Wasted

Posted on Thu Sep 19th, 2024 @ 1:10am by Gideon Asher & Dominique LaFramboise & Nathaniel Cunningham & Jarrod Lask

Mission: Daemoniacus Tribulatio
Location: Dragula

The lycan, vampire, and witch leaders had all been summoned to Dragula- a vampire drag club located not far from Brolesque. The vampire who owned it had offered it as a meeting place once he had heard there was something serious happening.

In attendance were all the necromancers in the area- 15 in total- as well as Altar Clemence, a representative of each of the Lycan packs, the Lord of the Coven and her steward, and of course, the Havildar-Major of the Nashville area.

Once the Lycan’s had assembled, Clem stood and held up a hand for silence; somehow, this worked, perhaps owing to his standing in the community or perhaps because his resting bitchface made it seem as if he would crush them all if they didn’t listen. “G’mornin’,” he said to them. “Thanks fer comin’. I won’t bore you with formalities cuz I’m sure nobody really cares for that ‘nyway. We’ll just cut right to the chase. I’m gonna turn it over to our lead Necromancer, Mr. Jackson Williams.” With that, he resumed his seat and a burly man dressed in jeans, a flannel shirt, and suspenders stood.

”We got a problem,” said Jackson grimly. “And we don’t rightly know exactly how to deal with it.” He sighed and paused for a moment. “Killing by magic is, obviously, strictly prohibited. Taking a life with magic destroys the person who does it. They become a shell of a person. It takes a long time to recover from it.

“There is one way to avoid this and it is enough to get a witch the death sentence. This it to absorb the power from the death. However, absorbing the power from a death is a highly addictive feeling and a witch who does it once will do it again. As you can imagine, this means they will kill in order to do it.

“Once in awhile, a witch who absorbs power from death flies under the radar for awhile- usually by tracking down the dying and taking the power as they pass and killing animals. If they do it long enough, they become very dangerous. Their power is out of their control and before we know it, they’re destroying things left and right.”

He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts as he looked around at the assembled. “We’ve got early signs that this is what we have in the area,” he said. “Some of you have been dreaming of the abyss, the void. That is one sign. Most humans have an innate clairvoyance. Some believe that shared dreams are a sign that something needs attention. I’m not a divinator, so I can’t say for sure, but I’ve had the dreams, too. And they freak me out.

”But, that is just the first sign. We’ve also found a disturbing number of dead animals and nursing homes in the area have reported a high mortality rate. Also of note is the number of holes around the city. Most of them are small, but there are a few substantial ones. There is a whole parking lot downtown that has sunk about two feet and a city block that has had to be evacuated because of what they believe is a sink hole. But it is not a sink hole.

”Anyway, to make a long story short, We have what we call a Waster. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the name.”

"I've heard of Wasters," Gideon said. "But the Blood Knights considered them 'witch business' and was content to leave Wasters to witches, unless the Waster in question entered vampire territory. They're rare. I'm over one thousand years old and I've never encountered one personally."

Jim blinked a few times. "Wasters? You mean those aren't a ridiculous urban legend told to keep naughty puppies in check?" he asked, despite it making a certain amount of sense. He had not been sharing in the dreams that some others had been reporting, but considering his dreams were chemically suppressed that was not a surprise. Still, he had definitely felt more than a few things out of sorts. Like little pockets where it felt as if reality had warped, been drained of its essence. That would line up with what was being said. "Nevermind, stupid question. I am a werewolf sitting at a table with vampires and necromancers. Of course they actually exist."

“Don’t feel bad,” put in Jarrod. “I’m dating a witch and thought they were an urban legend.”

“I am a witch and thought that,” put in a young man who couldn’t have been more than 18. “I’m even a necromancer. When they told me it was real, you could have knocked me over with a feather.”

“They are indeed real,” confirmed Jackson. “The problem is that they are so rare, fighting them is still a mystery. We have theories, but nothing concrete. One theory is that it will take all of us working together to find and apprehend the Waster. The Lycans to sniff it out, the vampires to confound it- since they’re already dead, there is nothing the Waster can take from them- and the witches to subdue and execute.”

A shiver ran through the witches present. Nobody wanted the job of executioner, but one of them would be chosen.

"So, the ONLY way to deal with a waster is to risk turning another witch into a waster?" Gideon asked. "Does it have to be a witch magic that takes out the Waster? Would Vampire Shadow Magic or Vampire Blood Magic work? Shadow Magic isn't really used for direct kills, but Blood Magic can be and it doesn't turn us into ravenous, bloodthirsty monsters... probably because we already are, but that's neither here nor there."

“There is little risk to creating a new Waster,” Jackson explained. “The entire Witch’s Guild will be in attendance at the execution and will know at once if the executioner absorbs the power from the death and will be able to act accordingly. And while I do appreciate the offer, our laws require us to take care of it ourselves. And I’d rather not leave any openings for the Waster’s family to claim the vampires killed him for no reason at all.”

“We definitely don’t want a war on our hands,” agreed Clem gravely.

"Of course," Gideon said. "As you wish. Blood Magic comes with its own set of rules, responsibilities, and consequences. I'm fairly certain I can speak for the local elders on this: the waster is for the witches to kill. We will, of course, offer any support we can."

Jim considered. "With the politics involved, I do not think there is much the pack can offer either, despite the considerable debt owed by the pack to the coven over the Astaroth incident. I have no idea what the effect of our usual execution method would be, but regardless Alpha Matthews would never agree to us taking any action permitting an accusation of murder against the pack. I cannot say I disagree with him on that point either, whatever our other differences might be," he said. He thought for a minute. "I suppose we could help clean up the evidence afterwards and make sure the mundane authorities are either unaware or know to keep well enough out of the way."

"Just remember the old saying," Gideon said. "We are what we eat!"

“The Hounds will help, of course,” added Nicki. “All two of us.”

“We’ve got several people ready to join the pack,” Jarrod pointed out.

“I doubt they’ll be ready though,” Nicki replied. “At best, they’ll be able to keep an eye on civilians.”

“Every little bit helps,” said Clem.

“Yes it does,” agreed Jackson. “Once we figure out who it could be, we’ll need the Lycans to sniff them out. We’ve already checked all the witches new to the area within the last two years. With one exception,” he added, glancing at Nicki.

“Let me know what you need,” replied Nicki.

Jackson nodded, looking mildly relieved. “I’m very glad you said that,” he admitted. “I’ll talk to you after the meeting. In the meantime, if anybody notices anything unusual, be sure to let us know. Are there any questions?

Gideon shook his head to indicate he didn't have any questions. He'd have blood and shadow mages trying to find the waster, as well as his rangers. No need to say anything to the others about how he might come across any information he might acquire. Simply knowing things added to his at times ominous air of mystery. A bit like the Scottish engineer in that popular science fiction series and the veritable plethora of films and spinoffs it had inspired.

“All right,” said Jackson once everyone seemed satisfied. “We’ll be in touch. Stay safe out there.”