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Risky Business (Marie)


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Re: Risky Business (Marie)

The strange dreamy state that Marie found herself in just seemed to get weirder and weirder. The wolf continued in a circle around the tree she swung from, getting closer with each circle until finally it was able to sniff the ground right below her. It looked up at her with its glowing eyes and licked at the wound on her neck, Marie imagined that the wolf was smiling at her.

The smile only seemed to get more and more human until much to Marie's surprise, Ulfur's face was staring back at her. Something about him seemed different though, his face was cruel and he had fangs. He leaned in close and gave another lick at her neck before leaning back as though savoring the taste. Than he gave a wicked fang filled grin and said.

"Told you I had a bad feeling about tonight, my dear. Now where is that hunter hiding, hmm? Tell me and you might get to live. Well sort of live."
 

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"Uhhhuuuhhhhuuuuhhuuhuhuhhh?" In her head it sounded exactly the same, but made sense. Clear as day those were the best instructions she could give in this state. That's exactly where he went. Marie tried to point, before realizing that wouldn't work with bound heads. Taking a deep breath her head cleared ever so slightly.

"That way?" Her voice was quite questioning along with her imagined pointing. "Ummmm.... I mean thaaat way." Marie kind of shook her hips in the general direction the Henri-thing went, if she remembered correctly. She was feeling a bit better, or maybe she was just bleeding out more slowly. It wasn't like she had this before. Deep breaths seemed nice. Something was at least happening, and this dream-state was definitely pretty weird. If she was going to go at least she would be mildly entertained in her last moments. She panted for breath as her head kept spinning, watching the Ulfur-thing look for the Henri-thing. Most likely he wouldn't stay long, which was a shame. Dying alone was no fun. A funny thought entered her mind that was just too good to pass up sharing too, and might keep him here a minute longer so she wouldn't be alone. "Hey, wait a minute! If you are the beast, why do you tell stories about yourself? That makes no sense!" She herself was probably not making much sense right now either, but it was talk. Lack of blood to the brain did funny things to people...
 
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The cruel smile on Ulfur's face grew deeper as he nodded at Marie's answer. He leaned in closely with that hideous smile and whispered. "The stories weren't for your benefit. It was to keep other vampires out of the area so I could have the village all to myself. You see our kind try to avoid lupines, since they're a little to powerful for your average lick. Even nastier than our kind. It worked until tonight."

With that his fang filled mouth dove straight for Marie's throat, and the bit of blood that remained in her hanging body. Marie noticed only the briefest moment of pain as the fangs bit deep, but it was soon replaced by an even deeper dream like state. It was completely painless even as she felt herself dying, in fact it felt downright wonderful. It was like she had slipped into a warm bath and just fell asleep. Marie's last conscious memory before she felt her life slip away was the taste of a single drop of blood being forced into mouth and running down her throat.
 

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"But.... but..." Marie had an objection. Several actually, but she couldn't think straight enough to force one out. "Why do you- ... Arghaaaa!" Her delirious babble was cut short by the Ulfur-thing's bite. This dream had become a nightmare! Cries of how unfair this was rang out in her mind. Couldn't she at least be happy with some fanciful fantasy in her last moments? Bitterness welled up for a second as the Ulfur-thing's teeth sank in, though when the sensation faded into something else her mental protests died down. Despite the mad vision she was getting, perhaps that was but the momentary kick needed to send her to another realm, and the warm embrace was already extending to her. Marie's legendary curiosity finally faded and she accepted what was happening to her. She really had thought to hard to make sense of these events already, and she was no philosopher or theologian who would have a foundation for such thoughts anyway. She felt her eyes closing, once, twice, even three times, not physically but as if her life was fading on multiple levels. Blood... blood....
 
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Marie's eyes fluttered open to the world flipped upside down, but they weren't here eyes. She felt as though something else was in control and she was merely a passenger in her own body. The monster, for she could think of no other way to describe the feeling, was hungry. She could smell her own blood where it had dripped to the ground below and from on her face. The smell only served to drive the beast into a frenzy.

