Thanatos: Chapter 6 — Scarce Below The Roots of Some Vegetable

[dead_junebugs]

The drawing room was precisely what one would expect from the Marquis de Sade. In the midst of these predictable curios were some items that were shaped and designed… suspiciously.

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Noé and Vanitas reached the de Sade residence by a horse-drawn cab. The driver dropped them off in front of its fine marble steps, which lead to a dark door inlaid with the de Sade crest. Vanitas promptly strode up the steps up to the door and gave the knocker a few good hits. Noé shook his head, following close behind, wondering why Vanitas was so hell-bent on awkward introductions. A moment later the door was opened by a young man with blond hair, dark eyes, and black clothing. Manet looked at the rude visitor with irritation.

"Sir." He said curtly. "State your name and business."

"Visiting the Marquis's daughter, of course. I've heard this is where she resides," Vanitas replied nonchalantly.

A vein bulged in Manet's forehead and Noé took this as a sign to intervene before a misunderstanding was on their hands.

"Manet, it's good to see you again," Noé broke in.

Manet's irritation became surprise. "Why, it's Master Noé! I didn't see you there."

He glanced between the two of them.

"Is this… gentleman a friend of yours?"

Noé stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets while he thought about the question.

"Vanitas here is my… research assistant. We're working on a problem with your lady, and we're here to meet her to discuss our findings."

Vanitas narrowed his eyes at Noé. "Judging by yesterday's efforts it was more like you were my research assistant."

He gave the alchemist a dry look. "I'm working way outside my field."

"Don't worry Noé, I couldn't have made this discovery without you," Vanitas replied ironically.

"Manet," Noé said, ignoring Vanitas's comment. "Is your lady available to meet with us?"

"Of course, Master Noé, please follow me." Manet turned and entered the apartment with the other two following.

Manet kept speaking as they walked down the hall.

"Lady Dominique's schedule is clear today. She said she wanted a chance to speak with you. Your timing is perfect."

All three entered the drawing room. Manet caught his sister in the hall, letting her know about the guests. Nox greeted Noé and looked curiously at Vanitas's clothes before saying she would notify Lady Dominique. The three of them were left alone in the drawing room, Manet standing by one wall quietly, almost at attention. This left Noé and Vanitas with nothing else to do but wait.

The drawing room was precisely what one would expect from the Marquis de Sade. In the center of the room was a long walnut table flanked by high quality chairs, and the room's edges were lined with shelves, filled with all manner of knickknacks. Old books, globes, silver vases and chalices, tiny ivory sculptures, antique guns, and old family portraits decorated the chamber, allowing visitors to rest their eyes on the products of the Marquis's wealth and taste. In the midst of these predictable curios were some items that were shaped and designed… suspiciously. Noé's awareness of the Marquis's reputation had him put two and two together, much to his discomfort. Vanitas was poking at one such contraption made of silver, his expression that of clinical appraisal.

The wait ended when the door swung open. Dominique walked in with Jeanne close behind.

"I'm glad you two decided to visit." Dominique said. Manet quietly bowed to her and left the room to wait by the door with his sister. "I was wondering when to expect to hear from you, what with your research.

"We've just found out something to tell you last night," Noé replied, smiling.

Seeing Jeanne, he drew his attention to her.

"And how are you finding Paris so far, Jeanne?"

She took a moment to reflect on the question.

"To be honest I haven't had much of a chance to see it yet," Jeanne confessed. "But from my first impressions it's a rather grand city."

"That it is. By the way, that looks nice on you." Noé was referring to Jeanne's current outfit: a long grey skirt and white blouse, with an indigo ribbon at her throat. The outfit was clearly of a finer make than Jeanne's own rough-spun garb, but she chose more sedate colors than she could have living with Dominique.

Jeanne blushed at the compliment, nodding her head. "Thank you Noé. Dominique was kind enough to give me this clothing, saying it wouldn't do to be underdressed for the city."

Dominique was standing in the background quietly, absently scratching at her nose and pointedly not paying too much attention to them. Vanitas, standing some distance away, noticed this. A smirk creeped up his face.

