How much Myrah would like to sigh right now as she stepped into the screaming halls of Amber Hills. If Circe's information is correct, most physical disciplines are all but useless against the creatures that hunger for kindred Vitae. However, she still remembers the dream, the strange ghost blood that hid inside her body and the Good doctors effect on the creatures in the dream. Perhaps the doctor could help her defend herself should the situation get worse.

Now where is his ghoul?

Almost as if on cue Harold Smith, Lazarus' ghoul and head of security at Amber Hill, came walking out of the staff-only door from the lobby. He carried a clipboard with him, but paid no attention to it. His stern humorless face locked immediately upon Myrah Wells and he took a few steps closer to her before speaking.

"The doctor is expecting you, Madam Wells. Shall I guide you to him?"

"Thank you Harold" Myrah replied as she made her way past the security officer and made her way straight towards the Doctors office, trying her best to ignore the screams and moans. She did have to wonder how the hell Lazarus could actually work under these conditions.

Eventually Myrah manages to find herself at Ith Lazarus' door, which had already been propped open in expectation for her arrival. Such a "warm" greeting was not common for the doctor, perhaps a display of higher respect in his eyes. Dr. Lazarus was standing at his bookshelf, browsing through the assorted topics.

"Hello Madam Wells, thank you for arriving on time."

"Thank you Mister Warden." Myrah said as she brushed off some stray dust from her suit. It was unusual for the Doctor to be things...Friendly. Perhaps he is in a good mood...

"I take it your evening has been good so far?"

"My evening has been excellent. It is not every night that I am asked to teach a talent I have mastered." The doctor says this with an almost gleeful tone, although it is underlined with subtle horror.

Ith turns to face Myrah now, and the front of his lab coat glistens with fresh blood. In his hand is a battery-powered medical bone saw, still dripping with blood -- most likely the same blood that covered his coat. It is truly a horrific sight to see, and then Lazarus began to approach the Shadow.

"Do you understand fear, Madam Wells?"

Myrah's eyes went wide at the sight of Dr Lazarus and his gore-caked body. "Uh-To the...levels inherent in the-blood." The not-so--good doctors appearance has really thrown Myrah off.

As Lazarus took steps closer to her, saying nothing in reply, he revved the bone-saw's engine making the circular blade whirl at different degrees of speed; as it spun little droplets of blood flung off and landed in a perfect arc shape against the wall. The Doctor's yellowish bloodshot eyes focused on Myrah in a new way now unlike what she had seen in them before; sure, they still held their malice and cruelty -- but now they were focused on her rather than others. Gone was any sense of friendliness from Ith.

Another high-pitched whir of the blade as he approached closer. Suddenly they were not alone in the room, as Harold's shadow stretched into the office from the doorframe. He stood, angry eyes focused on Myrah, holding a shotgun in his hands, with a smirk of hateful glee on his face.

Myrah was starting to panic, eyes darting around for an exit, strategies to leave, she could probably hit Harold with enough toxins to kill him with one touch. Hell, the scent of Chlorine that followed Myrah was starting to become more noticeable with each passing second. "What the bloody hell is this?"

The Mieser's worried eyes did not go unnoticed by the now predatory doctor. His heightened senses were scanning every aspect of the woman's body, and her odor of chlorine was growing. She was afraid, and Lazarus knew it; but it wasn't enough -- she had to understand that this was serious, she needed to know she was standing face to face with Final Death.

Dread

His advance did not halt and he took another step closer the saw blade still spinning as he gave it another burst of electric -- his eyes locked on her like a hawk's.

"Do not waste your efforts in an attempt to leave, Madam Wells. Consider my office to be your tomb, and anywhere else to be off limits..." For a split second Dr. Lazarus' eyes moved from her to the doorframe behind her where Harold stood, then they moved back to her as quickly as they left.

Harold took the verbal cue and took a step outside the doorframe into the hallway, where he knew he was safe from the doctor's prey yet still able to make use of his state-issued shotgun. The malicious look on his face suggested that he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Off Limits


1 sux

Myrahs fears was starting to grow, the sent was getting stronger as her fingernails were starting to drag through her suit as her mind was getting clouded by fear. She took steps back to the door...

Crap! 3 sux!

But she couldn't move beyond the door frames. "God, what are you doing?!"

The horrific smell of chlorine gas was enough to make Harold start to cough and stagger back from the doorway. He wasn't sure if it was real or just another Shadow-based illusion but the prospect of lethal air-based poisoning was enough to make him leave the area in a hurry.

Lazarus on the other hand watched through his unfeeling white mask as his Invictus colleague made a feeble attempt to flee through the door, but his influence over the institution was too strong. The doctor came closer to her now, his saw still spinning with its bloody intent. He brought it close to her face, pushing the trigger all the way down, giving it the fastest and most sudden burst of sound and speed possible just a mere fraction of an inch from her face.

