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A New Existence

Started by Ethereal-Star, February 06, 2015, 02:46:21 AM

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Ethereal-Star

((This thread takes place in the past, when Laetitia first became a vampire. This thread explains some of what she went through during this time, before the present day in the SOTE timeline. Blood and some violence is obviously to be expected here. Those looking to join in could be vampire hunters or others of dark nature that could try to befriend Laetitia and help her come to terms with her new life. If you do join in a vampire hunter character, only Leonel is to be slayed, as explained in my character's profile. Other than that, read on!))

A New Existence:

The night stars shone in a clear black sky, their lights twinkling from far away. The night was still, no breeze could be felt. In a darkened cave on the edges of Connloath however, a young girl slept peacefully. Or so it looked like it. In reality, she was undergoing a major change as her features became ever paler, her senses became more acute and her teeth grew into fangs as well as everything else that marked this life transformation. For the girl was becoming a vampire, turned by her sire, a dark, handsome vampire named Leonel Richardson. He stayed by her side as she underwent these long and dramatic changes. For two days and nights straight, he stayed by her side except to go hunt and feed when he needed to. And so the girl laid there in a deep slumber as her life slipped away into the realm of an undead existence.

Leonel smiled at her, pushing back a strand of her long, black hair. She would awaken soon. And when she did, he would make her his. It was five hours later, when the girl's eyes finally opened. She sat up quickly, her eyes darting this way and that before settling on Leonel. "Where am I? What happened? And who are you?" she asked him, a bit of fear showing in her gray eyes.

Leonel smiled at her with as much tenderness as could be expected of one such as him, and said to her,"My dear, welcome to the land of the living. Or should I say, the unliving. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, for I am known to many like yourself and I as Leonel Richardson. He stood up then, making a small bow before settling down by her side once more.

"What do you mean? Where am I? What did you do to me?" Laetitia shrieked, shying away from him as he reached out a hand toward her.

"My dear black beauty, we are in a cave at the outskirts of Connloath, in the Sirantil Valley. As for what I did to you, you are now one of us. A vampire. Embrace it, for there is no going back." he told her firmly.

Laetitia looked like she were going to say something but remained quiet. A couple seconds later, she replied with, "I...I feel....different...somehow. More....strong. More alive." she stated a bit uncertainly. "I can hear the crickets chirp with such clarity as never before. I can see in the darkness as though it were daylight. But most of all....I feel such a strange kind of longing. I can't describe it though."

Leonel chuckled at her and replied, "It is quite natural, dear Laetitia. I imagine you must be hungry. You are in luck for I brought you something to help with that longing you feel deep inside." And with that, he brought out a large flask of red liquid which he swiftly uncapped for her. "Drink. It will make you feel better, I promise."

Laetitia eyed the contents, unsure. "Is that....blood?" she asked, looking from the flask to Leonel and back again.

"Yes, it is. Now drink. I promise you'll love the taste."

Laetitia, after some moments of hesitation, gingerly took the flask and took a sip before she quickly downed the rest of the contents in one gulp. Blood now stained her lips and she had to admit she felt better after drinking it. She looked to him for more.

The vampire chuckled again. "There's always more where that came from. I shall have to teach you to acquire it for yourself. We have a lot to do." he explained, getting up and offering her his hand. Laetitia took his hand and the two creatures of the night headed outside into the darkness of nighttime. He would teach her how to fight, how to kill for she would need this knowledge if she were to survive for long. Leonel smiled inwardly behind her back. It was only the beginning. And with new beginnings, there came much delight and opportunities to excel in their many pursuits. He would make sure of it. For Laetitia would be his Queen, his monstrous beauty of the night. They would be a terror for many to come. And the vampire eagerly looked forward to all that would entail.

               * * * * * * * *

Three weeks had passed. Leonel was not pleased however. His new Queen tried to reject her new life, and quite vehemently too. He sighed in frustration, once again before rounding on her in anger.

"As I have told you many times before, you are a vampire! There is nothing you can do to change that!Accept it!" He wanted to shake her, to knock some sense back into her. However Laetitia was having none of it.

"But I don't want to be a vampire!" she cried in remorse. "I can never forget the look on that old man's face when I...." she stopped and began to sob.

