William's current predicament required quiet prayer for him to reflect upon his available options. Unfortunately, the church’s manic inhabitants were not conducive to his need for composed silence and he was forced to look elsewhere. Similarly, the local tavern would likely be filled with loud and intrusive drunkards, celebrating their new friends from the visiting caravan. He could not go to the nearby woods, given what lurked within. With the day’s trade winding down, Victoria’s wagon remained as his only chance for relative solitude. Only a few weary-eyed merchants remained trading, leaving only a scarce few stragglers trying to haggle with those still operating.
He entered the medical tent to find Victoria, devoid of patients, processing the various herbs and mushrooms which had been gathered by her familiar. Leo was hanging around Victoria’s tent, finishing up the lingering business and securing any lose goods. A wordless conversation passed through them; a simple wave communicated his need for isolation. The rhythmic sounds of mortar grinding on pestle remained the only sound in the ward, calming his strained mind.
William’s mind constantly reviewed his available options, weighing the costs of each action, much to his growing frustration. He lacked the personnel to deal with both situations simultaneously and any large party would likely scare off his quarry. Only a few people between the village and caravan knew of the current werewolf situation, to prevent panic he felt it would be better to keep it that way. It was clear that the werewolves were a more active and dangerous threat, leaving the village to fend for themselves whilst he completed his mission would certainly lead to countless more deaths. Whatever he thought about the threat his captive posed, letting her roam around unchecked was also unacceptable.
-
Victoria approached him after what was likely an hour of deep concentration, with an offering of a cup of water, “Would I be correct in assuming that you are thinking about the werewolves?” His state of concentration now broken, he rounded his attention on Victoria “How did you know about that?” “You are not the only one to talk with people, the townsfolk I treated were afraid of the recent wolf attacks. I sent Rose to look into it and collect some supplies from the woods. She has confirmed their presence from their tracks and other locals have confirmed an unknown number of humanoid figures in the woods.” The other locals mentioned were another matter which could be addressed later, but knowledge of another level-headed soul gave him some notion of comfort. Even if that soul was not, strictly speaking, an ally of his.
“You seem to be awfully co-operative. What are you planning?” The accusation was mostly ignored by Victoria. William had realised early on that any attempt at provoking Victoria would likely garner nothing more than mild annoyance, serving only to waste the initiator’s energy. “I am not planning anything, gathering information is of utmost importance. You would be surprised what just a little information can lead to.” Her calm rebuttal was a continuation of the vampire’s pattern of observation followed by adaptation. She was likely content to remain passive, having accepted the current status quo. “Though one might say my survival is a motivating factor. If you were the one to deliver me to the church, my odds of survival would improve a little.”
The sentence momentarily stunned William, “What?” Victoria elaborated, “If you were to disappear, the church would elevate my profile and send additional resources which I would be unable to handle. The wolves are seemingly an unknown presence outside of this town, I would be seen as your killer regardless of whatever manages to kill you. If you deliver me safely, I have a better chance of survival with your account of my character. Whatever that may be. If you die to these beasts, I am in a worse situation than before.” William again found himself ignorant of his position, unaware of his own value. “So, you would prefer that I ignore the werewolves and return with reinforcements?” Victoria contemplated her response, seemingly comparing multiple possibilities and results. “That outcome would only be slightly better than the immediate alternatives. Due to the circumstances, your mindset would have you returning to the village leaving me without any testimony. Resulting in any positive impressions I have made, being lost.”
Leo, who had previously been eavesdropping, decided to insert himself into the conversation. “If you ask me, you’d be better off going for help or hiring some mercenaries.” William gave Leo an angry look, which was subsequently ignored. “I’ve seen some magical beasts, monstrous things. This one, er... a Lambton snake? Maybe an eel*. Whatever it was, it was bigger than a horse. Nearly scared the life out of me. If it were me, I'd just burn down the forest and hang around the edges; I am safe behind a wall of spikes while the beasts have to choose between fire and steel.” Victoria was apparently not a fan of the excessively bold suggestion, “You are right that the odds of success rise with more men, but burning the forest is unlikely to get your desired result. With our current technology and without direct divine intervention, the only truly safe method would be catapults firing holy water followed by a legion of heavily armored knights.”
