I'm going to make a conscious effort to update this story more than once
every six months now. I had to stretch quite a bit to actually write this,
but if you've made it to chapter 3, you probably know that by now. Anyway,
reviews are always nice, even ones that aren't positive, so let me know
what you think.
What could not have been more than a few hours later, Karasuman woke up feeling quite refreshed, but still in a good deal of pain. Stoldark eyed him with a nonchalant shrug, "Oh, you're up a bit sooner than I expected. No matter though, how are you feeling?" "Honestly, terrible."
Stoladark nearly smiled at the demon, "That's not surprising if you've been living with Olrox. I've known him to be rather sadistic at times. I'll see what I can do to help you out." "I appreciate it." "I doubt you'll be saying that later on." Stoladark mumbled casually while closing a thick tome he had been perusing. Evidently, Karasuman didn't hear his final comment because he sat up and fixed his eyes on Stoladark's book- a Bible. He swallowed hard, "I thought no one was allowed to-" The eccentric vampire silenced him while rising from his seat, "Maybe not, but a healthy fear of Christianity never hurt, and in fact, has saved my life numerous times." Karasuman continued staring at the Bible, "But-"
"But nothing. You'll be far better off ignoring what Dracula and Olrox tell you." Stoladark finished his patient's sentence while picking his way through a shelf, removing the ingredients required to create an elixir. Karasuman smiled a lay back down. He was beginning to understand why every inhabitant of the castle disliked Stoladark.
Within a matter of days, Stoladark and Karasuman had become good friends. He found the peculiar vampire to be sociable and kind, two traits not exactly common among Dracula's subordinates. It was a pleasant change. Stoladark also proved himself to be a miracle worker with medicine, Karasuman felt almost completely better from when the knight dropped him off in the Alchemy Laboratory. But sadly for the demon, there was a downside to his newfound health - it was understood that he would return to Olrox as soon as he made a full recovery. The more time he devoted to that realization, the more he hated it. Karasuman considered mentioning this to Stoladark, but there was little he could do about it, he would risk his life if he tried. Luckily for the demon, Stoladark refused to acknowledge the limits to his own power and had already made plans to speak to Olrox regarding his new friend's well-being.
Karasuman was greatly confused when Stoladark prepared to leave his chamber for the first time since they had met. "I'll be back shortly." He told the demon before attempting to depart. "Wait!" his young friend said in earnest, "where are you going?" Had Karasuman not been so anxious, the vampire would've laughed, "I need to have a quick conversation with Olrox. I'm deeply bothered by his treatment of you." Karasuman was elated, he saw where this was leading, but he feared for his comrade's safety. He must have unconsciously communicated this through his body language, because Stoladark walked up to him and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "It's almost cute how they have you so scared into submission. Don't worry, I'll be okay." He punctuated his final words with a laugh.
Without further protest, Karasuman watched as the vampire ambled out the door, shutting it silently behind him. He had never admired any individual as much as he did Stoladark. It was rare when anyone went through the effort to do him such a favor. Karasuman was already feeling tense about the, likely unfavorable, outcome of Stoladark's altruism and searched for something to occupy himself with, eventually rediscovering the Bible. He cautiously stared at the forbidden document before reaching out to open it, snapping back his hand after recalling the pain holy items could inflict.
After a few more seconds' hesitation, he quickly flipped the book open, expecting to feel a sharp, burning sensation, but only suffered from a slight paper cut. With renewed confidence, the demon set out to learn what was so terrible about this particular literary work.
When Stoladark entered Olrox's courtyard, he was disappointed to learn that his superior was absent, 'Probably speaking to Dracula about matters of utmost importance.' He thought sarcastically while taking a seat on the edge of the prominent blood fountain. Stoladark was fortunate enough to possess an unusually large amount of patience, so he was content to stare at the full moon and soak up the warmth of the summer night.
He sighed with pleasure and caught scent of Olrox as he returned. Stoladark tensed with anticipation. The two vampires had known each other for over a century and still had yet to have any positive social interactions. Stoladark grinned maliciously, he wasn't entirely certain how the proceeding events would play out, but he was sure that he would walk away laughing, and Olrox would hate him more than ever.
