Fire and Rain

[DaGlobster]

It was a calm, crisp night in the city of Uthlyn. The only sounds audible being those of the nocturnal insects, and of a horse comin down a road. On top of that horse rode Azariah Lynch, the brooding man a silhouette on top of his mount. He came to a stop in front of the local inn, not bothering to take note of what it was called. Lynch made his way up the cobble steps to the door, the light catching off of the half-plate armor he wore under his leather coat. His various "tools" clinked softly against each other. He had every enchanted tool a witch, vampire, and werewolf hunter could ever want, and then some more. He walked into the inn, and the atmosphere seemed to stiffen as he entered through the door as the patrons sized up who had just entered. He ignored all of the patrons as he made his way to the bar, to see the innkeep.

He walked over to the bar, and rested both his hands on it. He tried to contain his fury. There was non-human filth everywhere. "I'll take room 15." He said, and the barkeep (thankfully human) nodded. Lynch deposited a small bag of coins, and as the barkeep reached down to take it, Lynch leaned forwards. "You best rethink the company you keep, my brother." Lynch menacingly whispered, it sounding gravely like a threat. The barkeep was pale when Lynch walked off.

Lynch was on the hunt for a very particular kind of filth today. The kind that flew and lived in an artist's workshop. He opened the door to his room. It was simple accommodations for someone of his station, but he quickly pulled up a chair to the window, and started observing the artist's workshop across the street from his room on the second story. He was looking for signs of activity within.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

There was one thing François hated more than anything, and it was the local artist's guild. Every year they tried to either stamp him out of business, or tried to make him join. But, the gryphon was stubborn as a mule, so year after year, they failed

Tonight, it was the same old story. Sitting on François' desk, on top of the clutter of drawings and notes, was the familiar letter. With a roll of his eyes, he opened it and started reading the damned note. He wasn't aware that he was flying in front of the window, so lost was he in his frustration.

[DaGlobster]

Lynch's ice-blue eyes widened for a brief moment, and then they narrowed with contempt. Sweet Salem, the beast was even more hideous than he thought it was. He stood up off of the chair, and pulled out a scroll case. He took a roll of paper out of it, and started writing. "I have successfully tracked down the filth. He is in the artist's workshop across the street from the south side of the 'Galloping Stallion' inn. Moving to capture. Hide in the rooftops. -Dominus Venantium " he wrote and the paper disappeared in a puff of smoke. He waited for a minute, and then a reply came back, a completely new paper appearing in his open palm. "Affirmative, taking our positions. Venators Fried and Christopher will be accompanying you on the ground. -Venator Klaus"

Lynch smiled, and made his way out of his room, taking the stairs down. He passed by the still pale-faced barkeep, and out the door. He started walking across the street to Francoise's workshop, and when he passed by an alley, two more similarly dressed men (without the half-plate and marks of office) came out of it and walked by his sides, as expected. The wide-brimmed hats that they all wore cast shadows on their faces, shadows which were all amplified by the torches the two men accompanying Lynch were carrying.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

Feeling that ranting to himself was going to get him nowhere, François decided to take action. Flying over to his other desk in the back of the room, he sat down, and plucked a feather off of his wing. After finding some parchment and ink, he began penning his reply, oblivious to what was going on outside.

----------

Outside, there was a figure moving in the shadows behind the men in front of the workshop. He was an assassin, a trained killer for the same order these men belonged to.

"Greetings, brothers." Vladimir said as he emerged from the darkness, nothing more than his beard showing from beneath his hood.

[DaGlobster]

Lynch spun on his heels to face Vladimir, the corners of his usually dour expression curled upwards slightly. "Come to assist the Venatores in the hunt, Vladimir?" He said, tipping his hat towards the Dominus Sicarium, the men next to him doing the same. Lynch didn't approve of Vladimir's ideas of mercy. What good did it do to leave the enemies of humanity to their business? Their business WAS undermining humanity. If he had the authorization, he'd order the extermination of EVERY single piece of non-human filth on this continent.

"It is fortunate that you arrived. Our prey is a wiley one. Join the venatores on the rooftops, and await my signal." Lynch asked, and approached the door to Francoise's workshop. He took one of his pistols out of its holster, and cocked the hammer back with a click. He put both of his hands behind his back, and motioned for the torch-bearing Venator standing next to him. The Venator knocked on the door, the sound echoing throughout the streets. The way the torches were being held by his subordinates made so his face was completely concealed save for his mouth.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

"I not here to assist you, Lynch. I'm here to give a warning," he said sternly, pulling his hood down so he could look the Venantium in the eyes. He was not going to take orders from someone in the wrong. Even so, he sighed as the Venator knocked on the door.

"This impure one has done nothing wrong, nor is deserving of death. Our task as the Order of Salem is not to kill everything impure and nonhuman but to guard humanity against threats both of man and beast. I'm not questioning that we must purge the land of anything nonhuman. I am saying we need not take an innocent life to do it, be they man or beast." Vladimir explained, hoping that the Venantium would either back down from this hunt, or at least let their query live.