"He was weak." Leonel admonished her. "And was unworthy of life. Besides it was only a matter of time before the old man bit the dust anyway. We just helped to speed things up. And face it, you needed some nourishment in you. You were getting too weak to barely stand!" Her sire continued to chastise her in exasperation. "And why let an old blood bag like that go to waste. You did him a favor, I say."

Laetitia shook her head in denial. "He was not unworthy! He had a family! A wife and grands-" she was cut off by Leonel interrupting her.

"He was unworthy! And I could care less about his cursed family! Now, the sooner you accept your fate, the easier it will be for you. I am starting to lose my patience. And trust me, I have lots of patience." He sighed again, raking a hand through his sleek, dark hair.

He was quiet for a moment as Laetitia continued to sob for the old man she never knew. "I have to go out tonight for I have some....business to attend to. I want you to stay here in this cave until I get back, you hear?!" Leonel eyed her, looking for more signs that she would refuse to cooperate with his demands. Laetitia didn't answer, continuing to sob into her hands. "I shall return. And when I do, I expect you to be more cooperative." he warned, a steely look in his eyes. He then turned from her and made his exit, black cloak swishing in his wake as the vampire left the confines of the darkened cave. Laetitia was alone now. And she had a feeling she would be a alone for quite some time afterwards.

After an hour has passed, Laetitia started to grow restless and she thought about leaving, despite Leonel's orders to stay put. Surely, he would be back soon. she thought, chewing her lip in worry. Yet still he did not return. The minutes ticked past, like an agonizingly slow march of death. Still, there was no sign of him.

Finally, Laetitia decided to leave the cave, for she was both bored and worried now. While she may not particularly like Leonel and what he was forcing her to do, she also didn't want to see him hurt. Was it likely he could get hurt? Laetitia was uncertain about this. Yet, something propelled her feet out the cave entrance, into the woods outdoors. She was tired of sitting around with nothing to do. What she would do when she got outside, Laetitia did not know yet. She would cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, she just needed to get out and breathe some fresh air.

One more final hesitation and the vampire slipped outside into the night, a blood moon now viewable in the sky. An omen for sure, but right now Laetitia paid that little attention as she ventured out of the cave and looked around. Something was wrong. She could feel it. But the vampire did not know what. And so she tread onward, her feet barely making any sound of footsteps as she walked through the wilds, intent to find out something, anything at all.

A barely audible snap of a twig sounded somewhere close by. Laetitia turned her head, wary now with eyes searching the darkness around her. There was something, or someone here. And she didn't think it was Leonel.

Argroww

Ameena had now been wandering for hours, what-ever that bracelet was it was obviously magical.  She rubbed her wrist at the spot she'd put it on, it still tingled slightly.  Beyond her ability to smell every rotting tree and animal for miles around her the fact that it was dark and she could see quite clearly was interesting, but why was everything grey?

She'd not met anyone for ages as she journeyed through the trees so it seemed she wasn't near anywhere populated.  Then a new smell hit her...it seemed slightly akin to something dead, but was also quite different, as she tried to make sense of this smell her foot landed on a dry twig which snapped audibly under her foot with a crack.  This did not bother her in itself as she still believed herself to be alone, nothing to worry about, except she was starting to feel hungry now.

Ethereal-Star

The black-haired vampire became aware of a new smell then, one that seemed human but with a hint of wild animal to it. What kind of animal she was unsure. What manner of creature was she detecting? Laetitia just hoped it wasn't hostile, whatever it was. Once again, she wondered where Leonel was. He should have been here by now, she thought, not for the first time.

Looking around again, she listened carefully but there were no further sounds. The scent was still there and was getting stronger, which meant the creature was drawing nearer. Hesitating a moment, finally Laetitia opened her mouth and called out a tentative question.

"Hello? Is somebody there?" Laetitia winced then, wondering how good an idea it was to be calling out in the middle of some secluded dark woods. The fact that she herself, was a hunter and not the prey, still didn't quite sink in. Even with the meager training and skills her sire had tried to teach her, she still had a lot to learn though. If it came to a fight, Laetitia wasn't sure if she would be the victor in the end. And she didn't want to fight anyway, which was something that had annoyed Leonel and driven him completely up the wall these past few weeks. But she hadn't asked for this. Any of this. If she had had her way she would be in her bed sleeping, still alive and safe. Not wandering the woods at night, searching for the source of a sound that could likely be her death. Well, second death considering she was already dead. Leonel had seen to that.

