May 12th
“The Holy Kiss”, Maya’s Nightclub, 11:38 PM
A few hours after waking, Hayden turned up at the nightclub, his presence signaled to Maya by one of the bouncers. He noticed it, but didn’t think much of it – at that point, he was almost always around, so Maya liked to know when it happened. The dance floor, as usual, was filled with people getting lost in the music. While most were mortals, Hayden knew better than to assume none of them were Kindred enjoying a good dance, or feeding on some helpless kine.
Circling around the dance-floor, he made his way to one of the empty VIP lounges, where he’d always carry out his conversations with Maya; of course the owner wouldn’t sit at the bar or a regular table, especially when they’re a rich Tzimisce obsessed with establishing themselves on the hierarchy.
When Maya finally showed up, she was carrying a wine bottle in her hand, the contents concealed by the dark-tinted glass. Hayden, who could smell it from afar, knew it was filled with Vitae.
“Hello, Hayden.” Maya spoke as she sat down on the red velvet-loveseat, placing the bottle on the table in front of them. “I thought I’d treat you to some high quality blood, rather than have you feed on random people. Don’t worry, it’s preserved. It won’t taste stale or anything.”
“How thoughtful… I appreciate it.” He replied, leaning back against the loveseat.
With a snap of her fingers, the vampiress signaled one of the servers, who walked over to a table filled to the brim with wine glasses, grabbed two, then approached the two and placed them on the table. Without needing to be told, he filled the glasses, then walked away. Hayden gave him a quick glance, but didn’t do anything, which seemed odd to Maya. Usually, the vampire loved to flirt with her male staff, especially the human ones.
“I’m actually glad you’re here tonight.” Maya began, taking a sip of blood. “I believe I need your help with something.”
“You? Needing my help? I must be dreaming or something.”
“No, Hayden, it’s very much true.”
“Well…“ he uttered before drinking a mouthful of blood – “I’d probably be down to help you. It’s the least I could do given how you put up with me… But you’ll need to give me details.”
“Of course I will, I’m not a fool. You’d already know part of them if it wasn’t for your need to interrupt me with snarky comments every five seconds.” She spoke, crossing her feet and leaning back in the loveseat, letting out a hum. “As you well know I’ve been recently expanding my businesses. I’ve acquired three nightclubs: “The Crimson Maiden” in Denver, “El Amor” in New Mexico and “Dark Corner” all the way in Toronto. Then, there’s two perfume factories and a blood bank in Dallas.” Hayden subtly rolled his eyes, uninterested in her rant about her possessions.
“However, my issue lies with another of my investments, which has proven to be problematic, not by itself, but due to certain circumstances. I’ve funded multiple teams of archaeologists, all Ghouls under me and my associates’ control, to search for valuable relics, and explore ruins of interest to the Kindred, who could help unravel mysteries of our kind.”
“Relics?” Hayden asked, looking at her, a brief glimmer in his eyes. “I reckon they’re quite beautiful.” He spoke, his Toreador mind stimulated by the idea of old, priceless artifacts, crafted by the best.
Maya chuckled at the male’s enthusiasm, shaking her head as she looked down at her lap, then took another sip from her glass before she continued. “Most of the excavations have gone well. We have retrieved countless priceless artifacts which will be sold to either human or Kindred bidders, depending on each artifact’s nature, be it for studying or collecting. However, there’s one excavation which has given us considerable trouble – an underground tomb in the east of Libya. After three weeks, we’ve managed to make no progress on it, and six of the team members have been killed.”
Hayden, whose focus switched from the artifacts, straightened himself in his seat.
“Killed by what?”
“The other team members have reported various things. Some were killed by flying objects, such as rocks or pickaxes, others reported seeing their peers get struck down by vivid figures, and the majority of them claim to have heard chilling wails and screams in the ruins. Equipment, such as drills and GPS keep malfunctioning for no apparent reason. I’ve come to the conclusion that they were slain by wraiths.”
The vampire slightly frowned as he heard the word wraith, emptying his glass.
“Hold on, I have multiple questions. First off, why Libya? Second of all, wraiths? What tomb did you have those poor souls break into exactly?”
