Vladislaus Dracula idly paced on the roof of the tenement Renfield had purchased on behalf of his master in the English part of the city, occasionally sipping at a goblet stained with the blood of the harlots he had seduced. A few of them were still alive, chained in the tenement's basement. They would surely be suitable meals for his brides. The trio of succubae were bound to arrive any night now, and Dracula was certainly not going to be caught unprepared. He sighed deeply, already anticipating the agony they would visit upon him for dragging them all the way to the lands of the heathen Arabs. Indeed, he could barely fathom why he himself was here in the first place. As a man he had conquered the invading Turks with the same ruthless ability he would become famous for. Nothing would stop him from turning back their aggressions, and his people loved him for it. They were quite contented with his rule, and cheered his name further when he impaled one Turk after the other on wooden stakes. Less beloved was his policy of applying the same punishments to those among his own people who would oppose him. He was held in dread by Transylvanians and Turks alike. And now he was deep in the heartlands of the same beastial men he'd slaughtered so many of during his life. He certainly wasn't expecting to receive any of the respect he had won from his people in these alien lands.
Still, he had felt something unnatural happen. According to Renfield, the strangeness was hardly confined to Dracula; a number of mystics and monsters had likewise felt it. None could explain it, and even through Dracula's formidable arcane abilities and mundane skills, he had learned nothing worthwhile. He then sent his brides to seek out a Gypsy mystic he had consulted decades before. She was allowed into his castle as a young woman with intention of consuming her blood, but when she offered to divine the future, Dracula was intrigued. She spoke of horrible winged demons seeking to take the Impaler's ancestral lands in the Carpathians by force. Oaths were frantically sworn as she was dragged to the vampire's "wine cellar" where he kept future meals. He thought nothing of her prophecy until the night the gargoyles first assaulted his castle. The first strike was repelled at great cost to Dracula, and afterwards he personally pulled her from her cell and demanded she aid him in defeating the stone beasts. Naturally she bargained for her life until Dracula had sworn on his nobility and honor that he would free her afterwards. With her knowledge and divination, he was not only able to defeat the gargoyles, but also enslave them to his will.
The Gypsy woman was the only victim Dracula had ever spared of his own free will. He turned back towards the streets when he heard the sounds of carriage horses. Three coaches without windows were clear to the vampire's sight. His brides had arrived, but he felt little need to greet them. He would let Renfield deal with them, show them their waiting victims, and keep them out of his way for the night. Women had, despite Dracula's famed powers of seduction, always proven to be more trouble than they were worth to the undead noble. Even the Gypsy mystic proved to be difficult to deal with. She clearly had no regard for the Son of the Dragon, and proved to be the be the same paranoid negotiator she was forty years before. This time however, she demanded not only the count swear on his nobility that she would be safe, but also that her guards would be granted the same safety. A reluctant lord Dracul agreed to these terms, on the condition that he be able to slay any of her entourage who raised a hand against him.
When the Gypsies arrived, they were lead by a withered old woman with a presence as great as Dracula's had been when he could still draw breath. His power had grown since his death, but this old woman was still impressive. Her divinations seemed to be as insightful as ever. The now old woman spoke to Dracula, and said that she too had felt the strangeness. Her words struke Dracula's heart as he imagined a stake would. She said quite simply that something more evil, and far older than Dracula had awakened in a land more ancient than Transylvania. The count was initially suspicious of these words, but when the old mystic claimed that should the dark being be allowed to recover Dracula would eventually be overpowered by the monster that had just woken up, he took notice. Although the rest of her prophecy was vague, Dracula had become convinced that the land of the fiend was Egypt. His brides had no interest in the old woman, and they were forbidden to hear her as well. They knew nothing of why he was in this foreign land, and he knew he would have to steel his nerves before greeting them. He didn't get the chance however.
"Master!" he heard Verona shriek behind him. It reminded Dracula of a dog in many ways, but he opted to turn around slowly with a false expression of joy. Behind Verona were his two other brides. They all seemed happy to see him, with the same dog like enthusiasm Verona had shown earlier.
"Lovelies," he said to them all in the dark but genial tone, "I trust your trip was comfortable?"
"Yes Master," they replied in near perfect unison.
"I've taken the liberty of procuring you all meals in the basement, and I will trust that you will sate yourselves."
"Renfield directed us towards the whores Master," Verona said.
"A very fine meal at that," Mariskha chimed in, eager as ever to please her husband. Aleera simply nodded in agreement to the words of her sisters.
Inwardly, Dracula cursed. He was apparently stuck with his spawn for the night. But his flawless countenance remained as it had been. The first grin of his that was genuine came when he came up with the perfect way to keep them from driving him mad for a night.
"Well my dears, I suggest you become familiar with this city and its customs as soon as possible. Say, I've got an idea. Why don't you three lovelies go out and find a local gentlemen's club, learn the how things are done in this land?"
