A small group of rugged-looking travelers made their way through Swan Creek Park, a long stretch of forested land to the east of Tacoma, almost outside of the official city limits. With the verdant life there surrounding the titular babbling creek, it’s easy for one to forget they’re in the middle of quite the urban sprawl, especially on this night when the new moon left the sky wanting for light.

“Remind me why we aren’t just taking the highway?” Asked a skittish woman with sleek black hair in a chic bob, dressed up and made up more for meeting coworkers at a bar than a trek through a creek.

“Too many bloodsuckers on the streets, we don’t want them alerting whoever’s in charge.” A large pale man in the front replied, his features hidden by a messy mane of dirty blonde hair, flowing wildly and long enough to put hair metal singers to shame.

“And what’s to say they don’t have eyes here? I’ve met some vampires real similar to us.” She retorts.

“Because you have me.” A monotone, accented voice said in the back of the group, belonging to a near-totally covered person with a long black jacket, baggy clothes, a thick ski hat, and a facemask, revealing only a peak of tanned skin and eyes dark brown enough to be obsidian black. 

“Scent, sight, and sound will not betray us. Leo is free to show us the way.” A spectral eagle perched on their back, creating gusts of arcane wind that enveloped them all.

“I think we’re getting closer to the caern,” The last member of the group announced, a dark-skinned woman, her thick wavy hair done up in a long ponytail to free her amber eyes, darting around the darkness meticulously as her arm hairs raised,  “My hair is starting to stand on end.”

“Good. We’ll slip through, rest up, and begin our mission.” Leo said. “Indrani, you still have your cache in the city?”

“It’s been a bit since i’ve been back,” The brash woman thought for a second. “But, not many people go digging around here. We should be good. If not, I have contacts.”

Before they could discuss more, the arcane winds stopped, and the eagle spirit seemed to be locked in place.

“Nela, the hell’s wrong with it?” Leo asked.

“I-I don’t know…perhaps a reaction to nearing an unfamiliar caer-”

Before it could be further diagnosed, the spirit began to freak out, flapping its wings, screeching, and looking for an escape.

“GnasHINg TeeeTH! RiipPINggg clAAWs! DevouRReRRR! EEEEscapEEE!”

“What the hell is going on!? Is there some Wyrm infestation nearby?” The woman who spoke first brandished a bone-carved knife, unsure if they were under attack or not.

“Aurora, get down!” Nela shouted, tackling her to the side as a trio of spectral crows flew through the air, chasing after the eagle. It was a short chase, as the three had unprecedented speed, and the eagle spirit was still struggling to right itself.

“SPIRIT EATER!” Was the last thing it screeched before the three crows pierced into it with their beaks, forcing its spectral form to the ground, and beginning their feast.

“Hey hey, remember to save some for me.” A cocky voice said from the darkness ahead of the group.

“QuiET YoU!” One of the crows said.

“PaymENt GIVen.” The second added between subsumption of spiritual essence.

“revENGe not TAKeN!” The third finished.

“Fair fair, just take it somewhere else.”

Crimson McNabb stepped from the dark of the woods, wiping off the bile from her mouth left over from summoning the three crows, who took their remains and returned to the spectral world of the Umbra.

She stepped fully forward and spoke some words under her breath, as faint blue flames illuminated the area around them, giving each side a proper look at the other. “Howdy there, welcome to town! You must be the lot who’s been sneaking around lately, yeah?”

“And you must be the infamous Crimson McNabb.” Aurora said, standing back up and helping Nela do the same.

“Aww shucks, am I really that well known?”

“Only one Spirit Eater I’ve ever heard of. But hey, if what I've heard is right we’re from the same family, so maybe you could just let us slide by? We’re not looking for trouble.” Aurora put on a face ten times more confident than how she felt.

“Oh I’d be happy too, honestly!” She began, with the others noticing the shotgun at her side. “But truth be told, I’m just here as a neutral party to keep everything even.”

“Neutral party?” Indrani asked.

“For who?” Leo followed up.

“That would be us.” A calm yet resonant voice spoke, walking closer into the will-o-wisp circle of light.

Four figures stepped forward from the darkness as the facsimile of moonlight grew brighter. The foremost was an older and shorter man, with bronze skin, heavily salt-and-peppered black hair tied into a low ponytail, and a flat wide-brimmed hat obscuring his eyes. “Merlyn Knowles, Ghost Council Philodox.”