...but pain nor Final Death did not come.

"Madam Mieser Wells, I want you to do the same thing I just did to you to Harold -- but when you do it focus it through your beast and blood." Dr. Lazarus said this simply as he watched the saw blade spin before taking it away from Myrah's face. "It will be a few minutes before he returns, so please concentrate on the fear you felt and how badly you wanted to flee, to escape from my very presence. Force it to channel through your blood, use your beast as a catalyst, then project it at him when he comes through the door." There was no longer any sense of malice or hatred in the doctor's voice, now his raspy hiss was speaking like a teacher to a student.

Myrah nodded slowly at the doctor, her fingernails clawing deeper into her suit as she wanted to flee from the doctor and hide. It wasn't her beast that wanted to do this. No, this was herself that wanted to hide. Myrah tried to find some calm in the room, some way of applying this lesson in her blood. She took as closed her eyes and started trying to focus her beast and project it when the Good doctors Ghoul arrived.

Dr. Lazarus went back to his desk and took his seat, watching the doorframe waiting for his ghoul to return. A few seconds passed before Harold came back, not sure if he should still be acting in the aggressive manner he was ordered to do before Myrah arrived. As he approached the door his heavy footsteps could be heard slapping against the floor. Finally, Harold Smith turned and entered the room.

Not learning it tonight


As much as Myrah tried to correlate the fear and understand it on a deeper level, the aura of fear and her own blood not use to the power of nightmare made it all but impossible for her to form its power into her blood. "Doctor. I can't seem to..." Obviously her own fear and the effects of Dread were making it difficult for her to function at all and with her own exit barred by the powers of Mister Warden Lazarus, it was all but impossible for her to retreat away from the atmosphere of fear.

That smell of chemicals was starting to come back again...

Dr. Lazarus did not like failure, and he was not about to let his first pupil fail at something so simple. Harold, on the other hand, found the whole situation amusing and was smiling with a twisted sense of amusement at Myrah's failure to scare him away -- it was a rarity for him to feel above a vampire. The Warden tapped his fingers against the desk, considering his options, and then decided to lessen the pressure on the poor girl and deactivated his Dread.

"Try again. Look at Harold, Myrah, he's laughing at you. Scare him away, show him fear."


NOW I get it!


Myrah quickly found relief with the oppressive fear bearing down on her and could finally focus properly. All the thoughts she had correlated before were now coming together properly now and within moments she forced it all into a complete picture of how fear could be used.

A moment passed...Then Myrah bared her fangs at Harold with a sharp hiss as she unleashed what she had learned.You could faintly see some sickly veins near her temples as well.

Monstrous Countenance 3 suxx


Harold's cockyness instantly faded at the sight of Myrah's fangs, and his resolve broke down in face of something he was all too familiar with from his Master. With a look of fear Lazarus' ghoul turn and fled the room. Dr. Lazarus had already stood up and was approaching the other doctor.

"Excellent work Madam Wells; you learn quickly."

"Thank you Mister Lazarus. As a Meiser, one should try and learn as well as teach." Myrah said, apparently glad the ordeal was over and down with and went with her usual attitude.

It was pleasing to see that smug bastard run away, ghouls are really below even most humans.

"Has our business here concluded or is there anything else you wish to discuss with me?"

"I trust you understand that my methods for teaching you this skill were necessary given the fundamental concepts surrounding it?" Lazarus says this in a monotone dry hiss.

"To a degree Mister Warden. Though my usual methods of education usually revolve around the theoretical and then using them in a practical manner. But this way works concidering this subject matter." Myrah explained.

Lazarus says nothing in reply for a few moments, instead opting to study her with his dead eyes. Finally he decides to break the silence. "You are a shadow, and in payment for this I expect for you to teach me one of the gifts of auspex when the time comes. If you agree to this then, yes, our business here tonight is done."

"It sounds like a fair deal Mister Warden. Though I would like to know how much about Auspex you already know and possess first."

"I know how to heighten my senses, but no more than that. I assume you, as a Shadow, know more?"

"My knowledge of Auspex is not as great compared to most others of clan Mekhet. However, I do possess the ability to read the auras of others and understand their emotional states. Whenever you feel that you are ready I will be willing to teach you. Seeing as you already know the basics of Auspex already, you should be able to pick it up quickly...Hopefully."

"Excellent, then our business here is done."

"Very well, I will be in contact. Please remember to keep me alert to any developments about anything you discover about the Lost Nights. Thank you and good evening." Myrah said with a nod before turning to leave.

"Yes, I will do that. Until next time, Madam Wells."