Chapter 14: A Feast of Blood and Wine.
"Done delivering the brats, now time for some business," Malacoda Malebranche rolled his neck and once again, stood outside his brother-in-law's office. At first, he had thought about letting his instincts handle the job and kick the door like he always does, but after taking note of the cold aura creeping from the corners, he regained his posture slightly.
Evil Tail held his breath and knocked softly.
"It's open, Coda." He immediately stepped inside, sparing a quick glance at the two vampires. Grunting, he moved to the office chair. "Thanks for coming."
"No problem," Malacoda patted him on the back while glaring at them. "Hopefully, you two didn't do jack-shit to my brother over here while I was gone."
"Ah," Came out the small response of the former King of Tepes, it made Matanbuchus' back rigid. His hand slowly drifted across his tunic, pushing a little fluff away. "None of that, Lord Malebranche. In fact, we were waiting for you." The man bowed, followed by his supposed son. "I'm so overjoyed having you here before us, Lord Malebranche."
"…" Evil Tail just glared back at the blood-red eyes, his eyes surrounded by dark circles. He looks like the Fallen Angel who lusts for war, only with light-blond hair and matching beard. "…Sure."
Matanbuchus Belial moved his arms on the table, "Now that everyone's here, let's jump directly to the point. Time is money here on Dis." He gestured at the two chairs. "What's your personal concern here in the Lucifuge District?"
The Nosferatu took a seat, "We'll jump directly to business it seems." His pale fingers intertwined. "Fine by me. I need Dis' greatest men to aid me in my pursuit of capturing Tepes once again."
…
"I'm sorry, what?" Matanbuchus had to slap himself to make sure this wasn't a nightmare. "Are you asking me to lend the strongest soldiers of Dis to help you in starting a second coup in the province of Tepes?"
"That is correct, Mr. Belial."
Malacoda nudged his brother-in-law's shoulder. "Hey, Buchus, I think he's retarded."
If it wasn't for the hand restraining him on the seat, the child would snap like a bull staring red. "I know it sounds imbecilic…"
"It does."
"But," The King continued, "With your people by my side. I could once again demand what belongs to me, and who knows?" He trailed off, studying his nails. "Perhaps if Dis is generous, form an alliance…"
"… It has been months since you've lost your throne, you had the time to make a plan, which you did." Matanbuchus began, "Unfortunately, I can see you have no idea how exactly this city works. Not at all."
The blond man frowned, "Excuse me, what?"
"You're in the Lucifuge District; you're negotiating with Regent-Lord Lucifuge. I am his voice and depending on your offerings, I will shake your hand." He trailed off, massaging his temple. "The House of Lucifuge is, by all means, not allied with the other Housecarls that are neighboring around the citadel, hence the walls separating the districts. The job here is to give Regent-Lord Lucifuge more customers to buy his products and destroy economically the other Clans." He pointed at him. "Right now. You are a customer."
"Are you telling me that I would only receive the aid of the House of Lucifuge?" The doll said in disbelief, chuckling slightly. "Now, now, I think there's a mistake here…"
"I'm afraid there are no mistakes here." Matanbuchus cut him off. "I never said you'll get their help, by the way. Why should Regent-Lord Lucifuge give you a hand? When I can send a call to the Tepes Faction and be done with it?"
"Because they will not." The Vampire spat as he fought the urge to yank his long, silk-light blond hair. "You have to hear me out, please! They will not interact with you by any means!"
"And why not?" Matanbuchus narrowed his eyes. "Is their arrogance impeding me to take a step further?"
"No…" The Vampire King growled, clenching his thigh tightly. "… They already have an ally in the dark." Matanbuchus swore to see a glint shining in those bloody pools. "Conveniently, they're Devils."
…
"Okaaay," Matanbuchus pronounced slowly, "I'll be straight-up with you and tell you a little secret. I'm a man who doesn't beat around the bush." He said, putting himself comfortable for the long talk. "Unfortunately, I think this conversation isn't going to work if we don't start from the beginning and move on by baby steps." He let that sink in. "So, first things first. Why are you here?"
Nosferatu scoffed and brushed off the question with an eye roll. "Isn't that obvious? I'm here to make an arrangement with Dis!" He snapped. "But by unexplainable circumstances, I can only cut a deal with a single Clan!"
"… I think I need to make my question more understandable." Danhauser's father muttered. "What I'm saying here, is why did your people turn on you? Normally, when a whole Empire is trying to start a coup it's because their sovereign political entity wasn't in their favor."
"Or the King was an ass." Malacoda tossed his two cents.
"Father was a good King." The son finally spoke as he shot a cold look at Lord Malebranche. "My brother just persuaded our people to turn against us."
"Your brother is Marius Tepes, correct?" He saw him nod. "You said something about Devils, perhaps any characteristics or if, somehow, you know the Clan they belong to?"
"I'm afraid we don't have an answer for this." The former King of Tepes gritted his teeth. "We just heard Marius speaking in his room with somebody else, my son here says through a hologram of sorts."
"And you let him do this?" Malacoda scoffed. "I mean, didn't you do something to stop him before the shit hit the fan?"
"It was too late. The guards had already turned against me," He replied. "They chased us out and we passed the previous harsh months through hiding." He stood up from his seat. "And finally, I ended up here. With Dis by my side, I can finally reclaim what belongs to me…" His face obscured. "… And punish those bastards who stabbed me in the back."
"So, your son is the Fifth King of Tepes now?" Matanbuchus saw how the two Vampires grimaced at his choice of words. He lifted an eyebrow. "…Or not?"
"… No, he's not." The blond man said in a whisper. "If my contact is correct, he's the Mayor."
"Who's the King, then?"
…
…
…
"Look, if I can't get my questions answered then how do you want me to help you two out?" The gray-haired said with a nonchalant shrug. "I won't lose a thing if you don't collaborate."
"W-we have to tell them, father." The young adult said, turning to his father with soft eyes. "You knew this question would come out sooner or later."
"…Yes. Yes, I did." He said with a sigh, once again falling into his seat. "I think we have no options left."
"We're waiting…" Matanbuchus reminded them, somewhat annoyed. "Are you two going to speak or what?"
The father merely massaged his forehead and gestured his son to answer.
Marius' brother obeyed. "… In truth, the one who's sitting on the throne right now is…" He balled his fists. "My youngest half-sister. Valerie Tepes."
…
"Youngest…"
"…Half-sister?" Malacoda finished, followed by a small laugh. "Let me guess, she's the Black Sheep of the Tepes?"
"…"
Evil Tail grinned. "Perfect. I couldn't get a better answer. Thank you."
"Refresh my mind but," Matanbuchus snapped out of his shock. "Isn't the Tepes well-known for their male-dominated hierarchy? Why is a young girl the Leader of the Tepes Faction?"
"…" Once again, the son spared a glance to his father, the latter hiding in shame behind the palm of his hand. He sighed and turned back to the pair of devils. "… Because she has a Sacred Gear."
