Vatican Archives

Description: Located very, very deep inside the Vatican, The Vatican Secret Archives are the central repository for all of the acts promulgated by the Holy See, as well as documents, secret files and various other writings kept from public eyes for various reasons. The only entrance into the vault is a single elevator dropping several hundred meters down, requiring a security clearance, retinal scan, and thumb print before allowing a person to enter. Greeting them when the door opens will be a receptionist with two priests who watch over any interaction with any document or form while it is being handled.

Spoiler:

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The recent events were problematic in more ways than one. A vampire - one stated to use the black arts - had managed to sneak it's way into Rome undetected, long enough to accomplish the task of killing a regenerator and take a letter that was on it's person. These actions didn't bode well in the slightest and least of all, the vampire had escaped capture numerous times. She was partly responsible, of course, letting the vermin slip out of her grasp into the sewage system without pursuing him, but regardless of what the vampire had done committing suicide wouldn't of helped the situation anymore that Father MacAleese's death had. Veronica had a different goal in mind, one that would require her to revisit the Archives that she'd spent so much time in. She had several topics to research; all relating to the vampire that just barely escaped her clutches and the information that Father Diem had provided her with.

Black arts capable of deflecting blessed objects? She had heard of such things in her devoted research but never had she witnessed them being used, but she could speculate that's how the vampire survived the stakes without being able to maneuver in midair despite not actually seeing it herself. Still, Father Diem had no reason to lie about such things and with him being an eyewitness to the attack that led to Father MacAleese's end, it was worth looking into. After all, no one could be certain that the church, despite it's holier than thou attitude, possessed records or documents on occult rituals and information. In fact, it wouldn't surprise her considering they've been fighting such things for several hundred years and more. It would be foolish of them not to collect such data in order to combat the very things they were in conflict with.

The large sliding doors to the elevator pulled apart where she was greeted by both Father David and Sister Adela, along with Father Andrew, all of which greeted her with a nod of their head as she stepped out of the metal container that brought her here. She knew them well enough from previous visits and had worked with them a number of times with looking over and taking care of various documents, so they were by no means strangers to her.

"Father David, I need you do to something for me." Veronica said as she stepped up to the desk to the right of the elevator, "A recent incident involving the untimely demise of a regenerator has me needing to know about a specific letter that was in his possession. It was taken before we arrived on the scene, so I have no further information about what the letter actually was. Could you check the recent reports filed by Father MacAleese for me? Any information on the letter would be helpful." It was the best possible way to get information on it after all. Surely he had to file some kind of report about it if he had kept it, a letter so important a vampire would risk death to get it, in his possession.

"Certainly. I'll be a just a moment." The Priest went to work on the computer seated on his desk as Veronica continued on toward the seemingly endless rows of bookshelves. Traversing the halls of old documents and books with an intimate ease - closely followed by Sister Adela and Father Andrew - Corvis was extremely familiar with the layout of the archives due to her repeated use of them in her younger years, it was a shame she had to return to this vault of wisdom under such tragic circumstances. Tracing her fingers a mere inch away from the spines of various books and filed documents, she took extreme care not to touch any of the ones she wouldn't find of use. There had to be something she could use.

"Is there something in particular you're looking for, Sister?" Adela questioned from behind.

"It's a rather sensitive topic but I'm looking for text or documents written on the occult. Rejection of God, turning away his presence, outright rejecting objects influenced or blessed by the Church, subjects along those lines. It's related to the current incident with Father MacAleese's departure, that's all I can say for now."

Adela looked nervously towards Father Andrew, who gave one right back at her, before biting her lower lip nervously, "Well...we do have documents related to that sort of thing but...it's hardly ever requested so we keep them even deeper in the vaults. Let me see if I can dig them up for you."

