Blood II: The Chosen/Enemies

Caleb will have to face many threats along his journey. Some of these enemies are members of the Cabal, but there are also many creatures coming from another dimension often appearing through a dimensional rift:

Cabal

 * Cultists: The lowest designation of Cabal soldier, the role of the Cultist has changed with time. Once the wheels of the Cabal army, in the modern world it has become necessary to adapt the role of Cultists so that they could move freely through society. They are followers of the Cabal, early initiates who are recruited, or brainwashed, into service from inside Cabalco. They dress in official corporate attire so that their presence will not be obtrusive, allowing them to integrate into any aspect of normal society. Their training consists of little more than a psych profile and a possible brain wipe to assure that they will be adequately dedicated to the Cabal. For that reason they are not suited to heavy combat, but are adequately imposing to be used as security, for missions of lesser importance or simply to intimidate the general populace. Cultists are generally of average to low intelligence (or they would have risen to a higher rank in the Cabal). They are only trained in a limited arsenal of weapons, mostly handguns, and in combat situations their lack of training prevents them from working effectively together. Despite these weaknesses, they are still considered the backbone of the Cabal infrastructure, maintaining the Cabal's power by infiltrating normal society with their imposing presence, acting as an early warning system, and at times becoming human shields for the more advanced Cabal members, such as the Fanatics and Zealots. Cultists are usually armed with pistols, but have been known to carry SMGs and flare guns occasionally.


 * Fanatics: The most loyal followers of the Cabal have been organized as a paramilitary unit. They are well trained to work alone or in group and deploy with the most varied arsenal. They wear body armour which protects them for a short while and look like a cross between the SWAT team and the HAZMAT team. They patrol areas that are of higher importance to the Cabal and are sent in to intervene if necessary. Fanatics are typically armed with SMGs or assault rifles, but have been known to carry weapons such as tesla cannons and howitzers. Fanatics also carry a personal explosive device they will activate when gravely wounded to start a kamikaze attack.


 * Zealots: - Only a select few Cabal members get chosen to undergo the process that will transform them into Zealots, and even fewer survive the ritual that follows with their sanity intact. Zealots are an invaluable resource in the Cabal army, as they are the only members of the Cabal with mastery of the Dark Arts. These abilities give them extremely effective offensive abilities, but they are generally too valuable to be used as grunts. Zealots usually accompany a group of lesser Cabal members like Fanatics. They provide backup by using their magic to defend, heal, and generally strengthen the performance of an attack group. Zealots are generally intelligent and well-trained. They do not panic or lose control easily, and will coordinate well with most other Cabal units to get a job done. Zealots are generally feared by other members of the Cabal due to their cold-hearted, almost inhuman personalities. No one knows why they cover their faces. Many claim they no longer need normal senses. Others say that it is so they don't have to be forced to look upon the faces of other, lesser, Cabal members. Maybe it is simply an intimidation tactic. The most likely answer is that what they saw during their transformation ritual so taints them, they fear looking upon the world with natural eyes. Zealots wear long overcoats with spiritual armour and cover their faces. They carry a staff with a crescent moon which they use to summon an electrical blast, a fire blast or a concussive blast.


 * Prophets: - Prophets are highly intelligent, highly trained fanatics. Their purpose is to protect the Cabal's most precious commodities. They are heavily armored and resistant to damage. Prophets represent the best the Cabal has to offer. Much like the Fanatics, they can use almost any conventional weapon, but they are much more likely to use higher power weapons like the Napalm Cannon or the Minigun. They will attempt to dodge your fire, but they tend to rely more on their superior endurance and strength than on fancy acrobatics.

Otherworldly

 * Bone Leech: - The Bone Leech is a fairly small, worm-like parasite. A fairly weak creature, its power comes from its ability to infest and take over other creatures, providing it with means of protection, a more effective way to attack, nourishment as it grows and, most importantly, a breeding ground for more leeches. Bone leeches are one of the three very irritating creatures along with thieves and hands, as they latch onto your face and are quite difficult to shake off as they suck the life out of you. However they will go down easily enough and can be taken care of with a well placed shotgun shot.


 * Soul Drudge: - The Soul Drudge is a human who has been infested by the Bone Leech. The parasite burrows into the chest of a normal human and comes to rest on the upper spinal column of the infected person. From there it takes over the nervous system, circumventing the victim's brain for voluntary functions, but leaving the brain intact so that it will continue to handle involuntary functions. This allows the Bone Leech to control all movement of the victim, although it's control is difficult in the beginning, making the Soul Drudge a slow and clumsy creature. It makes up for this by being able to withstand a lot more damage than a normal human ever could, since as long as the Bone Leech is intact it can continue to manipulate the body. It is believed that the victim is still completely aware, and can feel everything that happens to them, they just can't control their body. They can, however, control their speech. As a result, Soul Drudges often emit the wailing and torment of the infected victim. To minimize this the Soul Drudge sows its mouth shut and gouges out its eyes to make the victim more docile. The Soul Drudge will generally attack anything that gets too close to it, most likely out of self-defense, although packs of Soul Drudges have been seen hunting prey, presumably looking for hosts for more Bone Leeches. The Soul Drudge is the first form the Bone Leech takes on. As it grows it evolves into the more powerful Drudge Lord, and finally, the Drudge Priest. The Drudge creatures are often seen working together, with the more advanced creatures ruling by cruelty and force. A pack of Soul Drudges will generally indicate that a more advanced Drudge creature is not far away. Soul drudges carry either a pipe, a crow-bar, or an axe, which they'll swing at you if you get too close.


