《The Numen Chronicles | Volume One: Nosferatu》 Understanding Alucards Accent Alucard¡¯s dialogue in this edition of the story has an accent. He doesn¡¯t pronounce Hs, THs and some Rs. Below are some examples to help you understand his dialogue: You¡¯ll see words like ¡®ead (head), ¡®ere (here), and ¡®owever (however), missing the H. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. THs are often ZHs, such as zhat (that), zhis (this), zhe (the), and zhere (there). In other cases, you¡¯ll see ozzer (other). Ws become Vs, such as vhat (what), vhere (where), and vhy (why). Some Ds become Zs, such as Zamien (Damien), zon¡¯t (don¡¯t), and Zetlaff (Detlaff). Fs also become Vs, such as vollow (follow), vriend (friend), and vor (for). And some Rs become Vs, such as vest (rest), Veiner (Reiner), and Remont (Vemont). Chapter One | Vampires, Werewolves, and Demons **Please note that the main character''s dialogue has an accent which might feel confusing. If you wish to read this story without the accent, you can find the [N.A.E] version of this book on my profile** Alucard flicked the blood from his rapier and watched the werewolf¡¯s severed head drop to the ground to join the beast¡¯s twitching body. A satisfied smirk stretched across his pale face, baring the tips of his fangs. It brought him relief knowing he was closer to his task¡¯s completion, and all he had to do now was face the Alpha. With a vicious snarl, the white-furred wolf which stood across the field rose to its hind legs in a display of threat. But Alucard wasn¡¯t unnerved. He extended his claws from his fingertips and awaited the beast¡¯s charge. And when it burst towards him¡ªkicking the ground beneath its feet up in its wake¡ªAlucard sprung forward much faster than it could comprehend. He arrived at its side before the grass where he¡¯d been standing settled and gripped the wolf¡¯s throat, digging his claws into its skin. It yelped when he lifted it off its feet and slammed its back into the ground, and before it could attempt to defend itself, Alucard sliced the Alpha¡¯s head from its body. It was done. He flicked his sword, removing as much of the blood from it as he could, and then with the crimson, white fur-trimmed cape he wore over his shoulders, he cleaned his blade and sheathed it at his side. From his pocket, he pulled a folded sack large enough for the beast¡¯s head, which he picked up by its muzzle with a disgusted grunt. He unfolded the sack, eased the head inside, and glanced at each dead wolf. They were all there, and with a jerk of his hand, he sent them up in blood-red flames. Although he¡¯d severed their heads, he wanted to ensure none of them would become hellhounds. That was the last thing he needed. Killing werewolves for the people of the city was tiring enough; if he had to deal with their reanimated corpses, too, he¡¯d feel as though his work was worth more than the treaty he was trying to create with the humans. He headed into the woods and navigated the late-night gloom to where he left his black stallion. Its crimson eyes shone like a beacon, and from its nostrils oozed dark, twisting fog. ¡°Vank you vor vaiting,¡± he said, his Dor-Sanguian accent thick and distinguishable. In response, the possessed horse snorted and waited while Alucard attached the sack to its saddle. Then, he mounted the horse and took hold of the reins. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The horse carried him through the murky fir forest and into the open fields lit by the kaleidoscopic light of the six moons. In the distance, the glow of Dargamoore City cut through the murk. Alucard made the horse move faster across the farmland, following the dirt roads until he reached Dargamoore¡¯s black iron gates. That was where he dismounted and escorted the stallion to a tavern. He hitched the animal and took the bloody sack. ¡°Vait ¡®ere,¡± he said and then headed inside. The place reeked of beer, cigarettes, and piss. It was a building he¡¯d only ever visit if he had no other choice, and in this case, he didn¡¯t. Alucard approached the bar and pulled the werewolf head from the sack by its muzzle and slammed it on the counter, ensuring that the collision splashed blood in every direction. It sent two patrons running, made another retch, and the bartender dropped the glass he was cleaning in startlement. ¡°Zhere you go.