"Lady Dominique, what's this about you assisting us on our mission? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for the help, but I'm getting the impression your interest isn't merely personal, like Noé and Jeanne's. Your attitude is quite a bit more business-like, I think."

Jeanne and Noé both turned, looking at Vanitas with surprise. Dominique, on the other hand, looked like she expected the question.

"Your instincts are correct, alchemist. It is not only my wish to aid Noé, but also my duty to aid you. I need your help in putting this case to rest. I will give you whatever assistance is within my power to that end."

"Well, well, lucky me…" Vanitas stuffed his hands in his robe pockets, sauntering over to the where the three were standing.

"An agent of the state I take it? You know, we alchemists know you people are looking for us. But you're in luck, I do want help for this problem. I need a shield while I work my alchemy. I'll happily take three."

Dominique tapped the hilt of her sword. "I can most certainly do more than 'shield' you."

"Yes. That's a good sign. Particularly with a vampire's strength behind such an elegant weapon. I'll say, compared to your knightly demeanor, Noé and Jeanne don't convey similar fierceness in their appearance."

His gaze became thoughtful and he pulled at his collar with one finger. "But they're both the real thing, however! You know, back in the day they said leeches were good for the health, sucking out the imbalanced humors in the blood."

Dominique was looking at him with puzzlement. Jeanne and Noé, on the other hand, were catching on to what he was saying. Irritation descended on both.

"I must say, Jeanne and Noé may have very well have done me a good turn. I feel more sprightly alread—."

At last, Noé gave him a swift kick to his shin. Vanitas sucked in a quick breath, his smile turning halfway into a grimace, but still not letting his amusement go.

Dominique gave Vanitas a bemused look. "I'm afraid I will be sparing my fangs from your neck."

"That's perfectly fine," Vanitas replied cheerfully.

Jeanne sighed. Noé started rubbing the back of his head. The archeologist decided it was time to discuss the matter at hand.

"I came here to let you know some important news, Domi, Jeanne. Vanitas and I have discovered what we need to do to find the Ram's city."

Vanitas became serious again now that they were discussing research discoveries. He continued after Noé.

"To make a long story short, I've found the coordinates to the city. They're hidden by a cipher so we can't go to it directly, but we know the location of the first part of the key to decipher it. All we need to do is visit a certain graveyard."

"A graveyard?" Dominique asked suspiciously. "Where precisely is this key piece located in this graveyard?"

The alchemist shrugged. "A certain individual's coffin. We're going to have to bring shovels."

Dominique sighed, rubbing a temple. "I suppose committing a crime at the start fits this kind of adventure. We'll be needing to do this under the protection of night so we're not immediately interrupted."

"I like your thinking, Lady Dominique," said Vanitas.

"I don't particularly like that you do. You're a dark and enigmatic figure."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, my lady."

Dominique rubbed her face in consternation.

"It sounds to me like we can start right away," said Jeanne, interrupting the pointless exchange, a serious look in her eyes. "At nightfall, we should find this grave."

"Yes, that should be the plan," replied Vanitas. He was serious once again. "You three, please heed this warning."

Noé, Jeanne, and Dominique looked at him curiously.

"Remember, you're not the only vampires out there. There are servants of the Ram who have no intention of letting anyone thwart his plans. I have no doubt he's aware of this flaw in his protection. He'll have this place guarded. And not by obvious vampires either. He can transform any living thing, and control the ones without sentience. He likely has spies."

"Spies?" asked Noé. "What kind of spies?"

"Imagine walking in and your presence was alerted by a worm. Or a beetle. Perhaps a small bird roosting on a tree branch."

Noé grimaced. "That's uncanny."

"Yes. There is no catching him off-guard in this situation, so do be prepared. Things might get violent."

Dominique raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Jeanne turned to meet Vanitas with a determined gaze. "He also gave us the strength to fight back."

"Yes, he certainly did. I'm quite satisfied having three vampires as my shield." He smiled wickedly. "Soon night will fall. Let's go."

