Well, we're almost reaching the halfway point of this story; can't believe how long this story's been running considering all the delays I've been having. But now, let's roll into our eleventh chapter of Synchro Beast, Crimson Rose!
Chapter 11-Preparations for the Dark World
~In the present, within the western castle...~
"Well, well, Marik. You really know how to show a woman a good time." Tèa smirked. "Your queen's pleased with the progress our plan has been going smoothly over the years of isolation from our clan."
"Ah, yes, my queen." Marik grinned. "Tell me something; are you in a rush to release Solirais when we have all this time to teach our army the forbidden spells lurking within the sacred books?"
"You have yet to realize the boundaries that we set ourselves upon straying away from the accursed clan that my grandfather had directed hatred towards, after that damn treaty being signed by our enemies and our kin." Tèa sneered. "Plus, we are starting to grow attention to ourselves from Yami's trusted group. I will not have that son of a bitch find out about our true reasons for releasing the most powerful vampire known in the history of the world."
"What are the chances of the grand vampire getting out of there?" Marik asked.
"Absolutely zero chances." Tèa grinned, wickedly. "By the time he does get out, however, it'll be too late to even come up with a plan to prevent his demise. Yami shall burn in hell for trying to delude himself from the laws of the vampire."
"I best be heading out for my feast then, my queen." Marik said, using a portion of his power to instantly dress himself into his armor. "When I come back, I'll pleasure you until the moon is full once more."
"Very well; you may depart for now." Tèa said.
With her pleasure mate departing from her room, the western queen Tèa quickly dressed herself in a black gown, donning the ebony cloak that her grandfather worn when he was ruler, before the grand vampire's younger brother ordered his execution for treason. With the time looming closer to the release of the vampire dictator Solirais, the only things left standing between ultimate destruction of the mortal world was obtaining the sacred books of Cresahan and finding the descendant of the vamporant Sethos; the brunette woman grew a dark smirk on her face, departing from her room to the battling grounds outside.
To think that the forbidden spells she taught herself would actually take Yami into a major disadvantage made Tèa absolutely obsessed with power. Although the woman was within lineage for the high crown of the clan, the fact that she herself was not born in the royal family made Tèa boiling mad. Since the decision to bestow the new sovereign due to mysterious circumstances surrounding the grand vampire's unusual death was postponed until the final reports were confirmed, the western queen needed to destroy the statutes placed upon the current clan and rebuilt it anew. There was also the matter of resigning many of the positions inside the western lands since most of them were eliminated from the conflicts between the survivors of the revolt against the treaty years ago. While the spellcasters were deciphering the remaining texts written on the binders of the dozens of forbidden books, the western military were preparing their side of battle when the time arises for the war that'll end everything.
The new military commander, Dartz, was strictly critical of even the smallest of details when it came into battle formations for the growing army for the new war emerging from the darkness of the western lands. After the co-commander Rex was slaughtered by the northern noble Mai when they were chasing down their soon-to-be murdered civilian, the teal-haired man had to take full control over everything to ensure that Tèa was satisfied with the results he produced. With the door opening to the outside chambers, the warriors in the midst of their training stopped immediately to kneel before the presence of their queen.
"It is very rare to see you outside your chambers, my queen." Dartz said. "As you can see, everything's running smoothly for the new war we're ready to commence upon your word."
"Then, I must have made the right decision putting you in charge of the military. My grandfather chose you out of the many qualifiers because of your unique spells that you have mastered from the days of old." Tèa said. "I do not tolerate failure when our plan comes into fruition."
"Trust me, my queen. You will have everything under your control soon enough." Dartz smirked.
"See to it that you don't disappoint me, Dartz." Tèa said. "Now, if you excuse me, I have a former king to foresee."
Proceeding to the spellcasters' chambers, Tèa glanced at the pendant given to her by her very own mother, growling in unhappiness since the woman barely raised her when she was young. She hated the small ornament; it gave her nothing but bad memories of when her father was executed by Dracula in the crime of treason against his reign. But, Tèa knew that he was innocent! And with the very shock filling her mother's mind, it left only her grandfather to raise her through his care, given the circumstances surrounding her mother's condition. The brunette queen never showed any kindness since feasting upon her prey throughout the years, and when Yami refused her feelings, it drew the line as Tèa sought out nothing more than total destruction of the world she resides in.
