Shadows of London: 2-13 Unspoken Words

< Previous

Shadows of London

Next >

With the help of Doctor Grey and Roger, Caroline infiltrates the Eastern District and meets Vincent there.

Info

Style: No dress-up component Event Logs: Metropolitan Board of Works, Sire Rewards: 3,000 , 600 , 1 , 1 , 1

Transcript

Expand for script.

• Eastern District Resident A: Let me go out, I'm not infected, really. Please, officer, I beg you!

• Dudley: Line up over there for inspection. Next!

• Eastern District Resident B: Tough job, innit? Here's a small token of my appreciation...

• Dudley: Wait in line for inspection.

• Eastern District Resident B: Why make things so complicated, officer? I'm not—

• Dudley: I'll say it one last time, line up for inspection. Otherwise, take your filthy money and scurry back to your rathole.

• Eastern District Resident C: I...

• Dudley: Get out of here.

• Eastern District Resident C: Officer, please! A-alright! I'll leave London!

• Dudley: Officer! Keep this infected person away and don't let her infect the others!

• Eastern District Resident C: No! No, no... I don't want to die, I don't want to die, please, let me go...

• Police Officer: Inspector Dudley, someone wants to enter the Eastern District.

• Dudley: Don't you see that I'm busy? No one is allowed to enter the Eastern District!

• Police Officer: Um, he's a doctor and has a special permit. You'd better go see him.

• Dudley: Doctor?

• Edward Grey: Just how long do you expect me to wait?

• Police Officer: Sorry, please wait a moment—oh, Inspector Dudley!

• Dudley: Who wants to enter the Eastern District?

• Edward Grey: It's me, inspector. I have a permit issued by the Metropolitan Board of Works.

• Dudley: Permit? Show it to me.

• Dudley: Edward Grey. Doctor. Special clearance?

• Dudley: Why do those old men think they can just let anyone in?

• Edward Grey: What do you mean, Inspector?

• Dudley: I'm sorry, doctor. I can't let you in.

• Edward Grey: Are you joking?

• Dudley: No.

• Edward Grey: Please take another look at that permit, inspector. It has the chairman's signature on it.

• Dudley: I saw it, doctor. The London police department is not under the jurisdiction of the board.

• Dudley: Scotland Yard is led by the Home Secretary. It would be a whole different story if you had his signature.

• A slight sound comes from the back of the carriage, and Edward feels the seat rock gently.
• Edward Grey: I'm doing this for the safety and well-being of the Eastern District residents, inspector. Can't you be a little more flexible?

• Dudley: What you intend has nothing to do with me, sir. I merely follow the rules.

• The anger still lingers on Edward's face. Roger casts a curious glance in their direction, wanting to speak, but hesitates.
• Edward catches Roger winking at him, signaling to him that it's alright.
• Edward Grey: You're merely following the rules, huh?

• Edward suddenly smirks, leans back in his seat, and gazes arrogantly at the ignorant inspector.
• Edward Grey: Roger, go to Whitehall and deliver this permit to the Chief of Police at the Metropolitan Police Department.

• Edward Grey: Let me see if this loyal and dedicated inspector will still follow the rules when he sees his immediate superior's signature.

• You: *pant pant*

• After emerging from the luggage, I stay out of the police's sight and slowly make my way through the crowd.
• Fortunately, in the Eastern District, people are in a state of panic and no one pays attention to my peculiar behavior, allowing me to stray away from the blockade line.
• I never imagined that Doctor Grey, who is usually gentle and polite, could act so arrogantly and self-importantly on purpose.
• I hope his acting truly intimidates the inspector, and buys me enough time...

• You: Vincent!

• Vincent Savile: I should have known nothing can stop you. Scotland Yard, of course, is no exception.

• You: Did you guess that I was coming?

• Vincent Savile: I didn't have to guess.

• He sighs and quickly turns to lead the way.
• Vincent Savile: Follow me.

• I instinctively turn my head to look back in the direction I came from, and then follow in Vincent's footsteps.

• I haven't been back here since the club was shut down.
• A Scotland Yard notice is posted on the heavy gate, forbidding unauthorized entry. Exposure to the elements has turned the white paper yellow.
• Vincent doesn't even look at it. He opens the door for me.
• After several months, the club hasn't changed except for a little bit of dust.
• He lights a candle, bringing a glimmer of light into the cramped and dark room, easing my nerves as I return to this place.
• You: Thank you, Vincent.

• Vincent Savile: What do you want from me, Caroline? Please get to the point.

• You: I want to investigate two things in the Eastern District, but it might take a few days.

• Vincent Savile: And since you can't stay here permanently, you need someone who can help you navigate the Eastern District.

