Blood Ties [Closed/Dracula]

[Meridith Sheppard]

You wouldn't find the word Quincy in the history books, but they were there if you knew how to look. Meridith might not have seemed like it but she was a diligent student of her people's history and was well versed in the various branches and their stories. She knew the names, and that was key. They might not have called them Quincy in the books but their names were written there, sometimes between the margins.

She had settled on her course and what lay ahead was strife. But she was done stumbling half prepared into disaster after disaster. She was going to prepare herself but to do that she knew she'd need supplies. Her family was right out, not a chance that if she returned to them they'd welcome her easily, let alone help her out. She suspected the rest of the Vaughn clan would be out too if only out of respect for her family. These days it was was hard to tell which families would remain active and so to avoid tipping her hand she thought to check out some of the old clan strongholds.

She had her mind on something specific.

She didn't like the idea of disturbing her people's ancient homes but she was certain that her ancestors would want her to make use of whatever they left behind. These were the places that once housed the clans in their day-to-day work against Hollow, and eventually, against the Shinigami.

All she had to do was check the references, call in a favour to one of the few people she was sure wouldn't rat her out and after a few weeks (timed well with her recovery) she was off.

She hopped on a train out to Frankfurt, another to Vienna and a final one where she managed to catch some sleep from Vienna all the way to Craiova. One day of travel and she passed through three languages. She might have had some competent French, and German but she muddled her way through the rest. If struggling with a barrier language was the hardest part of her journey then she would count herself lucky.

By that point she went by foot, she'd been given a reliable location, and with a compass and a map, she departed the hour or so journey through Brestei, through Mofleni and across the Jiu river. From there it was guesswork. Such a place wasn't going to pop up on a tourist guide and while she extracted what she could from the locals, her weakness with the language made it difficult at best to figure out anything more than ominous wonderings. Though, she chalked up most of it to her own internalized fear of hearing Romanian spoken aloud.

A castle in the middle of the woods. Abandoned and unknown. Once, it was a stronghold of the Quincy, those of the Ardeleanu clan but they had all been killed, some four hundred years ago. Shinigami.

She dressed in her uniform for the journey, she travelled light these days, a single bag with a (new) phone, long since turned off. A single change of clothes. Some cards for identification and interaction with the modern world, and food and water for a day or two. In her hands were a map and a compass that she habitually checked every minute bordering on obsessively.

And she went, checking paths, and going down routes, trying her intuition.

A hike which should have taken a few hours led her through the woods until the sun went down but resigned as she was she kept until at last-

It was the clearing that indicated her arrival finally. Strange, she thought, she would have expected it to be overgrown. Nonetheless, eager to arrive anywhere, she made her way forth. The reflection of the moon provided a grim and impressive outline of the castle.

It stopped her in the wonder of a place which seemed so impossible still remained as she imagines it had near five hundred years ago. She stopped and marvelled at what was now sinking into the wonderous potential and accomplishment of her people. She pressed open the door and made her way inside. There was no way she was going to make it back out of here tonight. One night in the spooky castle in the middle of the woods in the foreign land.

She made her way by the dim light of what should have served as the flash of the camera of her new phone. By the light of the moon she was alright outside, but within was another story. With no fear of the dark she pressed on boldly, but it was hard not to imagine something lurking behind every long shadow, and think of who might dwell within. Part of her wondered if she should have brought something to protect herself in case she needed to. Part of her still felt normal she realized, and she scolded herself.

While trying to find a spot that seemed the least likely to invite spiders while she rested she found herself drawn onward to explore. A stairway down led to what she expected to be some horrid dungeon (sorry ancestors, she thought quickly) but instead, she found herself faced with the bones of her people.

She hesitated upon the precipice of the catacomb and felt a deep reverence fill her. She treaded softer, lingered between the spaces with quiet prayers spoken for the long deceased. So caught up in it she almost stumbled face into the door and the Ginto spell upon it.

She stopped and studied the door for a long moment. She smiled, it was almost like it had been waiting for her. In the ancient home of her people, amidst the catacombs where they lay, Meredith tread and stumbled upon the hidden secrets. She hesitated for a moment, perhaps it was simply where further bones lay? She lingered for a moment, determined to restore the spell should it be something so precious.