It was then that Dracula needed only to appear stern to send his brides into the Cairo night. The desert winds continued their mad dance of the night past Dracula as though he were not there at all. Perhaps it was his apprehension over being a foreign land, but Dracula could feel the bite of a cold wind piercing his bones. Not even the savage gusts of the Carpathians could induce such sensations upon his dead flesh. Vladislaus Dracula gazed upon the cityscape of Cairo again. So much darkness he saw then, watching shadows engulf unsteadily modernizing city. A warped mix of modern buildings and relics of ages long gone by, all drowned in the darkness Dracula thought he had come to understand.
Still, he had felt something unnatural happen. According to Renfield, the strangeness was hardly confined to Dracula; a number of mystics and monsters had likewise felt it. None could explain it, and even through Dracula's formidable arcane abilities and mundane skills, he had learned nothing worthwhile. He then sent his brides to seek out a Gypsy mystic he had consulted decades before. She was allowed into his castle as a young woman with intention of consuming her blood, but when she offered to divine the future, Dracula was intrigued. She spoke of horrible winged demons seeking to take the Impaler's ancestral lands in the Carpathians by force. Oaths were frantically sworn as she was dragged to the vampire's "wine cellar" where he kept future meals. He thought nothing of her prophecy until the night the gargoyles first assaulted his castle. The first strike was repelled at great cost to Dracula, and afterwards he personally pulled her from her cell and demanded she aid him in defeating the stone beasts. Naturally she bargained for her life until Dracula had sworn on his nobility and honor that he would free her afterwards. With her knowledge and divination, he was not only able to defeat the gargoyles, but also enslave them to his will.
The Gypsy woman was the only victim Dracula had ever spared of his own free will. He turned back towards the streets when he heard the sounds of carriage horses. Three coaches without windows were clear to the vampire's sight. His brides had arrived, but he felt little need to greet them. He would let Renfield deal with them, show them their waiting victims, and keep them out of his way for the night. Women had, despite Dracula's famed powers of seduction, always proven to be more trouble than they were worth to the undead noble. Even the Gypsy mystic proved to be difficult to deal with. She clearly had no regard for the Son of the Dragon, and proved to be the be the same paranoid negotiator she was forty years before. This time however, she demanded not only the count swear on his nobility that she would be safe, but also that her guards would be granted the same safety. A reluctant lord Dracul agreed to these terms, on the condition that he be able to slay any of her entourage who raised a hand against him.
When the Gypsies arrived, they were lead by a withered old woman with a presence as great as Dracula's had been when he could still draw breath. His power had grown since his death, but this old woman was still impressive. Her divinations seemed to be as insightful as ever. The now old woman spoke to Dracula, and said that she too had felt the strangeness. Her words struke Dracula's heart as he imagined a stake would. She said quite simply that something more evil, and far older than Dracula had awakened in a land more ancient than Transylvania. The count was initially suspicious of these words, but when the old mystic claimed that should the dark being be allowed to recover Dracula would eventually be overpowered by the monster that had just woken up, he took notice. Although the rest of her prophecy was vague, Dracula had become convinced that the land of the fiend was Egypt. His brides had no interest in the old woman, and they were forbidden to hear her as well. They knew nothing of why he was in this foreign land, and he knew he would have to steel his nerves before greeting them. He didn't get the chance however.
"Master!" he heard Verona shriek behind him. It reminded Dracula of a dog in many ways, but he opted to turn around slowly with a false expression of joy. Behind Verona were his two other brides. They all seemed happy to see him, with the same dog like enthusiasm Verona had shown earlier.
"Lovelies," he said to them all in the dark but genial tone, "I trust your trip was comfortable?"
"Yes Master," they replied in near perfect unison.
"I've taken the liberty of procuring you all meals in the basement, and I will trust that you will sate yourselves."
"Renfield directed us towards the whores Master," Verona said.
"A very fine meal at that," Mariskha chimed in, eager as ever to please her husband. Aleera simply nodded in agreement to the words of her sisters.
Inwardly, Dracula cursed. He was apparently stuck with his spawn for the night. But his flawless countenance remained as it had been. The first grin of his that was genuine came when he came up with the perfect way to keep them from driving him mad for a night.
"Well my dears, I suggest you become familiar with this city and its customs as soon as possible. Say, I've got an idea. Why don't you three lovelies go out and find a local gentlemen's club, learn the how things are done in this land?"
It was then that Dracula needed only to appear stern to send his brides into the Cairo night. The desert winds continued their mad dance of the night past Dracula as though he were not there at all. Perhaps it was his apprehension over being a foreign land, but Dracula could feel the bite of a cold wind piercing his bones. Not even the savage gusts of the Carpathians could induce such sensations upon his dead flesh. Vladislaus Dracula gazed upon the cityscape of Cairo again. So much darkness he saw then, watching shadows engulf unsteadily modernizing city. A warped mix of modern buildings and relics of ages long gone by, all drowned in the darkness Dracula thought he had come to understand.