Three figures appeared out of thin air on top of a group of red, brown, and beige buildings. Well, that is what others would have seen. I was using this trap to teach my minions, Crimson Huntress and Dominatrix, about their vampire natures, since it had only been a couple days since I turned them.

I scanned the area before saying anything. As I expected, there were plenty of Wehrmacht about. For the time being, they hadn’t seen us, so I started my lessons. “As a vampire, you have many advantages. Some of these will improve upon areas where you were lacking. Others will bolster or complement your strengths. Depending on your abilities, some of your new powers may prove redundant. Train them anyway. There may come a time when you fight someone with the power to nullify mutant abilities. If you rely only on mutant abilities, then you will be helpless. Having powers from different types makes it harder for you to be completely locked down. Understand?”

Both of my minions nodded to me, and said, “Yes, Mistress.”

“Now, some of those advantages come in the form of immunities. For instance, we are immune to things like poisons or mental attacks. We are also extremely resistant to damage, and what damage we do take, we heal quickly. However, vampires are not the only ones who have immunities. This is another reason to not rely on a single method of attack. Even if someone cannot nullify your powers, it means little if your powers are useless against them.”

“The third reason to have multiple avenues of attack is so you can target weaknesses. As you are aware, vampires have several weak points, most notably fire and holy powers. But many supers have some kind of weakness, or perhaps just one avenue of attack they are not as defended against. If you hit someone where they’re weak, then you can take them down with far less effort than it would normally take. Also, if you gain powers from multiple sources, you may be able to cover for some of your own weaknesses, at the same time.”

“Now, we are going to do a little game, so you can get used to your new abilities. My senses tell me that there are forty of Wehrmacht in this apartment complex, with another two hundred nearby. I will project what I see to your minds, and you will go hunting. I want you to take out every Wehrmacht in this complex. Remember, Wehrmacht Prime will have some knowledge of what happens to his duplicates when they die, so if you don’t want the reinforcement Wehrmachts and any Southern Pride types that might be in the area to show up, you need to not let them see or hear you.”

Since the two had no questions, I projected my Sight into their minds. Well, I edited what I sent them, no sense causing them to freak out. Instead, I passed on the Sight of the nearest Wehrmacts, overlaying that on top of their normal vision, so that they effectively could see through walls to hunt their targets. Huntress groaned as she saw this. “That is how you spotted me so quickly when I attacked you, isn’t it, Mistress?”

“Yes, Huntress. But I am merely giving you the simplified view. I see every living creature for miles. That has benefits, but there are also drawbacks, just like having enhanced sight may make one more vulnerable to blinding lights, for instance. You will find that your new scent ability will make you often wish that you could turn something like that off, especially if you ever have to go into a sewer.”

With that, the two turned to mist, and began hunting. Twelve of the Wehrmacht in the apartment complex were outside, patrolling the area in groups of three. Eight more were guarding one apartment building in particular, while the other twenty were gathered in two groups of ten in nearby buildings, ready to rush to the guarded building.

I could tell that building was the one under guard because seven of the Wehrmacht in it were in defensive positions guarding against a frontal assault, ready for someone to kick the door down and rush to one of the rooms on the third floor. The two teams of ten were mostly sitting around, while rotating members to keep watch on the guarded house.

My two proteges were moving in tandem. From their minds, I saw how they fell naturally into working as a two-person team. Dominatrix used her power to muddle the minds of one of the three-man patrols, keeping them from looking as Crimson Huntress used her weapons and martial arts training, combined with her vampiric strength, to take them out from behind. They never saw a thing.

So it was little surprise to me when, after the second group went down, the remaining patrols started moving as though they were MUCH more alert, and the two groups of ten looked as though they were getting prepared to rush out as soon as they had a confirmed target. Wehrmacht Prime might not know what exactly was going on, but he had to have some suspicions.

Their newfound alertness did not save the two patrols, however. As before, Dominatrix controlled the all-male patrols of Wehrmacht, leaving them easy targets for Huntress. The twenty I had mentally labeled as ‘quick support’ looked ready to go. Unfortunately, the couple hundred Wehrmacht in the surrounding area also seemed to be moving, though they looked to be more circumspect, and were trying their damndest to avoid any sensors that might still be working in the city.

That meant Wehrmacht Prime had clearly decided that there was someone (if not me, then someone with similarly stealthy abilities) trying to take him out at the location I’d announced on the out of game forums. I ‘looked’ towards the Southern Pride HQ, but the people I saw that while there were signs of movement, no one was speeding over here. The few who remained had trouble keeping a lid on the whole city, after all, even with Wehrmacht’s presence.