It didn't take her long, Ginto was a fascination of hers, especially that which worked on the principals of barriers, though it had impressive potency for something she expected to be dormant for so long. She unleashed a tube of her own, sending out a sharp spike that caused the work to unravel. At last, unbarred, she moved to open the door and-

[Dracula]

With a book in hand, a glass of wine by his side, and a fire to his front, Dracula rested in a chamber far to the top and deep within his castle. With no window, you could only tell he was there by the smoke rising from the back of the castle. Given the nighttime conditions, that would be rather difficult in of its self. With a long nail, he flipped the page and reached for his glass. The robust sweetness wet his lip before he held the book out and began a performance.

"Do you believe in destiny? That even the powers of time can be altered for a single purpose? That the luckiest man who walks on this earth is the one who finds... true love?" His voice was theatrical and overly played into the stereotypical Dracula voice. He mocked the portrayal before taking another drink. "I don't know where they got this shit from. Then again, I'm not entirely sure why they even started calling me Dracula. Superstitious peasants now turned romance hungry. Bleh."

As stack of guilty pleasures sat on a book shelf waiting to be read. All of them modern fantasy takes on the vampire myth. A veritable who's who of must reads when it came to the subject. Honestly, they didn't capture his self image but the more he read them the more he consumed them and the more he got into the habit of reading them. It was a vicious cycle that he honestly couldn't say he was proud of. Still, the ease and abundance of information in this age was quite convenient. If he were to sum up his age with one word it would've been "war." To sum up this age in one word he'd choose "convenience." Convenient food, convenient travel, convenient information. The humans had shrunken the world down to fit in their pockets and yet simultaneously lost their connection to it. It was... interesting to look at from afar and made him appreciate walking slowly at times.

His moment of silent profound extrospection would be cut short though. A silent alarm of Ginto magic alerted the Bount to an intruder in the catacombs. It was a spell cast over 400 years ago, he was surprised it still function. Even better, he was awarded a tiny bit of joy by the fact that the spell still recognized him as an Ardeleanu Quincy. In a calm manner, Dracula set down his book, finished his glass, and rose from his chair. With an unnatural motion, the cape draped over his shoulders wrapped around his body and collapsed in on its self until there was no trace of the man having stood there.

Down in the catacombs, the cloaked slightly unfurled its self behind the intruder. A dauntingly tall Dracula with eyes crimson red and talons for nails gripped tightly- ready to rake the head clean off of an intruder- stood over delectable prey. A tiny, short, skinny little girl. Her bright red hair stood out even in the near darkness of the dank cobblestone catacomb. She's clean and kept but had bothered to hike all the way out to the castle on foot. Her boots were dirty with old mud and her pants scratched by foliage. Hitchhiker seeds had covered the lower reaches of her pants. The most interesting thing about her though, was the room she was entering. This was an armory of Quincy exclusive gear. Not the swords and armors that decorated the castle or the trinkets and gifts kept in the cellar above. The spell that alerted Marius to this intrusion was tied to the Ginto barrier that was placed on this area. The castle itself could collapse and this room would be left unharmed. She couldn't have broken it by brute force. She had to have known enough unravel the barrier but not enough to suspect the alarm. Likewise, she couldn't have been Aldeleanu because they would know to use their crosses as keys to enter. A graverobber? A shinigami? Well, it wouldn't do to kill someone this thoughtful with a sneak attack. He could interrogate her while she quivered in fear.

"Ce șobolan se scurge în casa mea?" He assumed Romanian speech in a booming and sudden voice. He spoke aggressively but took the time to enunciate properly. He stood upright to get the full effect of his giant stature. His boots clapped on the cobblestone floor as he almost marched after the girl. His right hand flexed, presented forward from the cape like is was a sword to be swung at her neck. He bared his fangs and hissed from down inside his throat. Dracula; tall, dark, and taking up nearly the entire hallway that lead to the only exit from this tomb.

