Official Duties Part One
Title: Official Duties
Authors:
butterflyslinky,
ladydiskette,
fuzzywezzy
Characters: Linkara, Rachel, Spoony, Ashens, Mike Michaud, OCs
Rating: R
Warnings: Language, violence
Summary: Linkara takes Rachel on her first mission.
Notes: Takes place in the Denny’s Court verse after “ The Nice and Accurate Stories of Sursum Ursa, Witch.” Rachel created by
achika_chan. Used by permission.
Weeks passed. Linkara thought often about Santa Christ’s warning and what it could mean, but he tried not to worry about it. Fortunately, he was kept so busy with training Rachel and working on the Threshold in addition to his regular Consort duties that he wasn’t given much time to be concerned.
The New Year came, with much celebration of the Court still being alive and mostly safe, which resulted in several official complaints being filed within the week. But they had all been dealt with quickly, and finally, Linkara was happy that he might take a nice relaxing day off....or so he thought.
“I am greatly looking forward to taking a day off,” he said to Spoony as he collapsed on the couch next to him, leaning on his Lord’s shoulder and closing his eyes.
Spoony chuckled. “You don't get days off. What you get are days that start as ‘off’ but then, inevitably, something happens and you have to take the day on.”
Linkara reached up and swatted him without looking. “I was hoping being that you vampires were once human yourselves, you would understand...”
Spoony batted Linkara’s hand away. “Linkara, I was human in the 18th century, the ‘day off’ was hardly a thing back then.”
“I don't want to hear about it,” Linkara snapped, snuggling closer to Spoony. “I am taking a day off, and nothing is going to interrupt that!”
At that moment, Angela walked in holding a note, looking very worried. “Um...Spoony....Linkara? Frasier just dropped off a message....it’s a....mission.”
Linkara groaned. “Goddammit...can't someone else field this one?”
“It’s addressed to the Slayer,” Angela said. “So…no.”
Linkara took the note from Angela and read it aloud. "Slayer, your presence is required at the hospital unless you want the people to all die. You will answer for your crimes and misdemeanors and relinquish your control of the territory blah, blah, blah..." He rolled his eyes. “Give me fifteen minutes and go call Rachel.”
Angela nodded. “Okay....” She turned and ran to obey.
“You gotta be fucking kidding me!” Spoony spat, taking the note and reading it himself. “Those dipshits!”
Linkara let out a troubled sigh. “Well you're right, duty calls. Those vampires think they use innocent human civilians to threaten me they have another thing coming!”
“Right...” Spoony muttered. He kissed Linkara quickly. “You want back-up? I can send some of my guys in with you.”
Linkara shook his head. “They sent the note, they will know I'm coming....a sneak attack might be the best option. But if anything happens, you know I will reach out for you.”
“Be careful then.” He patted his consort on the back. “And give them hell.”
Linkara kissed Spoony again. “Don't worry, I'm going to take Rachel along and give her some practice.”
Spoony grinned. “In that case, it’s not me you need to worry about, it’s Jaeris. But the hands on experience will do her some good.”
“Yeah...” Linkara muttered. “Keep Jaeris from following us.” He headed out the door.
*
The hospital, meanwhile was as silent as a mausoleum, dark and with the stench of death hanging over the halls and corridors, floors lined with dead staff members, patients, visitors, workers, all drained of blood. Seven vampires had saved two doctors and two patients as their bargaining chips; hostages ready to die at a moment's notice unless the Champion was cooperative. In the surgical ward the hostages sat in a corner with their hands bound together, watching in fear as their captors were not usual psychotic humans but vampires. What would become of them?
“How long must we wait for the Slayer?” one of the vampires asked in a bored voice.
The leader of the group smiled. “Be patient, Ian. The letter has been sent out, I know men like him, moralistic and loyal to a fault; he will come when I mentioned innocent people being harmed.” He gestured to the hostages before nodding to two of the others. “Hawthorn, Rigel, scout around the perimeter near the lower floor and alert me when you suspect the slayer is approaching.” The two nodded and left.