“Generally, such tombs are found in regions around the Middle East and Asia. You won’t go around America finding hidden underground ruins. Then, the Middle East is considered the cradle of civilization. Libya is close enough to it. With the Gehenna war going on, it would be dangerous to get any closer.”
“Right, forgot about that. Lucky us, we don’t get to feel that thing the Primogens were talking about a few weeks ago… What was it called… The Beacon?”
“The Beckoning.” She rectified with a blank tone.
“Yeah, that.”
“Anyway, as I was saying, the cradle of civilization. It’s where we have a lot of chances of uncovering more vampire history. And this specific tomb, it’s very important that my team manages to search every corner of it.”
“And why is that?” Hayden asked, genuinely curious. With a smirk, Maya finished her glass of blood, leaning forward to pour herself some more.
“Wouldn’t you like to know? We’re friends, but I’d rather not overshare. It’s still business after all, and I don’t want to compromise it. If you prove yourself to me professionally, perhaps I’ll trust you with this information.”
Her secrecy intrigued Hayden – whatever she was hiding, he had to find out, but knew she wouldn’t tell him anything if he just begged her. So, he chose not to ask twice. “Whatever… So, why would the tomb be filled with wraiths?”
“Hundreds of years ago, an entire village of Kindred was discovered by vampire hunters, and chased out all the way to this tomb. The vampires took refuge inside, thinking they would be safe. The tomb was too dangerous for the hunters to go in and get ambushed, but them waiting outside made the vampires unable to leave. Eventually, the hunters summoned a powerful mage, who unleashed a wave of flame inside the tomb. All the Kindred inside were turned to ash, unable to escape. The Mage’s magic apparently might’ve bound them to the tomb, forcing them to return as wraiths, cursed to haunt it forever. My team has only recently discovered this little legend from the locals of a nearby village.”
“Okay… So what exactly do you need my help with?” Hayden inquired, snatching the bottle from her hand when she was done pouring, and refilling his glass.
“I wish to make a deal with the local Chantry, to get-“
“The Tremere? Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.” Hayden cut her off, almost bursting into laughter.
“It will happen, with your help. As I was saying… I need their aid with this issue. Whatever their expertise allows them to do, banish the Wraiths, give me wards to protect the ghouls from them.... In exchange for their assistance, I will give them a part of the magical artifacts my teams uncover, as well as a cut of the profits from sold artifacts for 12 months. Your role is to be my negotiator. I need someone with charisma, who has a way with words. You’re the best I know when it comes to that.”
Hayden chuckled, drinking from his glass and leaning back in the seat. He stared at a random point on the wall for a few moments, before turning his gaze back towards Maya.
“Glad to hear that I’m as good as I thought I was. But I still doubt I’d be able to help you.”
Maya was caught off guard by his answer. She thought he would’ve jumped at the opportunity. The Hayden she knew would’ve. For him, manipulating and charming people was a daily activity, a fun pastime. He had been a spokesperson for the Camarilla before, taking on the seemingly most impossible tasks, convincing the most close-minded of Kindred into signing dirty and disadvantageous deals. But something had changed, quite literally overnight.
“Since when are you so insecure? Anything I should know about what happened yesterday night? Something related to that human you were obsessed about perhaps? What was his name… Ah, yes, Nicholas.”
The vampire’s expression rapidly changed. The smirk withered off his face, and if he could’ve gotten any paler, he most certainly would have. He knew Maya was good at figuring people out, but not quite like that. “That’s none of your business.” He replied defensively, avoiding eye contact. “I don’t stick my nose in your personal life, so I expect you to do the same.”
“Ah, so something did happen. Well, I hope you’re alright.” She spoke almost nonchalantly, gulping down some more blood. After a moment, she readjusted, placing the glass down. “I apologize if I upset you. But I need your confidence for this. I have a contact in the Tremere, a good friend, but her word won’t be enough to convince their Elders to help me. I need you, Hayden, please.”
A soft sigh escaped his lips as he placed the glass down, running his fingers through his hair. “Fine. But don’t blame me if it fails.”