[Meridith Sheppard]

She screamed. It wasn't very dignified, but it was loud. She spun so quickly she became a blur of Quincy colours and red hair. She stumbled backwards as she went, bumping into the half-opened door which creaked a couple of inches and only served to make her yelp again. Surprised as she was she caught next to nothing of what he said to her, maybe...house? But it barely mattered because given the sight that presented itself before her first thought was 'Hollow Monster' and not 'Man Whose House I've Broken Into". The hissing probably went a long way towards that. Her phone clattered the ground in a sound that indicated there was a new crack across the screen.

A spark of blue light formed atop her chest, outlining the cross she wore around her neck.

Her hand thrust forward towards him, and in the span between them, a blue light shone. The forming weapon filled the corridor of the catacombs with long shadows, illuminating their expressions. She wore a visage of fear but stood firm fixing his gaze with hers as she readied to defend herself from whatever had snuck up on her. A blade took shape in her hands as the light on her 'cross' faded. The blade an unusual form but unmistakably Quincy to anyone who might recognize such things.

Then as the light of her weapon made clear that it wasn't Hollow she was facing, but man (probably? were those fangs???) she hesitated, back pressed against the half-open door. A moment passed before she spoke.

"I didn't mean any harm I-! S-sorry!" she managed, her tone tense but sounding suddenly much more embarrassed than scared? Like she was more worried about having done something wrong than whatever threat the sizable and ominous figure presented? But then again, it wasn't like she lowered her weapon either. "I thought this place was abandoned," She paused briefly, realizing that didn't sound good but pressing on anyway. "Why are you here?"

[Dracula]

Not a rat, a mouse. A scared little mouse with a shrill scream as she landed on her butt and backed inches away. From down there, he must've seemed a giant. His left hand reached out from his cape, ready to hoist the girl up. The interrogation could continue with her pinned to a wall and maybe a bit of flesh torn from her body. A blue light halted the Bount's approach though. Contrary to the light blinking his night vision, those blood red orbs of his reverted to normal. Wide eyed and shocked a blade made of reishi was manifested in the girl's hand. That sound, that color, that feeling. It was enough to make his eyes water. That left arm that had been reaching for the girl drifted closer but went right past. Instead, it tapped on the door beyond and opened it fully.

Ginto lamps lit up the large bedroom sized hold with blue reishi burning light. Capes and clothing made for Quincy combat. Large bows and staves. Ginto capsules and bizarre machines that they use to make materials directly from Reiryoku. It was an ancient armory of the guns and bullets used by the Quincy on their god given quest to save the world. A giant Ardeleanu cross decorated the back wall of the room.

"Abandoned, yes. You could say that." He switched to English for her and his voice turned much softer. There was an emotion of remorse and relief to it. Not only had a Quincy finally arrived but she had opened this door that remained locked to him for all this time. Though he lived here, the castle never welcomed him back because he was not Quincy any longer. With this door open though, his mind's eye seems the memories of him and his brother and his cousins hard at work in this room. They had such dreams back then- a better world. "I linger here like a plus, unable to completely detach myself from this history. You may call me Marius and you are the first Quincy to set foot in this castle in over four hundred years."

Claws and fangs retracted, the man took his cape in hand and gave a deep bow to the young girl.

[Meridith Sheppard]

She waited there, blade tilted towards him appearing for all intents and purposes like she might actually use it against him when she noticed that he noticed it too. He didn't look surprised that she could materialize a weapon out of thin air, he looked surprised that she had. It stopped him that whatever violence he was contemplating ceased and she...well she didn't relax but she remember to breathe at least.

He reached forward, and past her and the door opened. She scrambled out of his way and up, and then pivoted behind him in one elegant swoop. She held the blade up a moment longer as the lamps within the room lit up casting beautiful ethereal reishi light across the two.

She tilted the blade down, at last, left it summoned but held it passively, flat side against her hip as if it were sheathed. He was like her? Or at least, he knew about what he had here. This was his home, she could tell by the way he moved through it. Then she saw past him and into the room and beheld the objects within and stared at last dropping if not her guard then the hostility that she might do anything unprovoked.

So far she'd been right on the money that she'd find what she was looking for, but she hadn't accounted the possibility it was still inhabited. Maybe it would work out? He seemed friendly enough now that he wasn't threatening to kill her. He was even kind enough to switch to English and she was starting to think she was right, maybe Romanian did just sound like that? She didn't speak afterwards, just watched as he looked around the space she had opened.

