EVENT ▸ THE END

[futurologists]

THE BEGINNING IS THE END If tensions were high in Drakstaden before, they're practically colossal now. With the infiltration of the Broadcasting Station, the revelation of Ivarson's plot against the lower levels, the attack on the Vakdir prison, and the newly set curfew, Drakstadish citizens are now more divided than ever. Rumor has it that Prime Minister Ivarson is getting more erratic than ever, too, and spending all his resources hunting down the rebel group responsible for the upset. After a spirited discussion between Ophelia members, it becomes clear what their next plan of action is. All that's left to do is implement it. The day of reckoning is Ivarson's birthday, two days from now, so if you have anything to take care of, you'd better do it soon. ▸ BIRTHDAY PARTY When the fateful day comes, the Vakdir are on high alert. Anyone on the higher levels who looks like they don't belong is forcibly removed, and any slightly suspicious activity is highly scrutinized. The party itself is taking place at the Prime Minister's residence, and only high-ranking officials and corporate heads are attending; numerous police officers patrol the premises to keep undesirables from entering. There is also a film crew to broadcast the party across the city As discussed with Rost, Ophelia sends a "truth wave" of sorts out to the entire city. The truth wave forces anyone in its wake to face the lies they tell themselves; unfortunately, this includes Ophelia, since they, too, are in the city. Keep it together, because you're going to have to get moving. While the guards are reeling, it's time to break in to the party. Inside, it's lavish and filled with extravagant-looking food and drink, far more food and drink than is needed for the number of people in attendance, and expensive decorations involving gold and precious gems are everywhere. But the partygoers are in no shape to enjoy any of it anymore, most of them in visible pain from having to face the lies they had to tell themselves to live under this kind of regime. There are still a couple guards who seem relatively unaffected by the truth wave -- however, they can be dispatched by intimidation, persuasion, or force. Once inside, it's time to look for the temporal crystal shard. After some searching, the temporal crystal shard can be found in the Prime Minister's bedside drawer -- good hunch, Ophelia! However, just as it's found, Ivarson himself will burst through the door. It seems he, too, is unaffected by the truth wave. He does not tell himself lies, but rather truly believes in the evil things he says and does. "What are you doing?!" he demands to know. "That is my jewel!" He clearly doesn't know the true identity of the temporal crystal, only believing it to be a beautiful, valuable crystal. He will attempt to protect it even if outnumbered, as if it calls to him, but if it is destroyed, he will stumble back as if in physical pain. Its destruction will stun him, allowing Ophelia to leave without issue. Next on the agenda? Freeing the political prisoners. ▸ VAKDIR HQ Now that you've blown your cover by crashing the party and breaking into the Prime Minister's home, there's no more reason for secrecy. Free to use the full brunt of your eclectic powers to launch an assault the Vakdir Headquarters, it's easy enough to make it inside while most of the officers are still under the effects of the truth wave. Still, like at the Prime Minister's penthouse, there are some Vakdir present who aren't affected at all; like Ivarson, they are at peace with their way of life, with no self-delusions and no regrets. You'll need to dispatch these in whatever way you like -- fight them, charm them, or do something else -- but remember to keep at least a handful cognizant, because you'll need them for questioning. However you go about that is, again, up to you, but the guards will not reveal the location of the secret political prison easily. Luckily, those who have completed the bounty for Rost to investigate political prisoners will already know where it's located: underneath the Vakdir Headquarters, separate from the main prison that some of you were broken out of just days ago. The guards are in the same state here as they are elsewhere -- most are incapacitated but some aren't -- but in addition to that, now you'll have to contend with locks on the various doors leading in. Break them or get some Vakdir to do it for you, but either way, it's a few layers of bolted doors before the political prisoners are found. They're in bad shape and are surprised to see someone here that isn't an armed guard, but aren't about to look this particular gift horse in the mouth. Free them and escort them back to the lower levels before the truth effect wears off. ▸ EPILOGUE Rost is grateful for your assistance in freeing the prisoners, albeit slightly shaken by the experience of the truth wave. Their hope is that everyone in the city will have felt the true horrors of their actions and that the first steps toward peace can now be made. With the temporal shard located and destroyed, it's time to leave Drakstaden and return to Headquarters, a simple matter of the familiar bright light of a temporal rift and the immediate relocation afterwards. Thanks to the fluid nature of the Timeline across the multiverse, Timeline Analysts are able to quickly decipher the fate of Drakstaden within hours of Ophelia's return; it seems as though Ivarson's sudden disconnect from the temporal shard caused his health to quickly decline to the point where he was no longer considered fit for office. The truth wave helped some see the errors of their ways but not all, ultimately resulting in a civil war. The war left many dead on both sides, with surrounding countries finally intervening and taking as many refugees in as they could. Eventually, Drakstaden was abandoned and left to decay out on the taiga as a looming, thirty story ghost town. The future beyond that is murky, but Hathaway will continue to monitor that universe's timeline. But try not to dwell on it! The nature of time is unpredictable, and no one ever said this job would be easy. Until your next mission, take advantage of the amenities that Headquarters has to offer, and try to relax. ▸ OOC NOTES This is the final log of Mission: Drakstaden! We hope you enjoyed your time here. Characters have returned to Headquarters as of the epilogue, so feel free to continue on from there. If you have questions about this log or the mission, please direct them to the dossier. Questions about the game in general can be directed to the FAQ. ▸ CR/Welcome Meme ▸ Drakstaden Dossier ▸ Drakstaden Locations ▸ Drakstaden Bounty Board ▸ May Calendar