Corvis smiled in appreciation and waited as the closest equivalent to a librarian Iscariot had disappeared within the maze of bookshelves, while she herself took her time to look over a few of the spines on the shelf directly in front of her. It didn't take long for the struggled sounds of heavy lifting caught her ear, moments later the nervous nun stumbling back into view out of hallway in the far back, a large stack of books in her arms. If Corvis hadn't of helped balance it the poor girl might have easily toppled over. She wasn't very large after all. Helping her along the way, Veronica easily found the nearest table that was set in a small clearing and helped set the books out before taking a seat, Sister Adela and Father Andrew taking a seat as well as per protocol of making sure the documents would be treated properly.

A vampire sneaking into Rome, risking life and limb to fight not only a Regenerator, but also another Paladin who was with him, all for a letter, was very disturbing indeed. She needed to figure out as much as she could about her enemy, as well as the item he now held in his possession. Each of them took one of the books from the decently sized stack and began to carefully examine each page, the two of them helping her dig through the lines of information.

Flipping through the various documents with help from the single overhead light and her two overseers, Veronica was both intrigued and disgusted by what she saw; enough that she hadn't even noticed how long they'd been researching. Foreign religions weren't unknown to her, nor was the world of the occult and all of its dealings, but for them to possess rituals that were on par with the Churches own abilities was unacceptable. It was no wonder the church had spent so many years collecting these documents and outright destroying others; such knowledge in the hands of those of a more questionable nature could definitely spout a problem. Father Diem's information wasn't that farfetched, it seemed, and that made her question the recent vampire attack even more.

Tracing her finger along the page before her, she read over the various known rituals of a multitude of pagan faiths. The rejection holy artifacts, curses, illusions, voodoo, blood magic, contact with otherworldly beings and numerous others were all listed in each of the books laid out before her. A number of them would be difficult to deal with if the Abomination possessed such capabilities, and that alone was enough to briefly unsettle the nun, but one most of all caught her attention. Her finger stopped on a line in the center of the page and tapped it absentmindedly. True enough, the vampire had a number of choices set before him when it came to repelling the churches faith, but this specific one caught her attention; if only for its details on how it rejected those of holy faith.

Angra Mainyu...

The Exorcist looked back on both her previous studies as well as the information the book before her had. Zoroastrianism was an ancient Iranian religion and a religious philosophy, older than their own, in fact, and she was certain that name stemmed from it. "The name of the "destructive spirit"." The nun began to look over the few details the book itself contained and read it silently to herself, her two colleges shifting through books on either side of her. Upon forming the ritual and sealing the contract, Angra Mainyu becomes the ultimate representation of rejection towards all that is holy. Taking the form of a sphere, it acts as a wall to repel such things. Triggered by the individuals inner wrath or hatred, it holds the power to prohibit anything divine from entering, including the very bodies of those led by opposing faiths."

Veronica was somewhat intrigued by this, instantly comparing it to the sphere the rare few in Iscariot could create based upon their own faith, only reversing the effects. The direct origin of this ritual isn't known, lost in the sands of time, perhaps, and probably for the best. All other known records relating to this ritual were earlier destroyed. Well, that was an inconvenient and abrupt ending, but it gave nice insight into what she could potentially be dealing with. If this vampire truly rejected blessed objects as Father Diem had said, this was the most likely ritual that was being used - though she had no solid evidence of it, it would explain how he managed to escape her stakes in midair without being able to maneuver properly.

However, she still wanted to know more about this unholy sphere. It had to have a weakness, everything did. Something that didn't involve using normal weaponry, such a thing would be suicide on a vampire as powerful as that. Sitting back in her chair with the book in hand, Veronica stroked her chin in thought. All the other documents were destroyed? How, she wondered? True, most of these documents were centuries or more in age, but why did only one survive? Surly they could dig up a bit more on the subject.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Father David emerged from the maze of books behind them, a vanilla colored file in hand. "Sister, I have what you requested. All reports filed by Father MacAleese before his, er, "passing". Please." He placed the file on the table, gave a light bow of his head and returned back into the maze of books, no doubt heading back to his desk by the elevator to continue his own work. Curious, she sat the book currently in her hand down and flipped the file open, searching for any mention of a letter that was acquired at some point. It didn't take long, one of the last reports he ever filed had it written down. Apparently some thief had tried to steal it sometime before and he retrieved it with some minor difficulty.