"A Sacred Gear…" Matanbuchus repeated before—for the first time in thousands of years—his eyes widened. "Is she a—?!"
"Dhampir, yes."
"Well, fuck me under a shade's tree." Malacoda felt his jaw smashing to the ground. He ignored the looks of disgust sent to him. "But what if she has a Sacred Gear? I mean, sure, they're cool and all but that should not be the reason to choose a new King."
"It's not just a mere Sacred Gear like the Twice Critical." He said. "It's one of the thirteen Longinus, Sephiroth Graal."
"What the fuck," Matanbuchus voiced out the emotions dwelling inside of him. He doesn't know when, but he was standing right now. "You're fucking with us, aren't you? There's no fucking way that—!"
"I cross my heart and hope to die." The Vampire King made an 'X' over his chest. "We speak only the horrible truth, Marius has been experimenting with her too, with the cooperation of other Vampires and—"
"Out." Matanbuchus finally said.
The Vampire missed out a heart's beat. "W-What?!"
"I want you two out of the room, now!" Matanbuchus snapped, pointing at the exit. "I've heard enough. I'll make a decision, wait outside."
He felt a wave of relief wrap around him, like a warm blanket, but still, the Vampire could feel how sweaty his fingers were. He stood up and nodded. "I understand, hopefully, you'll make the right choice." He bowed in respect. "With your permission…"
Matanbuchus just nodded at them and listened to the door close. He conjured a magic, soundproofing the whole habitation. "I desperately need a smoke."
"…" Malacoda kept his eyes over his brother-in-law as the man as he kept roaming around the room, his hands sometimes passing through his gray hair. "So? What's your answer?"
Matanbuchus stopped and stared. "I think it's obvious. I'll accept and take the girl out of their grasp! A Sacred Gear like that one shouldn't be left in the hands of these people!"
"Whoa there. I get you have a soft spot for brats and the girl surely has been through some deep shit but keep in mind that you are negotiating with these assholes for the sake of the Lucifuge District." He paused to take a deep breath. "When they find out she has a Longinus you know they will use her, too, mostly when it involves the Holy Grail of the Last Supper."
"Damn… she can't stay in Dis either," Matanbuchus said, beckoning to the window. "Tell me, what do you see."
Evil Tail moved closer, eyes squinted. "…uh, smoke?"
"Exactly. Smoke." He said while adjusting his tie. "This place is uninhabitable for children now. Back in my day, you could hear the innocent giggles and the birds chirping outside. This place's fucked now." He slumped into his seat like a bag of fresh meat. "Even if I somehow found a way to convince Regent-Lord Lucifuge I wouldn't find a place for her to live…" He trailed off, frowning. "Unless…"
"Belial Territory," Malacoda deadpanned. "That would be the best spot for her to stay, just talk with Hauser and sis and you're good to go."
"Good idea," His brother-in-law nodded at his direction, "I think I know what to do. I won't tell Regent-Lord Lucifuge about the girl's existence."
"…You're playing with fire here." He grinned. "I like it. Now, where are you going to get your mighty warriors to join against the Tepes, huh?"
Matanbuchus' smirk fell off. "Fuck. I've forgotten about that." He brought a pencil to his mouth. "This is worrisome. If I accept, maybe we'll be making enemies with the Carmilla Faction and the Devils who are working with Marius Tepes…"
"Think it's the Old Satan Faction?" Evil Tail suddenly suggested. "I mean, that's the only group of Devils that comes up to my mind…"
He kept chewing on the pencil. "They could be," Diehauser's father agreed. "Which would just add another problem to our list. The last thing I want is a group of fanatics bombarding the citadel. Damn…" His gray orbs hesitatingly darted to the black-haired Devil. "How much would it be for you to fly to Romania, retrieve the girl and silently deliver her to Diehauser?"
"Hmm," Evil Tail tapped his chin and looked up at the ceiling. "You really are determined on getting the hybrid, even after knowing that you could invoke the wrath of Queen Carmilla and maybe the Old Satans…"
"She has a Longinus, Coda. I can't just ignore that artifact," Matanbuchus defended himself, tossing the pencil away. "If the Devils persuaded the Vampires on leading that coup d'etat just to have the Dhampir's Holy Grail, then they're planning something big that could not only affect the Ars Goetia and Dis but the whole Underworld as well."
"Shit. If you put it in that way…" Malacoda clicked his tongue. "What if they terrorize the Belial Territory to retrieve Sephiroth Graal again? Even if Diehauser is there, I doubt they'll just back away."
"They won't know, once you've finished attacking the Tepes territory, you will send her to Diehauser, stealthily." He countered. "They'll think she's in Dis. They won't attack Dis, trust me on this one."
Finally, Evil Tail shrugged. "Fine, sign me up. I dunno what to ask in return, though." The grin once again bloomed. "But I can't just ignore some vampire hunting!"
Malacoda had so many doubts about this. He was debating if the transaction was going to work, at all. After all, taking the Dhampir on their side was mostly for Matanbuchus' benefit rather than the District of Lucifuge. Of course, he doesn't judge his brother-in-law's risky choices, perhaps during their chit-chat he already had a few ideas in his head, blowing up like a candle.
Evil Tail was here only for one reason, step in the middle if the Vampire decides to bare his fangs at his sister's other half. Matanbuchus knows way more about negotiating than anyone else, why else would Malacoda suggest him to Regent-Lord Lucifuge to be Euclid's replacement?
"Nice to know you're enthusiastic about this," He harrumphed and turned to the doors, hand raised. "Now, if there's nothing else to add, let's finish this."
He discharged the spell by a flick of his fingers, once again letting sound pass behind the doors. "Come in." He said loud enough for the doll-like creatures to hear him, "I have finally made a decision."
As if he just uttered a secret mechanism, the eldest of the two vampires flew inside, desperate evident in those red orbs. "Fantastic! I'm pretty sure you were thinking profoundly about the advantages of—!"
"Listen, if you want the help of Regent-Lord Lucifuge, you'll accept the next part of the deal." He saw him nod, almost eagerly. "Once the confusion is done. The Tepes Faction will become a trustworthy customer for the District of Lucifuge, they'll buy their products and stay away from the other Clan's merchandise. If we are somehow getting attacked, I expect your race to come to the Underworld and aid us immediately."
"Of course! Of course, it shall be done!" The vampire said with a huge smile. "Now, if there's nothing else to—!"
"I'm afraid I'm not done," Matanbuchus interrupted him. "The Dhampir, Valerie Tepes, is staying with me, including the Sephiroth Graal."
He saw a twitch spread across the vampire's features. "All I hear are words in favor of Lucifuge's side."
"You'll be crowned as King once again," Matanbuchus countered. "The way the Tepes Faction functions lays in your hands, Regent-Lord Lucifuge or any devil with higher status has no qualms to tell you how to control your grounds. We will also send slaves to repair any collateral damage left during the turmoil for free. We will assist you if the Carmilla Faction or any race plans to start an invasion." He lifted his hand, prepared for a handshake. "As the voice of the whole Lucifuge District, those are the offers for you and your—hopefully—future people. Do we have a deal?"
