finish off the the last of the fleeing enemies, Lloyd took a moment to savor his work. On his face, a cruel smile curved in twisted satisfaction as he watched a man stumble a few last steps, before falling over, dead. Then, reloading his gun, Lloyd slipped it back into it's concealed holster, before glancing over to Heinrich. In truth, he cared nothing for how his fellow teammate was doing, but at the same time, Lloyd was grateful to have such a competent fighter with him. It was never easy to take people alive in the heat of battle, especially when facing such skilled enemies. Honestly, he was actually a little surprised Heinrich had managed to do it at all. Even on a good day, he doubted he could have such restrain and discipline, and still stay alive. Clapping his hands, Lloyd laughed manically as he approached the priest.
"I see you found us a new toy!" Lloyd's expression was not unlike a greedy child on Christmas, or perhaps even a lascivious cannibal. Bending down to where the man lay, Lloyd grabbed the soldier's hair, brutally yanking him upwards. The pain and surprise shocked the man awake.
"Good morning!" Lloyd grinned obnoxiously, if only to frighten the poor soldier more than he already was.
"I see you're awake!" Lloyd laughed, "Now, we can either let you stay that way, or..." Lloyd whipped out his pistol, pressing it against the hostage's head, "...We can put you back to sleep. Permanently. Care to answer a few questions?"
The soldier, already terrified of the madman who literally held his life in his hands, quickly nodded several times, barely stammering a "Yes."
"Excellent." Lloyd's smile grew as he drew closer, wrapping one arm around the man in a hug, while the other kept the pistol pressed firmly against the hostage's head. Then, pressing his lips against the man's ear in a way that was almost erotic in nature, Lloyd softly whispered his demands.
"You have a master, don't you?" His voice was like that of a phantom, "Won't you tell me about him? Where can I find him?"
The man shuddered, glancing around desperately for any sign of hope. However, despite the obvious threat on his life, he said nothing. He was still more afraid of his master than he was of Lloyd.
Lloyd just smiled, accepting the challenge.
Moving even closer, until he was almost sitting on the soldier's lap, Lloyd chomped down, actually biting part of the man's ear off. The man howled in pain, until Lloyd quickly pressed the revolver ever harder onto his head, demanding silence.
"Not. Another. Word." He said sternly, "You will answer my questions, or I promise you a death far worse than anything your master could ever give you. Now... I'm also looking for a girl. She's a teenager with long black hair. Brown eyes..." Lloyd glanced at Heinrich, "Ah yes!" He exclaimed, "She also kills people! She's quite good at it too, so I suspect your master would take a personal interest in her. Won't you tell me where to find them?"
The man hesitated, before whispering his reply; "Death would be a mercy," He begged, "If you have any conscience at all, please kill me before he comes."
Sighing, Lloyd nodded with a look of rarely seen compassion. Unless he did something drastic to the man, it would be unlikely he would get any information out of him.
He pulled the trigger.
Lloyd's compassionate fasade quickly melted away, as a gleeful smile of betrayal arose on his lips. He had shot the hostage, but had been careful so the bullet only passed through the man's cheeks in a straight line, avoiding his brain, or anything vital. The soldier was now bleeding badly from the twin holes on his mouth, but was still alive.
Barely able to contain a squeal of sadistic delight, Lloyd threw the man painfully to the ground. The sheer joy of bringing physical pain paled in comparison to the psychological torment he could inflict. By giving, and then taking away hope from the hostage, Lloyd had crushed whatever trace of resolve was left in him. The man lay sobbing on the ground, completely robbed of any shred of human dignity.
"Your master's a vampire, isn't he?" Lloyd grinned, finally realizing who the boss was. What the soldier said about death being a mercy had been the giveaway. Only a creature who's power could surpass death itself could hold such a threat, and a virtually immortal vampire could do just that. The soldier sobbed in defeat, confirming Lloyd's suspicions.
Using his own blood, the soldier drew a crude map of the warehouse, pointing out Nightmare's private chambers as he begged Lloyd to kill him. Happy to comply, Lloyd promptly snapped the man's neck as soon as he had the information he needed.
"We'll probably find Subject 13, or at least the man that knows her location at this spot." Lloyd pointed to Nightmare's private chambers. "Make sure to contact Steinburg and Namir so they have this information. Also...." He gazed thoughtfully to the distance, remembering his last encounter with the vampire. This time, there would be no tainted blood to save him. Only a few new tricks Gregory had devised. Would that be enough? For the first time in years, Lloyd felt genuine worry, but also, the thrill of true anticipation. Win or lose, live or die, this would be a fight to remember, and a fight no one could ever know. Perhaps it represented something more than a simple war on crime. Perhaps this was a battle between the powers of man, and unnatural forces that lurked in the dark.
Was there really a difference? Lloyd gripped his pistol tighter in his hands, until he knuckles were almost white. He could barely contain he excitement.
"Tell me Heinrich," He whispered, "Do you have any experience with fighting vampires?"