The way he spoke though spelled a worrisome conspiracy in her mind. Lingering like a plus? Detached from history? The name Marius definitely set her on edge, not to mention that four hundred years remark!

Oh knock it off, she chided herself. Spooky castle, long shadows, you just got scared alright. What, are you gonna accuse him of being a vam-

She was dragged out of her thoughts in surprise as he bowed deeply before her and without hesitation, she placed one foot in front of the other and bent her knees returning a courtly curtsy. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Marius. I am Meridith Sheppard. Quincy, as you surmised. I apologize for trespassing, sir. Are you the caretaker? Or did we each happen by fate to this ancient place?" She rose back up, blade held casually away still providing a backlight to her silhouette.

[Dracula]

"Caretaker?" There was a jovial tone while still being slightly offended as he moved deeper into the room. "In a manner of speaking." A nail dragged across the wooden table as he reminisced on fond memories; memories of being Marius- not Dracula. In those times there wasn't really a "lord" of the castle. A council of Quincy elders managed things. Leadership was determined by experience and skill level, they were a warrior tribe after all. The castle didn't have room for people that couldn't get a job done. There was pride to be had there... before the shinigami murdered them all. His fingers played with the fabric of a Quincy emblazoned cape that was supposed to be resistant to a hollow's cero.

"I am Lord of the castle and the surrounding lands. So named by President Klaus Johannis of Romania." Originally named such by the kings of Wallachia to help persuade him to deal with the Ottoman empire. After being resurrected in modern times Marius decided to pay the current leader of the country a visit. It only took a light manner of negotiation for the President to respect Dracula's wishes. A mild smile crept on one side of his lip as he remembered the evening fondly. Unconditional and completely discreet autonomy. In exchange, no enemy of the country would be permitted entry through his land so long as the castle remained there.

"What brought you to this old castle Meridith? Surely there's nothing here that a young Quincy girl could need." The trinkets abound must've been relics by this age. Ginto capsules and fabrics fashion from reishi given physical form. Sanrei gloves and physical bows were all well and good but just crutches for a Quincy's true powers. Powers that Marius hadn't even reached in his time.

[Meridith Sheppard]

Meridith kept her distance outside the room, back towards the exit primarily but also because she had not been invited in, and all her lessons about protocol had taken over. Not just because she was in her Quincy apparel and represent herself as a member of her clan but because she was in a goddamn castle!!! She watched him move his way through the room, touched the table. Had he not been in there? The Ginto had been there for a while and if he wasn't Quincy then she supposed it would have been impossible to open it.

She smiled faintly at his offence at being called a caretaker, she supposed he must have picked up that she was implying squatter? She listened as he explained his role and paused. Did the government still appoint castles and Lords? That didn't seem right, but then she didn't really have the knowledge of Romania to challenge it. So, then that was her decision. Was he mad or was he the actual lord?

Judging by his appearance, she was embarrassed to admit she believed him. After all, he recognized her nature.

"I...well." She was stopped by the question, not really having thought that she might have to explain the situation to someone else. Would he understand? Would he scold her? Would he refuse her? She could take a moment and craft a lie, a good one that was more truth than deception, the kind of lie that she would even believe herself. But...

If she couldn't admit to others what she was doing, it felt like it would be admitting to herself that she wasn't really sure of it herself. Besides, if he refused her-

Well. Better to cross that bridge if it came to it.

"I've come seeking some tools of the Quincy. Specifically, a Laiden Hant, or Sanrei Glove but any other tools I might be able to use." She gestured gently. "I can't turn to my clan right now," She left it vague for now and considered what she might say if she was pressed. "I've decided to take up the Hunt and I've gotten in enough trouble already from not having what I needed."

Her gaze grew a bit more serious, she took a half step forward. "For what it's worth, I think a 'young Quincy girl'-" uhoh "-could use a lot of these things better than how they're currently being used." Her eyes traced over to the disturbed motes of dust before settling back on him.