“I won’t. I know the Tremere are hard to swallow. I actually don’t expect them to agree to help, but I have to try. And don’t worry, I’ll reward you for your time.” She said, offering him a smile. After a few more moments, she stood up, brushing herself and walking away from the loveseat. “The meeting is scheduled the day after tomorrow, assuming he approves it… That I will find out in a few hours. So we’ll have tomorrow night to prepare ourselves. I’ll expect you to be here around midnight, at best. Feel free to have fun tonight, I have some other things to attend to. And you can finish that bottle. I have plenty more in storage.”
The vampire nodded, watching her walk away and disappear as she climbed a staircase leading to her office upstairs. He had only been in there once, and it looked quite good, fitting of someone of her status and wealth.
Right now, he was once again left alone, with nothing to do. Deciding to dance, he stood up and headed for the dance floor, but first stopped at the lounge entrance, getting close to the same male that had served them earlier. The sound of his heartbeat echoed within Hayden’s ears as he got close to him, indicating that he was human. “I’ll be back, I have some energy to burn. Make sure no one touches that bottle, I’ll finish it later.” He spoke in the male’s ear, sending shivers down his spine. Maya’s human staff members were unaware of the existence of vampires, let alone that they were working for one, so Hayden’s unusualness stood out to the server.
May 13th
Tremere Chantry of Las Vegas, 00:00 AM
A small grandfather clock placed against the wall began ringing as it hit midnight, mimicking the Big Ben and reminding the Regent of his wonderful time spent in London nearly 100 years before. Its old and worn appearance found itself in a stark contrast with the rest of the office, decorated with modern furniture. The laminated wood flooring squeaked as the Regent walked about, pacing between his desk and a bookshelf, each time taking a different book, skimming through its pages, then placing it back in the exact same spot. In the middle of the desk sat a metallic bowl, filled with a mixture of blood, salt, ashes and, in the center of it all, a human eyeball and ear. It was an attempt at a ritual, which would grant a magical device capable of spying on anyone. Unlike a Bloodstone, which would only grant the location of the person it is planted on, this would offer visual and auditory perception of any location it is placed in. Normally, this kind of experiment would be carried out in the Laboratory, but the Regent had insisted to work on it by himself, and thus decided to do it in the privacy of his own office.
The Chantry of Las Vegas had only recently been renovated. It had originally been built on the top level of an office building, but a few years before, enough funds had been gathered with the help of the Prince, and the whole building was acquired and turned into an ideal Chantry.
Three rapid knocks could be heard coming from behind the office door. Without speaking, the Regent took a moment to place the book he was holding back on the bookshelf, then moved the bowl on another table in a corner of the room – once he was done, he sat down on the office chair, adjusting his tie.
“Come in.”
The door opened to reveal a young-looking female, dressed in formal attire comprised of a dark red knee-length skirt, a white shirt, covered by a black suit jacket. Her pale, slim legs were clad in dark see-through leggings, paired with red stilettos that clicked against the wooden floor as she walked inside, carrying a dossier that she was holding against her chest. Her piercing blue eyes avoided meeting the Regent’s gaze, instead wondering off somewhere near the floor. She displayed a sense of modesty as she moved forward, tucking a loose strand of her blonde hair behind an ear, the rest of it held in a tight bun. The smell of stale blood that filled the room hit her like a train, and she held back a grimace.
“Mr. Hale, yesterday’s laboratory reports.” She spoke softly, approaching the desk and gently setting the dossier down on it. “Mostly favorable reports.” Her voice was soft, reflecting an innocence that she had somehow managed to keep even as a vampire.
“Thank you, Lila.” The Regent mumbled in a deep and monotone voice, turning his gaze towards it. He looked middle aged, having been turned at the age of 45. His eyes, colored light brown, were dull and lifeless, as if he was tired, and creases were visible on his forehead. His dark brown hair was rather short, swept towards the back of his head.
“One more thing. Maya Okusanya has requested an audience with you, two nights from now.”
“The Dame of Vegas? What could she possibly want with me…” The Regent inquired in surprise, mostly sarcastic. He knew that if she wanted something, it had to be business-related. The Chantry rarely worked with members of other clans, so the idea didn’t really interest him, especially if said person was a Tzimisce, whose interests often went beyond the sects and clans.
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“She wants to discuss a deal. She’s in urgent need of our help, and claims that she offers an arrangement that would benefit both her and our clan.”