William grew increasingly frustrated. He ultimately knew that they were right, but did not like the implication of leaving the innocent unprotected. “You want me to just abandon these people while the damned werewolves get stronger?” It was Victoria who lent a comforting hand, “I would guess that the attacks have lasted a month and none of the messengers has successfully escaped the village. If you were to die alone to the werewolves, it might cost more lives than just your own.” William continued to internally struggle against the reality that, in fact, it was better if he left the village to fend for themselves a while longer. “Please leave me, I... I need to pray more.”
Leo left for the tavern, that was currently warming up to a loud party lasting into the early hours, while Victoria returned to whatever task she was doing. In desperation for any alternative plan, which didn’t involve abandoning the village, William's mind turned to his understanding of Victoria’s mental processes. Her current circumstances were the result of careful analysis of her situation and a comparison between the options she identified. The resulting bizarre circumstances she had created potentially opened many doors that were previously closed and now might grant survival. Analyzing his own situation; he had little money, only his own equipment, and no allies within a day’s travel. It was unlikely the caravan would lend him much in the way of money or resources, meaning that he could not hire additional fighters to assist him. The town had few combat-ready citizens, so he could not try to rally a militia. The only other resource he had was his captive vampire whom he could not release.
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At that instant, he had a moment of crazed inspiration. His prisoner had equal, if not more, occult knowledge than him and had mentioned some degree of combat experience. Either his faith or his gut instinct told him that she would be sufficient to aid him. This heretical plan now hinged on his captive agreeing to aid him, while not sabotaging his efforts to save the village. Despite William trusting Victoria to some extent, his ingrained bias prevented him from accepting her word on its own merits.
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One of the ancient arts of church is binding two souls in a contract, held to their word by their god. Each school of magic had its own version of the pact with its own quirks. As a general principle, any deity can enforce this contract; however the relative strength of the deity will determine the strength of the pact. When entering into a divine pact, all parties should be aware the whims of the pact’s overseer can influence the value of the pact. William’s deity prioritszed honor and respect, generally making his particular god appealing for individual agreements. One of the requirements of most Light-based beings is that all parties must consent to the pact, which is not necessarily a requirement for all deities. Many would see this as a desirable pantheon of gods to swear onto, their punishments for breaking bonds are usually excessive and fatal.
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William rose from his chair, approaching Victoria with his heart pounding at the thought of the devilish pact he was about to make. “Before I continue, can I ask you to do something for me?” Victoria undisturbed by this request, rose to face him accepting his invitation. William braced himself, “I want you to punch me as hard as you can.” William’s gamble relied on Victoria being strong enough to be able to support him in battle. If she could throw a decent punch, he assumed that her ability would be serviceable enough to support him in his ambitious hunt. The vampire took up a simplistic combative stance, it was clear that she had some modicum of training from how she held herself. Once Victoria was ready, she gave a quick nod to William who responded in kind, bracing for the incoming blow.
Her strike was stronger than anticipated, about on-par with his own, however it further demonstrated the vampire’s ability to gauge her own combat strength relative to others. Her supernaturally enhanced strength made up for her lack of combat experience, though it would be exploitable against most veteran opponents. The feral nature of their targets would somewhat mitigate the inherent weakness of bringing a less experienced partner. William thanked his prisoner, before guiding her to two crates. “I would like to make a deal. I believe that if you assisted me, we could defeat the werewolves.” His prisoner sat on her make-shift stool, adjusting her assessments. “Deals of this nature require collateral, so that both parties adhere to the terms. Would I be correct in assuming that we would use a ritualistic pact?” William nodded in agreement, “Yes, the two priests should be able to bind us to whatever agreement we form. I hope this resolves any issue of trust.”