[Dracula]

Marius grew quiet and contemplative. The Laiden Hant was indeed a powerful Quincy artifact that could elevate a warrior to new heights. Primarily a training device, their images could vary but the general function was the same. The material actually repels reishi, primarily serving to make it harder for a Quincy to summon their spiritual weapon. The trainee is forced to compensate and become more proficient in reishi collection. It sounds simple enough in writing but the training of the Laiden Hant is fairly extreme. By tradition, one should manifest their bow and fire arrows as often as possible for an entire week. It is exhausting, grueling, and even damaging to the Quincy. Afterwards, your speed, power, and efficiency have increased but this wasn't the most dangerous part of the glove. The glove leads to a technique used only when more than your life is on the line; because your life as a Quincy is over when it is finished.

That technique was called Letzt Stil. Removing the limiting nature of the glove activates a state of being for the Quincy that greatly exceeds normal human limitation. The reishi consumption of the form produce is staggeringly efficient. It grants the Quincy user ample amounts of resources. At the same time though, it burns out the Quincy's ability to process reishi. By the time the technique is over, they are left dried out and never able to use their powers again. This is a fate worse than death for a Quincy warrior. Before his transformation into a Bount, Marius would consider this the worst fate possible.

He had the glove she was looking for, even did his best to not look at the bespoke wooden box where one was kept. He just didn't know if it was the right thing to give this girl such an item. If she couldn't go to her clan for one, there must be good reason. He wanted to... for a variety of reasons. There just needed to be a bit of testing to calm his conscience.

"A grave robber then." A gravely voice to imitate a villainous persona. "The only thing you'll receive here is a swift and painless death." With a sudden step that gave a deep base noise, Dracula moved to the young girl's rear. If she had experience with stronger hollow she might recognize the noise as being close to Sonido. Fangs bared and claws extended, Marius sought to rake the girl's back with a swift sweep of his arm.

[Meridith Sheppard]

There was a shift in the energy between them. Meridith didn't catch it at first, of course, she was giving her sass assuming the best of others. If it had been a few months prior, she might not have been ready for it. A few weeks ago, she wouldn't have had still had her weapon out, she wouldn't have noticed what was happening until it was too late.

She leaned back and raised her left hand up, empty palm and tried to explain herself. "Wait I'm no-" she began.

The buzz of static cut through her words, familiar but she had no time to process that familiarity, she was moving. It was an elegant movement, she pivoted on her heel in time to face him, leaned back at such an angle she was sure to fall but also just out of reach of his claws and lashed out with her blade. The cut, should it land, would be shallow but vicious and sharp, appropriate of a fully formed Quincy weapon and well restrained.

Despite looking like she was about to fall she seemed to move impossibly from her sharp angle. Meridith skipped backwards on the air itself as she performed a graceful Hirenkyaku sliding back into the threshold of the armoury and pulling herself upright. She levelled the blade between them and swept her left hand across the flat slide. He would see the Reishi beckon to the edge of the blade as it might a bow. She raised the blade up and prepared to launch a cascade of energy out towards him, then stopped.

Whether because she was uncertain of hurting him, or of possibly damaging the bones of her ancestors was unknown, perhaps a bit of both? She fixed him with a fierce expression, clear that in the battle between adrenaline and anxiety, adrenaline was winning the day.

"...I'm NOT here to loot the belongings of my ancestors like some thief! I intend to walk in their footsteps, and not my clan, nor the Hollow, nor the Shinigami, nor you, whatever you are! Are going to stop me from doing that! If you won't help me, then fine! I'll find my own way forward! But I suggest you get the hell out of my way if you don't want to join the rest of these bones!" The slightest of tremors in the tip of her blade suggested a bluff, but who could say which way it'd go if the chips fell. Perhaps it was obvious she hadn't picked up that it might have been a test.

[Dracula]

Hirenkyaku. Not bad but basic. This isn't a game of tag.

Meridith moved out of the way of Dracula's claw and countered with her own slash. He saw it all only because she was lacking in a killing spirit. He wasn't so much hit by the glowing blue spirit weapon as he decided to hit it himself. His claw followed through and struck into the sword's path. A bitter sting but temporary all the same. With the contact he felt the stability of her reishi manipulation and tested the power behind its density. With distance between them, Meridith held up her sword and began to shift it into a ranged attack. It was Quincy battle tactics 101. The only unorthodox thing about it was her choice of flavor. Was she seriously going to start shooting beams from her sword? It mildly insulted him how similar to a shinigami it was.