-Nightmare-

The vampire paced back and forth around a small table in his personal quarters. On the table was a map layout of the entire base; Nightmare had indicated where the main battles were taking place. The Obsidian Snow soldiers would be able to hold their own against the police militia that was raiding. Every man and woman of Obsidian Snow was trained in armed and unarmed combat: it was a necessity, regardless of position. Scientists, spies, arcane specialists...everyone had to fight at one moment in their 'career'; however, Nightmare knew the battle was not swaying in Obsidian Snow's favour. Nightmare knew Lilith had to be right: it was a trap, but for who was the question that clouded Nightmare's mind. The only thing that could have sparked a sudden attack had to be Lilith's appearance. She had mentioned she was an experiment; no doubt a Requiem military project. Unfortunately for her previous masters, the weapon was about to be unleashed. Nightmare exited his chambers and began a quick pace through the shadows to keep an eye on his new ally.

Had Black Lace been her normal self, she could have provided reinforcements, intelligence, a warning, and limitless support. Nightmare knew her dissent would leave her absent from the ongoing struggle. Most of the Obsidian Snow forces considered Nightmare to be the de facto leader of Obsidian Snow, despite not wanting the position. Many agents started reporting to him for orders; Nightmare would usually just dismiss them and command them to go to Black Lace for orders. The vampire also received reports that many troops have started deserting the organization, forming their own crime syndicates. Nightmare sighed, it was as though a revolution was taking place within Obsidian Snow.

"My Lord," a voice whispered. Nightmare turned his head to see an Obsidian Snow agent cowering in the corner, blood drenched on his uniform. The vampire cautiously crept to the injured man. "Speak," he commanded.
"I was coming here to report something," he confessed, coughing as he spoke, "but I was attacked by a crazed man... he was no normal policeman." The man stopped to cough up some blood, indicating internal bleeding. "He had a priest with him, they took one of us away to be interrogated." Nightmare stood up, angered by the news and turned to deal with the issue: the Requiem was here.
"There's more, my Lord," the man interrupted, "I came to report that... Hale Erickson has escaped from Requiem captivity." Nightmare was shocked to hear that he had managed to escape one of the most heavily guarded Requiem-ran facilities. "I saw him while doing a reconnaissance run near the forest on the outskirts of the city." Nightmare put a hand on the man's shoulder.
"You've done your part, and a great service to this organization." Nightmare placed his hands on the man's cheeks and twisted, violently snapping the man's neck. "Now to exterminate a pest problem."

-Heinrich-

Heinrich was surprised by Lloyd's question, it caught him off guard, and for once, Heinrich felt useful. He smiled and quickly took out his large, pointed-edged cross and a vial of holy water.

"Well, Lloyd," Heinrich stated, smiling, "vampires happen to be my speciality." Heinrich took some time to splash a small amount of the holy water on his forehead to wash off the makeup, revealing the permanent cross on his forehead. "At the Vatican, they taught us how to defeat, and kill God's enemies. Humans are simple to kill, but a vampire, a werewolf, a demon... those requires fineness, and I spent years fine-tuning the art." Heinrich stopped to mutter a protection prayer for himself and Lloyd, before opening his eyes and looking around to assess the area.

"I take it we're going to see this vampire shortly?" Heinrich attempted to hide his heavy disdain for vampires; one vampire killed his family. It was the reason he became a part of the church and specifically why he worked to become a 'hunter' of sorts. Vengeance was a main motive, but Heinrich quickly turned away from the dark path; a part of him still desired the death and destruction of the vampire race.

"I take it we're going to see this vampire shortly?" Heinrich attempted with some success to hide his hatred of vampires, but Lloyd could definitely sense some kind of vendetta. Despite all the man's talk about "holy work", there was clearly more to Heinrich's motivation than mere religious duty.
"I believe I've encountered this one before," Lloyd nodded, almost certain of their enemy's identity, "He's a powerful vampire known as Nightmare. He's.... quite strong, especially while in the dark. However..." Lloyd pulled out the magnesium powder Gregory had received earlier. The dark cylindrical container looked almost sinister in the shadows.
"If things get bad, a little chemistry knowledge should be enough to weaken him to the level of us mere-mortals." Lloyd grinned, "Did you know that powdered magnesium can be ignited to make a brief flash of blinding light? If mere sunlight is enough to rob him of most of his strength...." His voice trailed off, allowing Heinrich's imagination to do the rest. However, despite Lloyd's words of confidence, he knew it was extremely fortunate that Heinrich was a specialist in hunting creatures of the dark. It would be risky to bring science alone into a fight against the supernatural. Of course though, he would never admit that. To Lloyd, science and logic could always win the day. It was merely a lack of experience against the supernatural that gave him a disadvantage. Heinrich's skills however, would easily compensate for this. It did seem a little strange that a priest would join an organization like the Requiem. Now, Lloyd finally knew why.
As they approached the door to the vampire's chambers, Lloyd readied his revolver, crouching slightly to the side of the door.
"Be on guard," He warned Heinrich. "I have about enough magnesium to use about three times, but not much more. Hopefully, it'll give us an edge at the start of the fight, but the element of surprise won't last forever, so we'll have to finish him quickly. Are you ready?"