A third vampire who was sitting on a stretcher rolled his eyes. “But what if doesn't take the bait? I mean, he doesn't come because he thinks we're not serious?”
“If he doesn't come, we will kill the hostages and then we will move to another place,” the leader answered calmly. “And another. And kill everyone in our way until he answers our summons.”
A vampiress in the group went over to the hostages, observing them. She scoffed. “What weak little creatures. Maybe we should kill one of the patients...they will probably die anyway.”
The patients cowered away from her, but the leader held up his hand. “We don't kill any humans until the slayer shows up. Play around with it for a bit if you wishes, but don't take away its life.”
The Vampiress grinned and leaeds over one of the patients, a pretty girl around 15 years old who had a broken arm and could not defend herself. “What is your name, sweetie?” the vampiress asked quietly.
The girl whimpered, tears running down her cheeks.
The vampire on the stretcher watched the scene with a glee as the vampiress took out a knife. “I said, what is your name? What is the matter you can't talk?” She edged the knife close to the girl's face.
Suddenly a doctor with a British accent spoke up. He quickly crawled over to the young girl, defending her. “She is a mute...she only knows sign language!” the doctor cried. “Leave her alone please!”
The vampire on the stretcher lept in, in front of the doctor. He grinned at him before slapping him, sending the doctor a few centimeters away on his feet.
“A mute, you say?” the vampiress repeated. “How interesting...and without use of one arm, she can't say much, can she? So you tell me doctor...what is her name?”
The doctor shook uncontrollably. “H-her name is Elizabeth....I treated her arm, she has never hurt or done anything awful in her life! Please spare her!”
The vampires laughed. “Well, aren't you a brave one...thank you.” She turned her attention to Elizabeth, about to torture her. Just then, there was the sound of glass breaking downstairs, as though someone had just punched through a window.
“Save it, Clarice,” the leader said. “It sounds like our summons has been answered.”
“I say we use one of those hostages as a welcome gift basket for our hero,” the vampiress said. “Lure him to us.”
The leader grinned. “All right, then...but use someone who can actually scream. Gets better results.”
“Excellent idea, Malus...” Clarice looked over the hostages but lingered on the young girl. “Can mutes scream?”
Elizabeth cried harder, though she made no sound.
“I wouldn't think so,” Malus said. “But that doesn't mean you can't try.”
“They can't!” the doctor screamed. “They can't make any sound at all, no matter what you do to her!” He moved in front of the girl. “Do what you want with me! Just leave her alone!”
Clarice looked up. “Well, aren't you playing martyr tonight.” She grinned and went over to the doctor, examining him up and down with her predatory eyes and touched him softly. “How loud do you scream doctor?” She brushed the flat end of blade against his arm teasingly.
The doctor swallowed. “How loud do you want?”
Clarice smiled. “I change my mind,” she said. “The brat can stay here, we will use the doctor instead...” She grabbed him roughly by his arm holding him tight. “Let’s go!”
*
Meanwhile, downstairs, Linkara and Rachel had just broken through a window and are padding quietly through the halls.
“My question is, how did these assholes get past the border patrol?” Rachel whispered.
“Good question,” Linkara muttered. “Keep one alive for interrogation. We will force it out of him one way or another.”
“Okay,” Rachel said. “I hate to think what Spoony will do to the border guards if we don't get a good story out of them.”
Linkara nodded and looked around. They were on the bottom of the floor. The smell of blood and death struck their noses the minute they crawled through a window that lead into the gift shop, over on the floor was a dead gift shop owner and customer, dead-drained of blood. Rachel's eyes widened in terror. Linkara noticed immediately. “Rachel...don't look at the bodies...the mission, focus on the mission.”
Rachel stopped for a brief moment, still in shock over the bodies of what were before alive human beings. She shook herself off and followed Linkara.
“I know it’s hard,” he said. “But…you get used to get eventually, probably best not explore the children's ward for now.”
