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Disclaimer: Eidos Interactive and Crystal Dynamics own them. Not me. I only own my characters.
Chapter 3: Helios's gifts from Kain and the Clans
The daytime passed quickly, and Helios had awoken to a line of human maids at her disposal. She sat up groggily and they spoke.
"Lord Kain have dispatched us to be your personal servants. We are here for your whim and command. Lord Kain also says that it is perfectly alright for you to dispose of us, if we are disobedient, if you become hungry, or if you tire of our presence." Helios noticed that they said this without second thought and not even the blink of an eye.
"I am Helios Audron, obviously, your new Master and Lady. You must commit a very intolerable act for me to destroy you. I do, however, require some service from all of you." Helios stood before them in a non demeaning way.
"Yes my lady?" the obvious head one asked.
"I require clothing. I would like one of you to be set right away to creating some proper clothing for me. I also will need someone to tend to my needs as far as this room is concerned. I am a matriculate vampire, to say the least. I will need someone here to be sure my residence is kept efficient at all times. I will need someone to be ready in a moments call to be my ears outside of this castle in the human towns. I suspect you all know that whoever takes this job and disobeys will have a most cruel death. I do not tolerate disloyalty." She turned to look at them all, for she had been pacing in the room, to see if they all understood.
"Yes my lady, but we all here are loyal to an extreme fault."
"What are your names?" they looked at each other in question and then at their new benefactor.
"My Lady, we have none of those. I don't believe we ever did.
"Well as the Lady of this House now, my first rule of order is that all ofmy servants will receive names from their main benefactors." Helios counted to herself. She had received 5 servants from Kain as a gift. She must thank him later for his kindness. From him she had received a young male human, who said he was 18, two young female workers, one 14 the other 17, an older female who was 30, and an elderly man of 64.
"Boy." She pointed to him as he looked up. "I will name you Lertin. It my language it means 'messenger'. You will be at my disposal to inform Kain or his brood of my doings and also, I have appointed you to be my ears in your human towns. Your visage seems very able. Are you a runner?" The boy shook his head. "Then this is now your job. I expect you to learn quickly what I expect of you. Do you understand me?" Lertin shook his head in understanding.
"Does anyone present knowhow to stitch clothing?" The old man stepped forward and tilted his head down.
"My lady, I am the one that would be handling all of your clothing." Helios looked at the clothing on the man, as well as the others present and asked.
"Do you know everyone present?" he knew what she was getting at.
"Yes ma'am, to the point where I made their clothing." Helios was impressed with the skill of his craft.
"Then I shall call you Nemaco. It means 'maker of cloth' in my tongue. You will make my clothing. I expect beauty and elegance." The man bowed his thanks for his name and new position. She looked at the elderly human.
"What is it that you do?"
"I am a simple chambermaid Madame. I clean. That is my function as a human." Helios looked at the woman funny.
"You are a weird little human. I will call you Chianh (pronounced See-nah). It means 'weird.' You will be responsible for the upkeep for my chambers." Chianh bowed and stepped back. The two girls were left. They stepped forward.
"What have been your duties? The youngest spoke first.
"I was responsible for laying attire for Lord Kain and the Lieutenants. I was also a spy inside the human resistance for our Lords."
"What responsibility you had. Tabalithia means rebellious. I believes it suits you little one." The girl looked not a day over 12 and she had already been a rebel spy for Kain. Why had he sent such a young human to attend to matters that should have been reserved for an adult human? Helios looked around for the other human girl. She had sunk into a small corner and was holding herself tightly. She looked battered and broken. Humans. What fragile and delicate creatures. Helios shook her head in pity. It must be hard dealing with the limitations of their flesh and power.
"What is wrong with that one?" Helios looked as everyone hung their heads.
"I asked a question. I can get very hostile if it is not answered." She looked slightly less benevolent. Lertin spoke.
"Forgive us M'lady, but we lowly slaves cannot speak of it. If we do it means our death."
"Why is that Lertin?" he had peaked her curiosity.
"Because it is direct treason to speak against one of our Overlords." Chianh spoke in a hushed voice.
"I am now one of those Overlords and I give direct permission for you to tell me what is wrong with that female human." No one spoke. She smiled cruelly.