"…" If he had recapitulated this conversation away back, he'd recapitulated it a thousand times; it had to end here and now. Now that he's got to his door, his mouth had gone dry and his heart was beating more forcefully than it usually did, he'd sworn his son muttered something, but the words failed on reaching his pointy ears.
He raised his fingers and moved his hand closer, then lowered it to his side. He knows gripping the Devil's hand would seal the contract and be done with it. The world's going to change critically just by a mere gesture. Could he do it? They're also taking his youngest spawn, Valerie, the one that was supposed to be known as the Bastard of Tepes. Getting rid of her would be wise—he thought. After all, thanks to her, he's in this nest full of snakes.
Because of his greed by abusing the Sacred Gear to grasp victory in the civil war against the Carmilla Faction, his people started getting jealous of their own King for favoring such an artifact and not using it for his city, but his own merit. Marius, however, just to have closer usage on the Longinus, vowed to them wonders beyond imagination, one of them is making them immune to sunlight, easily winning their hearts.
Even then, he did not like the physiology distributed on Dis. A single Clan is only going to hear his words of a greater future for both Dis and Tepes Faction? He had already made a fool of himself by stepping on their world, but after discovering how this citadel works and how his plans burned so easily, that was the last nail in the coffin. He was starting to see this visit as a huge waste of time, but even then, wouldn't it be worth a shot? If he had snapped right here and twirled around while cursing the Devilkin and the whole Underworld afterward, he would move once again back to the shadows with his eldest son.
But the illusion of living in the sewers and drinking blood coming from the veins of rodents that swim through the contaminated waters forced him to swallow a lump.
He glanced down at his clenched fist, it began to tremble vigorously. "…The vampires will endure any hardship, overcome any obstacle, and emerge stronger than before." He muttered. "Like our people, the world is always in motion, in constant change. But make no misunderstanding. We will endure." Then quickly he raised his hand and pressed it before his second thoughts got the better of him again. "Blood for Tepes."
Matanbuchus kept his stoicism in check, a shared trait among the House of Belial. "A pleasure dealing with you." He retracted his hand, fighting the urge to groan in pain and massage his squished fingers. He whistled at Lord Malebranche. "He'll be the one attacking."
"Excellent," The soon-to-be king said, nodding at Malacoda. "So, you'll be the one leading the army against the miserable traitors, correct?"
Evil Tail winked, chest puffed. "Wrong. I am the army, buddy!"
His mind was sent reeling, unable to comprehend or process the goating that was being sent before his ears. He strongly shook his head. "What?!" He nearly screamed and stomped the floor. "Are you out of your mind?! You think you can challenge the frightening army of Tepes and just walk away?!"
"Yeah," He turned to his brother-in-law. "Before I go, I'll need some ash wood, enough to make at least three spears." He stared at the floor, snapping his fingers constantly. "Aaaaaand a lot of garlic."
"I'll see if Regent-Lord Lucifuge can obtain those materials." Matanbuchus patted his shoulder, glaring. "Don't do anything stupid, Coda."
Malacoda laughed and waved off his concerns. "Don't worry, I'll end this ASAP!" He spun around and addressed the astounded vampires. "I'll need a map of the Castle of Tepes, by the way."
"I-I have one!" The son lent him the drawing. "It's one of the few things I could steal before getting kicked away. If it's not much to ask, there's a dungeon where those who still respected father are currently jailed in. If you could free them, they would be an excellent addition to you."
"…" Malacoda moved closer and yanked it from his grasp, humming as he studied the picture. He pocketed it. "Well, the job's done here."
"But, you didn't do anything." The blond vampire stated.
The Devil chuckled, "Didn't I, Vampire boy? Didn't I?"
"My name is Marcus." He deadpanned.
"Heh, I don't care." Malacoda ruffled Marcus' hair and walked away. He gave one last salute after opening the doors. "I'll be going then! Hopefully, Luci can get me the wood!" He flashed them a wink. "Who knows, maybe I'll finish quicker than I thought!"
"I'll join in the middle of the siege," commented the vampire. "I have some errands to attend first here on Dis."
He was curious as to how Malacoda would respond to the neutral partnership. He did not seem to hear him, instead shutting the door and fleeing out from Dis as soon as possible.
The laughter did not build softly in the Masquerade Ball, but exploded as good as TNT, filling the dusty air and spilling out into the late luminous night. The music was so loud that her pale skin tingled and her lungs felt like mashed potatoes, mostly the pipe organ on the background, was as lusty as a volcano—it made the cutlery on the tabletops rattle slightly.
She sat silently on her throne, she could hear them shrieking in joy and could feel their feet disturbing the ground below her, some of them dancing, others chatting in the distance, others sitting around the monstrous marble table. Without looking, their disturbing smiles extended towards her, attempting to turn her face from what, from whom, she was focused on.
The blonde girl glared at the crystal clear roof, the moon returning the gesture. She knew better. No one did care about her, after all, she's a hybrid. A tool to obtain their selfish goals, all thanks to this damned grail! They just wanted to show off just how rich, elite, and extravagant their grand costumes are! The bizarre masks just made it worse!
Her red eyes once again rambled over the table, immediately looking away after witnessing the vampire lunging at the lifeless body on top of his supposed 'plate,' sucking the blood out of their wrist.
"Delicious!" He said with glee after pulling his fangs out of the corpse, cleaning his lips with his tongue and resumed, drinking gallons of blood, moaning slightly at the pure taste.
Her nose caught the aroma of sickly sweetness. She pulled out a napkin from the table and brought it close to her nose in futile attempts to keep the smell away. She gulped. The previous scarlet blood that had oozed down the guest's mouth in thick droplets now spattered on the furniture's cloth and had now hurriedly darkened in the floor.
It appeared in every corner of the room and made the once gorgeous manor look ruined by the gore of the crimson, flowing blood.
The worst part is that she wasn't afraid of the red substance, on the contrary, she was attracted to it.
She licked her lips, trying to wet her mouth, but the burning sensation in her throat grew when she massaged her vocal chords. She cursed under her breath and pocketed the napkin once again and pressed the strong glass rim against her dehydrated, cracked lips. A single drop of fermented grapes made its way into her mouth, she savored it.
In the last second, she jumped. A hand slapped her back and she coughed. Defiantly, a barking cough possessed her for sure. She was hacking furiously for a while then taking in a sharp gasp of breath, drops of wine staining slightly her dress.
"You smell like cheap wine," The familiar voice said in a teasing tone, she ignored him. "What's with the face, sister? You should be celebrating with us! After all, because of you, we are finally freed from our father's rule, or not, Valerie?"
"…" She closed her eyes and yet again curled her lips around the rim of the glass, leaving a painted streak behind.