"The letter was written by Ignatius of Antioch." Veronica unknowingly spoke aloud to herself, unintentionally causing Sister Adela and Father Andrew to both looked up from their books with a somewhat stunned look on their face at the mention of the name. A letter from a passed saint nearly two-thousand years old? What would a vampire want with such a thing? Not wanting to waste time thinking on it, she gave a sidelong glance to her two companions, the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice telling them there was no time to waste.

"Sister Adela, could you look through the records and see if you can find anything about this letter? I'd greatly appreciate it. Anything at all will do." Corvis handed the file to the librarian, who glanced it over, nodded, and quickly made her way into the maze of shelves to begin her search. Corvis then turned her attention to the other. "Father Andrew, I need help in another matter." She spoke as he picked the book up again and held it out to him, "I need you to try and locate where all other documents about this "Angra Mainyu" ritual were stored. As far back in time as you can go, it doesn't matter. If you could find a single piece that would be more than helpful." He nodded, quickly moving from his seat and into the bookshelves.

A letter from a dead saint. Veronica thought over the idea, wracking her brain in the process of trying to figure out what a vampire would want with something so useless to him, dismissing several possible reasons for stealing it right off the bat given the circumstances and unlikely hood of each of them. A feeling in her gut told her that it likely wasn't anything they shouldn't worry about. She'd have to continue her inquiry for more information, despite it's slow pace. As the two clergy members continued their search through the rows and rows of nearly endless records, the nun stayed seated at her desk and picked up another of the many books to continue her research into these occult rituals this vampire might be able to utilize.

Veronica had already read through most of the books littering the table by the time her two overseers returned, most of the rituals in any of the others being extremely unlikely for the vampire to possess. However, the looks on both Adela and Andrews faces were less than appealing. Arriving almost at the same time, their load-out was extremely small in comparison to their previous expedition into the maze of knowledge that was the archives.

Adela held nothing in her hands aside from a single book wrapped in a cloth, while Andrew held a single file with what looked like only a single document inside. Not what she had expected, but given both of their expertise and intimacy with the archive layout, she trusted the two of them knew what they were doing to find just about anything they were asked for, she could only hope the information within them would be helpful to the situation.

The book and file were placed on the table as the current stack were carefully gathered and removed, Andrew taking them back to their respective holding places to make more room on the tables surface. Starting with the file as the letter was the most pressing issue at the moment, Veronica removed the old cloth of the book as carefully as she could before opening it. She skimmed the pages, searching for various keywords and anything relating to a letter written by the old saint. She found mention of seven being written in total, though six of these were irrelevant as they already knew which one was taken - To the Ephesians, the longest of all of them. It described Ignatius and his military guard being a halt on their way to Rome via the northern road to Troas.

Veronica moved her hand to her chin as she continued to flip through the pages, carefully skimming each one for any clues as to what might make it so valuable to an undead mongrel like a vampire. Not mention of anything, merely the letter itself and it's contents. She was about to deem the book useless until she came across a rather interesting line near the end. It was a line, apparently quoting a person involved with the writings of the letter itself, though she couldn't be sure as it wasn't specifically clear.  

For these identify him as a warrior, but also as a devil, for the devil's bow and arrows were well known.

That was interesting, but not very helpful. There had to be a reason the vampire wanted the letter, a reason they weren't seeing. Then again, the church had always been extremely crafty when it came to hiding things of extreme importance, perhaps the letter was required for something more than a collection or ransom, the only question was what. She brooded on the subject for the moment, left in total silence as she repeatedly read over the lines again and again. The mention of a bow was rather intriguing, as was "wicked powers" given the situation, but it was going to take a while before she could dig deeper into it. Taking a pause, Veronica closed the book and opened the file Andrew had brought, and flipped it open.