The girl barked her conviction in words to reply to Marius's accusations but words weren't going to convince him. He presented his sliced palm to her. The blood stopped in real time and the wound began closing on its own. With a closing fist knuckles popped and crackled. An opening palm with presented claws and the slice was gone.

"Shallow cuts, shallow conviction Meridith." A snarling hiss as he sought to keep his prey in close quarters. A quick step forward with his body attempting to push her into a corner. A feral haymaker of a slash with his claw once more. The terrain favored him over traditional Quincy fighting. She chose a sword instead of a bow though. Maybe she could teach this old man something new.

[Meridith Sheppard]

She watched, blade readied as he presented the shallow cut she delivered and watched as it regenerated in front of her very eyes. She knew he wasn't human, that much was obvious to her now. She'd been spending too much time wandering around like a normal person, and she could hear it, his strange discordant chorus.

L̷̤̮͎̲̟͉̥͖̼͇̽̾̈́̉̄̈́͘̕͜͜ͅį̸̧̖̠̱̤͔͕̊̐̀̏͘͘ͅͅk̴̢̛͙̙̦̩̩̫̲̹̣̦̹͗́̾̉̃͐̽ȩ̴̧̝͍̫̮̺̤͙̙̥͖̤̘̳͊̓̍̌̐̓̒̍̔͝ ̶͓̝̪̬͖̻̱͕̃́ḩ̵̭̤̲̹͓̬̲͍̇͛è̶̺̥̘͓̻̂͌͠r̸̙̔̍͋̀̊̑́̾͠s̶̜̲̙̺͕͐̅͋͗͋̇͛͐̾̈́͋̅̿͘͝.̵̖͉̩̎̔͂̆̔̈͐̐̂ "Nnn..." She let out a quiet sound, perhaps it would seem like disgust or displeasure on his ears. He wasn't normal, but despite all the appearances he didn't seem Hollow either. So what was he? She didn't have a word for it.

Vampire.

Mm...

She went to argue with his words but found it would come up flat. She done as she had intended, to deliver a shallow cut out of a warning. She did this because she wasn't sure he was trying to hurt her, or because she thought maybe she was in the wrong? As she tried to argue her conviction she remembered the sight of that Shinigami, helpless at her feet. The one who swore he'd killed her ancestors. And she couldn't bring herself to do it then so, was he wrong to accuse her of a lack of conviction?

That she might, when someone who presents themselves as Hollow, who attacks without warning, fret about hurting them?

That she had when someone goaded her with the slaughter of her ancestors and tried to kill her after she tried to save their life, spare them?

She was forced back in this contemplation, her blade danced against his claws. It was difficult to keep up with such an unconventional effort, but the blade was natural in her hands. Despite best efforts, she found herself pressed backwards against the wall.

So what then? Apologize for the misunderstanding while he tore her apart? Hope she might be able to clear it up as she bled to death? Was timidity to be how she armed herself in a crusade to change the world? Better she turn home now if she was afraid of someone getting hurt.

"You've been warned!" she hissed.

She pressed her teeth tight and let out a sharp cry as she launched forward. She bore the blade in both hands as she went, slashing a wide arc that carried with it a wave of Reishi that served as the projectile from the blade threatening to bisect him if he blocked her way. Any energy that made it past detonated against the stonework in what she prayed would miss the final resting place of her people.

She placed a hand behind her back and raised the longsword like a rapier as she forced a few steps of distance between them. With any luck, he'd approach again, and the tiny silver tube amidst the rubble on the floor would go unnoticed.

[Dracula]

Cutting your way through me. Using the minute difference in range between your sword and my arm to maintain distance. Moving in circles so that you don't get cornered by a more aggressive opponent. You have some skill and training. I wonder then why you have had to distance yourself from your clan. I have not seen a Quincy in this age. I thought them dead. Perhaps then, they are hiding. Perhaps the, they have given up their sworn duty in favor of cowering from Shinigami.

