Angel in the night (Imperium or DE)

[Charon Nachtweber]

December 13th, 11:07pm

She was all a-glitter, her hair was full of light.
Behind her, the nightclub danced. Her scent filled the night.

Brisk, her pace was homeward in her flight.
She was stalked, unaware. Her scent filled the night.

Up, up the stairs, her flat hid her plight.
She was tortured, ripped. Her scent filled the night.


The scene of the death was simple, but gruesome. Hung from the wall like a piece of art: the body. Unidentifiable at first, bits and pieces slowly showed themselves out of the spreading gore. The woman, a witch by the name of Hilda von Gretlinger, had been skined and eviscerated. The muscles of her abdomen and back had been individually dissected and spread, pinned to the wall, behind her to resemble wings. The muscles on her limbs had likewise been removed, but placed in a pile underneath the hanging body. Her arms were crossed and pinned to her chest. The skinned face was hanging at an angle, giving the entire scene an almost angelic appearance, if it weren't for the blood. Flies had found the corpse and added their own glitter to the scene.

[Markus von Wolfram]

When he arrived on the scene, Markus could honestly say that it was not what he had been expecting when the higher ups told him they needed help with a murder investigation. This was no murder, this was a massacre. It was beyond gruesome and quite frankly it made him sick. As appalling as the whole situation was, Markus gave himself a quick mental pep talk and bolstered his mind, setting himself for the task at hand. Someone needed to take charge of things and stop the useless idiots from milling around and ruining any leads or evidence that might be kicking around. Plus they had to worry about the public.

”Hey, you and you!” He shouted at the two nearest guards. ”Get some pictures of the area and get a perimeter established! Harris, O’Donally, get that body down and covered before the public gets a hold of this!” He was met with some protest but Markus wasn’t in any mood to deal with whiny people today. Besides it was their job. They wanted field ops and now they had to deal with it. ”I don’t care what you lot think is proper or not! Get her down and do your job! As for the rest of you, get to work or bugger off, last thing we need is more reason for people to think we’re nothing but idiots!”

Markus let out a soft frustrated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose as everyone scrambled to get things done. What a bloody nightmare. He moved to kneel down in front of where the body was pinned to the wall, looking for anything that might tip him off as to what had happened. He remembered an old case file that was something similar to this murder. Maybe once he got back to the office he could dig it out. The sounds of foots steps had Markus turning to see who was approaching, hoping they had some sort of good news for him.

[Patrick Doyle]

He

[/size] kills[/size] without a [/size]thought[/font][/right]

Patrick gingerly stepped through the house. Conrad was giggling more than ever, taking special attention to all the chaos. Getting closer to the bustle. Where was the head... Oh. Over there. "Hello, Markus. In the area. What do we have?" No, of course he wasn't part of the Guard, but there was something about murder scenes that pulled their fancy. Besides, he really was nearby when he saw all the Imperiums come charging into the house.

Conrad took a step back and observed the damage. Well, whoever it was tapped into his sick version of artistry. Macabre beauty. "Did you check the premises to see if the perpetrator was still here?" Not that that's what he would have done. That was the difference between he and Markus. "If it were me, I would have stuck around. See who appreciates my art." That probably wasn't helpful. He clapped his hands and spun on the spot until he was facing Markus again. "So, what'll you have me do, Wolfram?"

[/blockquote]

He

[/size] murders all that's good[/left]

Lyrics from "Phantom of the Opera" - "Twisted Every Way"

[Charon Nachtweber]

He dances with moonbeams and caresses
shadows hugging the walls of the crime scene.
The investigators linger, converse,
and ponder the silent, bloody angel.
His work, his art, his piece de resistance
watched the wizarding task force thoughtfully.
From the depths of no-light, from the shadows,
cloaked in a Nosferatu hiding spell,
the predator flashed a fanged expression
flashed contempt, flashed disdain, and chose his prey.
The human, so fresh, so young, so naive
was told to check the ground's perimeter.
Like a young gazelle to watering hole,
the prey left, trailed by Hunger In the Night.
His outcry was loud, was brief, was so sweet.
One more body perfumed the midnight air.