The document inside was a list of various locations that had information on the Angra Mainyu stored there, ranging all the way back to the fourth crusade even, which was quite shocking to say the least. Knowing full well investigating locations and dates that were so far back, she decided to start with the most recent one. A monastery ran by Benedictine monks in Austria-Hungary, which was victim to a mass killing of all its staff and burnt down in 1920. An odd event indeed, but it was their best starting point for gathering more information. Rising from her seat with the file still in hand, Veronica turned away and began to traverse the seemingly endless halls back to the front desk, where Father David was seen working.

She placed the document on his desk and drew his attention to it by pointing to the specific name on the list. "Father, I need information on this monastery if its possible, the records, the staff who worked there, everything; right down to a list of the files that were stored there if possible."

The man glanced down at the paper and gave a half sigh, moving his glasses up on his face before going to work on his keyboard.  It was quite a task, she was well aware, but she needed all of the information she could get on anything relating to the situation at hand, and this was by far the quickest way. A few moments past with only the sound of a fingers rapidly dancing across a keyboard being audible before a printer kicked on; pushing out the information she'd requested on fresh pieces of paper. Casting a grateful smile to her fellow Iscariot, she took the newly printed information and began to look it over as she made her trip back to the table.

She took her seat, Sister Adela and Father Andrew having disappeared to place the unused files back in their rightful places. On the three documents she held in her hand were a list of records retaining to exorcisms, helping of the homeless, as well as other activities the monks kept track of. Flipping the page, she saw a list of all the clergy's name, a written description as well as a black and white picture next to them. She scanned the list of names and pictures with a genuine interest, though what she came across was something she would have never expected. "That's him! Veronica leaned forward in her seat, finding a picture looking eerily similar to the vampire she encountered in Rome mere hours ago along with a name beside it. "Almos Lorand..."

The slippery bastard was a monk!

She didn't have any proof tying him to the murders of the staff, but she felt certain enough to say that she had found the person - or abomination - responsible for it all. That would explain why he could deflect blessed or divine objects with the Angra Mainyu, he read the tomes explaining it while he was studying as a monk! Veronica gritted her teeth slightly at the sudden realization. The church kept such documents hidden within their church to keep things like this from happening, yet all it seemed to do was help turn this monstrosity into an even larger threat. This couldn't get any worse, could it?

Relaxing in her seat, the nun laid the documents down and returned to the book regarding the stolen letter, flipping it back to the previous page. She'd have to crack this code now, and god knew how long that was going to take. However, now that she knew this man was a previous member of the church, there was obviously a connection she could make with the letter. There was a bigger picture, there was something of importance on it, and she wasn't leaving the archives until she found out what!

Veronica had all but lost track of time, immersed in thought and drowned in information. Several hours had gone by since she had discovered the identity of the one responsible for Father MacAleese's death, as well as what letter was stolen. The files she had then had now turned into an utter mess spread across the table; books, files, documents, ancient tomes, various scriptures and other texts she thought would be of help were spread out in a messy assortment, gathered from the archives around her. The vast majority were for finding out what kind of significance the "To the Ephesians" letter had. It was written by a two-thousand year old apostle, what was the significance, or importance, of that, she wondered?

The small portion of documents that were left over focused mainly on any records retaining to an Almos Lorand and the monastery he once studied at. Currently in her hand was a file retaining to the former monk and his practice of choice within the monastery. It seems like Lorand completely devoted himself to exorcism, from what his file told, though a reason as to why still eluded her. She questioned why he would start down such a path and then turn away from it, as was her question with many of the few files that mentioned him. Veronica moved a finger to her chin as she thought, reading through a file loosely relating to the man's joining of the monastery and the events preceding it, which could only be found in a single, two paged letter - apparently a copy of an original sent to the Vatican some time ago - relating to an exorcism supposedly gone wrong.

