Helen
A love for blood and gore combined with complete disregard for the gods and the law might be called careless by some. Hallie knew without a doubt she was above it all. She didn't care that her usual antics or how she completed jobs left a rather obvious trail that some kind of monster, some kind of vampiric creature, was about causing havoc. So it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for her to find a vampire hunter on her trail. It was actually quite fun to her. She savored the moments they thought they were so close, sometimes would even let them injure her, capture her. It made it all the more satisfying to turn the tables on them, see the confusion and terror in their eyes before they were slaughtered. Sometimes it seemed to her that the blood tasted sweeter if she was able to make them lose all hope before they died.

On this particular night, she was very much a cat playing with a mouse, having literally reversed the situation so that *She* Was hunting the *Hunter*. Near silent footfalls followed his panicked ones through the forest. She could easily run up and end him, but that would be no fun. Though her pistols were in holsters at her hips and her cutlasses on her back, she was choosing her natural weapons in this game. Hearing his terrified gasps for air and a sudden *Snap* Of a twig he stepped on, she decided a little magic to further soften him up wouldn't be amiss. Her icy blue eyes glowed very faintly, almost as if moonlit, and as if from nowhere a swarm of screeching bats soared at the man from behind. They flew at him, biting and pulling at his hair and clothes. Watching from nearby shadows, the vampire smiled with unhidden joy at his pain, his fear. She drank it up like she would soon lap up his blood.

Letting the bats have their own fill of fun, they flew off at her approach as she dismissed them. Slowly, she sauntered up to his trembling form on the ground. The coppery scent of his blood already wafted through the air from previous injuries she'd given him in this chase. Grabbing him by the hair with a clawed hand, she forced him to look up at her, **"You're quite inferior. This was almost boring."** Her voice was cold and irritated. She really had been hoping for a bit more of a challenge. Her sharp eyes caught him about to strike out with a dagger from his boot, and her quick reflexes allowed her to stomp his hand into the ground swiftly, the crunch of bones audible, faintly resounding off the trees. **"Nice try, but like I said, you're not good enough, sweetie. Time to say goodbye."** Her voice suddenly turned playful, coquettish, as she released him and waved with the same hand. 

The man looked at her with wide eyes, and when she could see that he had no intention of running, though he was free to do so, she smirked and began her assault. Rather than killing him outright or showing mercy in any way, she cut him down with her claws, long gashes across his chest that splattered blood all over her own clothes. She pounced at him, pinning him to the ground with strength you wouldn't expect from a woman of her size. Wrenching his head aside to expose his neck, she ripped it open with her fangs and began to drink her fill, her claws digging in and drawing further blood. As she neared the end of her feeding, the blood was smeared all over the bottom of her face and her hands. Yes, she decided in the end, a satisfying hunt after all.
Donald
Can't wait for the dark lord's debut 👏🏼
Cathy
A phantom observed from the abyssal realm only it could stride through. It was unseen, anathema to the realm of existence that all else knew of, only it knew better then they. It's eyes, like the molten metals of a forge encased by darkness itself- blacker than the very shadows around them. A gaze as old and unknowable as time itself, primordial in its essence, merely observed the display of bloodshed before it. It showed no emotion nor sign of movement but something was made known as if declared to the world around it. *It liked what it saw.*

Targorath Hasuyan, the Monarch of Midnight, had taken a stroll this night. Bored and annoyed had he been, so very bored, within the walls of his sanctum. He wanted to explore, just a little, and spy what had become of the world he has not graced within three *Thousand* Years. Standing from his throne of bone and metal the dark lord faded into a puddle of ink-like blackness. He scoured the shadows of the realm, attempting to find something worthy of his gaze, and after nearly enough time for him to consider this boring- he saw her.

A mortal that moved like a predator of night, a hunter of *Shadow*. From his realm of shadow did he watch her, the display of gore and bloodshed- the joy of the slaughter, the spilling of blood and fragrance of death. She was like him.

Stepping from his realm of shadows, like a wraith appearing from the darkness itself, stood only a few yards away from the vampire. His hands cupped and held low at his waist, a cape of shadow that seemed to stretch from all around them and slim black armor adorned with onyx finery- and at his head lies a crown of bone, smoldering with a faint fire that seemed to only brighten the molten gold eyes of the monarch of shadow.

** **
Targorath then regarded Hallie, giving a small tilt of his head. "***Pleased to make your acquaintance, child of shadow.***" A smile stretched across his face, twisted and uncanny as it seemed to stretch farther than his face would allow.

"***May I indulge in the scent of blood with you? It's been so long since I have smelled the aroma of a fresh kill.***"
Helen
A strange sensation washed over the vampire as she ensured she'd extracted every possible drop she could, fangs and claws ripping and pulling out flesh with ease. It wasn't an *Unfamiliar* Sensation; she always felt pleasure when feeding and fighting. But it felt odd... Almost like it wasn't her own. The thoughts swam lazily in her sated mind and slipped away before she could be pushed to pursue them any further. After a few more moments, she felt more than saw that someone had approached. Alarm bells sounded in her mind and her whole body tensed; how had she been snuck up on? She should've heard most anyone from miles away. At least she'd already had her fun and fill with this one, if she had to abandon it. And alternatively, maybe her fun wasn't quite done yet...

