William rose from his chair, approaching Victoria with his heart pounding at the thought of the devilish pact he was about to make. “Before I continue, can I ask you to do something for me?” Victoria undisturbed by this request, rose to face him accepting his invitation. William braced himself, “I want you to punch me as hard as you can.” William’s gamble relied on Victoria being strong enough to be able to support him in battle. If she could throw a decent punch, he assumed that her ability would be serviceable enough to support him in his ambitious hunt. The vampire took up a simplistic combative stance, it was clear that she had some modicum of training from how she held herself. Once Victoria was ready, she gave a quick nod to William who responded in kind, bracing for the incoming blow.

Her strike was stronger than anticipated, about on-par with his own, however it further demonstrated the vampire’s ability to gauge her own combat strength relative to others. Her supernaturally enhanced strength made up for her lack of combat experience, though it would be exploitable against most veteran opponents. The feral nature of their targets would somewhat mitigate the inherent weakness of bringing a less experienced partner. William thanked his prisoner, before guiding her to two crates. “I would like to make a deal. I believe that if you assisted me, we could defeat the werewolves.” His prisoner sat on her make-shift stool, adjusting her assessments. “Deals of this nature require collateral, so that both parties adhere to the terms. Would I be correct in assuming that we would use a ritualistic pact?” William nodded in agreement, “Yes, the two priests should be able to bind us to whatever agreement we form. I hope this resolves any issue of trust.”

Victoria responded. “It does not entirely, but it will suffice considering the circumstances. I assume that you know that this will not be a one-sided agreement?” William folded his arms reflexively, “I figured as much. What do you want?” Victoria raised her hand, with her central three fingers held high. “I would like three things. Don’t worry, they won’t be anything dangerous.” Whatever desires this vampire held, she was smart enough to know that wealth or freedom was removed from the bargaining table. “First,” the vampress began, “I want you to acknowledge that the caravan was not aiding me directly under any circumstance. I was operating along side them without their aid and they were treated like everyone else I gave care to, without preferential treatment.” Ultimately this was a minor concession, while it was a stretch of the truth it was a relationship based on common trade and minimal integration. “The second term is acknowledgement that all property associated with the wagon I inhabit belongs to Leo and you will object to any claim by the church to it.” As with the first condition, there was little lost from William’s perspective, as this was more of a formalisation of what had already been accepted. William did not know why Leo, a mostly self-serving individual, would act as a front to a vampire without coercion but it was something which could be overlooked for the greater good.

“Finally, If I am to be executed you are to do it immediately and as painlessly as you can.” With her final condition the final piece of the puzzle clicked for William; it seemed like Victoria was trying to mitigate the worst possibilities while wrapping up her affairs. When his captive had explained her motives, she had implied that a quick painless death would be preferred to a tortured and prolonged one. Going off his assumptions William extended his hand, “I accept your conditions.” In turn, his hand was grasped firmly by Victoria “I hope that this hunt will be as successful as you think it will be.” William left the tent to make his own preparations for the night ahead, giving a begrudging wave to Rose as she also made quick preparations on behalf of her master.

-

The various parties gathered around the worn church, as the moon peaked over the trees of the nearby forest. William was instructing the two priests on how to perform the sacred pact to bind the unlikely partners to their agreement, much to the annoyance of Matthew. These words were quickly silenced by Leo suggesting that the pious clergyman might like to take his place. Victoria had already made arrangements with Leo to deal with the aftermath of the hunt, both in the matter of corpse disposal after their mission and the implementation of a contingency plan in the event of failure. Whilst reviewing them, both Leo and Rose were checking Victoria’s equipment one last time before departure.

While William wore his adorned padded leather armor, Victoria had changed into something akin to a plague doctor’s outfit. The vampress had used the standard black attire as a starting point and modified it to include additional pouches, belt hooks and other accessories to allow her to store an array of unknown herbs and powders. The usual bird-like mask, normally filled with aromatic herbs, had been replaced by a mask which resembled an ornate skull. The only weapons he could see were two daggers, which were sheathed on her thighs.

With everyone ready the senior priest called them together and on William’s signal he started the ceremony. “In the name of our lord, I bind these two souls together until the terms of this pact have been completed.” While Joseph recited the words which would bind them, Matthew wrapped a chamomile string-rope between them. This rope had been purified in holy water and caused Victoria great pain when it came in contact with her skin. “If either party breaks this pact, it shall be seen as breaking a pact with our lord. Bound by his power, he will smite those who are so blazen to break it. Speak now the terms of your pact, so the holy spirit can hear them.” William began with his terms, “I swear to give truthful testimony about your involvement with the caravan, provide truthful testimony over property rights and a painless death if you are to be condemned to death.” Victoria, still struggling with the pain gave her vows “I swear to aid William of the Church with his hunt for the werewolves and not to harm him or his current mission.” Joseph watched as the blessed string began to glow, “Would the two souls please agree to the terms?" Both Victoria and William, stated “I do” without any hesitation. The light from the string faded, leaving two golden tattoos on their wrists, resembling the outline of angelic wings. Seeing that the binding pact was complete, Joseph declared: “The pact has been made, Amen.”