𝔈𝔫𝔢𝔪𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔅𝔢𝔫𝔢𝔣𝔦𝔱𝔰: 𝔄 𝔗𝔞𝔩𝔢 𝔚𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔫 𝔦𝔫 𝔅𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡 [Fate x Lockdown]

[Lockdown]

╭━━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━━━✶━━━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━━╮

╰━━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━━━━━━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━━╯
𝚂𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚑 𝚂𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚡
"ℝ𝕖𝕛𝕠𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕚𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕪 𝕞𝕪 𝕓𝕝𝕒𝕕𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕀 𝕡𝕦𝕣𝕘𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕠𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕨𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕 𝕖𝕩𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖"


✧ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦ ♰ ✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✧​

“Your target will be the Queen of Russia, Koroleva, aka Kira Agafonov. She’s the architect behind the Nochony Obelisk and the one who single handedly took down Russia with her forces. Rumor has it her bodycount gutted a third of the Russian population making the WW2 casualties look like child’s play. We have intel of an upcoming attack soon so I need to know if you’re in or out.” Ebony nails placed the file on the cool desk right where the dhampir could see from his seat. He tugged on the uncomfortable red striped jumpsuit. His forever blemished cheek feigned a smile but his perpetual scowling stare only made him look like a firecracker ready to go off at any moment. “When do I start?” he inquired in an unfazed tone after memorizing the details of this high priority target. “You just did,” she said with a slight purse in her lips to smile.

Then a suffocating bag enveloped him into darkness, “Make sure you pass their test. Oh and clean up the stragglers for us,” she said before he was whisked away from the comfort of the office. The rest of what happened came in a blur. He was urged into a vehicle before the roar of the engine sent him jutting backward while the newly inhibiting shackled chains chuckled in a jeering fashion as they clashed against each other. As if laughing at his misfortune.

࿇ ══━━━━✥◈✥━━━━══ ࿇​

The 21st century. Ever approaching, The birth of a new millennia and representing a new beginning. A blank canvas. To be painted in warmth. To grant man an opportunity to shed away the former millennium’s wars, prejudice, and hardships. To spark hope for a brighter future with anticipation of a better tomorrow. To embark on new voyages of discovery and explore new frontiers. To reach the depths of our oceans or to make the heavens above a part of man’s world once again. But this hope was misplaced; for man would soon barely be able to even keep their home safe from the sinister creatures who’ve been lurking in the darkness. Waiting to strike at the most opportune moment. They were the painter now and they will drown the canvas in blood and forever stain this millennium in terror.

The first case of sudden human disappearance started right after summer ended for the northern hemisphere of the globe in 1999. Russia, China, The United States, and several European countries suddenly had small towns be turned into eerie ghost towns. Panic set in when daily reports turned to weekly news headlines of mass disappearances without any trace except for an obvious struggle and bits of blood left behind. The trail of this eerie occurrence was slowly slithering to the massive urban jungles home to millions. Whispers of serial killers with fangs picking off people in the dead of night started filling online primitive forum boards. With sketchy photographs and conspiracy theories slowly becoming a reality as time went on. The seeds of mistrust and fear of the night began to settle within the subconscious.

By the time world leaders couldn’t ignore these staggering reports anymore it was already too late. Phase 2 went into effect. The nightwalkers had gained massive strength from the copious amounts of feeding and now aimed at the highest ranking members in human society. For decades they had risen and weaseled their way through humanity’s ranks only to then suddenly drop the facade of being human. No longer were they generals, chairmen, or prime ministers. They were butchers leading lambs to the slaughter under the guise of an emergency meeting to get everyone important in one place.

The sudden vacuum in power sent countries into anarchy as the structure of order was disassembled in one night. Some countries fell into martial law with an enemy no one could identify. Because of that everyone became the enemy. It was easy really. The arrogance of man is to simply make him believe he knows the enemy and he will justify the means to an end. All they needed to do was wait for humans to thin their own herd before dealing the final blow.

The fear of the unknown on what could be the cause and societal collapse drove many into a mass hysteria. Might made right across the land now and disorder reveled within the chaos.

Nobody welcomed the New Year with the hope they once had. Around fifty-one countries had fallen and another one ninety-six were barely holding on to some form of order. The rest were in the middle of it all. Billions of lives were lost. They then finally revealed themselves once humanity had no chance of regaining their footing. This faceless threat called themselves, “Vampires” the new rulers of this world.