Her fingernails grinding against the grain of the brick wall alerted the guards outside the underground hallway leading into the spellcasters' chambers. With little resistance, the door opened to a large blue circle encased around two dark-cloaked beings, their ears pointy and eyes brimming with a purplish glow. Floating above them were books of the forbidden tomes of Mylomti and Dilao, passing by each one as Tèa approached the glass orb situated in the center of the room.
"How much progress have you made regarding the translation on the sacred books?" Tèa asked. "Tyou? Jinka?"
"Mylomti's books have been done for about two weeks; we are now focusing on the books of Dilao, my queen." Tyou responded.
"It'll be not long before we are finished with Dilao's tomes, my queen. However, without the sacred books of Cresahan, we cannot proceed with the plan." Jinka added.
"You need not to worry about Cresahan's books, I'll retrieve them when everything is settled over the sacred books we have in our possession." Tèa said. "Anyways, when is the latest that the translations will be done?"
"When the moon turns red in two weeks time." Tyou said.
"Interesting." Tèa said. "Let me see how my precious Yami is holding up. I bet his ass is fuming over the fact that he cannot be able to enjoy his freedom so freely."
Enveloping her hands around the crystal sphere, the vision of the grand vampire appeared in front of her, with a scowl placed on his face, looking in furious rage since being confided against his will. Tèa grew a dark smile; having to learn some of the forbidden spells became useful after all, until something went and turned her enjoyment into a furious tirade of hatred. Approaching Yami was a mortal woman, unbeknownst to Tèa that it was Amy Rivers, the grand vampire's new interest, holding a basket with the usual items that she brought with her over the past couple of months. Gripping the crystal orb tightly in her hands, it shattered into a thousand pieces and many of those pieces clinging onto her hands with blood escaping; to think that her spell did not contain any boundaries set towards the mortals made Tèa absolutely fuming with resentment inside of her.
She couldn't believe it; after almost thirty whole years of confinement, Yami was still interested with a female human! And catching the first glance at Amy, it was truly a bitter disgust to know that the pink-haired woman was much more beautiful than she was! With her emotions running wild, the disturbance of her powers alerted the whole castle that their queen was insanely unhappy about something and decided against being in her way for fear of erasure.
"Who is that mortal bitch that dares go near my dear Yami?" Tèa growled.
"A mortal that has special recognition with the Legion. She has gained the trust of the grand vampire so quickly in a matter of months..." Jinka responded.
"Bullshit! I made my spell clear of anyone that tries to even rescue him out of reach! There is no way that a mere mortal could ever enter the seal without being pushed back!" Tèa said.
"You have forgotten that the spell you used on the grand vampire will prevent those of the same kind from entering the seal. It will have no effect on those who have no blood connection whatsoever with the detained." Tyou stated.
"Grrr...I will see to it that this whore will be taught a lesson, personally." Tèa scowled.
Stomping out of the spellcasters' chambers, the western queen was livid after discovering Yami's new love interest through the visions of her spies. What he did see in the female mortal that she lacked so much on her body? Tèa possessed everything that a man wants from a woman; so why is it that the multi-colored haired man rejected her and not that pink-haired woman? Come to think of it, Tèa thought, the woman looked like someone else back during the rebellion stages of the vampire sovereignty that she took down...she shook her head in denial. There was entirely no way that the two were alike; after all, Tèa thought that this must be a controlled woman set to satisfy his hunger for blood. Brushing that notion aside, she returned to her chambers and ordered that no one was to come in except her pleasure man for the evening.
'Ha! I must be getting delusional; that bitch thinks she's so smart to not realize that vampires have a way to control even the strongest of minds. Once those two spellcasters that I summoned finished deciphering the last of Dilao's books, we'll set course for the books of Cresahan. To think the day of reckoning is upon us; my grandfather's dreams will soon be realized and this fucking world will be burned into the damning grounds of hell itself!' Tèa thought sadistically.