The man grimaced, leaning back in his chair and turning it towards the large window that offered a view of the city. He gazed at the tall buildings scattered across the horizon, placing his hands on his lap.
“If she seeks our help, then it means she requires the use of Blood Sorcery. What do we say about Blood Sorcery, Lila?” He asked, not turning to look at her. She sucked in her lips, putting her hands behind her back.
“It is our greatest pride and our greatest secret, that we must guard with our unlife.” She spoke, the words coming out rather silently.
“Yes. So, should we risk performing Blood Sorcery for whatever goal she has?”
“I… I don’t know.” Lila stuttered, then adjusted herself. She was a fledgling, Embraced just eight months before. Someone like her would normally be cleaning the toilets of the Chantry, metaphorically speaking, yet she had gained a position as the Regent’s assistant. The only reason for that was that he had taken a rather perverse interest in her, which she was aware of, but dismissed in favor of her job. “Miss Maya is a respectable business woman. Most of her clients have presented themselves as pleased with their interactions. I believe you should at least grant her an audience and see what it is she’s requesting. If you deem it inappropriate, you can dismiss her at once.”
The Regent hummed, then turned his chair back towards his assistant. “Very well. I will respect your advice. Notify her that she’s expected the night after tomorrow, and to be punctual. I do not appreciate it when people waste my time.”
“Yes, Mr. Hale.” Lila nodded, heading for the door. She stopped in front of it as she heard the man’s voice one more time.
“Try to do some digging on her businesses. I’d like to know what she needs help with ahead of time, if possible. You’ve proven yourself resourceful so far… Perhaps you can do so again now.”
May 13th
Roadside Dream Apartment Complex, 1:32 AM
Nicholas slept soundly, unaware that he was being watched. Outside the window of his apartment, sat Hayden, latched onto the frame. It was towards the back of the building, so no passer-by would see him. He watched the human sleep, a blank expression on his face as he succumbed to his thoughts, letting them run wild. He wished he could explain everything to Nicholas, but that would be a violation of the Masquerade. The only alternative would’ve been making him a Ghoul or Embracing him, neither of which Hayden wanted to do. Being a Kindred was a cursed existence, and being a blood addict wouldn’t be any better. It was better that Nicholas remained oblivious and forgot about Hayden, for his own sake.
It’s rare that a predator feels threatened, but this was one of those moments. As he snapped out of his thoughts, Hayden felt like he was being watched. Taking a brief look around proved useless as he failed to see anyone – he needed to sense deeper. Seeing wasn’t enough. Closing his eyes, he focused his power, activating his Auspex: a power that enhances the senses of a vampire. Being rather young, he hadn’t advanced his powers too much; not Auspex and Celerity at least – his social nature led to him focusing on honing the discipline of Presence.
As everything around him seemed to amplify, he tried his best to detect whatever was stalking him. All he could get was the direction in which they were situated. In a second, he leaped down from the window, landing on the concrete of the parking area.
“I know you’re there.” He spoke in a normal tone, assuming the stalker could hear him. “Show yourself.” Moments passed – nothing. The presence was still there, menacingly watching Hayden, but as hard as he tried, he couldn’t see anyone, only feel them. He wasn’t that much of a fighter, but was willing to take on whoever was watching him if they decided to make a move. Annoyed, he took a few steps forward, but they suddenly vanished. He couldn’t feel them there anymore.
Unnerved, Hayden decided to get away from there. Whoever that was, he preferred not to stick around and find out. The night streets were rather empty in that area, few people hanging around corners here and there, mostly teens. Hayden passed a few of them on his way, not even bothering to look in their direction.
Despite the unsettling experience he’d just had, Hayden’s mind was still fixated on Nicholas, so much so that he hadn’t realize how much he had walked for the past 10 minutes. He was already blocks away from the apartment, not even knowing where he was headed. He only managed to snap back to reality when he was quickly approached by a girl, seemingly distressed as she came close to him. No, she wasn’t distressed, she was terrified. By her looks, she couldn’t be older than 18.
“Please, I need your help, there’s this guy, he’s been following me around… I don’t know what he wants... Please, just act like you know me!” She pleaded. The fear in her eyes was obvious. Hayden didn’t get to say anything, when someone just appeared around a corner, heading their way. A man, most likely about 30 years-old. He slowed down as he noticed Hayden, cautiously moving forward. “Girl, I thought I lost you for a second. Ay, you know this guy?” He asked, a leery expression plastered onto his face.