[Markus von Wolfram]

Markus furrowed his brow in slight confusion at the familiarity he was being addressed with. He didn’t recognize the man as being part of the guard… a Death Eater maybe? He hesitated before getting to his feet and offering a hand to the mystery man. ”Well you seem to know me, though I never did catch your name. As for what we have,” he let out a soft sigh. ”We have a mutilated body, no evidence, wide spread panic if word gets out, which it will, and something about this murder is reminiscent of a few older cases…. ”

He casually crossed his arms in front of him and leaned his weight on his back foot, trying to sort through everything he knew, which wasn’t very much in his opinion. As Patrick’s voice filtered in through his thoughts and he glared at him. Did he check the premises? Of course he had! What did Patrick think he was? A fresh recruit? Bloody hell. ”I should have just ignored the fire call. I could be at home, curled up on the couch…” Markus ran a hand through his hair and bit back a fairly scathing reply, instead opting to maintain a professional front.

”Yes, I’ve checked the interior myself and I have two Guards setting up and patrolling a perimeter outside. So if whoever did this is still around he’s not inside.” The Imperium Guard paused a moment trying to figure out what he wanted Pat to do, when a sharp short scream rent the air. ”What the hell?” He wasted no time in heading out the front door letting his eyes scan the area, before setting on what looked to be the body of one of his newer recruits. As he neared what he now recognized as a corpse he swore rather loudly. The young man was staring up in wide eyed shock, his face frozen in fear, throat ripped out and a nasty set of claw marks across his face. ”Shit! What the hell is going on?” Turning to pat he gave the man a questioning look. ”Have you seen anything like this before? Werewolf maybe? Vampire even?”

[Patrick Doyle]

He

[/size] kills[/size] without a [/size]thought[/font][/right]

They grinned. Of course. It wasn't like he advertised himself with the Guard. "M' name's Patrick." And that's all they said on the matter. It was only fair Patrick got his name associated with the face, he was the original. And it was better that way anyway. If anything, the world already knew him as Patrick. The others were just like ... fake passports. But that was getting off track, and their thoughts were cut off by a scream, rather than the talk Markus was doing before hand.

He followed the Guard at a clip pace, not wanting to miss anything. How interesting, another body? They didn't sense anything when they were in the house, nor did they see anything before entering. Very interesting. Whoever did this was very quick. Or invisible. Or both. One must never rule out the "all of the above" option. Conrad tilted his head up and scanned around. Nobody ever looked up either. He was still scanning overhead for a few moments after Markus queried him.

Patrick finally looked at the corpse, squatting next to it and getting as close as he could without touching. "Possibly. I can't say I have much experience with the Supernaturals. They look too..." he trailed off trying to find the word. Artorius popped in a moment, voice changing just a bit in timbre, words a bit more regal. "The marks are much too clean, even with a body ravaged as much as this." He pointed to the edges. "You see here? Animal claws would leave slightly ragged edges. No. These claws are manufactured. Is it possible to test to check if there are any trace elements in the wounds?"

[/blockquote]

He

[/size] murders all that's good[/left]

Lyrics from "Phantom of the Opera" - "Twisted Every Way"

[Charon Nachtweber]

Fools in their ways, infants in their debates,
children in their deductive reasoning.
Fear peppered their diatribes. Delicious.
Claws, glittering but hidden from mortals
were licked clean of sanguinous, red fluid.
A glance, sweeping over his hidden form
betrayed no knowledge of his whereabouts.
Blind, foolish humans. This is why you're prey.