¡± Alucard patted the head. ¡°I even brought you zhe ¡®ead so you can put up zhere vith zhe vest of zhem.¡± He nodded at the display of taxidermy wall mounts behind the bar. The bartender snapped out of his state of stupor. ¡°Are you fucking serious?¡± He chucked the sack at the man¡¯s face. ¡°You vanted zhe fucking ving.¡± ¡°Not literally!¡± he exclaimed. Alucard took a piece of crumpled paper from his pocket. He laid it flat on the bar and pointed to the words as he read, ¡°Vanted, dead and ¡®ead severed. Is zhis not to your satisvaction?¡± With an irritated grunt, the man turned around and went into back room while muttering, ¡°Fucking psycho.¡± Alucard waited, ignoring the crowd¡¯s murmurs¡ªmurmurs which he heard whenever he walked these streets. ¡®Vampire freak¡¯ and ¡®undead monster¡¯ were two common insults. He was used to the berating stares, too¡­but he wasn¡¯t familiar with the look he was getting from the man sitting in the far-right corner. He didn¡¯t recognize the guy, but he evidently wasn¡¯t from around here. He was wearing an expensive suit, his dark hair was combed back over his head, and although his eyes were black, Alucard noticed a red shimmer when the light hit them. And his sulphur-like scent was hard to miss. That man was a demon; Alucard could feel the creature¡¯s power like a bitter breeze in the night¡¯s air. He didn¡¯t like the smirk on his face, nor did he like the fact that his eyes were looking him up and down as though he was sizing up his next meal. ¡°Here,¡± the bartender uttered. Alucard wordlessly snatched the coin pouch from him and headed for the door. ¡°Hey!¡± the bartender called. ¡°You¡¯re just gonna leave this here?!¡± Without answering, he left the tavern and walked to his horse. His job was done, and all he wanted to do was finish his patrol of the surrounding woods and get home before daylight. He¡¯d had enough human interaction for one night. But just as he was about to get on his horse¡ª ¡°Excuse me,¡± came a smooth, silvery voice. ¡°Sorry to interrupt whatever it is that you¡¯re doing, but are you Alucard?¡± Alucard let go of the saddle and turned to face whoever said the name very few knew him by, and when he saw that it was the demon who smirked at him inside the tavern, he scowled. ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡± he questioned cautiously. The demon held out his hand, which possessed claws in place of his nails. ¡°Zalith. I assume Damien told you about me?¡± That was how he knew his name. Damien told him, but despite that this demon knew Damien, Alucard wanted nothing to do with him. ¡°No, ¡®e zidn¡¯t,¡± he replied, ignoring his hand. Zalith lowered his hand and frowned. ¡°Well, in that case, I suppose he¡¯s expecting me to fill you in. I¡¯ve come from Eltaria to meet you and discuss a relocation mission involving the vampires of my world. He mentioned that you¡¯re the Lord of the Nosferatu¡ªthe vampire society¡ªright?¡± The vampire looked him up and down. ¡°I zon¡¯t vork vith ozzer people and I never ¡®ave. Zamien vouldn¡¯t suddenly change zhat.¡± He climbed on his horse. ¡°Well, it would seem that he had a change of heart,¡± Zalith said, glaring up at him. ¡°I¡¯m frankly a little surprised that he hasn¡¯t said anything to you yet.¡± ¡°If zhis vere true, ¡®e vould ¡®ave said someving.¡± He made his horse turn towards the city gates. ¡°Good luck vith your vampire mission.¡± Then, he headed for the exit. The demon walked at the horse¡¯s side. ¡°Can¡¯t you take my word for it and reach out to him to make sure?¡± Alucard glanced down at him. ¡°No.¡± And once he was past the gates, he tapped the horse¡¯s side and took off, racing away from the city and Zalith. ¡°Lives are at stake!¡± Zalith called. He wouldn¡¯t tell himself that he didn¡¯t care; whenever vampires were involved, he couldn¡¯t help but care. But what he didn¡¯t care about was that demon, and he wasn¡¯t interested in working with him. If there really was a mission involving vampires, then he¡¯d do it alone, just as he¡¯d always done things. As he rode towards the forest, Alucard pulled one of his colts out of his coat. He ensured the barrel was loaded with silver rounds, reloading those he used fighting the werewolves. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he¡¯d come across more tonight, but he was ready either way. When he reached the tree line, he climbed off his horse. But as he was about to head into the murky woods, a cold shiver ran down his spine, and the scent of ash and sulphur snatched his attention. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. With a quiet whoosh and crinkle of the leaves in the grass, something landed behind Alucard. He wasn¡¯t afraid, though; he knew who had come. ¡°He wants to see you,¡± came a cold, slithering voice. Alucard turned to face the faceless spectre hiding under draping black robes. ¡°Vhere?¡± ¡°Eltaria. Five minutes.¡± With a heavy sigh, Alucard nodded. The spectre transformed into a whisp of black smoke and raced off. ¡°You can ¡®ead ¡®ome,¡± he told the stallion. ¡°Somevone vill put you in zhe stables.¡± The possessed beast grunted and left. Alucard had five minutes to get to Eltaria and he¡¯d not risk being late. So, he morphed into a vermillion smoke-like apparition and, much like the faceless wraith, he sped up and through the sky. He moved quicker than any creature could, flying over the farmland and the dark sea, heading towards the island in the distance. When he landed on the black rock, he was greeted by the endless rainfall and rhythmic cracks of thunder. As he made his way towards the darkness-filled archway sitting a few feet from the water¡¯s edge, he glanced at the skyfish and watched them swim around inside the storm. Considering what happened in Dargamoore, he felt it was safe to assume that he was being summoned so late because of that demon. Was he going to have to work with someone else? And not just anyone, but a demon? He snarled quietly and clenched his fists. There was only one way he¡¯d find out. He walked through the archway and emerged on the other side, finding himself in the gloomy, eroded hall of an old castle. The damp smell was disgusting and burned the insides of his nose. Vines had twisted their way through the crumbling white brick, which was covered with leaf litter and dried dirt. It wasn¡¯t that which made him grimace, though. A sudden ache spiralled through his head and throbbed behind his eyes. Could this pain be a result of his transition through worlds? He took a small steel flask from his pocket. As he made his way down the hallway, he unscrewed the lid and took a sip of the blood that was inside. He hoped that it would help with this pain just as it helped with any other. And to his relief, it did. The hallway took him to a staircase, and while he climbed it, he glanced at the silvery moon through the windows. What kind of pathetic little world possessed only one moon? Once he reached the top of the tower, he saw that he was alone, so he wandered to the edge and stared at the world below. The empty grassland went on as far as his eyes could see, as did the forest on the other side. Alucard¡¯s attention was snatched by approaching footsteps, but he didn¡¯t bother turning to face whoever walked onto the tower. He knew it wasn¡¯t his boss. But when he noticed that their aura wasn¡¯t human or vampire, he scowled irritably. It was the aura of a demon¡­and one he¡¯d felt before. He glanced over his shoulder and saw him. Zalith, the demon who approached him outside the tavern. His dark eyes shimmered crimson while he looked at Alucard, and as he approached, a pleasant smile appeared on his face. ¡°Hello again,¡± Zalith said with a quiet laugh. The vampire scowled at him. ¡°Vhat are you doing ¡®ere?¡± he asked, but he was sure that he knew the answer. ¡°I¡¯m here to meet Damien, which I¡¯m sure isn¡¯t far off from what you¡¯re doing here yourself.