Victoria responded. “It does not entirely, but it will suffice considering the circumstances. I assume that you know that this will not be a one-sided agreement?” William folded his arms reflexively, “I figured as much. What do you want?” Victoria raised her hand, with her central three fingers held high. “I would like three things. Don’t worry, they won’t be anything dangerous.” Whatever desires this vampire held, she was smart enough to know that wealth or freedom was removed from the bargaining table. “First,” the vampress began, “I want you to acknowledge that the caravan was not aiding me directly under any circumstance. I was operating along side them without their aid and they were treated like everyone else I gave care to, without preferential treatment.” Ultimately this was a minor concession, while it was a stretch of the truth it was a relationship based on common trade and minimal integration. “The second term is acknowledgement that all property associated with the wagon I inhabit belongs to Leo and you will object to any claim by the church to it.” As with the first condition, there was little lost from William’s perspective, as this was more of a formalisation of what had already been accepted. William did not know why Leo, a mostly self-serving individual, would act as a front to a vampire without coercion but it was something which could be overlooked for the greater good.
“Finally, If I am to be executed you are to do it immediately and as painlessly as you can.” With her final condition the final piece of the puzzle clicked for William; it seemed like Victoria was trying to mitigate the worst possibilities while wrapping up her affairs. When his captive had explained her motives, she had implied that a quick painless death would be preferred to a tortured and prolonged one. Going off his assumptions William extended his hand, “I accept your conditions.” In turn, his hand was grasped firmly by Victoria “I hope that this hunt will be as successful as you think it will be.” William left the tent to make his own preparations for the night ahead, giving a begrudging wave to Rose as she also made quick preparations on behalf of her master.
-
The various parties gathered around the worn church, as the moon peaked over the trees of the nearby forest. William was instructing the two priests on how to perform the sacred pact to bind the unlikely partners to their agreement, much to the annoyance of Matthew. These words were quickly silenced by Leo suggesting that the pious clergyman might like to take his place. Victoria had already made arrangements with Leo to deal with the aftermath of the hunt, both in the matter of corpse disposal after their mission and the implementation of a contingency plan in the event of failure. Whilst reviewing them, both Leo and Rose were checking Victoria’s equipment one last time before departure.
While William wore his adorned padded leather armor, Victoria had changed into something akin to a plague doctor’s outfit. The vampress had used the standard black attire as a starting point and modified it to include additional pouches, belt hooks and other accessories to allow her to store an array of unknown herbs and powders. The usual bird-like mask, normally filled with aromatic herbs, had been replaced by a mask which resembled an ornate skull. The only weapons he could see were two daggers, which were sheathed on her thighs.
With everyone ready the senior priest called them together and on William’s signal he started the ceremony. “In the name of our lord, I bind these two souls together until the terms of this pact have been completed.” While Joseph recited the words which would bind them, Matthew wrapped a chamomile string-rope between them. This rope had been purified in holy water and caused Victoria great pain when it came in contact with her skin. “If either party breaks this pact, it shall be seen as breaking a pact with our lord. Bound by his power, he will smite those who are so blazen to break it. Speak now the terms of your pact, so the holy spirit can hear them.” William began with his terms, “I swear to give truthful testimony about your involvement with the caravan, provide truthful testimony over property rights and a painless death if you are to be condemned to death.” Victoria, still struggling with the pain gave her vows “I swear to aid William of the Church with his hunt for the werewolves and not to harm him or his current mission.” Joseph watched as the blessed string began to glow, “Would the two souls please agree to the terms?" Both Victoria and William, stated “I do” without any hesitation. The light from the string faded, leaving two golden tattoos on their wrists, resembling the outline of angelic wings. Seeing that the binding pact was complete, Joseph declared: “The pact has been made, Amen.”