Once again for the umpteenth time, the vampire girl regretted having left her home at night, being restless then as she had been, having decided to take a brisk walk to clear her head. And had that ever been the biggest mistake of her life. The vampire known as Leonel had found her then as she was walking past a copse of trees and had seduced her with words and a certain roguish charm. Being the somewhat spoiled noble girl she had fallen for it and followed him to...somewhere. The details were actually pretty fuzzy as she couldn't quite recall what had happened afterward. The last thing she remembered was waking up in that cave three weeks prior. As well as remembering his dark eyes as they stared at her longingly, his pale white skin a stark contrast against the dark of night. Laetitia even thought she remembered whispered words of 'my queen' but she wasn't certain on that. The one thing she did know and was certain about at this moment in time was that she was scared and lost, not knowing what to do.

As she walked quietly through the underbrush, the light from the reddish moon covered by a few dark clouds illuminated her path through the trees then, and Laetitia thought she saw someone. A girl like herself, but with dirty blonde hair. She also seemed to be Connloathian just like Laetitia is. Was, she corrected herself bitterly. The vampire stood there for a moment or two, wondering what to do now. Surely she would be seen? The smell of animal was stronger than ever now and it wafted off the girl before her indicating that she wasn't entirely human. Still standing there uncertainly, Laetitia called out to her. "Who are you?"

Surely Leonel would be furious with her if he was here now. Never call out to your prey, he had warned her several times, shaking his head in consternation. Strike from the shadows and give no warning, that is the way of a vampire. Kill and give no mercy. They are simply food and nothing more. She remembered each and every word Leonel told her, as he was intent on drilling that information deep into her mind at every opportunity he could. And now he was gone.

Laetitia looked straight ahead of her again at the other girl and simply waited as no doubt she had been spotted already.

Argroww

Ameena jumped when she heard the voice call out, at first she wasn't sure how to respond...it was a girls voice and if she was an accurate judge of anything (which she wasn't really), the voice sounded...afraid, much like herself.

She looked in the direction of the voice, her green eyes flecked with yellow as her body adjusted to the changes the bracelet had forced upon it, she was afraid herself and the magic was teetering her towards a change she didn't understand...but she wasn't quite there yet and thus remained mostly human in appearance.

What she saw was a young girl, in the grey vision that she seemed to possess in the night's darkness she did not note the pale-ness of this girls skin, nor the colour of her eyes or much more details beyond the fact that she was a girl, and she guessed pretty, if a little thin.  She could smell blood though, coppery and emanating from the girl even though no wound was visible.

"Umm...hello." Ameena said giving a nervous wave.

She might find it odd that another girl her age was out here in the woods alone...but then she was here too under circumstances she couldn't explain.

"I'm Ameena, you are?"

Ethereal-Star

In the darkness with her enhanced night vision, Laetitia could easily make out the yellow tinge to the girl's eyes that she didn't think had been there before, as they changed slightly due to some unknown force. The girl also seemed to acquire a bit more body hair too, which was unusual to say the least. What was she? the young vampire wondered.

At least she seemed friendly and didn't look like the attacking sort for which Laetitia was glad. No doubt another thing she would be chastised for when Leonel found her. If Leonel found her. a voice in her head uttered. For some reason, Laetitia didn't think she'd ever see him again. And she wasn't sure what to think about that, whether she should be glad, elated, relieved, disappointed or afraid or a combination of all these.

Finally she answered. "Laetitia. My name is Laetitia." the black-haired newly-turned vampire said slowly.

Looking at her a bit more closely, she got another strong whiff of an animalistic scent-further proof the girl was not what she seemed. Fitting really, as Laetitia wasn't what she appeared to be either. Wondering if she would ever turn out to be the ruthless killer that Leonel wanted her to become. She shuddered at that. No, she thought firmly. She was not a killer. She was a normal Connloathian noble girl. Was. her mind corrected again.