The vampire's smirk disappeared. "Fine then, do as you wish." He sat with elegance on the throne's arm, invading her personal space. "I'll let you know that giving me the cold shoulder isn't going to work."
"…"
"…. The Devil contacted me," The blond doll said, smiling at the sight of vampires feasting. "He's demanding an update in our progress with Sephiroth Graal."
"…" Valerie scowled and swiped her tongue across her lips again. Her mouth was dry, and she slightly panted from the view, which wasn't helping at all. She brought her napkin to her temple, cleaning it from the accumulating sweat.
She listened how his half-brother, Marius, blew air from his nose. "I had tried to find out what his motives are, but it's out of my reach." He played with his hair, frowning. "… It matters little—he swore to bring our people greatness, something that our miserable father did not." A short laugh bounced down his cheeks. "Ha! Bastard for keeping the Holy Grail all for himself!"
"… Are you sure about that?"
"Hm?" Marius smiled slightly. "So, you speak, huh? I knew you had been living your whole life in a dungeon thus lacking an exquisite vocabulary." He chuckled. "But you're a Tepes and the Fifth King nonetheless! You should act as our leader, talk more! Even if your grammar and accent are terrible."
Her grasp tightened around the wine. "Answer me, brother."
He rolled his eyes. "None of your business, Valerie." He waved off her question with a cold glare. "I hope the glass you're drinking from is full of blood." Her heart missed a beat. "You do understand what happens when a pure vampire doesn't drink blood, correct? Just because your blood is weak and mixed with that of a lowly human doesn't mean you're immune to some of our weaknesses."
The blonde suddenly found the wall interesting and twirled her glass, feeling small under the hard look of her half-brother. "Of course."
Before she could take another sip, her brother yanked the alcoholic beverage easily from her fingers, startling her. Her hands tried to retrieve back the glass, but they merely ended up over her creamy thighs.
"… This is red wine." He growled after swallowing the strong beverage. She just hung her head. "Are you asking for a death wish?" He slammed the drink on the table and took a hold of her chin, studying her face. "…You have bags under your eyes and you look like a ghost! For how long have you been starving for blood?"
"…"
He broke his grasp. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but because of your idiotic actions, you won't last long enough contacting the principle of life." He stopped a servant passing with a snap of his fingers. "You there! Bring me the freshest human available!"
"No!" The Fifth King stood up and pleaded, surprising her brother. "I-I don't want…"
"…" Marius stared at what it felt for an eternity to her. "You… Are you doing this on purpose?" He watched her playing with the corner of her dress. "… You're a complete moron, Valerie. If you think you can avoid the experiments with the Holy Grail then forget it, keep acting like that, you're just slowing us down."
She clasped both hands and shook her head. "I-I can't, brother… I-I'm scared." Her voice croaked. "… E-Every time we leave that horrible world, the voices… they keep talking to me. They won't just stop…! Please… not today."
He saw her red eyes drip with tears. The walls that hold her up, make her strong just... collapsed. For each second, they'll crack and fall. Valerie looked as if she was about to lunge at him with a hug and let her brother rub her back, but she knew that would not happen.
The Mayor moved closer, pushing delicately a few strands of light blonde hair away from her ear, whispering. "I. Don't. Care." He tangled his hand in her hair and yanked her closer, now almost nose to nose. "You have no rights to tell me what to do, Valerie." His grip tightened. "Or should I remind you how many times you fucked us up? The other Dhampir, Gasper, was it? That low blood could have been a perfect piece to use against the Carmilla, but guess who decided to play as the hero, huh?"
"…"
"That day you were about to be executed," Marius continued. "But guess what'd saved you? That's right, your Sacred Gear. If it wasn't for the Sephiroth Graal, you would be swimming with the fishes right now. Without it, you're less than dust, fit only to be brushed from my back!"
She never knew when and how, but her palm connected with his cheek, snapping it back with the fury of her impact and provoking him to stagger backward and slam into a servant passing by, the worker accidentally dropping the tray filled with drinks.
…
A few minutes passed by and everyone just froze there speechless, looking at Valerie as if she had committed something sinful. They started to whisper to each other's ears, the musicians even layoff their fingers over the instruments. She turned into the center of attention. Valerie looked back at Marius who had a red welt under his eye, occupied on regaining his posture back.
She took a deep breath and cleaned her wet eyes. "Fuck you, Marius."
When black dots quit blinding his vision, he passed his thumb over the wound, hissing. He gestured at his half-sister. "Grab her."
Her mind snapped open, she tried to move, but an amount of pressure stopped her. "Don't move, hybrid!" The guard's damp voice shuddering her ear. Valerie struggled against him, blasting her right leg out but her movements were far too obvious. Fingers moving to her waist, her ghostly arms snared to the sides.
"I see you had earned father's sharp tongue." Marius stood in front of her. "…After making this ceremony for you, after trying to amend things with you, after freeing you from that shit-hole, is this how you thank me?" He shook his head with a humorless chuckle. "You ungrateful slut. You keep murmuring yourself why mixed breed are antagonized by society, now you know why." He rolled his sleeves up. "The only way to keep your kind behaved is with a belt, like a filthy dog!"
Valerie drew breath sharply and closed her eyes, readying herself for the incoming slap, but after a few minutes of silence, she dubiously opened them, Marius' hand still in the air and aimed at her tempting cheek. "… I should punish you in front our guests." He signaled to the nosy crowd. "Humiliate you. But I will not for multiple reasons. One of them is that I need you in a perfect state when we trespass in the Secluded World." He lowered his hand, much to Valerie's relief. Marius turned to the guard. "Take her to the cellar and make sure she drank some blood beforehand. If she refuses, force her."
The guard pushed her roughly into the doors, the agile motion causing Valerie to fall down over the corridor, almost falling flat on her face, the guard clutched her arms, snaring them to her side, the pain of his hold causing her to let out a startled little gasp of pain.
Like a sniper in the prone position ready to fire, he waited for the Dhampir to leave the room, when the guard had closed the twin doors, Marius forced a grin and addressed the quiet assembly with arms wide open. "Everyone, please ignore the hybrid, you know how these creatures tend to act, like animals!" He saw a few nods here and there, well enough—he thought. "Are we going to let that thing ruin our night?! Servants! Bring more humans to the feast!"
Everyone cheered after that.
"Damn, that was spicy," Malacoda commented after taking a bite out of his chocolate bar, his eyes roaming around the party. "I guess that gal's the Fifth King, yeah?" He asked no one in particular, watching where Valerie had left. "I won't lie. She's a cutie, perhaps one or two years older than the kid."
It had taken him about a week to reach Romania and it wasn't a great adventure per say. He could have ended sooner, but mother nature had settled to make things more challenging for him. The rain was a pain in the ass, to the point that he urgently needed to find shelter somewhere else.