"It is considered an act of disrespect to disobey me. I asked a simple question." They mused over this and then Lertin, again, spoke first. He walked a little closer to her and bowed. She motioned for him to come closer and he whispered to her.
"May I speak freely my Lady?" she motioned a yes and he continued.
'It is Lord Zephon my Lady. He uses the female slaves for his own twisted purposes. He uses their bodies to his pleasure. They don't survive. He uses them all up. Their bodies sometimes come back to use mangled. Bite marks, scratches, torn skin. He's sick and demented. The worst of them all and she survived him, she did. The first and only. This made him like her more. He used her every night for a long time. He felt as if she has strong and sturdy, so she became his 'pet'." The last word was spit from her new messenger's mouth with barely concealed hatred.
"You will do good to watch your tone. He is still one of your Overlords." Lertin bowed quickly and spoke his apologies and awaited his punishment. When he dared look up, his new Lady was walking towards the girl. Helios looked back.
"You may stand Lertin. Why do you tremble on the floor?"
"I was expecting to get a most severe beating for that comment My lady." Helios laughed a little.
"I am a deal more benevolent than Kain and his brood. It was the way for most of my race. This does not make me kind. Benevolence is just my nature, not my person." Lertin stood. Helios continued her walk to the girl.
"Stand girl." The girl stood slowly. When Helios reached for her, the girl moved and trembled.
"You have nothing to fear from my visage. I know what happened to you. I, obviously, will not use you in that manner, so what do you have to fear?" the girl looked up slowly.
"I only wish to implore your services. What were your duties?" The girl spoke meekly.
"I..I was Lord Raziel's personal assistant. He said I possessed a quick mind for a human, so I followed him and studied his strategies and battle plans. He let me read sometimes, if I had done a good job that week. I was also somewhat of a negotiator. I was sometimes allowed to go into the towns and try and convince the humans to side with us. I was told to have been good at this." Helios mused over all this. She was quite smart, just from listening to her talk and one of Kain's lieutenants had had quite a bit of faith in her.
"Did he ever call you a name?"
"Lymlia my lady."
"Then you may keep your name. You will become to me what you were to Raziel."
"Thank you Lady Audron."
"Now all of you may start on your new duties. Lertin, I want you to travel to the nearest town that has had the most rebellious humans. When three days have gone and come, return and tell me what you have learned. I expect you not to be found out. Is that clear?" Lertin bowed low.
"Yes my Lady Helios. I will not be discovered." He turned to leave.
"Before you go, come hither and swear your allegiance to me." Helios called to him. He came and bowed low before his new Lord and Mistress.
"My Lady Helios, I swear my allegiance to you and no other. My services are yours to deploy at any time. My life is forfeit to you, if ever I am to disobey your direct orders."
"Well spoken Lertin. I expect great things from you."
"Of course Lady Helios." Lertin bowed once more, turned and left to fulfill his first mission.
"Nemaco, I want you to start preparing clothing for all occasions. Can you do this?"
"This I can Mi'lady. I will first need to acquire your measurements."
"Of course. Before I leave my room then, Nemaco but, it is at this time you will swear your allegiance to me." The old man bowed slightly
"My services are to you only Mi'lady. If I betray your trust, I will gladly die by your hand alone." Nemaco finished with a slight cough.
"Very well, you may receive my measurements." Nemaco walked over to his new Mistress and took her measurements, including the wings in his measurements. He would have to make incisions in the backs of her clothing to accommodate her large wings. He bowed and exited to start his work. He would create the most elegant and elaborate clothing for his benevolent Mistress.
Tabalithia was the next to step forward and pledge her allegiance. She kneeled.
"I swear my life to your service. Whatever you ask of me, I shall do." The girl kept her head bowed, until she heard her lady call out her name.
"Tabalithia, you seem so wise for one so young. Did you ever have non working hobbies?" she didn't have anything for the young girl to do at present.
"Fight. I once belonged to Lord Kain himself." She spoke of this proudly. Obviously, it was an honor to be owned by Kain.
"He found it intriguing that a human female was bound on fighting, so when I was good, he left me spare with the Razelim. They had strict orders not to damage his property."