Normally she would dismiss such information as it wasn't related to the current situation, and the only thing that stopped her from doing so was the sight of the "Lorand" name being mentioned as she skimmed it. It was a letter from a Benedictine monk, Brother Matthew, as it was signed, giving insight into an exorcism the other monks preformed as well as information on the family itself. Curious and seeing a chance to gain more info than what would normally be possible, she began to read it to herself.

"I truly worry about what my brothers have told me. A local family claims their child, no more than an infant, to be acting beyond strange; purposely violent, loss of appetite, and insomnia. All of these symptoms are normal for a person to go through at some point in their life, for one reason or another, this is true. But the cause of my fear is due to the local doctor being unable to diagnose any natural cause. He was left dumbfounded as to why the child acted in such ways, and as such left me feeling uneasy.

Of course, this does not mean it is demonic possession, making such a claim without investigation would be foolhardy, but such a thing cannot go ignored. The family has asked for our help, and we cannot - will not - turn away those who seek it. The Lorand's have been more than accommodating and Brother Kalvin is going to investigate the claims tonight to hopefully shed light on the subject, as well as put the family's mind at ease.

I pray for their safety and for the protection of their daughter, Iren."  

Veronica was intrigued by the letters contents. The monks were very thorough at keeping records of their exorcisms and claims relating to such topics, and it appeared her fallen Monk was involved with the monastery in more ways than one. Appearing to have found a large insight into the poor fools past, she continued reading with interest.

A night has passed since Brother Kelvin was sent to investigate and console the family, and it seems my fear was well placed. The infant's baby teeth sprouted from her gums at an unearthly rate, and the child claimed Brother Kelvin's left ear in a single bite. Such a horrifying thing to imagine, let alone witness, this is truly the work of the unholy. I am afraid the Lorand's child is, for certain, the container of a demonic entity. Thankfully, they have consented and allowed for an exorcism to take place in their boathouse. If all goes well, their child should relieved of its unholy burden by the nights end."

Veronica stopped only to turn to the second page, feeling somewhat saddened by the events said to have transpired. A child so young should never have to go through something so horrid. It was worth her sympathies as she could imagine how hard witnessing such a thing could be; she thought of all the children at the orphanage as her own after all, and the thought of such that happening to any of them would be unthinkable. However, what she would read next in Brother Mathew's letter would shock her even more.

"The result of the exorcism was successful, but not without a price... It was an error on Brother Kelvin's part, a mistake that no one could have foreseen. Not even us. The spirit within the child as simply too strong for a single priest to banish, though the task of driving it from the child was a success. However, with the child saved and all seeming well, it was moments later that the mistake was realized. Unable to simply banish the spirit taking residence within the Lorand's daughter, Brother Kelvin had unknowingly transferred it into himself.

It is..regrettable that one such as he had to suffer such a fate, though he took it upon himself to finish what he had started. The testimony of the father, Almos Lorand, had stated that Brother Kelvin had told him to tie an anchor and rope around his leg, and then for it to be thrown into the lake. Our Brother would sacrifice himself to make amends, and in doing so drag the wretched demon now residing inside him beneath the waters. He struggled vigorously against it's influence, but even we Men of the Cloth have our limits.

The death of our Brother was a tragic thing, but I cannot help but pray for the Almos. During the struggle and despite his noble attempts to save her, his wife was...much to my regret and dismay, pulled under the water along with our brother. The child has been saved, but the cost, I fear, may have been too much. What is the price of one life weighed against two? I must admit such thoughts are outlandish of me, and I feel guilty for possessing them, but I cannot help but think of what else could have been done...

Regardless, my prayers, and sympathies, are with him during this time of hardship.

- Brother Matthew."