“Yes, I’m her cousin, and she says you’ve been following her around.” Hayden spoke brashly, his arm instinctively pushing the girl behind him as he moved forth. “I suggest you turn around.”
“Her cousin my ass, this bitch just ran into you and probably paid you to defend or something. Truth of the matter is, this doesn’t fucking concern you. Just get lost, punk.” The man spat out, stopping and straightening his back, as if to make himself look bigger.
Hayden raised an eyebrow at the guy’s words, letting out a scoff.
“Truth of the matter is, you’re one wrong word away from getting your face caved in. And I do so happen to have a knack for seeing beauty in grotesque wounds. So, I’m gonna give you one more chance. Leave her alone.” The words came out threateningly, like a snake spewing out venom. Hayden could have used his Presence to inflict terror within the man and get him to run away, but he quite honestly wanted a fight. The whole Nicholas situation left him with some frustration to work out.
“Oh yeah? Come on, pretty boy, let’s see what you got!”
With that said, the man charged towards Hayden, raising his left hand into a fist, ready to strike. Right as he was about to throw the punch, everything slowed down for Hayden, up to a degree – the power of Celerity. On his end, everything is slowed down, giving him time to react to most things – for anyone who doesn’t have the power of Celerity and isn’t using it, he becomes inhumanly fast. Hayden’s Celerity was rather untrained, as opposed to some Kindred who honed it to the point of almost appearing to teleport while using the discipline, or somewhere in between, but it was enough for him to gain the upper hand in a fight.
As the man’s arm extended forward, Hayden wrapped his right arm around it, locking it in place; everything returned to normal, and he struck the man in the face with his left elbow, sending him to the ground. The girl, who was now terrified, took plenty of steps back from the two, witnessing the ordeal.
A streak of blood revealed itself from the man’s right nostril, flowing over his lips. He quickly wiped it away, standing up and starting to run in the opposite direction. Once he was gone, Hayden turned to face the girl.
“It’s alright, that should keep him away, for tonight at least.” He said. The girl attempted to calm down, sitting down on a nearby bench, her hand pressed against her chest.
“Sorry, I’m just a bit scared.” She mumbled between shaky breaths. “Thank you so much. God knows what he would have done to me, had he managed to catch up.”
“People like him have serious issues. You should really be more careful.” Hayden spoke, crossing his arms. It was ironic coming from a vampire – he could’ve proceeded to feed on her right then and there, and there was nothing she could do about it. However, he not only wasn’t hungry, but also refused to feed on females. It was men he liked, and it was men he was going to feed on. “Buy some pepper spray. It’s light to carry around, and comes in handy. And generally, don’t walk alone at night.”
“Y-yeah… I’ll keep these in mind.”
“Do you live far from here? I can escort you home.” He offered. She turned to look at him and nodded, forcing herself to get up and walk.
May 14th
Tremere Chantry of Las Vegas, 11:51 PM
Last night had been a breeze. A cold, very strong breeze. Hayden and Maya had met at her nightclub to prepare themselves. Naturally, he hadn’t planned on taking it too seriously, but Maya had: percentages, success rates, income, lots and lots of numbers that she insisted Hayden had to know, much to his discontent. Now, the two found themselves in front of the large building that constituted the Chantry, more or less ready to bargain with the Regent.
“Alright. Remember what we discussed last night.”
“Yeah, yeah, I do…” Hayden mumbled, running a hand through his hair as he admired himself in a small pocket mirror he held in his right hand. Maya, ticked off by it, snatched the mirror from his hand, causing him to frown at her.
“Hayden, I’m serious. I trust you fully on this. We have low chances of succeeding anyway, we might as well do our best.” She said with an agitated tone, handing him back the mirror. “Alright… Remember, his name is Benjamin Hale. His close associates may call him Mr. Hale, everyone else must show the respect of calling him Regent. He believes in respect, so it’s important we show it to him.”
Hayden rolled his eyes, tucking the mirror in the right pocket of his pants. “Might as well get on my knees and give him fellatio.”