Luckily, he had found a decent-looking tavern far away from Tepes' province. He was supposed to arrange this mission in the morning when the vampires are assured to have more struggles on jumping into action, thanks to the hugest star: the sun. However, he tossed that idea into the trash can, remembering that the bloodsuckers are modified by the Holy Grail. All in all, they're immune to the rays of the sun.
"So, what happens when sunlight hits them?" Malacoda wondered with a scowl. "Do they sparkle now? That would be fabulous." He shrugged. "The many wonders of a Longinus."
So, he had decided to kickoff around nighttime, where their mastery over shadows are enhanced and are more active than usual, plus the mists that usually the High-Class vampire summon to hide their territory made it more troublesome. The whole world would question his sanity and along the way, his intelligence, but hey, who knows, maybe when the moon is out, these bastards are going to show some decency in a brawl and Malacoda is thirsty for a flawless victory after losing by the hands of The Emperor.
"Time to work," Malacoda sighed and threw the envelope away, cleaning his fingers with a quick lick. He finally stood up, stretching his loose limbs and glared downwards. "Can't believe these jackasses aren't seeing me standing on their roof made of pure glass." He scoffed, hands over his waist. "What a shitty defense system!"
Why they have a roof made of glass anyway? Back then weren't they suppose to burn at any sorts of light?
He bent his legs and invoked his wings, flapping them, he took a decent distance between the transparent roof and himself.
And as if he was wearing a pair of cement boots, he fell. Fast.
The air is suddenly rent by the sound of shattering glass. Everyone had shared the same thought of some gunfight occurring outside, but after perceiving small shards falling on their heads, their eyes lingered upstairs, noticing the figure with wide bat-like wings landing on the main table, breaking it in half, they instantly retreating from the furniture.
"What the hell?!" Marius broke from his state of shock, a pair of guards immediately standing by his sides. He ignored the gasps and screams from the guests. "Guards! Activate the alarm!"
Before anyone could blink, two of them were instantly pinned down to the floor with a cry of pain, each fresh corpse stabbed by a spear made out of wood.
Everyone gasped.
"That's some shitty armor," pointed out Malacoda as he kicked lightly a lifeless soldier. "I mean, those spears are made out of wood, y'know? Shoulda hire a better smith."
Uproar.
"What's the meaning of this?!"
"Are we getting attacked?!"
"I-Impossible! After the coup against Tepes, we are not prepared for more bloodshed!"
"This odor…! Is he using garlic?!"
Marius, for an unexplained reason, heard the mocking laugh of Malebranche perfectly behind all the shouting. He moved backward in horror, not wishing to stain his shoes with the pool of blood. He glared at the Devil standing in the middle of the room. "What's the meaning of this?! W-Who are you?!"
The Devil grinned. "Now, now. I can't say a single word, yeah? It's my naughty secret." He took his last spear out, the invited taking a step back, the guards taking a step forward. "All you need to know is that you fuckers aren't getting out of here. Capisci?"
The Mayor of Tepes glared daggers. "Well, what are you waiting for?!" He snapped at the soldiers. "Slay him!"
At first, they were uncertain but soon after the screams broke out. The men rushed forward, others staying behind to shoot shadows at the intruder from a safe distance while defending the trembling visitors.
More shouting. More screaming. More running. Malacoda rolled his eyes and wrapped his spear around his barbed tail, pulling out the ones impaled over the corpses with each hand with ease, he twirled and focused on the charging soldiers. He resembled a scorpion. "I'll take care of you later."
Marius knew that message was delivered to him—he was not looking forward to how the devil would handle him! Taking advantage of the situation at hand, he turned around and ran to the doors, or commonly known, the only entrance and exit from the room.
The slam of the door was the hurricane inside Marius made audible. It was how he wrote his fear into the air. After ending up in the corridors, Marius brought any furniture on his reach and yanked it in front of the door until he formed a poor barricade.
Marius gasped when the door shook and cracked slightly. When the doors started to slam strongly, Marius knew the shouting match was just getting started. They pounded on the door and demanded to be let out, but he wouldn't let that happen.
He just transformed into a flock of bats and took off, trying to find as many guards as possible.
Malacoda yawned from his seat over the broken table, his eyes moving aimlessly across the room, conveniently turning deaf from the yells of pleas. He spared a glance to the floor, smiling with satisfaction after witnessing the floor becoming a lake of pure Resin, his smile turned into a full-blown grin when his eyes locked onto a victim, slowly getting swallowed by the pitch-black substance as if the vampire was standing on quicksand.
Every time they stretched their arms out to reach for something, a tendril of Resin would appear out from the lake and bind itself to their necks, pulling them deeper, filling their throats with the black substance.
"That was fast," Once again, Evil Tail yawned and ignored the muffled, supposed high-pitched shouts. "Man, never lucky. I was expecting a decent fight."
He shrugged. "Oh well, shouldn't have expected something thrilling anyways." His hands maneuvered toward his pocket, pulling out the map. "Hm. If the map is correct. The dungeon's on the first floor of the castle and to the left. I did promise the brat I'll take out the prisoners. Let 'em have their vendetta, I guess."
"Dunno why they'd block the doors when there's a bigger hole than Tepes' defense plans," His wings appeared in response. Once again, he flew into the opening he made a few minutes ago.
The cold damp air shrouded around him like a heavy coat of chain mail as he descended the tight spiral staircase to the dungeons. He had to execute the baffled guards before adventuring to the depths. In the absence of flaming torches, the dimness gave the impression of twilight despite the night vision that came off from his red eyes.
He had always been thankful for the night vision.
"Hola?" Malacoda called out after stepping out from the last stair, the only answer was a drip drop echoing somewhere else.
Through the darkness came the glow of thousands of red eyes chased by murmurs. A pair of red eyes moved with a slight sway as if the unseen body prowled like a lion. Malacoda stopped and let his night vision do its part of the job, he spoke. "Hey there, handsome."
"Who are you?" Was the vampire's venomous words, his hand over his nose.
"You first," Malacoda spat back, holding back the grin, it seems that the garlic was handling its job.
"…" The vampire stared back, his platinum hair distracting Malacoda slightly. "... I'm the Lord of the House of Vladi." He said, his tone low and with reluctance, like a warning. "I'll ask once again, who are you?"
"None of your business," Evil Tail winked off the glare. "All you need to know is that I'll take your ass out of prison!"
Lord Vladi wasn't amused. "What happened to the guards?" He demanded. "Weren't they supposed to watch the entrance of this damned place?"
Malacoda's tail wiggled slowly. "Yeah, they were supposed to." He admitted. "But damn, they suck at their job—it was easy to kill them. Even you guys could have taken care of them."
"The traitor has a Longinus under his sleeve." Lord Vladi countered. "We would've been defeated because of exhaustion."
"Yeah whatever," Malacoda moved closer, circling his fingers around the iron bars. "To keep it brief, your former King has sent me to 'reclaim his throne', he'll pay a visit soon, I guess." He nodded at him. "Get out of the way."
The vampire obeyed and watched the devil yanking the jail cell's door with ease as if he was breaking a cookie in half. "Out."