Charon perched on the roof of the squat house, watching the evaluation of his latest kill. They obviously didn't feel safe, but they tried to be brave for each other. It was almost sweet. He laid back on the roof, contemptuous of the skittering livestock below him. The blood sang to him tonight and tingled against his skin. It was good to be alive, good to be free, and good to be hunting again. His brethren may look down on him for wasting the blood of his prey, but there were literally billions more where that came from. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to ever have a shortage of prey. The blasted things bred like rodents, and were apparently that adept at building nests. They were also that smart. The little beasts may have wands, but what good did that do them against a simple shadow cloak spell? The only truly regretful thing about the waste of blood below him is that the feeder's corpse wasn't used to make something more the way the woman's was. Given enough time and inspiration, he could have made the man's death mean something more than his pathetic excuse for a life. Too bad, really.

[Markus von Wolfram]

He nodded as Patrick went on to give his thoughts. Markus really hadn’t dealt much with dark creatures either. The odd werewolf or two if they got out on a full moon and some innocent bystander was attacked, and he’d never seen a vampire, just their handy work. This body though didn’t look like it had been attacked by either creature. He crouched down beside Patrick as he pointed out the claw marks and Markus could only agree with the man’s assessment; the claw marks were far too clean for anything not manufactured. The guard turned his gaze upward, scanning roof tops and alley ways a moment before turning his attention back to his rather surprisingly competent help.

”Mmm, yes a simple diagnostic spell should do the trick I’d think, though the actual Investigations team probably has a better idea of what to use and look for. ” That said, Markus held up his wand and sent it through a couple of complex motions as he muttered the proper words to form the diagnostic scan. ”It should only take a few minutes before we start seeing results if there is any. Bloody hell,” he sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. ”If it wasn’t a dark creature, what would be capable of…who would be capable of killing in cold blood?” The question was more aimed at himself but sometimes Markus just thought better if he voiced his thoughts out loud. He set his mind to running over all the lists and undesirable lists he could think of, trying to come up with a list of suspects. He was coming up frustratingly blank.

As he continued to think her couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. He snapped his gaze up again and looked back toward the house. ”Do you feel that Patrick? I can’t shake the feeling we’re being watched…”

[Patrick Doyle]

He

[/size] kills[/size] without a [/size]thought[/font][/right]

Artorius pushed himself up and brushed his hands on his trousers. "In my experience, any one or any thing capable of killing in cold blood would be considered a dark creature, but I understand what you're hinting at, so don't get your knickers in a twist." Ah, the ending provided by Conrad, truly. Couldn't keep his mouth shut, could he. Artorius surrendered to Patrick once again and went to settle with Conrad. Until...

A slow creeping, a slowly intensifying feeling of awareness crept at their senses, bringing the three of them to high alert. Markus was right. Briefly, they wondered if this was what their marks felt while he was stalking them. It must be. It was unsettling. They should never be on this side. EVER. Conrad snarled, a bit of it escaping, the curl of the lip, a breath of sound. Eyes darted back and forth, even up, but saw nothing. Anxious fingers rubbed against the smooth handle of his wand.

"Where is he? He's here. Somewhere." There had to be no room for fear. Only survival.

[/blockquote]

He

[/size] murders all that's good[/left]

Lyrics from "Phantom of the Opera" - "Twisted Every Way"

[Charon Nachtweber]

"I am
the sword-shatter
the night clatter
the pitter-patter
of a breaking heart"

A feral grin lit the Nosferatu's face as he stood on his lofty perch. He was the true master of all he surveyed. The two pests below him would learn the meaning of fear. He was all too willing to teach. He leaped lightly, springing down to the ground to land amid the chaos he conducted. He was still invisible to their unseeing eyes, and cat footed enough that their unhearing ears would most likely not hear the softness of his footfalls. Most likely.

"I am
the owl cry
the storm sky
the 'God, why?'
of desperation"

Charon slid lightly between the baffled, dangerous, confused, panicking guards. One turned and fired a spell at where he had been standing, hit the fellow who had been behind him, and got punched for his indiscretion. Charon had, before the first spell was cast, moved on closer to the body. It could still prove to be fun for him.