• You: Hmm, that's pretty much it.

• Vincent looks wordlessly at the basket in my hand for a moment. It is filled with bread and cured meat.
• Vincent Savile: I thought you were here to bring food for the residents.

• You: Yes, I am. I want to help people in need as well...

• A question suddenly comes to mind.
• You: Are you okay? The Eastern District is currently under lockdown, so how are you...

• Vincent Savile: If you're talking about food, don't worry.

• Vincent Savile: Scotland Yard can only hinder groups. They can't even stop you, let alone me.

• Vincent Savile: And I've long been accustomed to battling hunger.

• I silently nod in response to his candid answer.
• Vincent Savile: Let's get back to the point. What do you need to investigate?

• You: First, I need to investigate Jesse's whereabouts.

• Vincent Savile: ...

• You: Sure enough, you're not surprised at all.

• You: So you know everything already, Vincent?

• Vincent averts his gaze and lets out a heavy sigh.
• Vincent Savile: You once told me that Jesse Lindvall may have been attacked by the Blood Clan.

• Vincent Savile: To figure out more, I went to his grave to see for myself and confirm details.

• Jesse's grave... where the soil by his tombstone was disturbed... My heart almost stops.
• You: Vincent, did you...

• He furrows his brow.
• Vincent Savile: His coffin was empty. The lid had been pried open from the outside, and there were some fingernail scratches on the inside.

• You: ...

• Vincent Savile: Something must have happened for them to leave such a terrifying scene that anyone could just stumble upon.

• Vincent Savile: I could only restore Jesse's tombstone and cover his coffin with soil again.

• You: That's all you did?

• Vincent Savile: Do you really think I would willingly dig up a grave and disturb the peaceful rest of the deceased?

• He shakes his head with a bitter smile. I feel extremely embarrassed and subconsciously wring my hands.
• You: I'm sorry, I just...

• Vincent Savile: No need to apologize. I was planning to do just that if there were really any disturbances from underground.

• Vincent Savile: But someone beat me to it.

• Vincent Savile: Jesse Lindvall awakened while still inside the coffin. Someone knew he was about to awaken, and greeted him from the outside.

• Vincent Savile: This person accurately predicted the exact moment Jesse would awake.

• You: Who would that be?! The Elder?

• Vincent Savile: I don't know. Normally, the Elder wouldn't take action just to welcome a mere neonate.

• Vincent Savile: However, it is possible he wants to replenish his forces quickly after losing the Baroness and many ghouls in the cemetery incident.

• You: What are neonates and ghouls?

• Vincent Savile: On the night of the full moon, the Baroness transformed her followers into those monsters.

• Their images appear in my mind: pale faces, lifeless eyes, and blood glistening on their necks.
• Vincent Savile: Ghouls are incomplete vampires. They are incredibly strong and vicious, and many members of the Blood Clan consider them to be dangerous servants.

• Vincent Savile: As for neonates—

• Vincent suddenly falls silent.
• His mouth tightens at the corners, as if he is being forced to sink into some kind of extremely painful memory.
• Vincent Savile: During the initial stage of transforming from a human into a member of the Blood Clan, both the body and mind undergo significant changes.

• Vincent Savile: The neonate will experience a pain akin to being burned by flames, as well as an unprecedented thirst for fresh blood.

• Vincent Savile: Under the influence of this pain and their vampiric instincts, they will relentlessly and crazily crave blood.

• Vincent Savile: Many neonates at this stage go crazy, completely abandoning reason and transforming into bloodthirsty beasts.

• I seem to hear distant, agonizing screams in Vincent's cold voice.
• Vincent Savile: Because the neonate is unable to control themselves, their sire will protect them and keep them from coming into contact with the outside world.

• Vincent Savile: Until the neonate adapts to this drastic change, or completely surrenders to their tragic fate.

• You: Jesse would never surrender!

• Vincent Savile: ...

• His silence creates tremendous pressure upon me. I can't help but clench my fists tightly.
• After a while, he changes the topic with a weary voice.
• Vincent Savile: No member of the Blood Clan would allow a neonate lacking control to run wild outside.

• Vincent Savile: We can only wait until Jesse shows up for real.

• Vincent Savile: What is the second thing you mentioned?

• I take a deep breath, forcing my thoughts away from the cruel suffering Jesse might be going through, and return to the path of reason.
• You: I need to investigate a pastor named William Akerman.

• You: Thirteen years ago, he took in patients with a strange sickness, and then mysteriously disappeared...

• You: Vincent?

• He looks at me with undisguised surprise, as if the name has stirred up memories from the past.
• You: Do you know this name?

