Lore of the Lupines
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| Snake Charmer Saga Lore of the Lupines |
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| Chapter One: Deception | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In a small coffee shop in a small, unknown city - Calloway sat in the corner and patiently waited. It had been some time since he had actually put in a call to talk to Snake - but as of late - there were too many x-factors in play for things to function. He needed answers and there was only one person that could give them to him. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You must be deep in thought," a voice remarked. Calloway jerked his head to the side and saw Snake smiling at him. "There is no way I could have gotten this close to you if you were on top of your game," he added with a quiet chuckle. Calloway smiled politely as his mentor sat down before him. "You wanted to see me?" he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You sounded surprised - when I called," Calloway remarked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I was. When was the last time you actually called me? Oh my - that had to be - almost seventy years ago. Where does the time go?" Snake mused. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "An attempt was made on my life," Calloway stated bluntly. Snake blinked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You don't say," he replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "They weren't amateurs. They came pretty close to hitting the target. It was - only by the divine will of Set himself that I was able to prevail," Calloway stated - looking at Snake. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You want me to look into it?" Snake offered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "It would be appreciated. There - was - another matter. I was hoping you would be able to help - clarify it for me," he said as he reached in his pocket and took out a piece of paper - the note stating the request for a hit. Snake put on a pair of reading glasses and studied the document. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I see - you - believe that you were that viper? The one this mystery person spoke of?" Snake asked curiously. Calloway smiled as he leaned back in his chair. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I don't know - was I?" he rebutted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Answering questions with question - a sign of evasion. The answer is no. You remember Corwin?" he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Sloppy worker - but vaguely," Calloway replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "His sloppiness almost brought in Archon intervention down on our cause," he stated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Then the matter would have had to been dealt with," Calloway rationalized. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Exactly," Snake admitted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Then why not call me in? Clean up is one of the things - I do," he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I knew that - after your mission with the Tremere - that you would require some time to recover. Otherwise you would not be at the peak of your power. As you well know - I loathe - sending a weapon out that is not - fully loaded," he replied with a smile. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "True enough," Calloway replied looking off to the side. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You - are seriously troubled by this," Snake began. Calloway closed his eyes and shook his head. "Calloway - after everything you have done for our great cause - how could you think that I would sell you off like that? What are we? Ventrue?" he asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I know - that - should the life of one - be balanced against a greater good - I know which way - you would choose," Calloway replied calmly. Snake leaned back in his chair. A waitress approached but walked away when he motioned for her to do so. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Calloway - listen - we have had to make a few - unkind cuts over the years. But each was done so that the cause would endure. The weak - leaves had to be plucked so that they could not drain life from our great tree. Sometimes it was a small branch - other times - a larger one - but you? Calloway - you are one of the roots. Without you - the cause would not survive. The younger ones - they know of you - and they fear you. That fear drives them to work harder and faster - to make themselves better - for not only themselves - but for our cause and Set himself. No - mere deal could change that," Snake reassured. Calloway sighed as he looked over at his mentor. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I'm - sorry - my mind has not been right since that last assignment," he replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I needed someone that could do the impossible and - only you could have done that. That - ritual - if it fell into the wrong hands," he began as he looked over at him. "Did you manage to get a copy of it?" he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "It wouldn't work," Calloway replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "How could you be so sure?" Snake asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Because I saw what it did to the poor sap that tried it," he answered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "He - was weak. In the right hands - it could," Snake began. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "In even the hands of Lord Set - it would be too dangerous - sire. The ritual was tainted. If it was recited or tried - it could unleash a daemon whose sole purpose and ambition is the utter annihilation of every kindred on Earth - not just the elders we prepare to face," Calloway interrupted. Snake frowned. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You listen to the pathetic prattling of those foolish warlocks," Snake muttered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "No - I listened to the daemon that possessed that - weak pathetic fool. As we speak - that daemon lies bound within the host of the Tremere apprentice that tried to perform that ritual. Anyone that - tried to enact that ritual would find himself - or herself thrall to a daemon that would use him - or her - as a tool of destruction against all kindred," he replied seriously. Snake pulled out a cell phone and hit redial. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "How close have the translations come?" Snake asked. "That much - an - agent tells me that the ritual was tainted. That some greater daemon or something of the," he began but stopped. "There were traces? I see. Could the ritual work without?" he began but stopped again. He drummed his fingertips against the table before him. "Without those elements it would fail. Would require more - years? Fuck - no - put it on the backburner. I'll get back to you," he concluded as he hung up. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You doubted me?" Calloway asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Your knowledge of the occult is not as in depth as my specialists. I just wanted to make sure that," he began but stopped. Learning what he did - did not make his night. "My - people were a day away from attempting that ritual. If they had - the cause and - everything that we had been preparing for - would have been lost," he said - thinking about the horrific ramifications of such a thing happening. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What good fortune then - that I survived. It must be an omen that - Set - is with us. Imagine - what might have come to pass - had those assassins succeeded? One of your people - reduced to being a mindless thrall to a daemon. The unleashing of - a killing machine that would damn all creatures of the night," Calloway stated. Snake sighed as he looked over at Calloway. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Indeed - we have much to be grateful for," he admitted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Has Corwin been dealt with yet?" Calloway asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The pieces are set and the trap is in motion. He will not live beyond this night," he began as he looked over at Calloway. "But - with him being gone - that does pose me with a - problem," he added. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "That being?" he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "He was the agent I was going to use to - deal with a special mission," he began. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "When was this decided? Before or after the Archon?" Calloway asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Many plans are set in motion years in advance - some - centuries. This plan - was set in motion - at least a decade ago. He was the agent I saw being the most suited for doing this assignment," he began as he took out an envelope. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You want me to pick up his slack?" Calloway asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "In a manner of speaking. The importance of this - is very high. If successful - it could give us a powerful ally. If done wrong - it could make us a - very dangerous enemy. I - feel it only fair to warn you that - this will not be an easy mission," he warned. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Just recently - you have sent me to find some lunatic Malkavain - take down a Giovani power base - get the Ventrue back into Eco - aid the Tremere in taking down some demon vampire mage from hell - what on this list has been easy?" Calloway rebutted. Snake smirked and motioned for him to open the envelope. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "All you have to do - if you opt for that attitude - is protect a girl with your life - and escort her to meet a man named Gailwind," he replied. Calloway opened the envelope and skimmed through it. He flipped it over and saw a map that led out into the wilderness that lied north of Eco. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "One problem - wilderness - is not my strong suit," he began as he looked over at Snake. "Problem two - Gailwind - is not a normal sounding name. Who is he and why does he sound like something our kind would not want to fuck with?" he asked hesitantly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "He is - as our kind would call him - someone of a certain amount of status - among his kind. He represents his tribe known as the Children of Gaia," Snake stated Calloway dropped the note on the table and stared at Snake in modest disbelief. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "He is a fucking werewolf?" Calloway hissed under his breath. The two looked around to see if anyone had heard - but everyone was overly wrapped up in his or her own paltry politics to notice. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Among other things," Snake replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I tangled with one of those mother fuckers when you sent me after that lunatic Jest. Those little bastards don't say die easy - and they don't like our kind - and - they do not take kindly to those that follow the fallen God of darkness," he pointed out. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If you don't think you can do it," Snake began. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I never said that," Calloway interrupted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "This - is very important. Both to our cause - and our God. Do what you must to get this job done," Snake began as he slowly got up. Calloway did the same. "Take however much time you need. The wilderness is not the kind of playground you are used to so the usual level of expedience will not be expected," he began as he placed his hand on Calloway's shoulder. "If anyone can do this - it would be you," he reassured. Calloway nodded as he bowed to Snake and quietly left. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Snake sighed as he watched one of his best agents exit the coffee shop and vanish from sight. He frowned as he took out his cell phone and hit another redial button. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Change of plans. Looks like the guy got lucky. I don't know how. Listen - listen - look," he began. He moved the phone from his ear fait sounds of someone shouting resonated. He moved it back and sighed. "The problem will be dealt with. I am not trying to cheat you. I know we came to an understanding. Yes - look - he won't be able. I don't know - you picked these assassins - I thought you had them checked out," he muttered as he sat down where Calloway had been. "Well - he managed to survive so it stands to reason that they didn't," he stated. He listened and nodded as he listened to the person on the other end gripe. "He was in his element. I have a feeling he was warned. I have a feeling someone inside the Eco scene saw something and got word to him. Inside my end? Uhm - no. The last time someone tried to infiltrate my ring - was over a hundred years ago. Security has been tight ever since. Trust me - good as he is - he won't be able to get out of this one. Satisfied? Good - I'll be in touch as soon as I hear more," he concluded as he hung up and shook his head. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| He had planned everything so thoroughly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Evade fate this time assassin," Snake remarked as he picked up a drink and looked at his reflection in the dark surface. A frown replaced the smile as he lowered the drink. "I will have to keep an eye on that love-struck dancer that obsesses over him," he stated seriously. "One thing at a time," he reminded as he got up and left the place as quietly as he came. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To Be Continued... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||