She had to feed, had to get loose from where she hung. She had no clue what was happening her mind was so consumed with hunger. With an ability she hadn't known existed she ripped her hands free from the ropes and proceeded to climb up into the tree. The village lights could be seen from where she sat perched in the tree and she knew there would be blood there.
 

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Marie had blacked out. She was certain of that much. Now she was back? Was this another dream, or was this the passage into the next world? Maybe those were the same? Her head rattled fiercely as she tried to make sense of the new development, her mental machinations matching the violent escape from her bonds. Maybe some sort of devil had taken hold of her and was now carrying her away to hell? Marie shivered at that thought, or at least her mind told he body to. Whether or not it obeyed would be an entirely different question.

The town was easily in sight, a lot easier than Marie would have guessed. Maybe it was just more visible in the dream, deemed important. She lurched in that general direction, almost as a bird would take to the air, such were her uncoordinated movements at the moment. There was no reason not to go there, and every reason to attempt to stagger in. Not the least of which was this subconscious desire for blood. Marie had no idea what was happening, and she shivered again at the thought of her uncontrolled thoughts. She could not fight it, and even if she could, perhaps she shouldn't. She had heard sometimes that fighting a dream could be bad for one's health. Best to let it play out. If it was a dream, that is. If a demon was indeed carting her off, maybe the people could see and help. The priest could perform an emergency exorcism. Or maybe Marie was just delirious, still gravely wounded but somehow now able to walk. No matter what the case Marie could think of, people would help. People could fulfill her needs... People had blood... she could find them by the smell....
 
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Marie leaped from her perch in the tree, landing with a roll in the grass. Everything seemed so vivid, the monster in control of her body seemed more capable than she had ever been. She moved quickly through the underbrush of the forest as though she were an animal. Stopping at the edge for the briefest of seconds to sniff the air, she bounded forth.

Without a thought she crossed the muddy field at a run towards the people she had recently called her friends and family. All thoughts of what had actually happened to her in the field were gone. The need to fulfill her lust for blood having filled her mind. She felt so free as she ran down the street towards the inn and the family that had taken her in. The dream or whatever was happening was so vivid. No matter how odd the thoughts of blood and death that flowed through her mind might be, she couldn't help reveling in the feeling.
 

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Going back to the in made sense. It was in all likelihood the place Marie was most familiar with, after all. With this strange out-of-body experience she half expected to find herself laying in bed dreaming when she got there, or something equally otherworldly. Granted, if this was a dream, it didn't really matter what she found. Dreams didn't have to make sense. Just thinking that though made her glance down at her dress though, wondering if it was ripped. Marie didn't actually care or not, but just had a bit of curiosity of what her dream decided on that matter. Maybe it was a lingering reminder of the family's motto, one of many, to always look presentable for the patrons. Marie was much more interested, almost morbidly so, in what would happen once she entered the building, but the energy and excitement of the quest for blood was making her almost giddy, leading to a resurgence of curiosity. Maybe she was still dying, but at least now it felt... enjoyable... Marie would enjoy this.
 
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Marie's dress was a soiled especially with her own blood but it was still intact. She imagined herself looking like some monstrous horror with her slit throat and the blood covering her face and bosom.

Her hand went to her throat as she slid through the door of the inn. It had somehow healed, there was no evidence of her ever being harmed at all. Maybe she was a ghost or just a really vivid dream. She stopped to survey the empty common room of the inn. The family slept in the back and the few guests were upstairs.

She moved towards the back of the inn, one of them would do nicely she thought. Her tongue ran over her teeth as she thought of the blood and she noticed her fangs had become pointed like a wolf's. It was all so strange she thought as she stopped in front of the door to the owner's room.
 

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Well, she was definitely a sight, if not presentable, Marie thought. That made a certain sort of sense, especially in a dream. More of this experience was starting to make sense, as seen from a dream, of course. Maybe she had taken the monster's form? Marie vaguely recalled hearing someone say once, perhaps even Ulfur, that a common way to deal with fear was to become what you feared. That was extra foggy right now, though. Marie had to admit, however, she hadn't really had time to take it all in yet. It had all happened so fast. If her dying dream was to follow the old saying "if you can't beat them, join them", well, so be it then. She almost gasped, mostly in her mind, when she realized that meant she might be about to devower those behind this door. The ghastly thought certainly took some of the little lingering comfort of this newfound warmth away, but Marie could not fight it. If the dream demanded this action, it was going to happen. At least it was all a dream, right?
 