"Are you lost too?" Laetitia asked the other girl. Feeling a powerful sense of hunger rising within her, but not for food. For blood, that rich crimson river of life present in every living body. Blood was her food. And she craved it like a drowning man craved air. Her stomach rumbling as a result, and the barest hint of fangs protruded from her mouth as the beast inside threatened to emerge.

Argroww

"Lost? yeah you could say that, I have absolutely no idea where I am."  Ameena responded.

She wasn't sure if she should trust this girl, but what choice did she have, there appeared to be no-one else around.

"My Pa, he leases Shemanna Farmstead, pretty big farm, my whole family live and work there, and a few other who aren't familiy, you wouldn't happen to know if the farm is nearby?"

Ameena was starting to feel hungry herself, it was only a light sensation at the moment, but made her realise that she had no idea how to hunt and cook her own food, or even how to recognise "safe" wild berries and stuff.

She frowned, her night vision wasn't like Laetitia's in this darkness everything was in shades of grey, but even with that limit she actually saw the girls teeth extend from her mouth, she was just about to question it when she realised she had developed furry arms.

"What?" she said simply as she rubbed at her own arms.

Ethereal-Star

Shemanna Farmstead? Laetitia hadn't heard of it, but she knew there were plenty of farms located around Connloath. Being a nobleman's daughter, she had been educated like one too, but the name didn't ring a bell at the moment.

"No I do not." she said simply. Hunger gnawing once again at her stomach.

Laetitia knew they were still in Connloath, but at its outer edges as Leonel had told her as much when she had asked where she was. She was about to tell the blonde girl this when she noticed the girl's now fur-covered arms. Feeling like she should be afraid, but strangely enough she wasn't. Most likely it had to do with her own transformation into something non-human.

So instead of saying anything else, she simply stared at the girl's arms with both fascination, curiosity and a mild amount of trepidation. "How-" she began, not knowing how to finish that sentence.

Argroww

"You don't think this is scary?" Ameena asked.

Not waiting for the answer she shook her head and shrugged.

"I don't know, i found this bracelet whilst ploughing a field, I thought it looked nice so I tried it on, there was this bright flash and...well...here I am...but, I'm not me, something is different and I don't know what's happening, I know it's nighttime, but I don't feel cold and everything is kinda....grey...and...I can smell things."

She paused for a moment as she felt the panic rise up in her, her mind was connecting facts at the same time as she worried about her own situation...the pointy teeth...

"Well it's not like I couldn't smell before, but I can smell better now..umm..are you a vampire?"

Ethereal-Star

At the other's rather blunt question, Laetitia sniffed with disdain and answered in the affirmative. "Yes, but I don't want to be a vampire!" She sighed irritably. "I keep on trying to tell Leonel that, but he doesn't listen. He says I have to accept it. That it's my destiny or something." The familiar burning in her eyes surfaced again, warning her that the waterworks were soon on their way again.

"I just want to go home and live my life again, be with my family and not have to kill!"

The tears became more evident as she continued. "I feel so many changes and it does scare me to death! I don't know what to do or where to go now, and Leonel is not here to tell me what to do..."

Calming down a little, she wiped her eyes with a hand, and asked her a similar question. "Are you some kind of werewolf?"

Laetitia had heard of werewolves before and their utter ferocity and viciousness, but then again she'd also heard about vampires before she was turned as well. The fact that Laetitia herself was now one of the latter was something she had real trouble accepting. She looked back at the girl and tried not to show fear, but her arms did start to quake a bit as the reality of this situation became more and more clear to her. Was this what her life would be like now?

Argroww

"Pa says it's my destiny to get married."  Ameena began "I think it's a load of tosh, I'll decided what I do with my life...well...one day I will, maybe I'll take over the farm, i do more than all my brothers, they're a lazy lot!...but, what if I never get back to the farm and with this fur maybe they wont want me back."

She caught the name mentioned, it didn't mean anything to her, but the sudden realisation that even if she did figure out where she was and how to get home might mean that it wouldn't be wise to do so, she fought back her own tears, she didn't let her brothers bully her, she wouldn't let this stop her either.