Malacoda dropped the cheap chink of iron and watched a few vampires following Lord Vladi's steps, some of them glared at him, he made sure to blow them a kiss to show them his fond love toward their race. Malacoda also noted most of them have bulky muscles, either they hit the gym or were the loyal guards that stood by the King's side during the siege.
What made this more humorous for him, is how some of them squeezed their nose from Malacoda's smell, others tried to look strong by shrugging it off, but their watery eyes said otherwise.
Evil Tail suddenly looked up to the moist roof, the sound of muffled bells rang in his ears. From the times he was in the human world, this would represent a wedding or Sunday service. But it was midnight and the animalistic roars that echoed atop them were chaotic rather than melodic. It was a warning.
"Reinforcements," Lord Vladi seemed to catch on. "And they're using the werewolves, too." He shifted closer to Malacoda's face, glaring. "I don't like you nor I trust you."
"I love you too."
"But right now, you're the strongest creature divagating on the grounds of our true king. If he sent you, then your strength is useful to us. There are more dungeons with more vampires—we will handle them. Beware of the werewolves."
Taking a deep breath, he turned to the horde of vampires, all eyes lingering over him. "Everyone! The traitor, Marius Tepes, had his coup! NOW LET'S HAVE OURS! BLOOD FOR THE TRUE KING OF TEPES!"
His shout was accompanied by the vampires hissing loudly. Immediately, they morphed into a legion of bats, chirping as they flew to where Malacoda had made his appearance.
"To the victor go the spoils!" Malacoda boomed and laughed, summoning his wings, flapping them.
A fierce kick was enough to open the doors, a guard with a long spear made it inside first, his eyes scanning the library, his spear ready to pierce anything that lunges at him with bared fangs or sharp claws. He looked over his shoulder. "The room is clear, Mayor Marius."
Marius moved inside, pushing an empty bag to the guard's chest, almost making him trip over. "You know what to do." He said after picking up a strange looking gem. "I have to speak with someone."
The guard looked up from the sack. "What should I put inside?"
"Everything," Was his Mayor's response, with a last salute, he began to work, leaving the blond vampire alone.
Marius activated the stone. "Euclid! We're being attacked! A Devil, one with a tail, appeared out of nowhere and murdered my people!" He cursed after not receiving a response. "I have already sent the Sephiroth Graal to a carriage. You know the coordinates. We'll continue our talk there."
He threw the pearl to the nearest wall and held the urge to drop all the books out from their shelves. He lost the Castle of Tepes, that's a given. This Devil attacked at an inopportune time, plus he had heard the war cry coming from the dungeons. The Tepes was not ready for another coup, even if months had passed, their defenses were as weak as a frail branch on the end of a tree. The worst part of all is that all this sudden invasion smells something that his brother, Marcus, and his father would scheme for revenge.
He needed to leave with Valerie, as long as he has the Holy Grail, then losing his home wouldn't wound him in the slightest.
Marius looked up when a sudden temblor came after the howl in the corridors, thankful that the doors were locked when the gigantic beasts passed away from them. He definitely knew what those were, their aroma was more than enough to make him puke.
"Werewolves," Marius whispered with a shaky breath, resuming his work. "Not truly werewolves anymore, but they are aberrations nonetheless. I have seen but one in my childhood near the many infamous laboratories funded by the House of Tepes. It is a memory that I hide even from myself."
Indeed, any vampire, let it be Carmilla or Tepes Faction, would sweat bullets at the acknowledgment of such things. With the exception of Valerie, for an odd reason, she categorizes such creatures as "cute" on her list.
That and boys wearing skirts.
He gritted his teeth and ignored the soldier's odd look. There's no time for fooling around, while he wished to see the Devil smashed, obliterated, nothing left to bury by the Tepes' infamous creation. He knows how important this project he's been working with Euclid is essential for their progress.
Malacoda Malebranche took a halt, sniffing the air and instantly sheathing his spear to cover his nose, groaning. "Fuckin' hell." His body shivered as he looked across the corridor to spot the unpleasant smell. "Why the sudden stink?"
His question was soon answered by the sudden scream of vampires he'd freed from their prison not so long ago. Malacoda took a stance when he'd heard steps rushing towards him. It was a group of vampires, their expression alike—outright fear.
They ran past the Devil, leaving the latter perplexed. He rapidly shook his head when the floor grumbled slightly, his three spears threateningly pointing at the incoming creature.
"What the fuck…" It was a rare sight when Malacoda's face twisted in shock, he had been in a lot of wars and had seen regretful scenarios that would make a war veteran fidget on the spot, but this is something worth to write in a diary.
A marathon of curses unraveled from his tongue, like yarn unfurling, as the creatures advanced. Taller than two men, perhaps the same height as a double-decker bus, and had enough muscle to fight a whole company of Tepes' unmatchable warriors. Both metal and flesh, fused to their hairless bodies shimmered with hot hunger along with their dark, white vacant eyes. He had also noted their bodies were scarred by stitches and open sores, it was a dead giveaway, the vampires had tried to add "modifications" to their already formidable bulk.
"This is not a fucking werewolf," Malacoda breathed out. Unfortunately, his voice was enough to make their ears twitch. They heard him. "No fucking way…"
The twins roared simultaneously, it could make a lion's mane fall off in blasted terror, and while the monsters are bipedal, they were experts on all fours, they looked like a gorilla on steroids. Should they need to run they just lowered their forepaws to the dirt and sprang away as fast as any wolf in the darkness. This was one of those occasions, accelerating on all fours toward their target with mouths wide open.
Fortunately, because of their great stature and overexaggerated muscles, there was not enough space for two creatures in the hallway, thus slowing their immense speed down, pushing one another to stay in the front and be the first one to tear the Devil apart.
Malacoda would just dodge their stomps, block their punches and even leap away from their bites, sometimes, one of them would jump atop its partner's back in an attempt to reach faster from Malacoda and crush his skull on the floor, but the latter easily avoided it.
He was baffled by their excellent teamwork. Just by looking the loose sews across their heads, he definitely knew they did something to their brains. Perhaps decreasing their I.Q. to make them into rabid beasts devoted singularly to the pursuit of fighting, tearing and simply enacting wanton bloodshed. They no longer have a will.
Malacoda danced like butter, outsmarting the creature without struggling, he shifted closer and spun until his back was close enough to the werewolf, and smashed his elbow on its chest, heeding the sharp gasp and drops of mixed blood and drool staining his clothes.
The beast went flying like a cannonball, its brother, noticing the blur aiming directly at it, jumped over and charged once more.
"I was expecting them to be a lot stronger," Malacoda mused, watching how it finally reached the end of the corridor, crashing into the wall. "Then again, they are not made to fight Ultimate Devils."
He tried to dodge a swing from its massive claws, but it struck his side and he tumbled into another room. He shook his head and glared back at the huge bite had been taken out of the side of the building. His tail tied itself around the waist, nearly dodging the furniture impaled on the floor. He looked up just in time to see the modified werewolf hopping toward him with both fists cocked.