Marius's eyes shifted to a blood red as he placed actual genuine effort into his survival. From the literal belly of the beast came a maw made from his own blood. Teeth clamped down on the girl's crescent energy attack. With a harsh chomp it shattered the density of the reishi and swallowed it all into the endless pit below. As a Bount, Marius could not eat Meridith's soul with committing suicide. Reishi in its pure form, however, did not carry that limitation.

He turned casually to face her fencing stance with that bloody maw retracting back into his belly. In his time, fencing had been largely relegated to sport competition. Moverover, a Quincy is trained in a bow- not a sword. He didn't know how to combat her maneuvers properly. His only choice was to rely on brute force and the healing factor that she did not posses. Even still, he just wanted to test one more thing. She was skilled enough but he wanted to see something truly lethal from her.

"Dance around all you like. Your stamina will run out long before mine. I will bite out your neck and gorge on your blood little girl! Face me now Meridith!" He didn't notice the ginto cylinder she had placed while his back was turned but wanted to see her go for a kill. A rage driven rush came from him with his own arm now chambered like a spear to be thrust into her heart. At the same time, he hardened his blood into a shield- fully intending to take an extreme amount of damage from her.

[Meridith Sheppard]

Him eating the arrow was...interesting. Interesting in a way that she'd have to file away later for unpacking. Still, it bought her the time she needed. There was probably something she could utilize that for if given the chance. Game-plan.

She wasn't sure if her gambit with the Ginto tube would land or not but it was really more of a secondary concern. The fencing stance was just to sell it, she had no idea how to fight like a fencer, and certainly not with a weapon like hers. Thankfully, it appeared her choice of weapon was perplexing enough to cover up her attempted ruse.

The black eyes unsettled her, was this for real? The shift was so abrupt, was he mad? She couldn't really afford to treat it as anything but life or death. The melody of his chorus changed, something like high strings. Hollow in nature, definitely.

It was a quick reminder of something extremely necessary. She had to be ready to defend herself, people wouldn't pull their punches for her. Whether she wanted to or not, to survive she'd have to be willing to fight back and that meant sometimes people would get hurt, and she'd have to accept that sometimes that meant they might die.

But. She was Meridith, and she was going to do this her way, the right way. Anyone could hurt someone, it was simple and she didn't intend to take any easy roads. She would defend herself if it failed but it didn't mean she wasn't going to -try-.

Behind her back, she snapped her fingers as Marius began to approach. At once the burst of reishi from the capsule, one of her very few remaining, sprang into the spellwork that was left behind forming a bright blue barrier cutting him off from approaching her. A long shot, but judging by the age of the barrier she had taken down and his reaction to entering the domain she had a feeling he wasn't able to undo Ginto and if he couldn't perhaps she could simply leave him here. In either event, it'd buy her a moment to center herself and maybe him to get ahold of himself, though he looked the type to take afront at being caged like an animal.

"When that barrier goes down, if you haven't explained yourself, and turned from this path I'm going to hurt you." She pointed her blade towards him, through the barrier. "I don't wish to fight you amongst the bones of my ancestors. They deserve their rest, but if you make me then I will." No more hesitation, her eyes focused on him, the waver in the tip of her blade faded. She extends her left hand to the base of the blade, focusing a dim blue light. He might have been able to consume the last one, but not the next, she was sure of that.

[Dracula]

Halted immediately from his advance, Marius came face to face with a sheet of reishi. As fast as he could turn his gaze, the barrier was erected all around him from top to bottom. He looked down to notice a silver glint on the floor. A Ginto capsule, a ginto spell. Yes, she was able to let down the barrier that gave her access to this room in the first place. It would make sense that she could pull off this sort of trick. She chastised the old man with words once more. As she did, he ran his claws along the barrier in an inspecting manner. Good density, good form. It wasn't the first time she had done this. Probably a go to trick. But it was telling. From these few exchanges, Marius had learned everything he needed to know about Meridith's past. He read her like one of his books and by this chapter he knew, she was not ready for what she sought. It didn't mean she was hopeless though. There was still give to this lump of clay. There was still room for molding.