Right behind him was a taller and full-figured woman, lighter in complexion but similar in tone, with flowing raven-like hair and eyes of a shimmering hazel, matching an equally bright yet capricious smile. “Káyu Qʷib-il, Theurge and Daughter of Gaia!”

Next to her on the older mans left side was a pale man with short orange curls with a short beard to match, and eyes of a deep emerald . He looked to be about half Merlyn’s age at least, but had an equally calm and analytical look to his face. “Ronan Daly, Ahroun of the Hart Wardens.”

Just behind them was a much younger person with lighter brown skin and a mess of freckles, broken up by wide olive eyes, nearly hanging onto the elders back, but eyeing the opposing group with curiosity and, Indrani could sense, brutal excitement. “Stiqáyuʔ T'ilib, Galliard among the Galestalkers!”

“You stand before the Moon Phase Council, representatives and honored leaders of the Puyallup Sept.” Merlyn began, before Crimson cleared her throat, reminding all of her presence. “And one trusted guest here as a neutral mediator.” The roll of his eyes was audible.

“We have detected your little pack moving throughout our caerns and safe spots, no matter how safe you felt with that little eagle. We of the Puyallup Sept, the protectors of this land and public servants to its upkeep, do not disparage guests, but a lack of manners is very much noticed. Explain yourselves, now.”

The oldest one there made sure his years were known, as each word was clear and rife with force behind it, enough that Aurora, who had gained a bit of cockiness in potential camaraderie with Crimson, was fully hiding behind Nela now.

The foremost among the intruders, however, was not buffeted by these metaphorical winds. “We are but a wandering pack, brought here partially by instinct, partially by vision, and partially by the sheer fact that this area has been falling further and further into Wyrm-chaos.” Leo stepped forward and snarled with his words.

“Cool story, why all the subterfuge though?” Stiqáyuʔ pressed.

“Is it wrong to move with caution and care?” He had no respect for the young representative.

“In our line of work? Probably not,” The neutral party appeared at his side, moving without detection. “But I’ve always heard that the church mouse and the thief walk at the same pace.” Crimson gave a toothy grin as she stepped into obscurity once more, continuing to walk in a circle around both parties.

“Another question,” Káyu took their attention. “You pups say that you’re led by a vision, what kind of vision are we talking about? And how’d you get it?” Fox and Owl spirits flitted about her, as the babbling of the creek beside them got louder. Her magic was reinforcing the sanctity of this clearly cherished place.

“I had a dream. It was direct and powerful.” Nela found the words slipping from their mouth. “It spoke of a crimson miasma spreading over not just this city, but the whole state. I know not where the dream came from.”

“If you speak of crawling chaos,” Merlyn took back the interrogation. “Then you are a bit behind. Tacoma was invaded, yes, by a vampiric attack on the ports. We could not gather many forces in time before they wormed away into hiding holes, but the invaders and the infection they brought with them has already been cleansed by claw, metal, and fire.”

“Then why are there still vampires in this city?” Indrani asked, jutting her body forward in anger, getting a hand on her shoulder.

“Careful, sister.” Crimson reminded.

After a tense second, she flinched her shoulder out of Crimson’s grasp.

“The reason why is because they were not the threat during the invasion, and they are not the threat now.” Ronan spoke up, lighting a carved pipe.

“The fuck do you mean they aren’t the threat?” Leo asked, genuinely shocked.

“I’ve gotten my chance to interrogate a right many of them, their wild types keep trying to make their way into the protected lands around here. They ain’t a united front. The blokes that invaded, they were of a different ideological group than who are in Tacoma now, and those in Tacoma now are a more…shall we say modern-thinking group. Nowhere near trustworthy, nowhere near humane, and nowhere near excusable, but…palatable for current circumstances.” His own growl was emitted towards the end of the sentence, he did not like the conclusion he came to.

“So what? Just because there are democrat vampires instead of republican vampires, we can all sing kumbaya and make friendship bracelets?” Aurora snarked with a snicker.

“Anarchists, actually, although i dunno if you ask me it sounded more like a meritocra-” Stiqáyuʔ began.

“WHO GIVES A FUCK!?” Leo and Indrani both shouted in different tones.

“Merlyn Knowles!” Leo pointed directly at him, enacting some measure of challenge. “If you’re leading the sect literally bordering this infestation, then why don’t you act!? To leave a nest, a breeding ground, a sickening dung heap of these vessels of corruption, intact without even threat, should I assume you have fallen to the Wyrm’s grasp?”

--(Concluded in the next chapter)--