Rachel turned even paler. “Oh, God...” Her knees buckled. “Linkara, I don't feel so good...”
Linkara knelt before her. "Breath deep in and out. Empty your mind and calm down slowly"
She followed his advice, trying not to look at anything but him. She managed to keep her stomach down, knowing that if she botched this mission her position in the Court could be completely jeopardized. “I-I'm sorry, Linkara,” she said. “J-just the thought of ...these...sick bastards...Will…will it be always horrible as this ? Could I...one day be accustomed to those massacres?”
Linkara let out a sigh, looking tenderly at Rachel. "You will get used to it. I know the academy doesn't tell all the gory details but those incidents do happen often. I have to admit, with all my years of experience that this is a brutal scene, but it doesn't always ends like this. We do get to save the day and kill those whoever deserves it". Linkara gave Rachel a hand, she took it with confidence. He helped her stand up.
She smiled weakly at him. “Thanks, Linkara...the sooner we kill these vampires, the better...”
Linkara smiled back. “That's the spirit. Now let's try and find them. Can you follow the trail of blood, or would you rather call out a challenge?”
Rachel looked at the trail of carnage before her. No, she couldn't back down. Yes, there were dead bodies and they were random strangers; with friends, families, and loved ones. But the only way their ravaged souls could be at peace is to dispatch the ones responsible. There would be many missions like this, she realized, and backing down this one would mean she would have to back down her role as a slayer.
And she wasn't going to give that up just yet.
Rachel smiled more bravely. “Let’s call this a challenge.”
Linkara smiled at her. “Okay, then.” He raised his voice and yelled as loud as he could. “HEY! MAGGOT BRAINS! I'M HERE! COME AT ME!”
Down the hall, the two vampires Hawthorn and Rigel heard the sound of a man shouting and caught the smell of two slayers in the air.
“It’s him,” Rigel said. “And the guy has brought a friend apparently...”
Hawthorn closed his eyes and sent a telepathic message to the leader. “Malus....he is here.”
Authors:
butterflyslinky,
ladydiskette,
fuzzywezzy
Characters: Linkara, Rachel, Spoony, Ashens, Mike Michaud, OCs
Rating: R
Warnings: Language, violence
Summary: Linkara takes Rachel on her first mission.
Notes: Takes place in the Denny’s Court verse after “ The Nice and Accurate Stories of Sursum Ursa, Witch.” Rachel created by
achika_chan. Used by permission.
Weeks passed. Linkara thought often about Santa Christ’s warning and what it could mean, but he tried not to worry about it. Fortunately, he was kept so busy with training Rachel and working on the Threshold in addition to his regular Consort duties that he wasn’t given much time to be concerned.
The New Year came, with much celebration of the Court still being alive and mostly safe, which resulted in several official complaints being filed within the week. But they had all been dealt with quickly, and finally, Linkara was happy that he might take a nice relaxing day off....or so he thought.
“I am greatly looking forward to taking a day off,” he said to Spoony as he collapsed on the couch next to him, leaning on his Lord’s shoulder and closing his eyes.
Spoony chuckled. “You don't get days off. What you get are days that start as ‘off’ but then, inevitably, something happens and you have to take the day on.”
Linkara reached up and swatted him without looking. “I was hoping being that you vampires were once human yourselves, you would understand...”
Spoony batted Linkara’s hand away. “Linkara, I was human in the 18th century, the ‘day off’ was hardly a thing back then.”
“I don't want to hear about it,” Linkara snapped, snuggling closer to Spoony. “I am taking a day off, and nothing is going to interrupt that!”
At that moment, Angela walked in holding a note, looking very worried. “Um...Spoony....Linkara? Frasier just dropped off a message....it’s a....mission.”
Linkara groaned. “Goddammit...can't someone else field this one?”
“It’s addressed to the Slayer,” Angela said. “So…no.”