***

The graveyard at night felt deeply abandonded. In the daytime the tall elm trees, likely planted for their shade, would have lent pastoral beauty to the rows of headstones ranging far into the distance. But at night they were like skeletal sentinels. The waning half-moon had diminished into a crescent. A steady breeze rustled the trees' dark leaves and ghostly moonlight illuminated cold stone and spiky grass.

Vanitas was leading the way, holding aloft a kerosene lamp and striding into the darkness confidently. Following behind were the vampires, Dominique slightly closer to him, wanting to dig out information from the alchemist. Jeanne and Noé were trailing slightly behind, more concerned about possible threats from the Ram, or even just ordinary policemen.

"So, Vanitas. Why a coffin? I must admit I can't make sense of your colleague's decision here."

Vanitas walked along impassively, eyes scanning the names on gravestones every once in a while. He replied without stopping. "Alchemists as a rule believe in the value of metaphor and symbolism. The placement of this key is one such example. In any case, it also serves the purpose of making the hiding spot less obvious to the unintiated."

His sky blue eyes lifted to look back at Dominique.

"That aside, is that sword all you have with you? Vampire strength is one thing, but weapons are welcome in this sort of situation…"

"Of course not, alchemist." Dominique carefully pulled aside one flap of her coat, revealing briefly the gleaming steel of a pistol. "There's value in not revealing your full strength to others."

She tapped her sword hilt.

"But I'd much prefer not to use my other weapon. Gunshots may be reported to the authorities, a headache I'd rather not deal with. And also…"

She became pensive.

"I have found hacking and slashing far more effective in the field."

Vanitas's eyes narrowed.

"…is that so?"

Noé stepped between them.

"Vanitas, how much further is the grave? The night drags on."

The alchemist suddenly stopped, catching the other three by surprise.

"Right here."

Vanitas shined the light on the gravestone. The name was long worn away by time.

"Let's pull this coffin out."

Noé got to work shoveling while the other three stood watch. The six feet of earth was piled up around the grave in little time; Noé reflected to himself about the ease he complete his labor. An ordinary man would be at least a little winded, but for him it was barely any effort at all. He pondered the effect this would have on future trips to the field. These thoughts were interrupted when the monotony of dirt, stones, and roots was broken by the hard shell of the coffin. Pausing for a moment, he scraped away the remaining dirt so that the entire lid would become visible. He saw with his peripheral vision Vanitas kneeling down by the ledge to look more carefully.

At last Noé stood up, resting the shovel against the coffin. He heard a thud and felt Vanitas walk up behind him, stepping around to get in front of the archeologist. He crounched down to brush some dirt off the coffin. The lamplight revealed a sequence of characters, discernable only to Vanitas. But without a doubt what they were looking for.

"This is a great start," Vanitas said, without a trace of irony. He let out a held breath, the tension from the uncertainty of finding their prize leaving his body.

At that moment a bloodcurdling howl rang out.

Noé had only enough time to raise his head and witness giant claws slashing through the tombstone, Jeanne just barely jumping out of the way in time.

Dominique leapt forward and drew her sword, a flashing arc slicing through the darkness. The beast lept back to avoid the swing, and Noé caught sight of fangs like daggers and demonic red eyes. It was a vampire, but he had reshaped himself into a wolf-man. The beast retreated into the darkness.

Noé threw himself over the ledge of the pit he had dug, losing sight of Vanitas in the process. He scrambled in the dirt for a moment, then got to his feet. All the while the unearthly growls of the wolfman sounded from the darkness. He saw Dominique looking in each direction frantically, sword still at the ready. Suddenly there was a movement among the grass and the beast charged forward, fangs and claws revealed by the abandonded lamp. Before Noé could act a stone struck the wolf-vampire's face, causing him to stagger. Dominique managed a stab with her saber, drawing dark blood before the wolfman retreated again. Noé turned to his right and saw that Jeanne had thrown a chunk of the tombstone at his face. She was already reaching down for another rock, since this was the only weapon she had at her disposal. However, with vampire strength, it was deadly. Only the fact that their enemy was a vampire as well kept the original hit from being deadly.