Dominatrix’s voice rang out through the link I maintained with my two ‘children’, if I wanted to be all Anne Rice about things. Mistress, I read the minds of these duplicates, and I have several pieces of bad news. First, the Original Wehrmacht is not here. Your movements to date have suggested you do not have the ability to track his original body in realtime, despite shaking him and his allies by posting his location. Second, there is a bomb in the building being guarded by the remaining Wehrmacht on a Dead Man’s Switch. They do not believe it will kill you, but they do think it will damage you enough that the larger group of reinforcements can come in and capture you. You would also take the blame for any civilian casualties from the blast. Finally, they have heard that a player Assassin has been hired to kill you. The assassin goes by the name White Death, and is known as Lord_Kickass on the forums.

Well done, Dominatrix. Return to me with your sister. We will have to educate Wehrmacht on why he should stop underestimating us.

At once, Mistress.

When the two vampires solidified next to me, I said, “Good work, the two of you. I trust you have each drunk your fill this night?” When they nodded, I smiled, and said, “Good, because the next step is mine to take alone. After all, there is only supposed to be one Vampire in this city. I have another task for you, however. Web Mistress has said that one of the groups behind Southern Pride has relocated to New Orleans. This is not only to spread their disease, but to ensure that even if we reclaim Atlanta, they will be able to continue their ‘work’.”

“I name you the Blood Ravens. You will haunt the nights of New Orleans. Those who would prey upon the weak and the innocent will be your prey. Those who try to spread the disease of hatred will find you the cure. Those who attempt to sow terror will become terrorized by your shadows. The people will know your passing by the mark of a raven drawn in blood which you’ll leave whenever you strike. And should someone take your mark in vain, in an effort to discredit you, you will fall upon them like a thunderbolt from the heavens. Do you understand?”

The two nodded, but Crimson Huntress spoke for them. “Yes, Mistress. But what about you? Won’t you be isolated, now that the enemy is prepared for you?”

“They may think they are prepared for me. But I have abilities I have not shown anyone yet, and others I have yet to show to their fullest extent. And I have the Misfits, and the coalition we’ve put together, who are almost ready to strike back and retake the city. But I am also doing this in case all else fails. If Atlanta is lost for good, others elsewhere must take up the fight. Now, go.”

The two bowed to me, and turned to mist, heading back to the lair I’d made to reclaim their things, no doubt, before moving on to Louisiana. I turned my attention back to the groups in my area as I turned to mist once more. I had a party to attend, and there was no sense being late.

When I became solid again, it was in the middle of the group of two hundred Wehrmachts who were marshalling to capture me once I set off the bomb clearing out the other Wehrmachts, my sword already in hand. A slash of the blade, and three duplicates fell dead, their heads separated from their bodies, and I was mist again. Only then did the cry of alarm ring out.

This was the tactic that Web Mistress and I had come up with for baiting Wehrmacht and Southern Pride. I would use hit and run tactics, toying with Wehrmacht. We both knew there was no way I could take out all of him, even if he had some kind of delay before he could resummon his duplicates. But I did not doubt it would frustrate the hell out of him to be treated like a cat toy. It was our hope that he would contact Southern Pride, which would allow Web Mistress to track his current location.

It was, perhaps, a more sadistic method than I would have preferred, but by the fifth time I resolidified, burying my sword in a Wehrmacht’s spine as I did so, the remaining duplicates were getting jumpy as hell. At the scream, several of them opened fire with their assault rifles just as I returned to mist, and I was thankful I had spent the Hero Point to allow me to temporarily move in and out of the mist far faster than I normally could.

Insubstantial

Action

Free

Duration

Instant

Range

Personal

Save

None

Base Cost

5 PP/Rank

Rank

2 (Gaseous)

Flaws: Duration 2 (Instant), Limited (Cannot use in direct Sunlight)

Drawbacks: Power Loss (Cannot use on holy ground), Power Loss 2 (Cannot use if not drunk blood in 24 hours)

Total: 1 PP

In truth, it was a vastly inferior version of my mist form, since I couldn’t fly and was still visible to the Wehrmacht as I danced amongst them. It was more like that old Dungeons & Dragons spell, Blink, than anything. Abilities like this were great for fights where you were vastly outnumbered. I was able to negate Wehrmacht’s numbers advantage, but it was only a temporary solution.

As if to punctuate that thought, I was just running through another Wehrmacht at the edge of the group, when I saw a muzzle flash from a rooftop almost half a mile away. An instant later, the torso of the Wehrmacht I just stabbed in the gut went and turned into a red mist, and I found myself flying backwards into a parked car, sporting a brand-new hole in my chest.

“Guess the assassin found me, huh?”