Linkara took the note from Angela and read it aloud. "Slayer, your presence is required at the hospital unless you want the people to all die. You will answer for your crimes and misdemeanors and relinquish your control of the territory blah, blah, blah..." He rolled his eyes. “Give me fifteen minutes and go call Rachel.”
Angela nodded. “Okay....” She turned and ran to obey.
“You gotta be fucking kidding me!” Spoony spat, taking the note and reading it himself. “Those dipshits!”
Linkara let out a troubled sigh. “Well you're right, duty calls. Those vampires think they use innocent human civilians to threaten me they have another thing coming!”
“Right...” Spoony muttered. He kissed Linkara quickly. “You want back-up? I can send some of my guys in with you.”
Linkara shook his head. “They sent the note, they will know I'm coming....a sneak attack might be the best option. But if anything happens, you know I will reach out for you.”
“Be careful then.” He patted his consort on the back. “And give them hell.”
Linkara kissed Spoony again. “Don't worry, I'm going to take Rachel along and give her some practice.”
Spoony grinned. “In that case, it’s not me you need to worry about, it’s Jaeris. But the hands on experience will do her some good.”
“Yeah...” Linkara muttered. “Keep Jaeris from following us.” He headed out the door.
*
The hospital, meanwhile was as silent as a mausoleum, dark and with the stench of death hanging over the halls and corridors, floors lined with dead staff members, patients, visitors, workers, all drained of blood. Seven vampires had saved two doctors and two patients as their bargaining chips; hostages ready to die at a moment's notice unless the Champion was cooperative. In the surgical ward the hostages sat in a corner with their hands bound together, watching in fear as their captors were not usual psychotic humans but vampires. What would become of them?
“How long must we wait for the Slayer?” one of the vampires asked in a bored voice.
The leader of the group smiled. “Be patient, Ian. The letter has been sent out, I know men like him, moralistic and loyal to a fault; he will come when I mentioned innocent people being harmed.” He gestured to the hostages before nodding to two of the others. “Hawthorn, Rigel, scout around the perimeter near the lower floor and alert me when you suspect the slayer is approaching.” The two nodded and left.
A third vampire who was sitting on a stretcher rolled his eyes. “But what if doesn't take the bait? I mean, he doesn't come because he thinks we're not serious?”
“If he doesn't come, we will kill the hostages and then we will move to another place,” the leader answered calmly. “And another. And kill everyone in our way until he answers our summons.”
A vampiress in the group went over to the hostages, observing them. She scoffed. “What weak little creatures. Maybe we should kill one of the patients...they will probably die anyway.”
The patients cowered away from her, but the leader held up his hand. “We don't kill any humans until the slayer shows up. Play around with it for a bit if you wishes, but don't take away its life.”
The Vampiress grinned and leaeds over one of the patients, a pretty girl around 15 years old who had a broken arm and could not defend herself. “What is your name, sweetie?” the vampiress asked quietly.
The girl whimpered, tears running down her cheeks.
The vampire on the stretcher watched the scene with a glee as the vampiress took out a knife. “I said, what is your name? What is the matter you can't talk?” She edged the knife close to the girl's face.
Suddenly a doctor with a British accent spoke up. He quickly crawled over to the young girl, defending her. “She is a mute...she only knows sign language!” the doctor cried. “Leave her alone please!”
The vampire on the stretcher lept in, in front of the doctor. He grinned at him before slapping him, sending the doctor a few centimeters away on his feet.
“A mute, you say?” the vampiress repeated. “How interesting...and without use of one arm, she can't say much, can she? So you tell me doctor...what is her name?”
The doctor shook uncontrollably. “H-her name is Elizabeth....I treated her arm, she has never hurt or done anything awful in her life! Please spare her!”
The vampires laughed. “Well, aren't you a brave one...thank you.” She turned her attention to Elizabeth, about to torture her. Just then, there was the sound of glass breaking downstairs, as though someone had just punched through a window.
“Save it, Clarice,” the leader said. “It sounds like our summons has been answered.”