~Three weeks later-inside the military meeting chambers...~
"Are you positive that they reinforced the security protocol at the northern castle?" Dartz asked.
"Yeah; the fucking bastards have more guards keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious outside the entrance to the sacred library there." Siegfried answered.
"Shit...that means we have to plan an alternate way to rout them out of the castle long enough for us to obtain the final pieces of our plan." B. Keith grumbled.
"How did they even get wind of what we were planning to do?" Dartz asked.
"Maybe the fool that you almost killed overheard you talking about our damn plans and told the trustees of the grand vampire about it." Yako retorted. "And you used to be so secretive with your thoughts, Dartz."
"Silence, you jackass." Dartz scowled. "We'll inform our queen about our current direction of how we will raid the northern castle; the alternate plans will have to be made beforehand."
Plans folded out on the table, with details marking every entrance into the northern castle as the group of the western military leaders were focusing on the invasion to claim the sacred books of Cresahan, but hit a snag in their plans when learning that the northern castle's defenses were stepped up due to someone telling the others of what they were planning to do. They were hoping that what they would explain to their queen will not upset her; Tèa had been in a foul mood ever since discovering Yami's little visitor wasn't going to go away anytime soon.
Inside her chambers, with Marik splayed across her bed in the nude and the brunette woman ready to depart to the briefing corridors, Tèa was grinding her teeth in ravenous rage. For three whole weeks she was constantly watching her trapped lord flirting with the bitch she thought was his dinner, but to her discontent, was still alive and keeping Yami company while he was still imprisoned and it agitated her to no end. What was it that made him attracted to that mortal woman? It was driving her insane not knowing the answer! The first order of business was to retrieve the last forbidden books for their plan, then deal with the pink bitch she despised so much. With her black cape fastened tightly with a sapphire brooch, Tèa slammed the door out, with Marik stirring from his sleep and turning onto his stomach to close his eyes again.
'The queen has been in a foul mood since discovering that her former lover is still clinging onto his new love interest. But, what does that even mean to me, when I savor the flavor of the queen both inside and out when I pleasure her until she screams in ecstasy?' Marik thought. 'Shit...why does Tèa want to revive Solirais and risk the balance of both our living means and will to survive? I can understand the change needed within the regime, but to release the dictator of our kinship to rule once more? There has to be a catch...What am I thinking? I need to sleep; I've been up all through yesterday fucking my queen and feeding time is near...'
~Within the military chambers...~
"Bullshit! They know that we're coming for those books, and now our plan is in jeopardy of being uncovered!" Tèa shouted.
"We're taking the necessary precautions of making alternate plans should our main approach be unsuccessful." Yako said. "According to the map we have made from the last visit by our insiders, it looks like there are some blind spots of which are unavailable to the guards and we could make our assault from there."
"What about Seto and them? Surely, they would come after us and try to destroy the books before they reached our grasp." Misty inquired.
"Our queen will be with us when we commence the raid." Dartz stated. "They know that the queen has learned a couple of forbidden spells, but they have yet to realize the true potential of how powerful our queen is."
"I will not stand for failure on this mission; death awaits those who dissatisfy me. Our grand plan depends on the success of this operation." Tèa said, darkly.
"Understood, my queen." Everyone said.
To be this livid about her plan so close to being discovered was an understatement; the western queen was infuriated about the information regarding her targets was unearthed by a civilian from the northern lands, and now she made herself the decision to retrieve the last of the forbidden books in person. Tèa was not about to let anyone stand in her way in unleashing the final gateway into oblivion that will finally put an end to her much hated side of the clan. The brunette woman was thirsty for blood clenching onto her sharp claws, and once she was done with breaking Solirais's seal, the first chance she'll get was to offer him the chance to retrieve his powers from her very hostage.
Yes, the queen of her grandfather's reign held Yami inside her spell prison to present him as a sacrifice to the newly resurrected dictator of the region; after learning from Gozaburo about his true intentions for what he had in store for his uprising against his kingdom, Tèa did everything in her power to ensure that his very own descendant was young and powerful. There was nothing holding her back now that the plan was moving into its' final stages. If only her informers could find out whom Sethos's descendant is, so that she can kill that person with her own hands.