----------

Just a moment later, the door opened to reveal not the Vulpegryph they were looking for, but a young man of about eighteen years of age. He was François' assistant, Marco. Upon answering the door, he simply shook his head at the crowd.

"Monsieur le Paria isn't receiving visitors at the moment. If you'd like to tal-. He stopped as soon as he noticed how armed the men at the door were. Guns, sabers, and knives. They probably weren't here to commission a painting.

[DaGlobster]

"We are not here to kill, unfortunately. This capture order comes from the very top. If it were up to me, we'd bar the doors and windows and burn this fetid hovel to the ground." He said to Vladimir, and lifted a finger at him. "But you see, that's where your tongue fails you, Dominus. If you do not question that we must purge the nonhuman, then why do you question the capture of this one, hmm? Your ideas of what our duties are remain unshared by the Imperator and everybody else in the order. You have no place lecturing me on your views, let alone delivering warnings." He said, returning Vladimir's stern look with a disappointed frown. He turned away from Vladimir, half because he was not interested in his answer, and half because he didn't feel like listening to him.

When Marco answered the door, Lynch looked him up and down in a matter of moments, and looked him in the eye.  "Ferrum comedunt, insidiator." He growled at the helper of filth in front of him before swinging the hilt of his rapier through the doorway, knocking Marco aside. Lynch and his three men rushed into the building, one of them pointing a pistol at Marco and the other pointing his pistol at Francois. Lynch leveled his rapier at  Francois as well. "Under order of the Imperator Excelsus of the Esoteric Order of Salem, I place you into custody!" He barked out. "Resist, and I will have the extreme pleasure of beating you into submission." He added, a smile spreading across his lips.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

Vladimir watched as the hunter went through the door, and followed. The workshop was messy by his standards, but that was not the point of him being here. If he couldn't convince Lynch to break off this hunt, then he may as well join them. As he approached the high-back chair, who he as currently turned away from them, there was a deep chill in the air. Then came the laughter...

The chair turned not to reveal the Vulpegryph they were looking for, but a figure cloaked in black, the only things visible being his scythes, tail, and the very tip of his muzzle. He simply laughed at the hunters before him. They came here looking for an artist, but instead found their deaths.

((OoC: Prepare for a fight!))

[DaGlobster]

Lynch glared over at the creature in the chair, leveling his pistol to its level. His voice was resoundant and clear, as if it was amplified by some divine powers incomprehensible to those who did not share his faith. "Laugh as much as it pleases you, heathen! You won't be laughing for long!" He proclaimed, cocking the hammer of his pistol back. He had seen plenty of robed cultists and heretics before, but something about this one struck him as different. Lynch attributed the feeling to the chill running down his spine, and he could tell the other two Venators felt it. "Lucius, deal with the boy! Marcus, you're with me!" He barked out, and the Venator standing over Franco readied his rapier to strike. At the same time, Lynch and the venator standing next to him fired their pistols at the cloaked figure, the shot from the Venator being normal and the shot from Lynch being a holy bullet of gold and silver fired from a blessed pistol. At the same time that they fired, both readied their rapiers and charged forwards, Lynch's divinely anointed blade gleaming in the low light.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

The cloaked figure kept laughing. The bullets struck their target, and sure enough, the hunter's sword pierced.... His cloak, that is. The laughing Sionhai had somehow managed to get up into the rafters, and decided to have a little fun with the Hunter.

"Hey, dandy-man.... You missed!" He called out from above, quite content with leaving his comment at that. The black furred fox then decided to recline and wait for their response, yawning as if he was bored!

His cloak now impaled upon the chair one could see his attire rather clearly. If the metal skulls emblazoned upon his armor and scythes weren't enough to send a message.... Then his skills with them would. But, he was in no rush to end these hunters. They obviously were still taking in the fact that he was there at all!

[DaGlobster]

Lynch and the Venator next to him paused to see if their kill was confirmed, but when they heard a voice above them, they wasted no time in reforming to face the threat. The Venator dropped his pistol and quickly drew a new one from his belt, and Lynch merely cocked the hammer back into a firing position, and the barrel glowed with holy light. "Ast illud!" He yelled, a command phrase among the order's ranks. The Venators standing outside the house in waiting proceeded to take their torches and toss them into the windows, breaking glass if needed. Lynch and the Venator next to him fired again, except instead of a bullet, Lynch's gun fired a beam of yellow energy. At the same time, he raised his rapier into the air, a brilliant light emanating from it. "You cannot harm me, heathen! my faith is my shield!" He called out, his armor glowing brightly.

Outside, the Venators overwatching from the rooftops cocked their muskets and fixed their scopes, prepared to fire on any remotely vulpegryph shaped sihlouettes.