“I say we use one of those hostages as a welcome gift basket for our hero,” the vampiress said. “Lure him to us.”
The leader grinned. “All right, then...but use someone who can actually scream. Gets better results.”
“Excellent idea, Malus...” Clarice looked over the hostages but lingered on the young girl. “Can mutes scream?”
Elizabeth cried harder, though she made no sound.
“I wouldn't think so,” Malus said. “But that doesn't mean you can't try.”
“They can't!” the doctor screamed. “They can't make any sound at all, no matter what you do to her!” He moved in front of the girl. “Do what you want with me! Just leave her alone!”
Clarice looked up. “Well, aren't you playing martyr tonight.” She grinned and went over to the doctor, examining him up and down with her predatory eyes and touched him softly. “How loud do you scream doctor?” She brushed the flat end of blade against his arm teasingly.
The doctor swallowed. “How loud do you want?”
Clarice smiled. “I change my mind,” she said. “The brat can stay here, we will use the doctor instead...” She grabbed him roughly by his arm holding him tight. “Let’s go!”
*
Meanwhile, downstairs, Linkara and Rachel had just broken through a window and are padding quietly through the halls.
“My question is, how did these assholes get past the border patrol?” Rachel whispered.
“Good question,” Linkara muttered. “Keep one alive for interrogation. We will force it out of him one way or another.”
“Okay,” Rachel said. “I hate to think what Spoony will do to the border guards if we don't get a good story out of them.”
Linkara nodded and looked around. They were on the bottom of the floor. The smell of blood and death struck their noses the minute they crawled through a window that lead into the gift shop, over on the floor was a dead gift shop owner and customer, dead-drained of blood. Rachel's eyes widened in terror. Linkara noticed immediately. “Rachel...don't look at the bodies...the mission, focus on the mission.”
Rachel stopped for a brief moment, still in shock over the bodies of what were before alive human beings. She shook herself off and followed Linkara.
“I know it’s hard,” he said. “But…you get used to get eventually, probably best not explore the children's ward for now.”
Rachel turned even paler. “Oh, God...” Her knees buckled. “Linkara, I don't feel so good...”
Linkara knelt before her. "Breath deep in and out. Empty your mind and calm down slowly"
She followed his advice, trying not to look at anything but him. She managed to keep her stomach down, knowing that if she botched this mission her position in the Court could be completely jeopardized. “I-I'm sorry, Linkara,” she said. “J-just the thought of ...these...sick bastards...Will…will it be always horrible as this ? Could I...one day be accustomed to those massacres?”
Linkara let out a sigh, looking tenderly at Rachel. "You will get used to it. I know the academy doesn't tell all the gory details but those incidents do happen often. I have to admit, with all my years of experience that this is a brutal scene, but it doesn't always ends like this. We do get to save the day and kill those whoever deserves it". Linkara gave Rachel a hand, she took it with confidence. He helped her stand up.
She smiled weakly at him. “Thanks, Linkara...the sooner we kill these vampires, the better...”
Linkara smiled back. “That's the spirit. Now let's try and find them. Can you follow the trail of blood, or would you rather call out a challenge?”
Rachel looked at the trail of carnage before her. No, she couldn't back down. Yes, there were dead bodies and they were random strangers; with friends, families, and loved ones. But the only way their ravaged souls could be at peace is to dispatch the ones responsible. There would be many missions like this, she realized, and backing down this one would mean she would have to back down her role as a slayer.
And she wasn't going to give that up just yet.
Rachel smiled more bravely. “Let’s call this a challenge.”
Linkara smiled at her. “Okay, then.” He raised his voice and yelled as loud as he could. “HEY! MAGGOT BRAINS! I'M HERE! COME AT ME!”
Down the hall, the two vampires Hawthorn and Rigel heard the sound of a man shouting and caught the smell of two slayers in the air.
“It’s him,” Rigel said. “And the guy has brought a friend apparently...”
Hawthorn closed his eyes and sent a telepathic message to the leader. “Malus....he is here.”