"But why would you have to kill? I mean...you wouldn't have to drink ALL of someone's blood, just enough...and does it have to be person, why not say...a cow, or a horse?" She shuddered, it was an odd thing to talk about, in truth she only knew of vampire from stories grammy told, but those stories did make out vampires as looking like Laetitia, who was kind of pretty Ameena had to admit.

"A were wolf?...I...uhh...I don't know, I'm not sure what I am...i don't seem to be changing anymore than this, it's like I'm all furry...but not completely."

She thought further and frowned again, a wrinkling of her forehead and nose.

"Why do you need this Leonal to tell you what to do? Why does it matter what he thinks, he's the one who took you from your family that you want to go back to, doesn't sound like a nice person to me?"

Ethereal-Star

Thinking about this, Laetitia decided the wolf-girl or whatever she was was right. "Leonel does tell me what to do but he's not here now. I suppose that I could go back....but...not only do I not know the way, I also..."

Stopping here, as she couldn't finish. Her thirst for blood was strong, but would it be enough to make her try to drink from her own family? Her own father and brother? Laetitia shuddered at that. She most of all did not want to kill or even harm her own family if she could help it. Plus the fact that if she were found out what she was, they may not want her back with them. Not to mention she couldn't walk around in the daytime anymore. The last time she had tried that, the pain was intense and she had quickly started to burn up before Leonel had run out after her, also injuring himself in the process and grabbed her, before getting them both back to the safety of the dark cave. Both their wounds had healed quickly after that, but the pain of remembrance still lingered for a time afterwards. Leonel had not been pleased with her and had shouted at her for being incredibly stupid. Laetitia had only cowered in a corner during this.

"I don't know if I can or should go back." she finally said. "And Leonel always said to completely drain the person so they wouldn't be able to talk anymore and rat us out..."

Still it did bring up an interesting question. Could she live off the blood of animals instead of humans and other species? Perhaps she didn't have to kill people after all... It gave her a bit of hope. Not that she particularly wanted to do either, but she didn't necessarily have a choice. And animals would be missed far less than a person would be.

Argroww

"That sounds like his fear talking Laetitia, maybe you need to learn your own path, just because he's lived a long time doesn't mean he knows everything....my grampa often says that, old as he is, he's always learning!"

It felt weird to be talking like this to a vampire, but Ameena felt that the girl, vampire though she was, was as new to what she was as Ameena was herself, the fur felt...odd...but warm and on a cold night like this it was quite beneficial.

"So maybe we should experiment, see if you can feed on something other than a human?"

Ameena could hardly believe she said that...she was here, talking to a person...or creature...that might as easily suck her blood as anyone elses...and yet they're just having a normal conversation.

Ethereal-Star

Laetitia's conscience, a remainder of her humanity and what she used to be, tugged at her heart but her hunger overrode any more hesitation on her part. She nodded and looked around. "I suppose that is best. I am quite hungry after all, and I don't want to lose control either if I can help it."

And she tried to do what Leonel had told her to do, to calm her mind and hone her senses, that of sight and hearing but also smell too. Walking a bit, she thought she detected something, but it was much too faint from where she was at. It almost smelled like charred flesh mixed with a human scent. Or mostly human. There was the hint of something divine as well, and that unintentionally made the vampire cringe, whether or not she was actually disgusted or afraid of such didn't matter. She was a creature of the darkness now and anything of the light would make her uncomfortable. Didn't mean she had to like it though.

Curious as well as tentative, she listened for anything out of the ordinary but all was quiet. "I smell something this way." she pointed to the west a little. "Not an animal but I think I should check it out. It could be important." Without waiting for an answer Laetitia made to head that way.

Argroww

Ameena shrugged, it wasn't like she had anything better to do, and she did smell something odd.  Unlike Laetitia she didn't get any of the divine, but she did get cooked meat.  She suddenly wished she hadn't developed such a good sense of smell as now she was reminded of when a cousin of hers got trapped in a burning barn....this smell was no different, barring that it seemed stronger, she gagged for a moment as the realisation hit her that she might be smelling burning human flesh.

But it was no time to show fear, no, so she followed her new friend, if that's what Laetitia was towards the  west, easily matching the inhuman pace of the young vampire.