Unimpressed by his sarcasm, Maya headed towards the door. The male followed next to her. At the entrance, two men awaited for them, opening the doors and letting them in. Afterwards, they began walking in front of them, heading for one of the elevators. Hayden watched them closely, noticing when they pressed the button for the fifth floor on the elevator.
‘This guy’s office is pretty high up.’ He thought to himself, leaning against the wall. He gave Maya a subtle look, but she didn’t notice; she was staring at the elevator doors, probably overthinking.
Eventually, the doors opened to reveal a modern hallway. The men walked down it, with the other two following closely, then stopped to open a door on the left, revealing the Regent’s office. There, he sat in his chair, with his assistant to his left, sitting by a wall. Walking inside, Maya and Hayden bowed to him, then sat down. The male took a subtle look at the Regent, then at the two Tremere men, who went to stand in the corners of the room, behind Hale’s desk.
“Regent, we thank you for having us on such short notice.” Hayden began, slightly bowing his head. “As you’ve probably been told, Miss Maya is in serious need of your aid. She-“
“Yes, but I haven’t been told what exactly she needs help with.” The man cut Hayden off, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs.
“Yes, we-“
“But don’t worry.” Hayden subtly clenched his teeth in annoyance as he was interrupted once more. “I’ve taken the responsibility of researching what it is she might need help with. Your clubs have been more than successful, I doubt much can go wrong with a perfume factory and your blood bank is teeming with fresh Vitae and willing donors. So, that only leaves your little archaeological projects.” He spoke boldly, catching the two off-guard. Maya was speechless.
“I’m flattered you took the time to look into me. Yes, it’s the archaeological excavations I need help with.” Maya said, giving Hayden a quick glance with the corner of her eye.
“One of them, to be specific.” Hayden interjected, crossing his fingers. “Miss Maya’s team has failed to make any progress in digging it up. You see, it’s filled with wraiths, and they’ve made one hell of an effort to keep her Ghouls out of the .tomb. She simply needs you to help her with the wraiths in whatever way you can. Banish them, give the workers protection wards. In return, Miss Maya will grant a portion of the unearthed artifacts to your clan, for whatever purpose you might find in them.” Standing up, Hayden approached the desk, placing a dossier on it. It contained a list of magical artifacts Maya had uncovered, and set aside for them. “These are a portion of the artifacts she has uncovered so far, all magical and ready to be delivered to you, should you accept her help. About 37% of the artifacts her teams dig up have supernatural properties.”
He sat back down, crossing his feet.
“On top of that, she is willing to give 10% of the profits earned from selling artifacts to support the Chantry, over the course of 12 months.” Hayden’s tone was calm and collected. He was a natural when it came to speaking, and the Regent could tell.
“How very smart of you, Dame of Vegas.” He spoke, a smirk springing onto his face.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Bringing your friend here to try and charm me… He must be a Toreador, no doubt. Few Kindred bother so much with looks, and even fewer are so precocious with their words. You are an intelligent business woman, but I am not so easily swayed.” He spoke. Maya gulped, anticipation filling her.
“Let’s say my clan would have the means to save you with your wraith issue. What guarantee do I have that you won’t sample our spells, and commercialize them? Need I remind you that our practices are very important to us, and doing that would be a great insult to our clan.”
“I assure you, Regent, that I have no such intention. My clan has its own treasured Discipline, so I know how it would feel if other people got their hands on it. I wouldn’t bring myself to do such a thing.”
The tension in the room seemed to rise. While almost everyone attributed it to the exchange taking place, Hayden felt differently. It came from somewhere else, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It was strange, and ominous.
And that is when it happened.
The ceiling broke into pieces, a loud noise thundering through the building as flames pierced into the room. Time slowed down for Hayden, who quickly turned his gaze towards the ceiling. It was an explosion, coming from inside the ceiling. The flames were slowly moving towards the center of the office – despite the slowdown, Hayden’s skill wasn’t that high, so he still had to think quick.