"Razelim?" Helios asked curiously, but not ignoring the girl's talk of her skill.
"Yes ma'am." Tabalithia said, still bowed. "Lord Raziel, Lord Rahab, Lord Turel, Lord Zephon, Lord Dumah, and Lord Melchiah all have their own land around the empire, as well as their own clans. The Razelim, the Rahalim, the Turelim, the Zephonim, the Rahabim, the Dumahim, and the Melchahim are all their clans, respectively.
"I see. Kain does not have his own clan?"
"The Lieutenants are his brood. He sired them all." Chianh spoke out. "Raziel is second in command after Kain. He was sired first by Kain and is his strongest and favorite son. Raziel calls himself Kain's right hand." She finished.
"Ah, yes, I see now. Tabalithia, is there anything else you conform to do? I would so like to talk over with Raziel, if I am in position to be placing a human girl child in his territory."
"I like to help her" she pointed to Chianh "I mean Chianh clean. It feels funny having names all of a sudden, but I like Tabalithia very much."
"Good. You may help Chianh clean this filthy room. I have nothing for you to do at the moment." They both went off to clean the nearest bookshelf, when Chianh turned and bowed a little.
"Madame, my services are only to you, from this day, until my death. I swear my allegiance to you and promise to fulfill my duties as best of my abilities." She finished with a huff of breath.
"Very Well Chianh." Her and Tabalithia went to the nearest corner and began cleaning. Helios looked at Lymlia.
"I told you that you were to become for me what you had been for Raziel. I expect you to be at my side at all times Lymlia."
"Wh…What of Zephon? He will most surely…
"You are my servant now. He will not touch you or harm you in any manner. Come; let us depart, but first." Lymlia knelt before her.
"My life is forfeit as of this moment on. I serve no other Lord, but you Lady Audron. My allegiance is forever yours and my life in your hands."
"Come Lymlia, we have to make haste to the Throne room. I feel that Kain is not present and I would like to be when he returns." They walked out of the room, Lymlia following behind Helios with her eyes downward. They continued this way, until Helios turned.
"Come here Lymlia. Your clothing is very ragged. I suppose I just noticed." Lymlia looked at her tattered clothing. Helios waved her hand and Lymlia was outfitted in a new dress. It was a simple red dress that hung low to the ground. The arms were bubbled and it was cut low on her chest. It had a simple sliver brooch across her bellybutton that made the gathers in the dress in the front. Her short cropped brown hair had been neatly pinned back with a few sliver ornaments. She had a small pair of earrings in her ears and a pretty pair of red shoes on her feet. The dirt and shoot was gone from her face, revealing big green eyes and a pretty face for a human, but it was scared in various places. The most pronounced scar was two in the shape of an X on her right cheek. She had other small ones in various places.
"Zephon did this to you?" she asked quietly. Lymlia shook her head yes and then asked.
"Slaves are not suppose to have these sorts of things." She said raising her hand and pointing to the brooch, earrings, and hair ornaments. "Do you wish me to return them at daybreak?"
"I have no use for them. They are yours to keep. And as long as you are employed by me, then you will be dressed to be around others. You could not very well be in the presence of Kain dressed in rags. It looks bad on me."
"Yes Lady Audron. You wouldn't happen to have an insignia would you? All the Lords slaves have their insignia on their clothing to show ownership."
"Very well then." Helios raised her hand and an insignia appeared on the sleeve of Lymlia's left shoulder. It was the same marking as the one on her left thigh. They continued to the Throne Room in relative silence. When they walked into the Throne Room, the lieutenants stopped their activities to stare at the pair. They all bowed and Raziel spoke first.
"It is an honor to have you in our presence Lady Helios. What brings you to us in this time of night?"
"I tired of staying in the confines of my room. I also wanted to come and thank Kain formerly for his gifts." At this, she motioned at Lymlia.
"This is my new personal assistant, Lymlia." Lymlia bowed. Raziel smiled to himself. She had let his former assistant keep her name.
"We never properly introduced ourselves to you Lady. We also bear gifts for you." Turel spoke regally. Turel spoke regally. His voice was baritone and held authority He walked regally to bow before Helios.