¡± His scowl thickened, but angst accompanied his aggravation. If Damien sent Zalith to Dargamoore, then he was certain that he was about to receive an earful. But it wasn¡¯t his fault. He¡¯d worked solo for four hundred years. Why would his boss suddenly change that without warning him? He wouldn¡¯t have time to reply even if he wanted to. The sound of incoming wings made them both turn to face the east; a feather-winged man flew over the forest, breaking through the clouds, and it sent fear spiralling through Alucard¡¯s body. Damien was coming. Zalith moved closer to him, but much too close for Alucard¡¯s comfort, so as Damien soared down and landed on the tower, Alucard took a few steps away from Zalith. With a condescending glower, Damien folded his dark, purple-tinted wings against his back. His perfectly centre-split black and white hair floated in the breeze, and his four charcoal-black, foot-tall horns shimmered in the moonlight. ¡°You found your way here, then,¡± he said, shifting his red and blue eyes from Alucard to Zalith. They bowed respectfully; Damien wasn¡¯t only Alucard¡¯s boss, but also a Demon God. Damien smiled amusedly. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t torn each other apart¡ªdisappointed, even,¡± he said, walking to the edge of the tower where Alucard had been standing. He leaned against the wall and glared at them. Alucard frowned cautiously, trying his best to remain calm. ¡°You¡­sent zhis zemon to vind me in Dor-Sanguis, vight? Vorgive me, but I ¡®ave alvays vorked alone; I zidn¡¯t vink zhat vhat ¡®e vas telling me vas true.¡± His boss held out his hand, and as he did, Alucard flinched. He expected Damien to scold him, but the man instead scoffed and pointed at him with his black claw-tipped finger. Damien told him, ¡°You upset one of my favourite demons.¡± Alucard kept his eyes on him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Damien¡¯s sights shifted to Zalith. ¡°Do you accept his apology?¡± ¡°Of course I do,¡± Zalith replied. Alucard didn¡¯t have to look at Zalith to know he was smirking. He could hear it in his voice. But he kept a vacant expression, waiting for Damien to continue. Damien said, ¡°I have a job for the two of you.¡± Zalith and Alucard glanced at one another. While Zalith looked skeptical, Alucard adorned a confused frown. The demon took his eyes off Alucard and looked at Damien. ¡°I assume this is related to the cause. The child?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Damien said with a shrug. Alucard¡¯s look of confusion thickened. Cause? Child? ¡°Vhat cause?¡± Zalith rolled his eyes. The vampire scowled irritably¡ª ¡°Overthrowing my brother. The best way to do that is to fill his world with creatures he didn¡¯t create. It just so happens that Zalith possesses what I need, and I possess what he needs,¡± Damien drawled, tapping his chin. ¡°Vhat¡­is zhat?¡± ¡°Well, you are the Nosferatu¡¯s leader. You are the only one with the resources to assist Zalith.¡± Alucard didn¡¯t want to help Zalith¡ªhe barely knew him¡ªand in the short time they¡¯d interacted, he was sure he was going to hate him. He wanted to ask Damien why he should help this demon, but he knew better than to question his wishes. ¡°A war has broken out in this land,¡± Damien continued, ¡°and it has endangered vampires. Zalith wishes to save them, and the only other realm that can harbour vampire ethos is Aegisguard. You will assist Zalith in transporting his vampires to your world since your aura will mask theirs from Letholdus¡¯ detection.¡± Zalith looked at Alucard. ¡°We must begin momentarily,¡± he said with the same supercilious tone as Damien. The vampire scowled irritably. He hated that they were both talking to him like he was incapable; if the circumstances were different, he would have hit this demon by now, but he had to contain his frustration. ¡°I vould like to know more about zhis plan bevore vushing in like a moron. Vhat are zhe visks?¡± ¡°If Letholdus finds out, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll kill you. But that wouldn¡¯t be such a tremendous loss, would it?¡± Damien answered. Alucard tried to keep an embarrassed expression off his face, but he struggled when he saw Zalith smile amusedly. Damien continued, ¡°Letholdus is aware of your existence, so I¡¯m confident that he¡¯ll think nothing of you travelling back and forth from Eltaria.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a simple plan,¡± Zalith said, glancing at Alucard. Alucard glared at the demon. ¡°Vhy do you care so much about vampires? You are zemon; ve are natural enemies.