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The door pushed open almost silently as Marie stalked into the room. The innkeepers were both asleep in their bed unaware of the predator that was already pouncing on them. Marie simply couldn't stop herself as she leaped on top of the husband and sunk her fangs into his throat. The screams of the wife were deafening but the blood coursing down Marie's throat was so delicious she couldn't stop.

It seemed like forever before Marie's own mind came to the front and she realized that she was in no dream. She kept going for a full second before she recoiled back in a state of complete shock. The wife had already run screaming from the room and the inn. Leaving Marie to puzzle over what was happening to her and what to do about the dead innkeeper underneath her.
 

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'Mmmmm... that tasted pretty good...' The thought wafted through Marie's mind even as she stood blinking at the bed, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Things felt much more... crisp. Not like a dream, but Marie couldn't rule it out still, but how much of that was just refusal to believe was hard to say. She still didn't feel 'normal', that's for sure. The closest experience she could describe is once or twice when she'd caught a really bad cold and felt like her mind was 'out of body'. Her first action after the shock started to fade was to move to the door frame and put her head against it, leaning over for support, as if feeling to make sure the world was real. She could feel it, but she still wasn't sure.

Dream or no, Marie didn't particularly want to be in this room any longer. She seemed to have control now, even if she also still felt a bit lethargic. Real or no, perhaps the village in general was not the best place to be right now. The problem, really, was that Marie didn't exactly have anyplace she could go, or really many places she was even familiar with. She was curious, obviously, and eagerly listened to tales of far off places from the odd traveler and the surrounding area from local merchants alike, no matter how dull, but she was under no illusion that leaving the village for the first time would be a picnic. Marie kind of surprised herself at thinking so forwardly, but with the dream like state fading from memory, she was quite spooked.

She needed time to think, really, first and foremost, and maybe she could just lay low nearby for awhile, until she either figured out what was happening or she woke up. Either way... the Ulfur thing probably knew, Marie slowly realized. But he was doing battle with the Henri-thing, or something? It might not be safe, and Marie wasn't exactly eager to seek either of them out. Returning to the tree line and hiding, maybe cautiously watch for Ulfur. She would try and return there, being careful not to be seen as she left the buildings behind, though once again concerned with the pettyness of not getting her dress dirty crossing the mud, despite the fact she probably looked quite a bit like a demon of hell herself right now...
 
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Marie slipped quietly through the now empty rooms of the inn, leaving behind the innkeeper's body. She had no idea if her were dead or alive, but she knew she didn't want to stay and find out. She had to find someplace to think about what had happened to her.

Slipping back through the wide-open door of the village she could hear screams and the bells of the church ringing. No one was at the inn yet but it wouldn't be long. She moved as quickly as possible for the western forest while remaining mindful of her dress. Soon she found herself back at the edge of the treeline, where everything had happened.

She found herself remembering everything as it happened while she retraced her steps all the way to the tree. The rope still hung from the tree and Marie recalled the very last moments of her life.
 

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"Yes.... yes..." It was just a confirmation of her memory of the events, not any sort of revelry with their contents. The memories didn't actually confirm anything, though. It could still just be a very accurate dream, as they sometimes could be, or at least Marie would prefer to tell herself that. She stood idly at the base of the tree and watched the loop of rope swing.

As disturbing as it all was, one other memory came back now too. As terrifying as the half man half beast creatures were, the actual Ulfur did try and warn her earlier. Assuming he actually was a strange creature and not what he appeared to be, that still had to count for something, right? Marie very much didn't want to believe that Henri was the other thing. Maybe whatever it was stole his face? If monsters were real, that could certainly be within the realm of their powers, or so she thought. The creature with the Henri-face was definitely the more hostile of the two, though. Marie began to creep a but further forward, leaning gently behind trees with tension on a knife's edge, likely to leap at the slightest provocation. She blinked and looked for Ulfur specifically now, jitteringly sliding from tree to tree each time she failed to find him in the next clearing.
 