"Is running away all you can do Meridith?" There was almost a paternal disappointment as he attempted to cut her with his words. This was a bit of distraction though. He sought to use her own trick against her and hide something under the floor. "Did you run away from your clan? Not liking the decisions they made for your life, did you strike out on your own to become a Quincy warrior? Did your grandparent tell you stories about them? Out on your own, without them to protect you, did you find the world you were looking for? Hollow and shinigami and monsters? Did you watch someone die and not have the power to stop it Meridith? And did you think that having the glove would give you the strength to get the job done?"

Through the floor and rubble came up a living pool of blood. Marius had been draining himself, slowly, from behind his back. It crept in the same crevice that the ginto tube had been hidden in. From under the barrier came a replica of Marius; crimson and liquid but standing on its own. It wasn't just the physical appearance that separated it from the man though. It had a glee on its face in the eyes and across its lips. There was no trace of the somber, remorse, or reluctance that came off of the man's physical body.

"You misunderstand the very basic fundamentals! Your entire reasoning is backwards! Power doesn't create resolve, resolve is the source of power! You wanted to hunt monsters. There is a monster in front of you. Hunt, Quincy!"

More feral and savage than Marius had been, this thing had more abandon and less care for the range her weapon possessed. It did not fight with swiping claws. It fought with an open mouth and a gurgling roar as it sought to sink its teeth into whatever chunk of Meridith it could grab hold of.

[Meridith Sheppard]

She watched as he prodded at the barrier, wary and ready for whatever was to come next. She wasn't really sure what his nature really was but she knew that if this failed that was it, no more chance of this ending without bloodshed.

He wasn't the first person to be disappointed in her, and he was certain not to be the last, it wasn't anything new. If she wanted to be in the good graces of dinosaurs she wouldn't have set out on this path. As much as she wished to honour her ancestors, this way was hers, and hers alone. Still, she felt a heat grow in her stomach. She was going to hurt him, and she didn't want to do it for some childish reason like being angry with him for being mean. Still, it was hard not to bite back and keep the bile from slipping free. She was so tired of being judged, being told what was righteous by people who so obviously had decided what was righteous was oddly convenient for them and their well-being.

At last, the words escaped her lips "That's not why I want th-" ah come now, silly child. Did you really fall for that? At that moment she felt the pool forming, she slipped back and stared in shock at the thing standing before her. She anticipated some strange trick but this was more than any of her estimates, what was it? The sound ringing in her ears was absolutely vile.

d̵̹͉̭̥̩̤̼̹̩̋ͅḙ̴̫̈́̄̽̅̔̇̍̚͝ͅȩ̴̭̜͔̫̩̙̘̫̰̰͈̈́̀̀̾̇͛́̈́͂̀͊̕̚͘͝ř̸̨̢̛̥̟̫͈̹̝͖̞̗̱͕͎́̈́̿͠l̷̩̻̭̣̙͕̳̮͍̓̒͜ị̴̢̰͎̯͉̾̑͒͒̈́̕n̸̳͔͉͊͊̀g̸̖̹̻͚͙̯̭̖̍̍̓͊͌͐͐͌̕͜͠͝

Shocked she may be, she had no qualms about killing whatever it was. In pursuit of her purpose, putting herself to eradicating a monster was as easy as breathing. It was the friendly face he wore moments prior that caused her previous faltering, a privilege this beast didn't share with Marius.

It lurched forward, a feral and savage motion that at once set the stakes. Fail and die. He might have been its puppet master but this thing clearly had a will of its own and it wanted to tear her apart, and would if she let it. She didn't bother with any kind of ill-considered dance, no trading of blows. She lunged forward as it took the first step, without hesitation and buried her blade in its chest, aiming for whatever might have been considered its heart.

There was a moment as the deed was done where it became clear that it wouldn't be enough, not to stop that thing. It coiled around the blade, it's slavering fangs seeking to strip her flesh fatally from her bones. She wanted to make sure it was ready, could he see it? The thin disciplined lines of reishi that she beckoned even with the blade buried deep?

A thin blue line formed against its body and slashed outward as the stored Reishi exploded forth, the same slash she delivered against Marius moments prior but from within. She twisted the blade sharply, and pulled it free, turning her gaze partially towards Marius. A thin hum suggested she was already building Reishi for another, whether against the beast if it remained, or him, who could say.