"I am Turel, 3rd in command after Lord Kain and Raziel and I bring you gifts of the finest jewels of this land." Turel looked on as one of his Turelim carried a medium sized golden box over to Helios. He bowed low before her and opened the lid. Helios made a small gasp as the reflections of the gems twinkled off her eyes. Never had she seen such priceless items since her time.
"I hope they are to your liking My Lady. Rubies from mines in the west lands, emeralds deep from dank caves in the south, diamonds from under the seas bottom, and topaz's from my own lands. Gold mined from the south as well, amethyst carves out the eastern mountains. Every gem of beauty is in that box and presented to you as a gift." Turel came and bowed before her, hoping that she liked his gift of gems. He had heard no woman could resist them. Helios smiled as he stood up.
"These gems are too much for me. Never have I seen such exquisite stones. Not since my time. I am sure they will look radiant on me. Thenocthre. That means thank you in my native tongue." Turel, satisfied with himself, returned the line with a triumphant smile on his face.
"You ignorant fools could have never thought of something as grand as that." They all frowned spitefully at him. Zephon stepped up next. As he did so, Helios saw Lymlia shrink back a little. She also noticed Zephon's twisted smile as he looked at her and then he smiled quickly and looked back to her. As he approached, Helios spoke to where only she and Zephon may hear.
"I know of your twisted ways Zephon. I care not what you do with the other human females, but you will not lay hands on this one again. It matters not to me how much you like her because, she withstood your physical torture. Is that clear" Zephon smiled and waved it off.
"Off course My Lady, it shall not happen again." He raised his voice from a hushed tone. "But now, I bring you tapestries and paintings from the northern lands of Gretwell and some thought of by myself." Large tapestries were carried in the air with three able bodied men under each. After they all entered, it was a total of 7. Some were lavished with gems, some elaborate stitching, but the best one was of Kain in all his glory, that familiar sword and all. In the top corner was his insignia and the background was his empire. Helios was surprised that Zephon would have thought of a thing so elaborate as this. She smiled up at him genuinely.
"I thank you greatly Zephon. These will hang in my room for as long as I reside in this kingdom. You have an eye for art and that is something that was held high in my time. Would your servants be so kind as to take those to my room?"
"You heard the lady, take them to her room." The men walked out, beginning to make the venture to Helios' room.
Melchiah and Dumah approached her together.
"I am Lord Melchiah, ruler over the Melchahim and the youngest the lieutenants. And I am Lord Dumah, ruler over the Dumahim and at your disposal My Lady. We both bring you incense, created in our own laboratories to accommodate your beauty, elegance, grace, and exoticness." Four servants presented themselves to her, each holding a small pretty shaped bottle. This time Melchiah spoke.
"Beauty. This scent represents the beauty we saw in you when you first arrived to us a month ago." A slim figured woman stepped forward with the green bottle in her hand. Helios noticed the woman to be very beautiful. Melchiah continued.
"Elegance. This we saw in you when you first spoke to Turel." A female, seemingly in her mid 30's walked forward holding a red bottle. She looked as if she may, at one time been of high class.
"Grace. When you were escorted by Kain into the throne room for the first time, we knew you were of royal blood. Many things oozed off of you like a positive plague and your grace was of the qualities we remembered." A young girl, maybe 10 or 11 walked forward with as much grace as herself holding a yellow bottle. She looked down at the little girl and smiled, but the girl was emotionless.
"Exoticness. This stood out most to all of us and I think when I say that I am speaking for all my brothers in honesty. Never has a vampire like yourself been seen in this world. You are truly a sight to behold." A woman, obviously of noble blood, holding a blue bottle, stepped forward. She looked at Helios with disdain, but soon hid it. Helios wondered why, but then thought of the situation. This woman could have very well been a queen from her respective land and to be stripped of her title and privileges and left to live a life of servitude must have been the most degrading this imaginable. Helios gave her a sympathetic look, but the woman merely softened her expression slightly and stepped back. The females automatically all bowed and left to take their new Lord's fragrances to her room.
"My Lady, Rahab is currently handling some business directed to him precisely by Kain, but he instructed me to present his gift to you." Raziel left the room and came back with two snarling jaguars. One was coal black with golden eyes and the other was snow white with blue eyes. Raziel was holding their reigns tightly and everyone cleared a path for him and the animals.
