Chapter 17: The Mage's Plot

After they left, Silver smirked. He walked out of the college, heading for a nearby ruin. It had been a while since he had checked in on how things were going. When he came to the ruin, he walked inside and down the stairs into a large room. Many vampires were in locked cages. He walked up to Manic and sneered, who glared at him with golden-yellow eyes. It had been a while since he had fed.

"What do you want, Silver?" The vampire spat.

"Your brother is looking for you."

"He'll find me soon enough. Are you going to feed me blood? I'm terribly thirsty."

The mage's smirk widened. "No. When your friends get here, you will be in a blood frenzy. I'd love to see you attack them."

Manic's eyes widened. "What kind of - What the hell is wrong with you?"

Silver chuckled madly. He strode away, leaving the vampire in his cell. Manic growled angrily as he watched the mage leave. He was already tired of that silver hedgehog. Hopefully Sonic would rescue him soon. How long could he go without blood? It was something Manic had never given any real thought to. There had never been a reason for it before now. He had heard of vampires going into blood frenzies. They lost all reason, killing anything they saw. Manic shuddered. The last thing he wanted to do was go into a blood frenzy and attack the people he cared about. He yawned and looked around at the other vampires in cages.

"So, how long have you guys been here?"

"Two months," one vampire told him.

"Does anyone know what they want with us?"

"Immortality," a vampire said.

"Immortality?"

"Yeah. Something about making a deal with Dagon to gain immortality."

"And we have what to do with that?" The vampire shrugged; he didn't know. "Great," Manic sighed.

A few minutes later, Abimael and Silver walked in. They went to a cage and opened it, dragging the vampire out. Manic watched as Silver did...something with his hand, and the vampire followed them.

"What are you going to do to him?" He yelled.

"That is none of your concern," Silver said.

"It is my concern because he's one of my kin!"

"You don't know him personally, do you?"

Silver walked away with the vampire and Manic growled. A few minutes later, he heard the vampire screaming from the other room.

"Does anyone know what goes on in there?" He asked the vampires.

"We have no idea," a vampire told him.

The screaming stopped. Manic looked at the doorway where the vampire had been taken. He could only imagine what could have happened in there. Silver and Abimael walked out of the room and into another so the vampires couldn't hear them.

"Once I drain the rest of the vampires of their life force, I shall be immortal," Silver told his daughter.

"I thought you already were," Abimael said.

"Not true immortality. I only have extended life at the moment. To truly become immortal I must drain the other vampires but leave one alive to sacrifice to Mehrunes Dagon...and I know just the person to sacrifice. Manic."

"Why that one?"

"He's close to people he cares about. I'll use him as leverage."

"Leverage for what?"

"I'm not sure yet." Abimael nodded and continued following Silver through the halls. "I'm interested in that Shadic person," Silver continued. "I sensed he has powerful magic."

"I felt it as well." Abimael looked at Silver. "Do you think he'll become a student at the College?"

"I hope so. He'd be a powerful mage."

"How powerful do you think?"

"I'm not sure," Silver said. "Do you want me to try and convince him to come to the college?"

"It would be interesting to see just how powerful he will become."

Silver smiled. "I'll contact him telepathically and ask him to become a student."

"You might startle him doing that."

"How should we contact him, then?"

"Send a letter with a courier," Abimael said.

"I'll do that," Silver said, smiling at her.

"Would you like any help writing it?"

"Sure."

Abimael smiled and hurried down the hall while Silver followed her into his office. He grabbed some parchment and Abimael handed him a quill.

"All right." Silver looked at his daughter. "How do you propose we start this?"

The cat anthro thought about it. "How about something like...Dear Shadic. It has come to our attention that you have magical abilities. We would like to invite you to become a student at the College Of Winterhold."

"That sounds good."

The white hedgehog looked down and wrote what Abimael had said.

"Anything else you want to add, father?" She asked him.

Silver read the letter over once more before signing and setting the feather pen down. "I believe that should be good enough."

"Very well. I'll have the courier deliver it to him."

Silver handed Abimael the letter. The cat anthro smiled and left. Silver sat down and looked at a photo on his desk; it was of him and his late wife Danielle. The female cat anthro had been killed by a vampire. It was admittedly one of the reasons Silver hated them so much. He sighed and put his feet up on the desk. A few minutes later, Abimael came back.

"I sent it."

"Great. How long until it gets to him?"

"You never know with couriers."

Silver yawned. "Maybe you can find out."

"I would guess a few days. There's no way of knowing when he reaches them, or where. All we can do is wait for Shadic's response."

"Very well."

Silver closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.