"Oh, Stoladark. What a pleasure it is to see you." Olrox calmly lied, previously ignoring his unexpected visitor. Stoladark however, didn't feel the need to mince words, "Really? I think having a stake driven through my heart would be more pleasant than conversing with you." Olrox clenched his fist, but otherwise paid no heed to the insult, "Perhaps you would like something to drink?" he eventually inquired, motioning to the fountain. The other vampire eyed it distastefully, "I'm sorry, I prefer not to dine on the blood of the innocent."
Olrox crossed his arms and took a more relaxed stance, abruptly dropping his air of politeness, "Just tell me what you want." Stoladark nodded approvingly, "After taking care of Karasuman and discussing his experience with you, I'm inclined to think that it's not in his best interest to continue training under your supervision." Olrox shook his head, he was in no mood to receive a second lecture regarding his orders, least of all from Stoladark! "I was merely doing as I was told."
Stoladark felt something inside him snap, and made no effort to hide it, "That's no excuse!" His enemy responded in kind, "You really think that? Perhaps you can explain that to Dracula, but I doubt he'll listen to you. He hates you just as much as everyone else." "Not everyone hates me." "Oh! Forgive me," Olrox began again with a acerbic overtone, shooting an icy glare at the intruder, "you've succeeded in befriending one exceedingly weak demon. That will undoubtedly be of use to you." Stoladark hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to counter that last verbal assault on his poor social skills, "Then you understand the importance I attach to protecting him. Karasuman will not be returning to you." He concluded before attempting to exit the courtyard. He smiled disarmingly as he passed by Olrox, thinking his superior too stunned to respond. Sometimes, Stoladark decided, tormenting his betters could be more entertaining than killing humans ever was. He changed his mind when he felt Olrox hit him with a spell that left a lingering stinging sensation on his upper back. Stoladark shook off the pain and spun around to find his enemy ambling up to him. He stared defiantly at his attacker, uncertain of how to react now that their fight had turned physical. Stoladark feared for his life, he had about as much battle prowess as a tame bunny. Shakily, he pushed a stray lock of black hair behind his ear and braced himself for the worst.
What could not have been more than a few hours later, Karasuman woke up feeling quite refreshed, but still in a good deal of pain. Stoldark eyed him with a nonchalant shrug, "Oh, you're up a bit sooner than I expected. No matter though, how are you feeling?" "Honestly, terrible."
Stoladark nearly smiled at the demon, "That's not surprising if you've been living with Olrox. I've known him to be rather sadistic at times. I'll see what I can do to help you out." "I appreciate it." "I doubt you'll be saying that later on." Stoladark mumbled casually while closing a thick tome he had been perusing. Evidently, Karasuman didn't hear his final comment because he sat up and fixed his eyes on Stoladark's book- a Bible. He swallowed hard, "I thought no one was allowed to-" The eccentric vampire silenced him while rising from his seat, "Maybe not, but a healthy fear of Christianity never hurt, and in fact, has saved my life numerous times." Karasuman continued staring at the Bible, "But-"
"But nothing. You'll be far better off ignoring what Dracula and Olrox tell you." Stoladark finished his patient's sentence while picking his way through a shelf, removing the ingredients required to create an elixir. Karasuman smiled a lay back down. He was beginning to understand why every inhabitant of the castle disliked Stoladark.
Within a matter of days, Stoladark and Karasuman had become good friends. He found the peculiar vampire to be sociable and kind, two traits not exactly common among Dracula's subordinates. It was a pleasant change. Stoladark also proved himself to be a miracle worker with medicine, Karasuman felt almost completely better from when the knight dropped him off in the Alchemy Laboratory. But sadly for the demon, there was a downside to his newfound health - it was understood that he would return to Olrox as soon as he made a full recovery. The more time he devoted to that realization, the more he hated it. Karasuman considered mentioning this to Stoladark, but there was little he could do about it, he would risk his life if he tried. Luckily for the demon, Stoladark refused to acknowledge the limits to his own power and had already made plans to speak to Olrox regarding his new friend's well-being.
