Constantine The Laughing Magician Presents; Life in the Real World
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Chapter 18: Kings and Counts of the Bloody Jury
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~ I suppose that leaving Bats to clean up my mess is just the tip of the ice berg; and to our tale, many twists and turns still await. Chas just handed me the worst news upon my return to mother London. So? What's in the box from Transylvania you might be asking? Why don't we talk a look inside….and find out, mates? ~
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Previously in chapters before the plant demon got the virginity – or thought it did, of the Bat's kid…. I had been offered a chance to stop a war between - you guessed it, dragons and vampires of the Count's court. There are hundreds of bloody universes, but this?
Has to be the bloodiest example besides Nergal's that I can find. So, why is there a blood seal stamped atop a white paper envelope, conveniently placed inside of my box at the only house I've only ever inhabited as my time as a cursed Magi?
Easy; a declaration that came right from the lords themselves.
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Of a congregation… I would not falter.
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"You can't be serious, John!" Chas is staring up at me, and not from smoking too much or drinking myself into the sidewalk for he and Zee to come scrape up, either.
"I let it at that, but now the Dragon lord from THAT time – line and traverse is after my soul…lovely. And no, you can't stop it, Chas." I tutted my friend once, and once only.
"Zee? I have to get in touch with the same dragon. It's urgent –
"Have them hire someone else, John!"
"Great. You're on his side with this?" I groan and throw my hands up above my head. "Fine. If you lot won't "spell" it out, I'll just summon the bloke to tea with the queen. Are you mad?? If I said no a fourth time, It's obvious they won't give up, not just like that." I snapped my fingers to make a clear point.
"Vampires are monsters when provoked, they'd just use you and then –
"Not all counts are blood – thirsty drunkards, lov." I shook my head to that old theory. "Ever heard of Energy Vampires?"
"This is a political ceasefire you're throwing yourself into!" She butted heads with my logic. We always know how, if you know it…Our history is quite a –
"I won't let you go it alone."
"They didn't say to bring a bleedin' guest, Zee!" I stomped at her. For peats – is she still after me about draining Gotham from before? It was a mass – hallucination to the citizens. I'm off the hook!
And no, Dami was not reaped by a plant monster. He was caught up in its lie, so now he might just hit puberty…a tad earlier…It's not my fault! The brat went through my tomes and he in honesty – should have gotten a thorough slap on the rear for calling me an enemy of his dad. Dear gods! Anyway, of all of it, Zee is pissed. Right…what to do…
"I could care less; I'll notify them, but only if you say I'm coming for the same reason as you."
Aw. Well, I guess she has enough of that aura for the dragons to see her as one who is "pure of heart."
Ah, what the hell.
"Fine, you get in and Chas? Watch out here for flying bats and serpents."
Chas sighed as I knew he would at me. "Bloke…. Johnny, you have a lot to catch up on. I doubt that they can't find another mediator to put a stop to their squabble. Wherever you'll be off to, find a way back this time."
"Will do, Mate."
Zee nodded as well, pushing my arse towards the only room that could handle both of us at once.
My lovely library, where magic lives and dies from within its walls. The House of Mystery surely is a marvel. Sandman himself had quite a prize, till I won it off one of his fellows in a bet. They don't gamble very well in the Underworld.
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We link arms and speak from the pages of an old Romanian text. One that is born of blood and sin so deep, yet wrought with the power to open doors.
I chant along, Zee is also aware as she hands me her strength. We have to speak to the council of Dragon's highest ranking official, yet second best may do. The letter with the seal is between crossed feet as we bring its sender into being. The golden and red gateway is with enough miasma to cough a lung. I try to wince past it, just as Zee was trained by myself and her father. An Italian magus of his own sorcery who has the power to put a better end to this war than I should.
Fate not be damned; she'd give anything to have his approval of her being by my side…
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I take in all my lung's breadth and pull the trigger to my soul.
Here we go…
~ Revarsă-te prin porțile altei lumi, fii puternic și vorbește zeilor - căci venim în pace să-ți rezolvăm războaiele.~
(Translated to from Romanian, modern sadly… "Pour forth through the gates of another world, be strong and speak to the gods - for we come in peace to settle your wars.")
The book cases so tall, they rattle. We've done it, as the letter soon bleeds and the carpet has an image of a face, painted in red upon it. Lips moving, jaw gritted and fangs.
Fangs?
Not a dragon…
A vampire.
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~ The aura you produce is tantalizing…. Who are you to summon my presence? ~
Zee gulps, and I'm afraid I could get a nip if I untwist myself on accident. Wouldn't hurt if he gives a nasty bite to either of us.
"Constantine and Zatara." I try to be brave, yet do you hear a shaking in my voice, mates? I'm petrified as wood! A vampire lord sent this note, which means…
I'm on the wrong side of the wall of this devil's war…
~Ah, the daughter of alternate "FATE." ~ The vampire crooks a smile at us both. ~What blood you possess, my child…. ~
Scratch that. At Zee, so I stutter some more just to be certain.
"Lordship, may I call you that?" I try to impress imps, kings of hell, and what do I get?
A sniff, and an upturned nose from an ink puddle…
Damn!
"I was given this note; well, I imagine it was sent by one of yours?"
~Correct, magi. ~
"Y – Anyway…." He knew my fucking title all along. Wanker! Dear gods, I need to pull back for vacation time with my mates – before I end up on a stake like the blood suckers of this tale…
"Ah, I was given the offer before. Turned it down, flat."
~As you should have. ~ The vampire's face snarled at something other than my face for a change.
~The dragons believe our young Lord Dragul to owe them much more than what we are willing to provide. The conference went poorly, and we ended up with dragons to slay by a former ally's betrayal. ~
"I see, I'm a runner – up, then?"
~ Yes…~ Hissed the creature on my rug. ~That, would be true, yet you were chosen as one to not betray us, the other was weak. So, we picked at his bones. ~
"OH, I see…"
Zee was already trying not to think about the gore of this oncoming episode. She'd seen worse but this wasn't smoke and mirrors. More Dungeons and Draguls.
~You'll come to us, and bring her. We have much need for extra magic to dissuade those creatures of the high mountains from taking much more of our brood. ~
"Sounds like a plan, one question though…. might I? Are, you only going to use us, if we are dead?"
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Remember how I said that the vamps' world was in another world or universe right off the bat?
Well, the laws are strict, that none may pass through the gate without first having called upon death…Gruesome, but how else can you avoid being bitten? Though, for a nightmare realm formed around Dracula's time with undead, vampires and dragons aside, I still get to keep my magic. Very soon, my face will look more haggard only temporarily, as it does now. As far as traverses go, this one, is quite a wallop.