 * Drudge Lord: - The Drudge Lord is basically a more developed version of the Soul Drudge. The Bone Leech has grown and now pierces the arms of the victim with large, hooked, limbs to allow it better control and it is also apparent to see the Bone Leech's head peeking from the once sown mouth. The victim is either no longer aware, dead or too far gone to react at this point. The Drudge Lord is larger, tougher and deadlier than the Soul Drudge and has metal plates bolted to its chest so that it can withstand more damage and should be considered very dangerous. The Drudge Lord will attack almost any living creature and do so spitefully. They have an extremely hostile and ill-tempered disposition and little or no fear. Drudge Lords are not often seen working together, presumably due to their poor temperament, but they often have Soul Drudges acting as their servants. Drudge lords will attack with a fire blast similar to the napalm launcher shots which are spit from the head. At the "suicide" difficulty level they make three rapid shots, then move their hooked limbs aside to recharge for another three shots. They also use their hooked hands in the melee combat with two types of attack. They swing their first and second limb inflicting serious amount of damage. Another melee attack is crushing victim's head with both hooks, doing considerable amount of damage. Both melee attacks are easily dodgeable and for the second one it is enough to duck so he misses. If a drudge lord is slowly walking towards you, he is intended to dismember the chosen. Engaging in the hand-to-hand combat is not recommended because of its unpredictible behaviour. Hurt him plenty, when the pain animations start, make a double shot of sawed-off shotgun, then slash him with alternative attack of the knife. Because of the splash damage of their fireballs and large hit area you may maneuver so one of them will hurt another, but it's a tricky endeavour. However two drudge lords slashing each other look spectacularly.


 * Drudge Priest: - The Drudge Priest is the most advanced version of the Bone Leech parasite that has been encountered. It is a big creature with fully developed magic abilities. The body that was once its host is nothing more than a bag hanging from the Drudge Priest, acting as a breeding ground for new Bone Leech parasites. The Drudge Lord no longer walks, but rather hovers silently. Little is known about this creature as only a handful of Cabal operatives have survived an encounter with it. The Drudge Priest seems to hunt only to infest new victims and will often have a host of other Drudge creatures doing its bidding. Attacks on this creature will often cause the breeding sack that is its stomach to burst forth, spilling dozens of Bone Leeches down on the unsuspecting attacker. The drudge priest will attack with either a fire blast or an electrical blast.


 * Shikari: - The Shikari is a pure predator, intelligent with excellent senses and tracking abilities. They are also extremely fast and agile. Shikari prefer to hunt in packs, so they have rarely been seen alone. If a lone Shikari is encountered approach with extreme caution, as they are known to use a variety of tactics including luring and ambushing targets. Another ability they exhibit is an extremely acute sense of threat assessment. They will often hold off from attacking more powerful creatures until they show a weakness, like a pack of wolves out-pacing a victim. If being pursued by a Shikari it is important to remember that they are extremely adept at navigating environments. Their hooked limbs give them the ability to walk on walls or ceilings, and they are just as fast and effective in water as out. The Shikari attacks using its long, razor-sharp claws, but it can also spit corrosive acid from long distances.


 * Death Shroud : - Similar to the phantasms from blood, death shrouds phase in and out of reality. They can only attack when solid, but are also vulnerable in such state. Death shrouds can be very hard to spot as they are dark and nearly transparent. No one exactly knows what death shrouds are, but rumors include that they attack anything except other death shrouds and anything killed by a death shroud eventually becomes a death shroud. Death shrouds will attack with explosive skulls, which have the ability to home in on their target.


 * Hands: - The corpses that the minions of Tchernobog use to make zombies aren't always in the best of shape. Sometimes, only a limb is salvageable. Usually, the Cabal's surgeons can fashion various bits and pieces into a serviceable undead soldier, but certain leftover parts can be effective all on their own. If one of these horrors gets hold of you, you've got to push it off before you can kill it. Hands will jump onto your neck and choke the life out of you, causing the screen to go slowly dark.


 * Thieves: - Small, stealthy, spider-like creature that attack from behind attaching to the base of the skull, injecting a poison that slowly destroys the victim's nervous system until death occurs. If the poison does not immediately cause death it will cause extreme disorientation.