"I am
the dark howl
the wolf's growl
the something foul
that makes you run"

At the scene of his most recent victim, Charon dropped to a squat and ran a single metallic claw from pubis to jaw. The cut opened the abdominal and thoracic cavity to release entrails and blood. So beautiful. In the moonlight, it glittered with dark blood clots. Charon moved silently between the two humans standing over the body, evaluating their faces as they tried to interpret his most recent performance. An older, a younger. Which of the two would receive his next surprise? He whispered the final stanza of his introduction, making the scene, the mood, the defacement of the body that much more intimate.

"I am
the evil grin
the creeping sin
the shrieking din
of demons laughing."

With his final line, he stooped, jerked the head off the dead man, and tossed it gently to the younger of the two human wizards, just to see their reaction. They fancied themselves hunters, if they were trying to track the killer. Charon wanted them to know that this was too big for them. They'd be safer merely running, praying, and hiding. The vampire grinned and moved out of range to watch the new chaos.

[Patrick Doyle]

He

[/size] kills[/size] without a [/size]thought[/font][/right]

Something warm splashed onto his hand. His nerves were running high so he startled and looked at it. At first he didn't recognize it, but slowly the dark color of red seeped into their eyes. What the... They turned around and watched, partly in horror, partly in glee, as dead body was split down the torso. Innards spilled out everywhere and he took an involuntary step back away from the mess. A stench started to rise up from the steaming entrails. What was happening? An invisibility cloak? Disillusionment Charm? Those seemed possible, seeing as they still sensed something, something, watching them.

A moment, then the corpse's head was ripped off and tossed at Patrick. TOSSED! Of all things. And it bounced off his head, splattering blood on his face, before rolling on the ground. Flew from the dead body... AT HIS FACE! Splattering HIS FACE with ... blood and other bodily fluids. Artorius took over immediately and took a few steps away from the crime scene, lest he contaminate it with his vomit. Sure they were used to the sight and smell of bloody, but to have a dead head smash into his face was a bit much. Patrick had even retreated far away to deal with this oddity, leaving Conrad to bust over laughing. Despite the taste of blood in their mouth.

Artorius wiped his mouth angrily. He was here. The bastard was here, right in front of them. And they missed it. Pride wounded, Artorius started casting detection spells, anything to reveal who was there. The effort turned up nothing. "No. He's still here." he growled, half to himself, half to Markus, before letting loose a string of curses, all the while still scanning around.

[/blockquote]

He

[/size] murders all that's good[/left]

Lyrics from "Phantom of the Opera" - "Twisted Every Way"

[Markus von Wolfram]

His growing sense of unease continued to keep the Captain on edge, as he continued to let his eyes scan the immediate area. Even though his eyes couldn’t see anything, Markus couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. The sound of panicking followed shortly had Markus tuning to look behind him just in time to see one of his guards firing off a spell at who knows what, only to hit his partner. He narrowed his eyes and was preparing to stalk over to the two useless idiots to give them a dressing down like they’d never had, only to hear a quiet stanza of a poem followed by the sound of tarring… ”Patrick what are you-”

Markus spun on his heel, wand raised in order to defend. From what he had no idea, but what he saw rocked him to the core and as much as he wanted to just turn tail and run and the site of the corpse being opened from bottom to top, all he could do was stare in mute fascination. He didn’t even blink until the head was torn off and thrown toward Patrick and once everything had a chance to process he was hard pressed not to follow the other mans lead and hurl.

Obviously the killer was here and toying with them and that single thought seemed to spur the captain into gear. Invisible. He had to be invisible; a cloak, a spell, an item… Mother of Merlin….Finte Incantum. Finite Incantum!” he shouted, concentrating the spell on the area where he figured the killer was lurking. He was rewarded with a slight shimmer and a glimpse of an unfamiliar face.

[Charon Nachtweber]

Oh the sight was so precious! One was vomiting and the other was nearly to that point. These two were far more entertaining than the typical cannon fodder that was milling about the rest of the house. No, these two, outside...they were his new toys to play with until it was time to return to his thrall's domicile.