"I smell it too Laetitia, I don't like it, but I agree, it's not the smell of an animal."

Ethereal-Star

The smell got stronger the closer they got, and soon Laetitia thought she spied the source of it. Heading over to a dark shape on the ground, it only took a second for her to recognize it as Leonel's black cloak. Picking it up warily, she then saw Leonel. Or what was left of him. A pile of ash, a huge one at that was all that remained of the once fierce male vampire. The smell of something divine was also stronger too, and Laetitia suspected his death was caused by some holy weapon. She dropped the cloak in shock, eyes wide at this realization. Leonel was dead. She was free. Or was she?

-----

A couple miles away a vampire/demon hunter walked on the long, curving cobblestone road, a holy greatsword in his green-tinged hands. The aasimar paladin had done the world another good deed, slaying yet one more foe of the light. A vampire this time, quite a powerful one, but he had managed to overcome it. The vampire may have had the shadows and night as his ally, as well as his superior strength, speed and enhanced senses, but the mighty Hento the Great proved the stronger with his sheer unparalleled strength, holy greatsword and steel armor, as well as all the divine might at his disposal. One blast of holy power followed by a quick strike with his greatsword ended a tiresome battle, with the former vampire now nothing but a pile of ash.

Hento didn't even think 'good riddance' as that was not his style, he merely sheathed his sword and thanked the gods of light for another job well done. It was his duty after all to purge the evil that roamed the lands after dark and in many underground places throughout the world. The death of the vampire was one more mark on his list of successes and nothing more. And so he continued on, to report his success to the Holy Overlord and see what else he had to do.

((A one-time-appearance NPC here. We won't see him again. He was just brought in to explain what happened to Leonel.))

Argroww

Ameena ran up behind Laetitia, wrinkling her nose at the pile of ash.  It was unexpected, from the smell she'd been expecting an actual body.

"Did you know who-ever this was?"

Ameena guessed that the pile was someone Laetitia knew simply by how she held the fragment of cape, there was an odd look on the young vampire's face, Ameena was unable to to determine what the girl was thinking.  However she could see that Laetitia was confused.

Ethereal-Star

Slowly, ever so slowly, Laetitia turned to face Ameena. "It is...was...Leonel. My sire." she said somewhat subdued, unsure whether she should be happy or upset at this revelation. Now she truly had nowhere to go. But at least she didn't have to do anything he asked of her anymore. Now she could pave her own way. But how? It still didn't change the fact that she was now a vampire and couldn't return back to her home.

"I suppose I should be glad of this."

Argroww

"Did you care for him, this Leonel?"

Ameena wasn't really sure what to do or say, she'd not really spent much time comforting others, and even though Laetitia was currently her only friend she was still concious of the girl being a vampire and was concerned what a supportive hug might lead to...would a hug even help a vampire?

Ethereal-Star

Laetitia's nose wrinkled in disdain. "Care for him? Of course not. He took everything from me, my life, my family, my mortality..."

Stopping right there as she felt the tears start to come back and she didn't want to cry now. The gods only knew how many times she had subjected Leonel to her crying fits. She had to hold herself together for she was all she had now. Well, and her newfound 'friend', if that's what Ameena was. If there was one thing the vampire girl was certain about in this situation was the fact that she did not care for Leonel. She hated him in fact. After all, why shouldn't she feel that way?

"I hated him. Still do actually." Laetitia sniffed, both in disgust and at the tears that still threatened to fall. "Because of him, I don't know what to do anymore."

Regaining her composure after a couple minutes, the black-haired girl turned away from the sight then. "Let us go. There is nothing else for us here."

Argroww

Ameena sighed.

"In some ways you are luckier than you think Laetitia, at least you know who to blame for your condition, and that he no longer exists, all I have to blame is what-ever idiot left that bracelet where it was...or maybe myself for wearing it...I mean...vampires can...what it is? I don't know the word, but can make people do stuff, it's not like you really had a choice in what he did to you.  I did, I could have not put it on."

Ameena followed behind Laetitia, for a moment considering the sway to the physically older girl's hips and then blinking herself out of a thought that had never crossed her mind till now.

"Did you know that you cry blood Laetitia?  The younger girl asked in curiosity.

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