The sharp and teasing warning she was about to spit died in her throat as her light blue eyes sailed upward. Her blonde brows, flecked with bright blood, furrowed in confusion. She remained frozen and tense for a moment as she regarded this being before her. Some distant deeply buried part of her screamed that she should run. But the vicious, overconfident monster she had become was intrigued. She sat up from her position pinning the corpse to the ground; it might have looked somewhat tantalizing, the way she perched atop him, if not for the blood and gore. A being of great power was clearly before her; she fully believed she was rather better than, well, most everyone, so this man had to be quite skilled to have surprised her thus. And even with her preferences, she had to admit he was quite beautiful, almost *Too* Perfect in a way that was unsettling. That was when the wide, toothy grin nearly split his face, and she barked a short series of laughter, slapping the drenched corpse underneath her with a squelch. She knew her kind when she saw it, that much at least was sure.

**"Oh, I think the pleasure may be all mine."** Hallie spoke with confident ease, easing off the corpse and sitting on the other side of it from Targorath, looking it over head to foot before nodding approvingly. She looked up at him, light icy blue eyes only accentuated by the red all over her milky white skin. **"I don't think I've left much in the way of blood, if you're interested in that."** She tilted her head as she returned his regard, openly looking him over for any clues as to what–who–he might be. **"There's plenty of meat though, I've no use for that. Smell to your dark heart's content."** She stood, leaning against the tree behind her, crossing her arms. **"Consume his flesh, obliterate him and make it rain bone. I don't care. I got what I wanted. He can rot now, stupid prick!"** She kicked the body in irritation; though she'd enjoyed the hunt and gotten to feed, it hadn't been her plan to come this way. He'd driven her here before she decided to end it. Though... Looking into Torgorath's ancient eyes, she was thinking maybe she should thank this man. There seemed to be a possible opportunity here that she'd be loath to pass up.
Cathy
"***You could say that.***" The widely grinning figure replied with a small inclination of his crowned head, still remaining cordial if not a tad excited. Even as he watched Hallie find a new position off the corpse the eyes of the figure did not waver, as if taking assessment of who was before her. He recognized traits of his own, sharp fangs, eyes that burned with a bestial fury encased by striking blue like the ice upon a mountain top. The pale complexion, a beauty that seemed to push beyond the scope of realism and into the fantasy. Truly, whoever this woman was, she was indeed a kindred spirit.

"***Oh no thank you.***" The figure regarded with a small shake of his head. "***I much prefer the*** *Aroma*. ***I have no need for the sustenance of blood. But I do thank you for such a kind offer.***"

His head moved with what sounded like the snapping of bone, eyes now laying on the still warm corset before the pair, and with a somehow widening smile the man inhaled deeply from his nose. Tendrils of fire tinged shadow flew from the body and into the nostrils of the man, his head tilting back with closed eyes while he sighed with content. "***Ah... The stench of death... How long we have been parted from one another.***"

** **
After a few moments of enjoyment the monarch returned his unblinking gaze to Hallie, his smile shrinking into much more of a uniformed smirk.

"***It's been so long since I last walked these realms under the stars. I remember... So very long ago, when I first led mortals in hand out into the night- showed the majesty of the stars, the serenity of silence and the joys of shadow. It pleases my cold and rotten heart to see what my guidance has grown into.***"

With a small flick of the man's right index finger the corpse was lifted into the air, it's bones breaking with audible cracks and pops while it contorted into unnatural angles. Then, with a whisper of some long forgotten language, the body erupted into fire for the briefest of moments- a white and pure light humming steadily left hanging in the air as the corpse burnt to ash. Stepping forth and finally raising a hand the figure grabbed the light, akin to an orb of shimmering starlight, and *Ate* It. His mouth pulling open to the same size as his smile had been, rows of serrated teeth and a serpents tongue, and he consumed the soul in one bite.

The fire smoldering within the man's crown burst into brightness while his cloak of shadow consumed all behind him in darkness for a brief moment before they both receded into normality. "***Have you a name?***"

Targorath asked with a smile, looking towards Hallie with a curious and delighted expression.

"***I am Targorath Hasuyan.***"
Helen
Regarding him more with curiosity than anything, she took in with some admiration the many razor sharp teeth and the way he seemed able to bend his form to his will. Hells, the way he'd appeared made her wonder if he could bend time and space to his will. A most powerful creature indeed, one she'd want to use all her devilish charm to befriend. Flashing a smile of teeth and fangs stained with blood, she hummed approvingly, **"I can quite understand. Even when I'm rather sated, there's something that's just so** ***Pleasant*** **About that coppery scent."** It was rare for her to find others who shared her penchants for cruelty and gore; even rarer in those to find someone stronger than her. While she was rather overconfident and arrogant, she wasn't stupid; she knew greatness when she saw it.

Much in the same fashion he had, the vampire made herself comfortable and watched him consume. She was enthralled with the sights and sounds, invigorated by the complete and utter destruction of this man. If she could do the same to the gods, erase them as if they'd never existed, what a happy day it would be. Once he'd consumed the soul, she spoke in a very friendly, mildly sultry tone, **"If it's death you want, I can lay it at your feet in spades. It's my favorite pastime."** She inclined her head slightly in thanks for the compliment, **"I'm afraid me and my kind are rather a rarity in the world. But no, ancient one, what you've brought has certainly not been forgotten."** More intrigued than ever, her mind raced. He didn't strike her as a god, but he was certainly a similar level of ancient. *What* Was he?

A smirk of pure delight colored her blood covered face, **"What a happy meeting, Targorath. I'm Hallie Kolbeck, or Bloody Hallie, if you go by my warrants. I think we could be** ***Quite*** **Excellent friends, sir. Meeting someone of your quality is so very rare and exciting."** Her wildest dreams of power and terror felt like they were beginning to come true.