• Vincent Savile: I've heard of it, but not as a pastor.

• Vincent Savile: William Akerman was the human representative who negotiated with the Elder in the past.

• You: What are you talking about?

• This was not what I expected to hear at all.
• You: What do you mean by "human representative"? Why would humans negotiate with the Elder of the Blood Clan?

• Vincent Savile: On the aspect of excluding others and fighting for power, humans and the Blood Clan are cut from the same cloth.

• Vincent Savile: Twenty years ago, the Blood Clan in London, led by the Elder, experienced a major schism.

• You: Schism in the clan?

• You: And wait, twenty years ago...?

• Vincent Savile: Yes, just before you were born, Caroline.

• Vincent Savile: The schism was due to a marriage between a human and one of the Blood Clan. Because of that marriage, the Elder and the First Apostle completely severed ties with one another.

• Mysterious Baroness: She's serious.

• Mysterious Baroness: How ridiculous! She really wants to live with a human?

• Vincent Savile: *chuckle*

• Mysterious Baroness: How is this funny, Oliver?

• Vincent Savile: Sorry, Mrs. Fitzherbert.

• Vincent Savile: I just didn't think that you of all people would say something like that.

• Hawke: Oliver.

• His friend shoots him a warning glare, and he falls silent.
• But the Baroness has already detected the sarcasm in his words, and anger and embarrassment color her face.
• Mysterious Baroness: The Elder won't agree. What a selfish woman...

• Mysterious Baroness: If it weren't for the Elder, she would have died in the Great Fire of 1666 a long time ago!

• Mysterious Baroness: The Elder loves her so much, yet she wants to leave? This is nothing short of betrayal!

• Hawke: Keep calm, Mrs. Fitzherbert. We shouldn't speculate about their decision.

• Hawke: They spent two centuries together, and we outsiders have no right to interfere.

• Hawke: Don't project your tumultuous love life onto them.

• Mysterious Baroness: How dare you, Hawke!

• Lavinia: Anne, stop.

• Mysterious Baroness: ...Lavinia.

• Vincent Savile: Have you two reached an agreement, Miss Girdenis?

• Lavinia: Yes, Mr. Savile.

• Lavinia: The Elder is always generous. He has granted my audacious request.

• Mysterious Baroness: Traitor! Lavinia Girdenis! You traitor!!

• Mysterious Baroness: How dare you betray your savior, lover, and soulmate?

• Lavinia: You're getting too emotional, Anne. You're starting to spout gibberish.

• Lavinia: We of the Blood Clan have no souls.

• Mysterious Baroness: You!

• Lavinia: The Elder and the First Apostle have agreed, and you cannot interfere.

• Lavinia: All you have to do is accept and obey.

• Mysterious Baroness: If this is the will of the Elder, I will obey.

• Mysterious Baroness: But I will never again listen to the words of a traitor!

• Lavinia: What about you, Hawke?

• Hawke: I'm still bound to the blood bond, Lavinia.

• Hawke: I won't waste my energy fighting against the Elder's decision.

• Lavinia: And you, Mr. Savile?

• Vincent Savile: ...

• Vincent Savile: It doesn't matter to me where you go.

• Vincent Savile: I hope you have a delightful time playing house with your new marriage.

• Lavinia: So, this is goodbye, everyone. It has been a pleasure spending all these years together.

• Lavinia: Goodbye... my esteemed master.

• The Elder: ...

• With an indescribable smile, she walks through the heavy gateway.
• And London's Blood Clan, which has lasted for two centuries, experienced a collective fracture due to a rift between the two highest leaders.

• Vincent Savile: Lavinia's departure was a heavy blow to the Elder.

• Vincent Savile: In fact, she was the only member of the Blood Clan who could navigate the social circles in London's high society with ease.

• Vincent Savile: Many of the newly joined members of the Blood Clan were initially introduced and recruited by Lavinia.

• Vincent Savile: So they trusted Lavinia, and not the Elder.

• You: Did she do that deliberately? Was she... trying to divide the Elder's power?

• Vincent Savile: I'm afraid so.

• Vincent Savile: Whether it was outsiders like me and Hawke, or ordinary humans in London who were ostracised...

• Vincent Savile: She carefully selected suitable candidates from among them, and persuaded them to become her allies.

• Vincent Savile: Over time, as the clan expanded in London, a new secret faction centered around Lavinia gradually took shape.

• Vincent Savile: These individuals formed a new group, refusing to consume human blood and substituting it with animal blood.

• You: Huh? Isn't that...

• Vincent Savile: Before Lavinia and the Elder had a falling out, this group of people always kept a low profile, and the Elder had not noticed anything unusual.