"From my brother Rahab to My Lady Helios. The humans call these feral cats' jaguars and they fear them something disgusting." Helios walked to the animals and kneeled down, first to the black one. Raziel held tightly to their reigns as they tried to claw Helios' face off. She didn't move or blink, but caught the beast attention and stared him directly in the eyes. This went on for a minute or so until the creature calmed. She then proceeded to do the same to the other creature. Afterwards she ordered Raziel to turn them loose. He did so, but reluctantly and as he did so, the two creatures walked towards Helios, sat in front of her and she rubbed them affectionately. As the brothers stood in awe, Helios stood and spoke.
"I must thank Rahab for his thoughtful gift. They will no doubt make devoted companions, but I must give them names." She looked down thoughtfully and smiled.
"This one shall be Audron" pointing to the black one "and this one shall be Azuzto." As she said that name, she felt that she should remember it, but she couldn't. Raziel then stepped forward.
"I am Raziel. First of Kain's Lieutenants and second in command only to my sire. My clan is the Razielim. I bring you gifts. A large collection of the rarest books and maps of Nosgoth. Some written by human hands, some by vampiric hands, and I even came across a few that were written by mysterious hands." At this statement, all the brothers looked his way. He held in his hand 4 books that were old and deteriorating. Raziel called on some of his servants to carry the books and maps to her room. In all she received 15 books and 7 maps. Zephon made a rude remark.
"Why bring our new lady books and maps? These things will bore her to a stupor Raziel. What will she accomplish by having these?" all the brothers looked at her. Helios looked at Raziel. He was very angry for the remark, but held his comments to himself.
"Actually" she started "I adore reading. It was a hobby of mine long ago." She seemed quieter when she said this. "I will enjoy learning the secrets of this now strange land. I thank you Raziel for your deeply thought gift." Zephon made no other comments.
As everything was being taken back to her room, Kain entered. All the lieutenants bowed respectfully and asked their sire if he had had a safe journey back.
"Yes. It went as well as to be expected." Kain walked over to Helios, grabbed her hand and kissed it slightly.
"I hope my brood have been in the gentlemanly manner this evening?"
"Oh yes. They are all quite gentlemen and I adore the gifts that they have all presented to me." Kain led Helios over to the throne. Even though he sat down on the throne, pulled Helios down to his lap. This surprised everyone in the room.
"I thank you Kain for your gifts of servants. They will come in nice handy and I have already taken the action of giving them their duties."
"Yes I see that you have put that one to work." Kain said and pointed to Lymlia. They continued their small talk under the watchful and curious eyes of the lieutenants, until Helios chose to address the first statement Kain had made.
"Yes Kain about that. Her name is Lymlia and I would appreciate it if you addressed her as such, or you could choose to not address her at all. Either way, my servants have names." The lieutenants all waited for Kain to exercise his authority.
"Yes Yes Yes. I shall not address them unless I have specific reason to do so." Kain said this harshly and didn't really give it a second thought. Helios stood a whispered her thanks to him, kissed him on the cheek and made her exit. Before she did so, she thanked everyone once again for the gifts she received. She beckoned for Lymlia and nodded towards her two new pets and walked through the two metal doors.
Kain sat with an outward appearance of boredom, but inwards he was shocked. Never had anyone invaded his personal space as she had just done and only to give him a kiss no less. It was one of genuine honesty, not of deception. As he maintained his outward posture of indifference, he observed his sons observing him in their most discrete manner. He straightened in his throne and they all faced towards him as he stood.
"You know, it is most throat wrenching to see all of you trying your best to observe me and my reactions to the woman and her little show of affection." He spoke slightly impassioned, but dangerously.
"She is no more than a tool for war. That woman will bring great success to this empire and help to crush thine enemy before my feet, so do not be thinking that your lord has gone soft, because that my dear children… would be a mistake." Kain finished his statement in no more than a hushed tone, but they all knew to fear him in this state. They were underestimating him and that was something to mortal or immortal had ever dealt with and come alive from it. They all continued their duties in relative silence, wondering if their sire was speaking truthfully.