Comments

HAHA he's so grumpy i love him

[damnpire]

If you use it to deactivate this place, you will likely be retired. [The way he says retired is more, like, Retired.

Also, it's a joke, but he sucks at jokes, and it sounds like a simple monotone suggestion. Don't use it for that and get in trouble.

There's no hesitation when he closes the distance and reaches out, accepting the amulet into his palm and curling his long fingers around it. It disappears beneath the edge of his cloak.] Our existence is why I hunt vampires. [His voice is soft, like it's a secret.]

No one should be forced to live forever with those who do not.

[reposing]

[The joke, if it can be called that, makes Alucard raise his brow for a moment, as if he's unsure how to take it.

Then he realizes it was spoken in jest. Alas, no pity laugh from Alucard.]

Our lives are destined for misery then, is it. To witness my father's insanity from grief, to know no child of his will ever be enough. To witness my mother's execution, her last words begging me to be better than her murderers. Whatever friends I had are dead, will soon be, or I may need to slay them.

So hunt your vampires. Prevent more like us. It is the most merciful act you can take.

And I will live in an infinite nightmare, buried in what tomb must be built for my family.

[damnpire]

[For a long moment, D does his usual staring unemotionally without looking for anything. His eyes are level on Alucard’s face, though, as if he may be trying to read it in a way.] Your father’s grief was inevitable.

Your mother didn’t deserve her death, but she would have grown old and died regardless. The only way he would have been able to keep her was if he turned her into a vampire. I don’t think that is something your mother would have wanted, but maybe I am wrong.

You will be angry for a long time. But you shouldn’t discredit the lives of humans simply because you outlive them. They offer a great deal in their time, and your life may not be a nightmare after all.

[reposing]

There's a difference between the dust of old age, or being burned at the stake. She loved humans -- she would never want to have been anything else.

[Alucard can't help but scoff softly.]

If that what you live by? Do they offer you something? Tell me that is true for you, then. I will save their lives, but beyond that... Nothing lasts. Do you feel differently?

Or is that why your constant companion is a parasite in your hand.

[damnpire]

[If the sharp words sting or make him angry, his face frustratingly does not change in the slightest. This isn't a wrath he hasn't understood himself when he was young.] It is not the fault of humans I am a dhampir.

They do not owe me their eternal companionship. What they have given me are fleeting glimpses of their kindness. Their lives and their towns may not last. That is fine by me so long as I have kept them from being preyed on by the Nobility, and they were able to enjoy what little bit of life they have at all.

I don't want them to last. I understand how terrible it is to last.

[reposing]

[It is terribly frustrating. He doesn't know what to expect. Answers? Some shred of hope from someone else who has lived not unlike him.

But it doesn't do any of that. Instead, Alucard feels angry, grieving tears escape him. Thick, viscous blood.]

I do not blame them, and I am not you!

[Alucard pinches the bridge of his nose, hissing softly.]

They have a family of hunters to protect them. I will do what is needed of me. And that will be that.

[damnpire]

Drakstaden was a city sick from within. Even removing the Prime Minister continued them on a course for a terrible end. We were not given the time to help them learn to heal themselves. [He frowns gently.] The same will be true for Wallachia.

[If he had anything to offer Alucard for the tears, he would, honestly.]