• Vincent Savile: But with her marriage to Cyril Rayes, Lavinia broke free from the Elder's control, and these people began to take action.

• Vincent Savile: A few months after Lavinia left, the London clan, which had lasted for nearly two centuries, fell apart completely.

• Vincent Savile: One faction adhered to the traditions of the Blood Clan, viewing humans as livestock and striving for expansion. Another faction suppressed their instincts, attempting to find a way to coexist peacefully with humans.

• Vincent Savile: In the eyes of the radical faction who still revered the Elder as their sole leader, these self-proclaimed "Blue Roses" became nothing but complete traitors.

• You: Blue Roses?

• I instinctively look around at my surroundings.
• It's strange hearing this name while sitting in a club called the "Scarlet Rose".
• Vincent laughs mockingly, sensing my confusion.
• Vincent Savile: After Lavinia left, the Baroness quickly became the Elder's right-hand woman and then went on to establish this club.

• Vincent Savile: And naming it such made her intentions to replace the First Apostle clear.

• You: (The Baroness wanted to replace my mother? Did she want to replace her position in the London clan, or...?)

• A wave of inexplicable restlessness surges in my heart, but I refuse to continue thinking about it.
• You: Did you not join this group, Vincent?

• Vincent Savile: I don't need a leader telling me how to live my life.

• Vincent Savile: Without Lavinia, I can still live freely.

• I can tell that he is still keeping his guard up regarding my mother, and I awkwardly shift in my seat. Vincent notices and smoothly changes the subject.
• Vincent Savile: In short, the Elder not only lost nearly half of their followers, but also lost his most loyal follower, the First Apostle.

• Vincent Savile: He had to find a new alliance.

• Vincent Savile: At that moment, a pastor named William Akerman extended an olive branch to him.

• I hold my breath. The truth of the past is revealing itself before me, even if it's just a glimpse.
• Vincent Savile: Just to be clear, Caroline, I can't say for sure if these two individuals are the same person. I'm just telling you the information I have.

• Vincent Savile: William Akerman was the representative of certain noble families in England at that time.

• Vincent Savile: He reached certain agreements with the Elder; the specific details of which were unclear, but it must have been a collaboration based on mutual benefit.

• Vincent Savile: William Akerman took over the Blood Clan's duties and began hunting regular humans on behalf of the Elder.

• Vincent Savile: And the Elder provided them with certain things that only the Blood Clan could offer.

• You: What could that be?

• Vincent Savile: I don't know. I can only guess.

• I recall everything I saw and heard in the Eastern District.
• You: William Akerman... he seemed to be connected to the epidemic thirteen years ago.

• You: Doesn't this mean that the Elder was the mastermind behind the strange sickness that spread in the Eastern District back then?

• You: If that's the case, then is the current epidemic also--

• Vincent Savile: No, I don't think so, Caroline.

• You: Why?

• Vincent Savile: I'm not trying to defend the Elder, but spreading an epidemic is not his style.

• Vincent Savile: The Blood Clan needs healthy, young, and energetic humans - like the followers of the Scarlet Rose Club.

• Vincent Savile: And an epidemic is the opposite of that. It weakens human vitality and causes a large number of deaths, which is extremely detrimental to the Blood Clan.

• You: ...

• The bell rings outside the window. The wind blows in through the open window, alerting my senses.
• You: It's late. I, I have to go now.

• Vincent doesn't speak. He quietly reaches out to help me up from the couch.
• His hand gives me an extraordinary chill, as if it's even colder than before.
• I suddenly realize that this is the consequence of his battle with hunger. He's grown weaker and will continue to weaken further.
• You: Vincent... Is there anything I can do for you?

• I don't know the real reason why he insists on not drinking human blood. Is it because he doesn't want to harm the humans who were once his fellow beings?
• He doesn't respond, but opens the door for me.
• As I walk out in a hurry, I suddenly realize something.
• Twenty years ago, my mother also walked out of this door, leaving the place where she had lived for two hundred years to be with my father.

• Walking from the dark room to the world outside, the sunlight appears somewhat dazzling at first glance.
• I look back at Vincent. He is still in the shadows, silently watching me.
• It doesn't look like he's about to leave anytime soon.
• You: Vincent!

• You: If you find Jesse... if he has truly become a member of the Blood Clan, please keep him safe.

• Vincent Savile: ...

• You: Please protect him. And...

• You: I will come back. I will come back to see Jesse, and you too.

• Vincent Savile: ...It's getting late. You should get going. Don't worry about Jesse, but don't be reckless either.

• I smile when I hear his reply, and start running back to where I came from.