Malacoda rolled just in time, half of the beast's body sinking into the wooden floor as punishment. With a snap of his fingers, tendrils of resin sprouted from the floor and wrapped themselves around the confused herculean figure, like a dog's collar. The black ropes yanked it downward, pinning it down. A surprise feeble sound was produced from its vocal chords.
Malacoda grasped tightly his wooden spear, thrusting to take out an eye, only for the behemoth to cover its face with a hand, the sound of flesh a music to Malacoda's ear, unfortunately, a howl of pain never left its sewed throat, it merely twirled its hand and broke the spear in half with ease.
"Shit," Malcoda stared at his battered weapon. "That's what I get for getting cocky." The Devil jumped backward to evade another fist from it and catching the second swing with ease.
He pulled closer the Goliath. "My turn," He tightened his grip and paid attention at the crack over its hand. He cocked his fist and connected with its jaw, sending it away like a rocket leaving earth.
He smirked, not minding the dust and chunks of the roof falling. Malacoda spotted the second one with the corner of his eye, swinging between the many chandeliers atop the ballroom, just like an enraged monkey ready to avenge its friend. He took aim and shot his demonic powers faster than a minigun.
Astonishingly, the creature showed signs of intelligence, dodging the blasts of condensed energy by jumping from candelabrum to candelabrum, some of the demonic energy struck its scarred chest, but it took it like a tank.
But even then, its roars demonstrated how painful Malacoda's attacks were, it lost the strength to keep itself on the gigantic candleholders, landing on the floor like a meteor.
"Time to end this," Malacoda cracked his neck and raised his hand, demonic energy shaping on his palm—he took aim at the semi-conscious, gargantuan beast, unaware of the incoming attack. The attack was faster than a sniper bullet— it pierced the modified werewolf's skull and instantly dropped a small whimper before finally losing its will to fight.
Malacoda studied the specimen closer, poking one of its white eyeballs, his eyes wandering over the furless body. It doesn't look like a werewolf, with the lack of hair; he resembled more of a shaved rat than anything else. "I think it was better if I ended your suffering." He said after summoning his pair of wings and taking off.
He passed with ease through the hole made by the second werewolf, standing on the roof. His red eyes scanning the zone, it was a beautiful sight to behold, while there was not a dramatic sunset rising between mountains, the horde of stars and the moon glaring down at his presence was enough to transform this place into a paradise.
Unfortunately, Malacoda wasn't here to make a top ten greatest scenarios in the world. He looked down. The screams. Weapons clashing. Buildings burning. Spells fired. Werewolves murdering. The attack was fierce, efficient and deadly, and Malacoda was missing it.
"While I would love to join the action," He trailed off, his eyes roaming the streets. "I promised to retrieve the girl…"
Malacoda bent his legs and bit his thumb, scanning the crowd murdering one another, each fighting for a different purpose—he suddenly realized he could see no sign of her. He started to move amongst the roofs, ending a top of a chimney, his eyes darting more wildly with each passing second, noticing any blonde hair, hoping it was her.
He spat his thumb out, "Don't fucking tell me she escaped…" He muttered through gritted teeth before the corner of his red orbs spotted something that shared the strict characteristics of the target, the place was like a garden, perhaps the backside of the castle? "Found you…" He grinned toothily.
She was far away from him and the warfare in the city. Unlike humans, Devils have an enhanced vision, perhaps surpassing the sharp eye of a predator bird. He studied her movements—she was on her butt, a hand on her altered heart. He'd guessed that she was in a state of shock, especially when that goliath werewolf was in front of her, thankfully the giant was unconscious inside a medium-sized crater.
"Huh," His mind flashed the previous fight against the two abominations. "So that's where the first one had landed. Son of a bitch took you so long." He pulled his second javelin out of his back, spinning it faster than a propeller.
And finally, he took aim. The wooden spear lined up precisely with his free hand and using his thumb as a reference point. He checked the wind speed, the distance and adjusted accordingly. Then a thud as his eyes sharpened and launched the weapon.
Her brain had shut down. She was clammy and there was the glisten of a cold sweat. Her eyes were as wide as like those of a deer in the path of an oncoming train. She tried to look away from the gargantuan abomination that had fallen from the skies for a strange reason! This was like the saying of 'it's raining cats and dogs outside,' but to the next level!
She doesn't even know what's happening.
"Stand up!" The guard snapped, roughly pulling her off the ground. "Mayor Marius has already left! We need to hurry! Now!" He kept his grasp on her wrist, circling the lifeless beast.
She tried to speak. "W-Where—?!"
"Shut up!" He ordered, not sparing her a glance. "We'll only waste our time if we—!" He was silenced when a blurred object hit him over the chest, propelling him backward. He still had his fingers locked on her wrist. The man fell awkwardly to the floor with Valerie to his side, the side of her head smashing against the concrete ground hard.
For a few seconds, he looked up at the moon and tried to reach for it. Then the black waves folded over him.
The adrenaline that once burned like a fire had faded away to an icy numbness. Her eyesight was blurred, but not because the tears were welling up. Everything became fuzzy. The only thing she could hear was her weak heartbeat. Her breath came in ragged, shallow gasps. The only thing that is making her active is the blood oozing from the guard and her forehead, her vampiric side slowly demanding for the last dinner.
"This is it?" She managed to pronounce something. The despair and suffering of what she passed from the beginning to end were finally over. "Is this how I… escape from this world?" Valerie wasn't naïve to the darkness of the real world.
No more sleeping in horrible dungeons.
No more racist comments.
No more experiments made by her brother.
No more dead people talking to her.
And all because she's a Dhampir born with a Longinus.
She would be able to leave all the pain behind. She closed her eyes and waited.
Seconds passed as she lay there, then, she heard someone weakly calling her name out. She doesn't know who it was—the voice was male but still unknown to her. Interesting enough, the voice has a superb Romanian accent, greater than hers. In her defense, she had never touched a book since childhood, only learning a few words when people opened their mouths.
"Hey," Someone flicked her forehead. His voice clearer now. The horrendous smell of garlic invading her nostrils. "You're still alive, yeah?"
The blonde girl struggled to flutter her eyes out. When she did, she came face to face with someone she hadn't seen before. She wanted to run away or at best, scream her lungs out and kick the air in strive to scare the foreigner away, but her prowess had left long ago, all she could do was breath, stare and expect the inevitable.
He grinned down at her. "Glad you're still with the living!" He openly laughed and slapped his knee, ignoring the fact that there's an impaled corpse behind him and another one in a crater.
Valerie felt her red-blood orbs heavier than before. "Tired, huh?" He said with a hum. "It's fine, get some rest, blondie." He continued even after the blackness finally consumed her. Like a blanket, but not a blanket of warmth but a blanket of coldness that made her shiver. "Because tomorrow, you'll live a different life, Capisci?"