The elder of his two toys began playing back, trying to use his feeble human spells to find the great Nosferatu killer. It would be amusing if he scored a hit, since he would be revealed. After several attempts, Charon's toy had success. The hiding spell rippled like water around the vampire's form, revealing him like a shark beneath the surface of the night. As a reward for his new plaything's quick thinking and spellwork, Charon allowed the spell to drop. He spread his hands at hip level and hissed at Markus, grinning through his fangs. With a leap, he was on the man, face to face with one hand around his throat. He kneeled on the man's chest and smiled, revealing his shark's teeth again. The five silver claws did no more than leave pinpricks of blood against the human's throat, and the sight of crimson on cream made the vampire happy. He kissed the wizard's forehead and leapt again, back onto the building's structure. He climbed quickly, using his claws to gain leverage. Once he was again on the roof he cast his illusion spell to melt back into invisibility.

[Patrick Doyle]

He

[/size] kills[/size] without a [/size]thought[/font][/right]

How had Markus kept his cool during what just happened? Oh, right. He did this for a living. Bloody bastard. They still swung around, searching for anything out of the ordinary, any sense of feeling or slight waver in sight. Conrad giggled uncontrollably at his companion's swear of choice. How interesting. Though his amusement was short lived. It miffed them a bit (okay, a lot) to know that it was Markus's spell that uncovered their quarry, rather than his own. That thought was almost immediately dispelled as the ... what was it? ... that thing launched itself at the Imperium Guard.

Fangs ... and silver claws. Augmented silver. Definitely man made. Killer. Prey. Animal. Predator. Awe. Fear. Fascination. Thoughts and words and fragments whirled through their head. The thing, vampire, leaned over the knocked over Guard and Patrick snapped back into motion. "Accio..." In an untimely and unusual lack of inspiration, he floundered around, eyes landing on the first thing he could use as a weapon. "Accio hoe!" Wryly, Conrad hoped it wouldn't be a living one that came to their hands. They weren't that interested and it would be difficult to explain.

As soon as his hand closed around smooth wood, he swung the weapon at the vampire, not that he actually believe he'd hit the thing, but at the moment, they were more worried about accidentally cursing the Guard, then about the possibility of Markus's death. That would be fun to explain to the higher ups. Just as the metalhead got close, the thing leapt again, catching hold of the building's wall. Patrick used the momentum to swing the hoe around enough to launch it like a javelin, swearing when he missed again.

He kept his eye on the vampire, grinding his teeth when it again vanished. Without turning his gaze down to the fallen man, he ground out, some what concerned, "You alright there, Markus? Didn't feed on you, did it?"

[/blockquote]

He

[/size] murders all that's good[/left]

Lyrics from "Phantom of the Opera" - "Twisted Every Way"

[Markus von Wolfram]

When whatever it was hissed and barred its teeth Markus took a step back without really thinking about it. What was it? Vampire? He was barley given a chance to blink before the creature was on him. Markus landed hard on his back and let out a startled squeak when the sliver claw closed around his throat and a heavy weight settled on his chest. Instinctively he latched onto the arm and tried to pull it off. He may as well have been trying to move a building for the fat lot of good it did him. How was it possible for something to be this strong?

Markus was sure he paled considerably when it barred its razor sharp fangs again and leaned in close. This was it. He was going to die unless Patrick did something. When the creature however leaned in and kissed his forehead Markus swung a fist at his attacker with everything he had, thinking for sure he was about to have his throat tore out. A ‘whoosh’ followed by the disappearance of the heavy weight was the only indication he had that Pat was doing anything; and it was only then he realized that at some point in the last three or four seconds he had shut his eyes.

The captain pushed himself up on shaky arms and scrambled backward until he hit something fairly solid. Patrick. Thank Merlin. At the man’s query to his well being, Markus shot a hand up to rub his neck where the sliver clawed hand had been only moments before, his other hand still holding his wand in a white knuckled grip. ”Y-yeah, I think so…” Was he ok? Ha! Who in their right mind would be ok after being hit by a severed head or attacked by some insane …vampire, it had to be a vampire. ”No, it didn’t get its teeth into me thankfully. What the hell was it? Vampire?”