Veronica sat the two paged letter down and clasped her hands together in thought. It seems like she stumbled upon the answer to her previous question as to why he turned his interests to exorcism. The loss of a loved one often turned people towards God, it seemed like he was no different. She was collecting pieces to the puzzle of who he was and his background, everything except the reason as to why he wanted the letter or the letters importance. She may have to dig deeper in the archives, in the restricted areas, maybe. However, she'd need permission from those higher up to do so.

Resting her elbow on the table and placing the top of her hand against her cheek to lean into it, she flipped back and forth through the letter as she thought on the subject. She found the source of his interest in exorcism, but not the source of his abandonment, or the reason or conditions of his vampirism. She accepted the fact that such a thing might not be possible to know without asking him personally, and the odds of that happening were hardly even worth mentioning, but it was still something she was interested in. Placing the letter in a stack along with the book containing the details on the Angra Mainyu and other occult rituals that she may be up against, she turned her attention towards the book containing information on the letter and flipped it open. If this book couldn't give her proper insight, then she'd go into the restricted area.

"Let's see what you're after, Lorand."

Nothing. Nothing at all was found in her search for what importance the letter held, at least to a vampire of Lorand's caliber. She had stripped all the files, documents, books, and tomes relating to the letter from the shelves and read through them in her search, an act that took several hours to accomplish underneath the single light hanging above the table. Details about the writer, the writing itself, and other unknown and wisely hidden information - some of it even slightly surprising even her to a certain extent - was all she had found, but none of it would be helpful in her search. Did the church really have nothing; no file, no information, no knowledge at all on what this vampire wanted with one of their own writings?

Gritting her teeth in slight annoyance and mental exhaustion, the nun ran her hand through her silky grey locks and removed her veil in the process. This was turning out to be more difficult than she had anticipated. Her amber eyes scanned the various information laid out before her again and again, but she could find nothing. An audible "tsk" escaped her lips as she thought and closed one of the last books, setting it neatly aside in the large stack that had been accumulated over the hours. What are you after, you bastard? What could interest you so much that you'd risk doing what you did?

She'd asked herself this question many times during her time secluded within the Archives, and she found herself repeating it constantly for a reason unknown to her. She was definitely uneasy about the situation, some could even say a bit tense, but she truly couldn't help it. Up until Lorand's sudden appearance, Hellsings pet had been the only one stupid enough to ever set foot in this city, and even he was held off. Risking ones life against those odds didn't just come from nowhere.

Veronica's fingers interlocked in front of her as she situated her elbows on the table, staring out into the vast maze of documents and other records with a slight scowl on her face. She had hoped that she'd located something, but it seemed like there was only one place left to look. If there was no information there then finding out what the abomination wanted would be impossible next to asking him directly in person - something she would gladly do if she knew where he had ran off to. The only place left to look is the restricted area.

However, there was a legitimate problem. The archives were open to high ranking church officials and most Iscariot Agents with the proper authorization in order to help with their work of exterminating the unholy vermin that plagued the world, after all information was key to any conflict. But the restricted area was off limits to everyone except the Pope himself and Cardinals below him, everyone else could not enter without expressed permission one of the two. No one had broken these rules before, so it was unknown what the consequences would be if were to happen, but Veronica had to weigh the options.

A vampire wanted it bad enough to risk coming into Rome, take on a regenerator, and even managed to escape her. Nothing good could come of it, but she didn't want to wait for a formal request to get approved. It would take too long, at least a week or two, and by then there was a chance that it could be too late to stop whatever Lorand had planned. It was a difficult choice, but if what she needed was behind those vault doors then it just might be worth whatever punishment that she'd receive. She'd probably have to make a phone call to a certain someone to help clear up any misunderstandings that might arise, but she really had no other options at this point.

She was going to get into that vault; to see documents that only the Pope were allowed to gaze upon. Any other time she'd be ecstatic about such information being displayed before her, but under such circumstances she wouldn't have time to browse at her leisure. Exhaling a large breath, Veronica leaned back in her seat and placed her hand over her face. "Let's see how deep of a hole I can dig myself into with this... Father, give me strength."