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Marie crept from tree to tree, her eyes sweeping the forest for signs of either Henri or Ulfur. She had to find the one who had made her, though she knew not why. Something drew her mind and body to find Ulfur, it was even more powerful than the urge to follow Henri earlier. She somehow knew what he had done was the reason for this strange dream. If that's what it was, she certainly had her doubts.

Eventually she came to a clearing with something of interest. The Henri thing's crossbow lay smashed in the center and a pile of ash or dust mixed with bones. A pile of clothes seemed to complete everything the Henri beast had carried. Did this mean he was dead, or was this just another part of her dream. The sound of hunting dogs reached her ears. The villagers had started the search for her or at least Marie assumed it was for her.
 

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Marie slowly approached the strange pile, cocking her head to one side in curiosity. Strangeness of this sort definitely did point back to the dreams, but her vision and other senses were still sharp, sharper than ever. She quickly picked up the crossbow, or its remnants, while simultaneously turning an ear to listen for the baying hounds. For some reason the sound made her self-defense instinct run high, and while the weapon was probably broken, she had to be sure. Either way, as odd as the sight was, the danger rising was simply too great. She had to press on, deeper into the woods, and at a quicker pace.
 
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Marie turned what remained of the crossbow over in her hands. It didn't take a hunter or warrior to realize that the weapon was useless. It looked as though a massive wolf or bear had clawed the weapon in half with one swipe. The clothing and other portions of gear looked much the same. As crazy as it seemed it looked as though Henri had been somehow destroyed by some creature.

Even though she had seen it, Marie still had difficulty believing it was Ulfur who had done this. Not just to Henri but herself she was quickly realizing, if she wanted answers she would have to find him. She had heard it mentioned that he lived in an old shack just north of the church. Of course that would mean traveling back and somehow avoiding the hounds and villagers.
 

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Marie was hesitant to abandon her search of the woods. People tended to cling where scared and out of their element. Going back to town, just to go through it, sounded like a bad idea either way. If she circled around, though, that would allow time for anyone chasing her to catch up, especially quick moving hounds. Climbing up a tree would be an option, but would probably just trap her up there, no good. The dreamy, flying feeling wasn't returning either. Flight only seemed to work in dreams when you didn't want it to anyway...

She was wasting time while thinking. She cringed hard and just picked an option, circling around. If this was a dream, things would take their course no matter what she did, and if it was real the consequences were already so dire anything more was just overkill, so worrying to death about it was useless. She still at least attempted to stay clear of the sight of town on her looping path, but knew she'd have to take a few risks to get to the alleged shack. Her head start was the best asset against hounds, and now was not the time to squander it.
 
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Marie moved as quickly as she could through the forest, if only she could see in the dark she thought. The hounds fortunately would take some time to follow her trail while she looped back. It was the best choice of the horrible options she had been given. She would find Ulfur and find out if this was all just a bad dream.

She reached the end of town well ahead of the hounds back in the forest. She could see the old hunter's shack sitting not far from the church. The bells were still ringing and she could see some villagers down by the inn with lit torches. Something about the fire even at this distance sent a chill of fear down her spine.
 

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Nothing overly dramatic had happened for a few minutes, yet Marie still felt like her mind was bouncing around inside her skull, making her want to shrink up and... do something, she wasn't quite sure. The fire was definitely aggravating it. Something about the darkness just seemed so comforting after all that happened.

She was now slow again in her approach, feeling some unknown trepidation at the shack, or more likely what lay inside. She still had enough wits that she cam from a direction where it would block any villagers line of sight, then crept around the outside, trying to peer in and check if Ulfur was there, as if just that sight would make her feel better. When she eventually got to the door she would quietly knock. It might not be loud enough for the occupant to hear, though if she was thinking straight Marie might realize the tolling of the bells would drown out any normal attempts. No, this was the darker side of curiosity now, where she would try and just push in on her own if she got no response. At least it was quicker.
 
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