The dominion of man was stolen by a Supernatural Apex Predator. Now they were the dominant species of the planet. They were faster, stronger, more agile, and could see in total darkness. An eerie mist would set in before they suddenly struck with fatal force. Moscow was the first city to fall. Then Paris. The City of Lights had gone dark permanently in what’s called “The Night that Consumed Paris” and it marked the beginning of the end. Based on military coms from countries all around the world the cities fell in the order of New York, Chicago, London, Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Sydney. It’s heavily believed several more cities succumbed to the Vampires but this cannot be confirmed at this time. Nukes were launched in order to try and combat the hordes but the night stalkers had already taken control of more warheads than the humans had. Valiant and courageous heroes sacrificed their lives by detonating their own nukes they were hired to defend or firing upon their nation’s storage. Some even forced the weapons of mass destruction into the upper stratospheres so then they won’t fall into the hands of the Vampires.

Still. It took less than a year till mankind was forced to retreat toward the equator. Where the sun-kissed the skies the most and served as a safe haven from the hellish fiends of the night who despised the glorious sun. Billions of people were misplaced. Resources were limited. Chaos ensued. But upon the ashes rose valiant leaders to rally the people. With spirit to one day take back their homelands and one day defeat the scourge which now plaques the corners of the globe.

In one priceless and precious moment humanity was brought together as one with a very important objective. This calamity inspired them to reclaim their home and bring peace to this blood stained world. A peace conceived with the idea of eradicating that which now preys upon them. Vampires. Former rivalries were set aside. The remaining world governments convened to form “The Republic of Humanity”. Their attention and weapons now aimed at a new target which threatened man’s existence. But the only way to fight monsters is with monsters of their own.

The “Sanguisuga Mortis Agency” was created with the idea of adopting dhampir’s (human annd vampire hybrids) and exceptional humans to specialize in the hunting, extermination, and complete eradication of the Vampire race. The agency is recognized by the Republic of Humanity (R.H) as its main defense force to attack and defend against threats pertaining to Vampires. The R.H pooled in their remaining resources to gain intel, dissect their targets to learn of any weaknesses, and train these hunters to make them eligible to be classified as a living weapon.

It was after a few years of this new normalcy that order began to settle and take root. Ideal? Hell no. Survivable? Thankfully yes.

Humanity slowly recovered from its population of two-billion and lived within the sunniest regions along the equator from all three remaining contents habitable for humans while the remaining four were territories of the Vampires. Forty years had past since that fateful day when the war started. The only saving grace being the sunlight which allowed humans a chance to escape and what now keeps them safe from extinction…until now.

Some time ago intel recovered footage and photos of a massive obelisk found in Russia which blotted out the sun. Allowing vampires to stroll in the middle of the day without worry. They called it the “Nochony Obelisk”. It was so massive it reached and pierced into the heavens. Causing the sky to bruise and casting a perpetual shadow of necrotic tundora gray. As if all of the color was snuffed out and the power of the sun couldn’t grant its radiating warmth and cleansing rays upon the wicked bloodsuckers below. S.M.A forces struggled with fighting the vampires once the sun could no longer keep the Vampires at bay. S.M.A forces no longer had time to mobilize, recover, or hold an advantage in battle.

Further efforts of recovering human territory were aimed onto other regions and reconquering Russia had been shelved along with dealing with the Nochony Obelisk until further notice. That is until reports of Vampires building another obelisk in Rome forced humans to face this life threatening dilemma. The pillar of ebony would blot out the nearby human settlements serving as S.M.A headquarters including what used to be Egypt, Israel, Turkey, and Greece. Efforts of mobilizing a special task force to infiltrate, report, and then execute were done. Forming one of the most skilled and dangerous division the S.M.A could conjure by choosing the best of the best for this mission. It just so happened a special dhampir made the cut and was reassigned to this special division.

࿇ ══━━━━✥◈✥━━━━══ ࿇​

“One hundred-forty-seven…One hundred-forty-eight,” he calmly enunciated as if being punished in detention to count the tallies on a chalkboard. He cracked his fingers with each integer. “One hundred-forty-nine,” he articulated peacefully before the sudden breaking of the truck jerked him onto his fellow passenger. “Get off me!” she screeched which sent the dhampir’s ears ringing. He fixed himself accordingly as the crack of gunshots filled the air and the hiss of nightstalkers whispered past the outer metal shell. “One hundred and fifty,” he hummed before he pressed his thumb against his ring finger and it cracked just as the fire fight ended outside.