"My queen, before we are dismissed, do you wish to share with us of why you imprisoned the grand vampire?" Misty asked.
"...Solirais's powers will be severely weak after spending so many centuries sealed away within the condemnation of those who saw his ideal world unfit. Yami, although I wished that he would become my perfect mate, has set himself up for his ancestor's dinner." Tèa explained.
"You mean that the grand vampire is...?" B. Keith gasped. "I don't fucking believe it! Wouldn't that mean his damn younger brother is also Solirais's descendant?"
"Yugi may be born within the royal bloodline, but his powers derived from Dracula's genealogy. There is always one descendant from each vampire every two centuries, and Yami was born before Yugi, making his vampiric blood the perfect offering for the dictator himself." Tèa stated.
"But what if he's not satisfied with just one offering?" Yako asked. "Then what will become of our plan to rebuild our vampire society?"
"Solirais will not rest until he has killed every one of the offspring that cast the sealing spell on him. I've already had my underground informers tell me of all of the sages' descendants; however...they have not found anything regarding that fucking vamporant Sethos's offspring." Tèa said. "I will find out who he is and when I do, I'll kill him before Solirais arises from the grave. Now, if you don't mind, I like to get back to my chambers. Prepare for the invasion of the northern castle, and make sure you accomplish this mission."
"Yes, my queen." Everyone said.
~Six hours later, before the rise of dawn...~
"I can't believe I had to do this sort of thing just for some damn information. But, I can't let them know completely just yet; I promised Kiryu that I will gather every detail of the western queen's plans and revealed them when Tèa has gathered the last of the books. Until then, I have to stay undercover." Misty whispered. "That stupid, fucking idiot! Why did he had to make me deal that much damage to him knowing fully well that Solirais was going to kill him regardless of his injuries? Ugh, right now, I need to send the information to Rebecca and Mokuba before the morning sun breaks."
Far away from the walls of the western castle, as the sun was ready to rise onto the new day, the marshal that was actually an undercover agent for the now fallen eastern district Misty was readying her bottle message spell in order to transport the information to Seto's younger brother Mokuba, who was second-in-command in the southern military and his wife, spell researcher Rebecca Hawkins. Alongside those two, who under direct orders from Kiryu before the siege of the east, were infiltrating the western clan in the hopes of obtaining everything they could to prepare themselves for the war of their lives.
Misty wasn't happy of the undercover stunt; she had to injure her very own lord, and then had to participate in an execution that made her an enemy with the northern noble Mai Valentine. Then, with the hard months trying to earn the trust of the western queen, it was never easy for the raven-haired beauty. Sometimes, she thought about slapping the hell out of her flirtatious lord; how dare Kiryu played with women when he was supposed to be courting her since they were bound to be married by their parents! Oh well, she thought. Misty was going to slap him anyway when he shows himself afterwards.
With the message spell fully done, Misty cast it into the direction of the south and with her task done, she marched back towards the castle in the hopes of obtaining the last of her information.
'That message better get there fast; no telling what Tèa might do if she found out.' Misty thought.
Although from afar, a shadowy person stood atop of a tree branch, whistling away to either inform someone or to keep an eye on the situation.
'The pieces are set; everything will be played into motion. When the darkness reaches the highest pinnacle of this world, is when the girl of legend shall appear herself.'
Finally finished! I don't know what is making me stray so behind everything!
It looks like we have ourselves a new mystery! Who is this mysterious person that lurks within the shadows? And what plans will our undercover agent Misty be able to retrieve and warn that of her clan?
Next chapter: As Amy recruits Aki on a mission, the sight of the twins made Aki questioning why her memories of that night weren't connecting. Also, as the bond between Amy and Yami grow stronger, an unforeseen attack brings Amy into the castle of the northern clan, seeing for the first time of how things are without her interest around.
R&R, people! And I'm so sorry for making you wait this long! –Cries in agony-