With conviction, her body drained away until finally, all was black.
Malacoda carefully picked her up. "While I have the girl, there's still a war that I need to attend." He swore to see more of those werewolves on the streets causing mayhem, they may have already crushed a few vampires.
"None of that," A familiar voice assured him. "The war is finally over, because of your assistance, Tepes is under my grasp once again."
"So, I missed the show?" Malacoda faced the king. He had frozen for a second after spotting Lord Vladi and the vampire rebels, too. "That would explain why everything's suddenly quiet."
"If it wasn't for you and our king, we may have tasted defeat," Lord Vladi admitted. "And perhaps get executed right away."
"I did it to help Matanbuchus," Malacoda reminded them. "By lending you guys a hand, it'll benefit him greatly." He glared at Valerie's father. "You better fulfill your part of the deal."
"And I will," The blond replied, bowing. "The whole Tepes Faction shall stand beside the House of Lucifuge. This I vow."
Malacoda stared and nodded with effort. "Good." He gestured with his chin at the 'werewolf.' "The hell is that?"
"Hm?" The vampire blinked and followed his gaze, humming. "Ah, that would be a werewolf, yes." A grin split on his face. He proudly dusted his nails over his tunic. "Amazing, isn't it?"
"That's not a werewolf." The devil spat.
The Fourth King rolled his eyes. "It is. They are just… slightly modified to be effective weapons of war." He felt the stare trying to melt him, he added. "The House of Phenex is famous because of those healing tears. The Malebranche? Their slaves merchandise with the City of Dis." He saw the eye twitch coming from Malacoda. He chuckled dryly. "My Clan is the reason why all Romania trembles before the Tepes Faction! The ingenious fabrication of powerful beasts!"
All the vampires cheered afterward, weapons in the air, some of them even jumped and clapped as they kept praising the creativity of the strongest Clan.
Malacoda just blinked slowly, a part of him hoping their cries won't aggravate the maiden in his arms. "What?"
"To keep it brief," Lord Vladi said when everyone quieted down. "The purpose of the Tepes Clan specializes in the mastery of breeding, converting and surgically designing some of the most dreadful and distressing war-beast to have ever existed."
The worst part is when he'd said beasts, not only werewolves were dragged into this. "… Why?"
Lord Tepes scoffed. "Of all people you should fathom this." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Devilkin had gone through a civil war too, just because a Devil has invented special chess pieces. Even after ending this second coup against my bastard of a son, we still have the Carmilla Faction under our nose. The worst part is that our troops have diminished heavily." He pointed at the crater. "They are meant to be sent to the front-line to tear and kill anything that the owner has directed their wrath to." He took a step forward. "I'll do whatever it is attainable to tear down the kingdom of Queen Carmilla."
"These wretched creatures are the reason why the House of Tepes is one of the wealthiest and most feared Clans in Romania." Lord Vladi stated. "I even dare to say surpassing the Carmilla Clan."
He doubts that Tepes surpasses the House of Carmilla in terms of wealthiness. He would buy it if they were tied and wrestling in the first place. This is just Lord Vladi riding his king's dick, as Malacoda would say.
Of course, the creatures Tepes fabricates are descended from monsters that have been captured over the years. Apparently, beasts figure prominently in the methods and strategies of the Clan. The abominations of Clan Tepes are their trump cards. The Clan's zoological garden of regretful creations is seemingly endless and exhibits a wide variety of mutated and surgically-altered beasts.
Somewhere, there must be a farm and laboratories hidden that works on the field reproduction and enhancement of these abominations. Maybe its underground to not let such monstrosities dwell amongst the elegant vampires.
They're practically trying to steal the role of God here.
"It is a shame that Sephiroth Graal has to leave," The Nosferatu said longingly, hand over his cheek. "That Sacred Gear has made Tepes' exhausting work effortless." He grinned. "Want to make a deal, Lord Malebranche? A hundred of our very finest Clan Tepes werewolves can be yours in exchange for the girl if you wish, I can add an extra arm to a few of them…"
Malacoda spread his bat wings. "This conversation is over." Tightening his hold on the light-blonde girl, he took off.
"Ah, pitiful," He sighed as the Devil turned into a mere dot in the dark sky. He snapped his fingers. "While our victory is ours we cannot celebrate." He growled. "It seems that Marius has escaped. I want a group of scouts to locate him and bring him back—I'll make sure he regrets his actions."
As his command was uttered, a flock of bats instantaneously spread to the forest, starting their mission.
"Your excellence," Lord Vladi called. "There have been survivors during the conquest of our territory."
"… Are they the traitors?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
Planting a hand over his long tunic to stop it from dancing, he stood at full height and looked Gasper's father dead in the eye. It wasn't a look of sheer joy. It was a look of boiling anger, like a volcano erupting—fury sweeping off him like ferocious waves.
He could literally see the blue veins popping out from his pale forehead.
"Traitors?"
Lord Vladi almost missed the low murmur, it made the hair behind his neck stand straight.
Suddenly, he laughed so hard. He can't stop. He waved his hand frantically in the air, his flag of apology. The king doesn't know why, but the streams of laughter kept coming. He threw his head back and started laughing directly at the stars as if he was openly mocking any primordial god sitting on a cloud.
And he stopped. And the King looked at him with a glare that his heart nearly had an attack.
He shouted. "IMPALE THEM! IMPALE THOSE LAPDOGS ON A STAKE! SHOW THEM! SHOW THEM HOW WE TREAT SHIT STAINS HERE IN TEPES! LET THE WHOLE WORLD KNOW THE TRUE KING OF ROMANIA HAS COME TO RECLAIM HIS THRONE!"
The cheers exploded like an auditory thunderstorm as some of them went back to the ruined city, ready to punish the disloyal, ready to once again bring the name of their Faction back from the ashes.
The Impaler Lord addressed his audience, arms spread open. "Those who do not stand with the Tepes stand against them! And those who stand against the Tepes shall not stand any longer! BLOOD FOR TEPES!"
They roared back.
[BLOOD FOR TEPES!]
In all honesty. I really want to write a fanfic from the vampire's point of view, or Magician, or Youkai's. But I'm afraid I won't. Since it would involve a chunk of Oc's. I know Fanfiction frowns upon those type of stories. Plus you have seen how much it took me to update this fanfic. So nope. For now, I won't even think of that.
Either way, people will dislike what I did with the vampires and werewolves on my fanfic. I won't be surprised, to be honest. But from all previous chapters, this is my favorite so far, I don't even know why.
We're going to see more about the vampires, mostly the Tepes Faction. How? With the help of a poor, way more underrated than Sona, the Dhampir. I also want to try with the Carmilla Faction, maybe Valerie can also say a few things here and there about them, after all, she was the Fifth King for a few months, she was supposed to know how her enemy works.
I have nothing else to say, hopefully, the next chapter is going to come out sooner.
Blood for Tepes.
Next Chapter: Utsusemi/PROJECT: FOUR FIENDS