He first looked at Maya, who, thanks to her reflexes, was in the middle of rolling backwards off of the sofa, out of harm’s way. He didn’t care about the two men on the other side of the room since they were too far for him to get to them, and also pretty much out of harm’s way. That only left the Regent and his assistant, who at first seemed to be safe, until Hayden noticed something chilling: a piece of debris was quickly heading towards her head, blasted by the explosion. Then, there were the flames heading downwards towards the Regent. Hayden could only get to one of them in time, and he didn’t have long to choose. Should he have saved the innocent, yet insignificant assistant, or the scummy, yet important Regent, who was the only chance of Maya’s offer being approved? He despised the decision he was about to make, but it was the only one that would benefit his friend. So, bolting off of the couch, he ran towards the Regent, leaping forwards and grabbing him, the both of them falling to the other side of the room, out of the fire’s way. As time returned to normal for Hayden, he quickly turned to look at Lila. Along with everything, the piece of debris regained its normal speed – in an instant, it reached the woman, slicing her head right off. Her body collapsed to the floor, blood pouring out through her now open neck.
“Lila!” The Regent shouted, shoving Hayden off of him and attempting to stand up. She was dead, and there was nothing he could do, other than stand there and look at her corpse. Clenching his teeth, Hayden got up, dragging the Regent along with him. “We need to move, now!”
Along with that bomb, countless more had gone off throughout the building, and gunfire could be heard through the broken windows as hordes of men stormed the building, attacking any Tremere in sight.
“It’s the goddamn Sabbat!” Maya spoke, quickly opening the office door. The hallway was covered in flames, and the power had gone out, so no using the elevator.
“We’ll escort the Regent. You two find a way out.” One of the Tremere men spoke as they approached the Regent, gently pushing him forward and leading him out of the room. Hayden ran up to Maya, quickly glancing through the hallway.
“Great timing!” He spoke, distress evident in his voice. “Let’s head for the stairway, and watch the flames!”
The two stepped out of the office, immediately bolting towards the staircase, avoiding the fire as best as they could. Opening the door, they could see Hale going down the rows of stairs, already about a floor beneath them.
“Wait!” Maya abruptly stopped, looking behind her. “I have to go back and search his office.” She said. Hayden, who was completely surprised by her lack of self-preservation, turned to look at her with a grimace. “Are you insane? The building is on fire and there are crazy Sabbat vampires heading up here as we speak!”
“I don’t care! He might have something in there that could be of use to me. If he’s gonna refuse the deal, I’ll still walk away with something. Don’t try to stop me.” She said before turning around, running back towards the office. Hayden tried to grab her but failed, and decided to just go on his own. He wasn’t going to die because of her insane ambitions, no matter how good of a friend she was. Running down flights of stairs, he kept looking behind him, hoping there wasn’t any fire approaching. He ran and ran, each step resonating through his entire body, for once in many years feeling truly terrified. He came to an abrupt stop as he nearly came face to face with a bunch of Sabbat vampires who were going up the stairs. His Celerity kicked in almost instantly, fueled by the fear, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone from the staircase, having fled through a nearby door and into another corridor.
That is when he saw him. At the end of the hallway stood a strange man, his hand burrowed into the chest of a Tremere woman, who was nearly kneeling as she tried to free herself, desperate to survive. She twitched one time. Two times. No avail. Without hesitation, he ripped her heart out, watching her as she collapsed to the ground and turned into dust. Hayden quickly hid behind a corner, watching the strange, who hadn’t noticed the young vampire that had just stepped into the hallway. In the brief moment where the stranger was illuminated by another explosion from outside, Hayden could see his features: he seemed to be of East Asian descent, his eyes a bright red that eerily stood out in the darkness of the hallway, which was untouched by fire. He had short, dark hair that was swept backwards, and an expression as cold as ice. He seemed to display no emotion after killing another vampire. In the following moments, he stepped back, and began fusing with the shadows plastered on the wall behind, until he was completely gone, sucked inside of them. A Lasombra vampire, Hayden remarked, no doubt involved with the attack. The majority of the Lasombra were involved with the Sabbat, nearly leading it – many considered them the “Ventrue of the Sabbat”. But whoever this man was, Hayden had just gotten the feeling that he wasn’t supposed to have seen him.
Just as he was about to turn around and get out, the door opened, a goon stepping inside. Left with no time to react, Hayden was hit in the head with the barrel of a gun, falling to the floor. Everything went pitch black, one last gunshot echoing in his ears, then silence.