Noé did not have a weapon and cursed at himself for showing up unarmed. He decided this would be the last time he would simply assume things would go well. The three vampires where quiet now, each listening as carefully as they could for the sounds in the grass, none willing to leave the circle of light that was their protection. But then, Noé saw it. He picked up the movement of the vampire in the grass and Noé decided he would make his move. Through force of will he transformed his right hand into long, gruesome claws, and dashed forward to strike. Exiting the circle of light Noé relied on his vampiric senses at last, and was able to force his adversary to duck his blows.

Try hiding in the darkness, you bastard, thought Noé, and I will follow you into it.

But the wolfman was wily and, seeing Noé chase after him, used his superior speed to lope away further into the graveyard. Noé hesitated. He did not want to leave the group to fend for themselves. Who was to say this was the only defense the Ram had set for this place? With that insecurity, Noé staggered back toward the grave to rejoin his friends.

"Domi, Jeanne, are you two all right…?"

"We're all unharmed, Noé," replied Dominique, slashing her sword in the air once to throw off its blood. "But this isn't over yet."

"His movements don't appear to be worse for wear despite the wounds we've given him," said Jeanne. She had snatched the shovel as an ad hoc weapon.

Vanitas was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Vanitas?" Noé asked, glancing around to find him.

"Damn it." Dominique swore. "I don't know where he went. Could the vampire have-?"

At that moment, their adversary chose to strike. The wolfman tackled Dominique, knocking aside her sword, and they rolled across the grass. Noé and Jeanne ran to her aid but neither could find an opening.

A glass bottle stoppered with a flaming rag arched through the night and shattered on the wolfman. The flames burst into a raging fire and the beast howled in pain. Dominique took this opportunity to kick him off her. He fell to his side and scrambled to get up, dashing off into the darkness. He had abandoned the hunt to put out the flames.

Seeing that the beast was really gone, a wave of exhaustion swept over Noé and he fell to his knees. He looked up to see Vanitas walk out among the trees, another bottle stoppered with a rag in one hand and a burning ember at the end of a twig in the other. The alchemist was grim, his eyes searching the darkness for signs of the beast's return. He turned to Noé.

"Fire is an excellent deterrent to your kind," said Vanitas, his voice betraying adrenaline despite the matter-of-fact words. "You should keep this in mind in future confrontations with vampires."

Noé sighed, and rubbed his face with his hands. The action made him aware of his strange transormation. He stopped to better see his right hand. His inhuman claws appeared ghastly in the darkness.

"You can undo the affects just the way you created them," Vanitas said gently. "The Ram's servant is really gone, for the time being at least. You can go ahead and revert it back. It's the same as when you first changed it."

Noé looked back at his hand and tried to will it, the same way he willed himself some weapon against the beast. And with that,the claws shrunk and his hand returned to its original form.

Vanitas had turned his attention to the girls. Dominique was brushing off the dirt and grass from her clothes. Dark bloodstains crisscrossed her formerly white clothing.

"Dominique, are you injured?" Vanitas asked as he quickly made his way toward her.

"I'm a bit scratched up, but I'm going to blame most of this on the wound I landed on him earlier. We got too close to each other for comfort a moment there," replied Dominique, looking at the filthiness of her clothes in disgust. Nonetheless, Vanitas was still looking at her seriously.

"The Ram's servants can inflict troublesome injuries, even on your kind. Let me know if you have anything serious, and I will treat you.

Dominique fetched her sword, gave it a twirl and rested the dull edge against her shoulder.

She tossed her hair. "Much obliged."

He turned to face the other two. "Noé, Jeanne, I have the first part of the key and the location for the next one, so we should leave immediately. That wolf might come back with friends."

"Agreed," Noé replied. "Jeanne, that was quick thinking on your part."

Jeanne smiled wanly. "Thank you, I just wish I could've been of more help."

"That wolf-vampire ambushed all of us quite nicely." Dominique stepped up to them while sheathing her sword. "Come. Manet is waiting and I don't like the thought of leaving him in this graveyard with unfriendly vampires on the loose."

"Yes, let's," agreed Jeanne, hefting the shovel and lamp.

The group started down the path. Noé spared one glance at the desecrated grave and destroyed gravestone before following the rest.