“¿Que paso?” another prisoner questioned with a gruffly voice before the sudden gust of fresh air hit the prisoners. “Hehehe, little monkeys ran away without their bounty,” a wickedly venomous tone slipped past the lips of a sharp canine wielding and pale-looking man who stripped the prisoners of the bags over their heads. “Who the hell are you?” the vampire sitting across the dhampir snarled before the pale-one leaned in with a cocksure smile. “Your savior of course, I’m Marcus. We’re in need of a big bad bodyguard and you lot fill the bill. So it’s time for…tryouts.”

The dhampir was practically thrown onto the floor to his knees as the vampires lined up the prisoners. He glanced to the right and easily identified these blood suckers. Serial killers with a long list of felonies. The one on the far end is called “El Matador”. Likes to wear shiny clothes to blind his foes before he closes in on the kill. Calls it his suit of lights. Decorated in his victims shiny memorabilia. He blanketed all of Catalonia in fear before S.M.A was able to detain him. Next was the “Venus Human Trap”. Like a flytrap but if it hunted bigger game like humans. Her beauty rivals her notoriety. She was said to have killed as many people as the Eiffel Tower is tall on the Night that Ate Paris where she remained until S.M.A came to France. Then you have “Hercules”. Sucker is as big as a house and could bend steel by his smug look alone. Easy to see how he was able to keep Athens for almost three decades unrivaled. The rest were just as deadly and fierce. “Clean up the stragglers?” he sighed knowing full well these weren’t just stragglers Stella had locked him up with.

Marcus sauntered up to the dhampir with a clipboard in hand. He sifted through the pages and tapped his finger on it with a smile, “There you are, Mr. Seraph Sanguinex,” the vampire announced. Seraph’s head tilted, “So my name is Seraph?” he committed to memory his new identity’s name before paying attention to Marcus. “A foreigner from the States known for dismantling S.M.A squadrons and being highly suspected in aiding the President’s assassination forty years ago,” Marcus’s eyes briefly widened before he glanced over to his fellow companions who either chuckled or were in shock. “No wonder why they wanted you in their head quarter’s prison,” Marcus bemused before flipping the page over to move onto the next candidate. Seraph furrowed his brow, “God damnit, Stella. You could’ve crafted a more believable backstory,” he cursed at his superior within his mind. But she was smart. Less of a chance for them to poke holes in his story if they didn’t know anyone who could verify it.

After their savior had become well acquainted with them he lead the prisoners back into the, now abandoned, S.M.A high security penitentiary. They were lead into a dark room meant for solitary. It felt cramped with all six of them in their. “Is anyone familiar with Kodoku?” Marcus asked and the fellow vampires all looked at each other as if wondering what the hell he just said. “Well, in Japan, when a sorcerer wants the strongest venom/poison and charm. He puts a bunch of venomous/poisonous insects in a jar and lets them kill one another. The surviving insect’s venom/poison would be used to kill their target in a potion and the insect would be gifted to someone as a luck charm because they were the one who survived.” Marcus explained this ancient tradition curtly.

“We found our insects and here is your venom,” suddenly someone from behind him tossed a silver sword from the S.M.A’s armory inside of the cell. “Six go in. One comes out. We’ll fetch you once it gets quiet. Good luck everyone,” and with that the room was shut closed engulfing them in darkness. Floating glowing optics darted between each other as they looked at each other and contemplated on being the first to reach for the sword. Then the room came to life with a sudden burst of light. The vampires hissed and shielded their faces while others desperately reached for the sword.

Seraph winced while hastily trying to adjust to the sudden light exposure. He was only half vampire so it didn’t bother him as much. Still. He needed to win to conquer this first trail to succeed in his mission.

Marcus filed his nails while his feet were propped up on the desk. He hummed a classical tune while the screams and roars of Vampires echoed along the hallway. Loud thuds against the walls barely shook him or his companions. He lazily eavesdropped on who the other Vampires thought would win and even placed bets. He blowed against the freshly done nails just as his ear caught the void of silence from the hallway.

Marcus turned toward the cell down the hallway and lowered his legs. His chair swiveled as he leaned in to see if he heard anything else. But no more brawling. His boots clicked against the floor as he marched up to the solitary cell and turned off the bright blinding lights. He waited a moment longer before unlocking the door and slowly opening it. His head peeked inside and his eyes widened. He covered his mouth and gagged before moving out of the way. Seraph slowly sauntered his way out of the cell with a slight limp and blood dripping down his arm. The tip of the silver sword dragging on the floor behind him as his firm grip held onto the handle. His prison uniform tattered and stained with blood that wasn’t completely his. His left eye was swollen but yet his scar still had him smiling. “Here’s your lucky charm,” he said with a heavy breath before tossing the sword at the feet of Marcus with all five vampire skulls shish kebabed onto the silver sword.