Karasuman was greatly confused when Stoladark prepared to leave his chamber for the first time since they had met. "I'll be back shortly." He told the demon before attempting to depart. "Wait!" his young friend said in earnest, "where are you going?" Had Karasuman not been so anxious, the vampire would've laughed, "I need to have a quick conversation with Olrox. I'm deeply bothered by his treatment of you." Karasuman was elated, he saw where this was leading, but he feared for his comrade's safety. He must have unconsciously communicated this through his body language, because Stoladark walked up to him and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "It's almost cute how they have you so scared into submission. Don't worry, I'll be okay." He punctuated his final words with a laugh.
Without further protest, Karasuman watched as the vampire ambled out the door, shutting it silently behind him. He had never admired any individual as much as he did Stoladark. It was rare when anyone went through the effort to do him such a favor. Karasuman was already feeling tense about the, likely unfavorable, outcome of Stoladark's altruism and searched for something to occupy himself with, eventually rediscovering the Bible. He cautiously stared at the forbidden document before reaching out to open it, snapping back his hand after recalling the pain holy items could inflict.
After a few more seconds' hesitation, he quickly flipped the book open, expecting to feel a sharp, burning sensation, but only suffered from a slight paper cut. With renewed confidence, the demon set out to learn what was so terrible about this particular literary work.
When Stoladark entered Olrox's courtyard, he was disappointed to learn that his superior was absent, 'Probably speaking to Dracula about matters of utmost importance.' He thought sarcastically while taking a seat on the edge of the prominent blood fountain. Stoladark was fortunate enough to possess an unusually large amount of patience, so he was content to stare at the full moon and soak up the warmth of the summer night.
He sighed with pleasure and caught scent of Olrox as he returned. Stoladark tensed with anticipation. The two vampires had known each other for over a century and still had yet to have any positive social interactions. Stoladark grinned maliciously, he wasn't entirely certain how the proceeding events would play out, but he was sure that he would walk away laughing, and Olrox would hate him more than ever.
"Oh, Stoladark. What a pleasure it is to see you." Olrox calmly lied, previously ignoring his unexpected visitor. Stoladark however, didn't feel the need to mince words, "Really? I think having a stake driven through my heart would be more pleasant than conversing with you." Olrox clenched his fist, but otherwise paid no heed to the insult, "Perhaps you would like something to drink?" he eventually inquired, motioning to the fountain. The other vampire eyed it distastefully, "I'm sorry, I prefer not to dine on the blood of the innocent."
Olrox crossed his arms and took a more relaxed stance, abruptly dropping his air of politeness, "Just tell me what you want." Stoladark nodded approvingly, "After taking care of Karasuman and discussing his experience with you, I'm inclined to think that it's not in his best interest to continue training under your supervision." Olrox shook his head, he was in no mood to receive a second lecture regarding his orders, least of all from Stoladark! "I was merely doing as I was told."
Stoladark felt something inside him snap, and made no effort to hide it, "That's no excuse!" His enemy responded in kind, "You really think that? Perhaps you can explain that to Dracula, but I doubt he'll listen to you. He hates you just as much as everyone else." "Not everyone hates me." "Oh! Forgive me," Olrox began again with a acerbic overtone, shooting an icy glare at the intruder, "you've succeeded in befriending one exceedingly weak demon. That will undoubtedly be of use to you." Stoladark hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to counter that last verbal assault on his poor social skills, "Then you understand the importance I attach to protecting him. Karasuman will not be returning to you." He concluded before attempting to exit the courtyard. He smiled disarmingly as he passed by Olrox, thinking his superior too stunned to respond. Sometimes, Stoladark decided, tormenting his betters could be more entertaining than killing humans ever was. He changed his mind when he felt Olrox hit him with a spell that left a lingering stinging sensation on his upper back. Stoladark shook off the pain and spun around to find his enemy ambling up to him. He stared defiantly at his attacker, uncertain of how to react now that their fight had turned physical. Stoladark feared for his life, he had about as much battle prowess as a tame bunny. Shakily, he pushed a stray lock of black hair behind his ear and braced himself for the worst.