¡± ¡°I owe it to them,¡± Zalith answered. ¡°They were loyal throughout the war, and their numbers are withering. Those who remain deserve to survive, and I want to find a safe place for them until I can make everything right.¡± Alucard had no choice but to do what Damien said, but he wasn¡¯t finished with his questions. ¡°You never ¡®ave me ¡®elp anyvone vithout zhem giving me someving in veturn. Vhat vill zhat be?¡± he asked Damien. ¡°Your father is still after you,¡± Damien grumbled. ¡°You are only safe because I am keeping you hidden. Perhaps Zalith will play a part in your father¡¯s demise. Or perhaps¡­something else that causes your life to be in danger. That wouldn¡¯t surprise me. You often get yourself wrapped up in things I¡¯d rather not deal with.¡± Alucard looked at Zalith, ignoring Damien¡¯s derogatory speech. ¡°And you are on board vith zhis?¡± ¡°I am. But if you need more time to understand, please¡­it¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a rush,¡± he uttered sarcastically. With a vexed frown, Alucard set his sights on Damien. ¡°¡®Ow vould zhis zemon kill my vather?¡± Damien shrugged. ¡°He has many skills I can put to use.¡± If his father was killed, then Alucard would be free of Damien. That sounded so relieving¡ªso relieving that he required no further convincing. But having to work with someone would be frustrating, especially when that someone was a demon. However, if completing this task would give him the freedom he longed for, then he¡¯d put up with Zalith. ¡°Vine,¡± the vampire muttered, holding his hand out to Zalith. ¡°Let¡¯s start again.¡± Zalith smirked and shook his hand. ¡°I look forward to working with you.¡± Alucard knew that was a lie. ¡°Likevise.¡± Damien sighed deeply. ¡°Come up with a plan. I want all those vampires in Aegisguard in a year. If Letholdus catches on, you¡¯re on your own,¡± he muttered, pointing at Alucard. He glared at Zalith. ¡°And you¡­be careful. If you lay a hand on him, I¡¯ll cut it off¡ªpermanently.¡± Then, he aggressively flapped his wings and raced into the sky, disappearing through the clouds. Alucard snarled. ¡°Dracului¡­arrogant¡­fuck.¡± The vampire caught a smile of amusement leaving Zalith¡¯s face when he looked at him, but before he could tell him to stop smiling, the demon adorned a firm glare. Zalith told him, ¡°There are one hundred and fifteen vampires. We¡¯ll meet here before each transferal; Damien may have given us a year, but I need them moved as soon as possible¡ªover the course of a month would be preferable.¡± Alucard frowned disapprovingly. ¡°Ve vere given a year, and I can only take vivteen a time at most. I vill also begin no earlier zhan tomorrow; I ¡®ave someving to clear up bevore I start bringing vampires ¡®ome. Vhether zhat is okay vith you or not, I¡¯m now leaving.¡± Zalith sighed tiredly. ¡°He left us here to discuss a plan.¡± ¡°Zhere is noving more to discuss.¡± The demon scoffed. ¡°Logistics, meeting places, plans for if things go wrong. I¡¯d like to know more about this Nosferatu, too. Unless, of course, you¡¯d rather play things by ear and deal with the repercussions of fucking up.¡± Glaring at him, Alucard clenched his fist. ¡°Zon¡¯t talk to me as if I zon¡¯t know vhat I¡¯m doing. I¡¯ve vorked vor Zamien all my life. I zon¡¯t need to stand avound discussing anyving vith you. Ve vill meet ¡®ere, I vill take vampires, and zhat¡¯s all. If zhere is anyving to discuss, ve vill do so only vhen I¡¯m ¡®ere.¡± Zalith frowned condescendingly and slowly shook his head. ¡°When Damien told me he had an answer for my problems, I didn¡¯t expect to be lumbered with such an arrogant fool.¡± Alucard scoffed, looking him up and down. ¡°I could say zhe same ving.