Marcus blinked and recoiled from the morbid display of art. “S-Seraph was it?” he chirped after he managed to peel his scarlet eyes off the grotesque display of violence.

࿇ ══━━━━✥◈✥━━━━══ ࿇​

A few days had passed since Seraph was selected to be the special bodyguard for Koroleva. Why they would choose a highly dangerous individual without former ties of allegiance perplexed him the first day. Until further evaluation questions on how he viewed humans gave away their intentions. They want someone who wouldn’t hesitate to kill the Queen. It’s hard to do that when you’re not strong or have former ties with her. He was a puppet. A fall guy for the regime to blame when they themselves appointed him if she gets out of line with this “Humans and Vampires living in harmony” idea. He almost had to keep on rereading that part of the intel when he got to it. How could such a bloodthirsty Queen change her mind in the past few years?

He didn’t know nor did he care. He had his mission. Retrieve intel of the new obelisk and how to destroy it and then assassinate Koroleva afterward. He needed to protect the people that he loved at home. The ones who give him strength to get up in the morning. The ones who stitch his wounds after a mission. The ones he promised to protect until his last breath.

Thanks to his unique physiology he had healed nicely from his wounds. Seraph sat patiently outside of the current business residence belonging to Koroleva and her workers. She had worked all day and was finally free once nightfall hit. It was a stunning Italian apartment retrofitted to house the workers but also serve as a place of operations. The high floors offered a perfect view of the ever growing Obelisk sitting in the center of Rome. He didn’t know if she also, temporarily, lived in these apartments or sought comfort somewhere else. Either way he’ll have to protect her for the time being and he would find her humble abode soon enough.

“One hundred-fifty-three,” he snapped his finger while whispering the new tally. “One hundred-fifty-four,” he hummed and just as the door handle to the apartment jiggled he managed to get to, “One hundred-fifty-five,” and finish with a final crack of his fingers before being greeted by Marcus. “She’s ready for you now, Seraph,” he welcomed the dhampir in.

Seraph’s boots clicked along the floor as he strolled into the apartment with a mean expression adorning his features as if he stood on business. His black tie matched his dark brown irises making it seem like he lacked a soul and a heart by the way he walked like a machine. As if moving through the apartment to find his target before moving onto the next Vampire on his list. His white button up shirt was unblemished unlike his face with only a pair of swords on his back obstructing a perfectly professional attire. A mix of business and bodyguard if you will. He always preferred swords and knives. Vampires were too fast for guns. Best to kill them by cutting them down by their weak points before going for the killing blow.

He finally found someone when he strolled into a room, “Excuse me, do you know where Miss. Agafonov is?” He inquired before his eyes glanced beside the vampire and slightly widened. It was her. Kira Agafonov. The one who sacked Russia, paraded the streets in blood like it was Mardi Gras, and constructed an obelisk which blotted out the sun. She…was not who he was expecting.

Seraph looked around as if looking to find where she could’ve placed the rest of herself. Maybe Kira’s assistant had it on their persons? But they didn’t either. Where was the ferociousness? The imposing demeanor. The aura that could leave a country in ruin. Seraph’s soul sucking eyes fell back onto the assistant before looking back at Kira when he didn’t find anything. His mean expression made it seem like he was disappointed. He could practically pick Kira up with one arm and she wasn’t even close to eye level with him. Hell, was she even a Queen? More like a Princess. He looked a few years her senior. He huffed in a hushed exacerbated exhale before saying, “I’m Seraph Sanguinex,” he slightly bowed before closing the distance and reaching to extend his hand to shake hers.

“I’m pleased to serve the mastermind behind the Nochony Obelisk. I heard it allows us Vampires to walk during the day. I haven’t had the privilege of seeing it for myself. I can only imagine how liberating it feels to not fear the light. Along with how exciting it must be to hunt those wretched humans and ring them dry of their delicious scarlet.” He supplied her with pleasantries while announcing his disdainful opinion of humans. Whether or not the intel held credibility would hinge on how she reacts. He would adjust accordingly. One thing was for certain though.

He was going to kill her.

@Fate
⋅───⊱༺ ♰ ༻⊰───⋅
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