Veronica, having decided upon her course of action, as well as a plan to pull it off, gathered up what documents she believed would help and removed herself from the table. Considering what she was about to do, she figured it best to make any other offenses as weak as possible by leaving the majority of the files on the table to be collected by the overseers once they returned - no need to make a situation any worse that it was going to be, right? Disappearing within the maze of bookshelves with the files under arm, she weaved around several corners and turns as she made her way toward the very back of the vault.

This area of the archives was literally fenced off from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, by a heavily reinforced gate made of a mixture of steel and silver, coated with numerous blessings. Despite the chances of anything of unholy nature making it this far being extremely small - damn near impossible - the Church took no chances in protecting their knowledge. Regardless of the impressive barrier the gate posed, she knew exactly where the only entrance was situated and that's where she was headed. There would be a guard there, not one from Iscariot but one positioned there by the Bishops themselves, someone she knew since she first began her expeditions into the archives from her earlier years.

Jael was his name, a decently aged man and somewhat famous for his knowledge on various topics. The time he'd spent amongst the archives and it's vast resource of knowledge dwarfed her own by at least twenty years, something she genuinely respected about him. She wasn't going to ask him for help, however, as just as she was restricted from the closed off area, so was he. Jael merely turned people away from the entrance. He'd only ever rarely set foot inside and that was one when a Bishop or the Pope made a trip down here, so him having information on what she wanted was rather slim. She felt bad for what she had planned, but she could always apologize later.

The large fence now in sight through small gaps in the shelves, Veronica pulled out her cellphone and flipped it open as she rounded the final corner. She saw Jael, seated in a steel chair by the gate, secured by a number of heavy locks, with a book in his lap. The sight made her smirk a bit. Every time she saw him, he was always like that. Nose buried in a book and attention swallowed up by the stories it held within. However, much to the man's credit, he noticed her long before she ever rounded the corner and took note of the documents under her arm, all of which he did without looking up from his stories.

He was very detailed and analytical, some would say he could even put a vampire to shame in a contest of perception, and Veronica would freely admit to being one of them after having known the man for so long, but the range of his overall ability was limited to that alone. Phone pressed to her ear and walking in a somewhat hurried pace, Veronica closed in on the old man with a friendly wave; to which only an audible "hmph" and the adjustment of his glasses were given in response. Jael seemed as if he was about to speak, no doubt inquiring about the files tucked under her arm as well as her making another attempt to get into the archives - her last one being when she was still fresh blood within the Iscariot organization, but he was cut off as the Nun got closer.

"Yes, Father, I've found him." Veronica held out the phone to him with him a genuine smile, "Father Anderson would like to speak with you."

Jael quirked an eyebrow in response. Had she really thought Father Anderson would be able to overrule the requirements and gain her entry? Surly she'd gotten more mature in her age than to try such things. Then again, this was the child that literally tried to dig under the fence when she was younger, asking for her to have matured at all might've been asking far too much. He gave another audible "hmph" in response before reaching out to take the phone, ready for whatever argument was about to be sparked and ready to hold his ground no matter what came his way.

However, what happened was not what he expected.

Reaching out for the phone, Jael's wrist was snagged by the Nun's freehand the moment he had taken hold of the mobile device, where her now free second hand shot forward to cover the man's mouth immediately after, preventing him from alerting any of those located at the front desk and littering the floor around her with the few files that were tucked under her arm. Utterly confused and slightly terrified, Jael's other hand grasped around the wrist of her own hand covering his mouth in order to free himself. A sorrowful look cast over Veronica's features for a moment, thinking about what consequences this might have; losing the trust of everyone in the archives was a steep price for someone like her, but any other way wouldn't be efficient.