You may end your father's reign of terror, but you won't fix the city by relenting afterward just because it may one day perish with time. I don't think your mother would have wanted that either, Adrian.

[reposing]

[It would be easy to give up afterward. To allow himself the only solace of sleeping the world away after being forced to slay his own father.

He grits his teeth, his fingers curling into his chest. It's easy to hurt, be angry, but in the end, he knows that D isn't wrong.]

She wanted them to learn. To stop... living short, scared lives.

[And really, he cannot fathom leaving the rebuilding of Wallachia to one Trevor Belmont.]

[damnpire]

[please god don't leave wallachia to trevor "i don't care" belmont]

It's an admirable dream. They are capable of it. Just because they may leave in time doesn't mean their lives aren't worth knowing.

[reposing]

[Pathetically, he thinks to himself, how much he doesn't want to be alone for it. But D isn't wrong; their curse is to be immortal.

And ultimately, if he is forced to be, then he at least owes it to his mother's memory to try to care for the people she loved, the ones she saw such hope in.]

Do you regret it? The way we are.

[damnpire]

I don’t know any other life. There is nothing to regret. [He isn’t downplaying the sorrow. There is great pain in being a dhampir. And yet, he has realized there is nothing he can do to change what he is, in the end.] I do not offer much in company.

But there isn’t anything I can do to change what I am. [His dark eyes search across Alucard’s face a moment. It’s familiar, distantly. The anger and the sadness. He isn’t sure he could tell Alucard when he stopped being angry or sad. Maybe he never actually has at all.]

I would rather be this way if it meant someone else did not have to.

[reposing]

[In the end, he supposes it doesn't matter. Neither of them can change what they are. They can only use it as a means to serve others instead of simply wallowing.]

And what will you do? When there are no more vampires to slay.

[damnpire]

[Even between the time they last had this conversation and now, he still hasn't decided. It's been ten thousand years, and he still hasn't thought about what he would do in all honesty. There's always been vampires. He doesn't know if he'll ever find the Sacred Ancestor.]

I will continue to travel the Frontier until another Hunter decides to hunt me.

[Apparently, Alucard has made him understand how more lonely it would be for him to sleep for eternity. He's grown fond of the handful of humans who have shown him kindness, the ones he has helped continue their short lives.

This is a fate he seems fine with, fighting Hunters until there is one that can kill him.]

[reposing]

[That feels so terribly haunting. For all that D has experienced, perhaps eternal rest at the end of his journey would only be merciful, but...]

Why is that any different than putting myself to sleep? Whether I do, or don't. It is an ending, all the same.

I would-- I hope it would not be soon for that day to come for you. Even if we are worlds apart.

[damnpire]

[The lashes lower and stand out on D's pale face as he looks down, and then his eyes glance up past Alucard to the window. He wants to say he is fine with whatever Alucard chooses, but that isn't true.

He understands, in the end, it isn't his choice, but he wouldn't wish eternal sleep on the other dhampir.

Quietly, he says, as if it's a secret:] I hope to die killing the Sacred Ancestor. That is an end befitting someone like me.

[reposing]

[Somehow, that almost feels worse. Maybe for a time, he'd felt that way about returning to fight Dracula, that he would die during the battle in order to rest with his family. But...]

If I must live, I would want you to do the same.

[damnpire]

[D believes, without a doubt, he will die in this battle. His destiny feels predetermined. The Sacred Ancestor is an immensely powerful, ancient vampire. Perhaps not even a vampire any longer, but a dark, eldritch god. The odds are stacked so heavily against him. He'll perish, trying to save the world from his father's perfected, immortal hunger.

But Alucard pulls his gaze back. He's quiet for a long moment, and it may seem like he'd actually laugh at the prospect. Instead:] Alright.

[They would have no way of knowing, ever, more than likely. The truth.] If you live, I'll live, too. [It wouldn't be the silliest promise he's ever made.]

[reposing]

[Honestly, he hadn't been sure what D would say. At best, perhaps being told that the desire is far from practical. He knows it is. Maybe D would actually laugh at him for once.

But to his surprise, he agrees. Alucard's eyes light up, for once in a great while.]

I... agree to your terms.

Do your best to live when you return to the Frontier, D.

[damnpire]

[As usual, D's face doesn't exactly change very much. But it does seem... softer, in a way. He refuses to admit there's a kinship. Just for the sake of his own worrying.

And maybe for the sake of not being teased by Lefty.]

And you, Adrian. Try to stay awake.