A multitude of bible pages erupted from one of the satchels on her waist and immediately swarmed the poor overseer, covering his body from head-to-toe and constricting him just enough so that he couldn't move. His attempt to alert the others when she removed her hand from his mouth was stopped by one of her pages which took her hands place. Looking like nothing more than a mummy wrapped in gospel pages, the only part of him that was left uncovered was his nose to allow him to breath and his left hip, which were where the keys to the locks were hanging. Apologizing sincerely to the elderly man as she took the keys and quickly picked up the fallen files, she gave a quick glance toward the security camera which had no doubt saw the whole thing before unlocking the various safeguards and entered the restricted area, closing the gate behind her.

She wouldn't have any trouble finding what she was looking for as she knew what the letter was called, and luckily everything was alphabetized. Skipping a vast majority of the books lining the old shelves, Veronica' skipped directly to the appropriate shelving and ran her finger along the various spines of documents and archives meant for the popes eyes only. Had she been fifteenth or so years younger, she'd take full advantage of this, but she had matured far more than what the old man gave her credit for. Reaching the only file that related to the "To the Ephesians" letter, she removed the file and made her way over to one of the smaller tables situated inside. Placing the files she brought beside it, she flipped open the restricted document.

"Now, let's see what's so important about this letter...." Veronica spoke to herself in a hushed tone, flipping through various information that would shock most but had no utter value to her as none of it seemed like something Almos would be interested it. She'd have to be thorough in her review, which meant reading every page until she found something.

Tracing her fingers along each line of the document in a rather hasty effort with the knowledge that someone could be well on their way to apprehend her, she skimmed the page for the information she was after; but she did so expertly and with great care. It had been hard enough digging through so much information as it was, but her efforts bore fruit in the discovery of the threats name and past. She just needed one last piece of information to put it all together and then she'd have the full picture of what that abomination was planning. If she couldn't find anything solid with this then who knows what would happen to her. Breaking into such a secure location without having any reason to show for it would be catastrophic. Excommunication was a high probability even with her standing in Iscariot, or even death, so she'd need something solid to show for it to make up for any transgression.

However, she wasn't expecting to find anything like this. It was...too far fetched, right?

"What...in Gods name is this?" The words slipped free from her lips, utterly dumbfounded as she read over the bottom lines, her eyes wide with shock and her face painted with signs mixed of great distress. This was far worse than she could have ever imagined. What the hell was the Church thinking by keeping the location of something like this intact and written down? Especially on the back of a letter outside of the archives! They should have shredded it and burned it. This was unacceptable!  

"Have they all lost what little of their goddamn minds they had!?" The Nun managed to say through gritted teeth, her right hand balling into a fist as she stared at the document, her other hand covering her mouth as she sunk into a deep thought, as well as to keep from spewing anymore profanities. Lorand, you bastard...! she thought, an audible "tsk" escaping her lips in the process as she glared at the text with an unadulterated rage in her eyes. She heard of such an item in her occult studies, but she hardly believed it was actually real given the stories revolving around it. Such an item was being hidden by the church, but apparently they were too idiotic to put it in the archives where something like that actually belonged, or destroyed beyond recognition.

Gandiva, the bow created by the heathen God Brahma. Thousands of years old by legend and a weapon of immeasurable power. It's arrows were said to release noise akin to thunder, and flashes akin to lightning. If someone like him gets his hands on it, the threat could become far too much to contain. The church could potentially crumble. She spun on her heels and dove back into the otherwise restricted files, searching desperately for something more. She needed to find a copy of the map, or some clue as to where it was before that abomination got there first. If she had any luck at all, and the grace of God, he hadn't figured out how to read the map yet.

Ordinarily she'd be curious as to how the bloody hell a vampire found out about such a thing to begin with, but loose ends could be tied up later - and they would be, she'd make sure of that. She'd track down all the ones who had come into contact with the blond haired fox and crucify everyone who was involved if need be, she didn't care at this point. But she needed a bit more information, just a bit more! Then she could get to the real work of tracking this thing down.