¡± Then, he headed for the stairs. Zalith didn¡¯t say anything else, nor did he follow, and Alucard was glad. If that insufferable ass said one more thing, he was sure he would have broken his jaw. He didn¡¯t understand why he had to work with a demon, but it was Damien¡¯s order, and he knew that if he didn¡¯t do as that creature asked, he¡¯d be the one with the broken jaw¡­or worse. With an irritated sigh, he made his way downstairs and towards the portal. This was the strangest assignment he¡¯d been given, but there was no point questioning it. Damien wanted to undermine Letholdus by bringing outside ethos into Aegisguard, and he was certain that this was going to be his first of many missions involving that goal. Chapter Two | The Bard | Elvin | Elvin flew out of the tavern¡¯s wide-open door, grasping his beloved lute against his chest. His pecan-brown hair was scattered with pieces of rotten tomato and peanut shells, and as the crowd inside hollered in revolt, he pouted sadly. ¡°You don¡¯t know a good story when you hear it!¡± he yelled, shaking his fist. ¡°Get lost!¡± the doorman shouted, pulling the door shut. Alone on the street, Elvin scowled sullenly. He had so many other things he could say, but what was the point of wasting his breath? No one wanted to hear his stories; nobody wanted to hear the truth about the vampires they shared Dor-Sanguis with. He was the only one that could tell that story¡­but he¡¯d not give another second to the hapless drunks inside that establishment. As he shook the food from his hair, he walked down the cold, lantern-lit cobblestone street. He pulled his feather-tipped hat from his inside pocket, and once he put it on, he glanced up at the star-filled sky. He admired the array of beautiful colours spread throughout it as a result of the six brightly glowing moons. The mixture of purple, red, blue, and gold shined like sunlight through a stained-glass window, and if there was anything Elvin found beautiful in this world of darkness and misery, it was that. He looked up and down the road, but there wasn¡¯t a single person in sight. The quietness sent a shiver down his spine, and he didn¡¯t know where he was going. He thought he¡¯d be in the tavern much longer than he was, and for all he knew, it could be hours before it was time to meet Alucard. A small school of shimmering, silver fish swam around the lantern he was approaching. What were they doing out? Skyfish didn¡¯t descend past the clouds unless it was raining. Was it going to rain soon? That was the last thing he needed. His hat wouldn¡¯t keep his head dry and he¡¯d surely catch a cold. He started thinking about the tavern again, and it made a sour scowl warp his face. ¡°I¡¯m better than all the other bards,¡± he told himself as he turned left at the crossroad. ¡°All they sing about is nonsense about some ugly lady and her stupid man friend. No one wants to hear about that. Stupid love stories. Stupid bard. Stupid tavern. They should be pining after my stories!¡± He looked over his shoulder as the wind raced past him, almost swiping the hat from his head. ¡°I¡¯m talented,¡± he muttered, pouting. He was talented¡­right? His words hadn¡¯t gone unheard. He sharply turned his head to stare ahead as a low growl ruptured the night¡¯s ominous silence. The bard frowned and gripped his lute tightly, watching a pair of dim yellow eyes shimmer in the dark alley across the road. He tensed up and dropped his instrument as he screamed in horror, but before Elvin could flee, a blurred beast burst out of the shadows and crashed into him, pinning him against the wall. The bard let out a hysterical screech, and the wolfish monster snarled ferociously in his face. Elvin whimpered and cried as he tried to escape the monster¡¯s grip. He knew he couldn¡¯t do anything, though. What was a measly little human going to do against a werewolf? But the beast was suddenly torn away from him as it yelped and snarled. He stumbled forward, and when he set his eyes on Alucard, relief struck him. Alucard was the best werewolf slayer Elvin knew. The vampire had his arms around the wolf¡¯s neck, but it looked like he was struggling. With several angry snarls, the wolf broke free and turned to face him. Alucard pulled his rapier from its sheath, but as he swung it towards the creature, it dodged and lunged at him¡ª ¡°Aleksei!¡± Elvin shrieked. Alucard slammed his fist into the side of the wolf¡¯s face, though, and sent it tumbling across the road. It hurried to its feet, but just as it was about to charge, Alucard pulled his colt from his pocket and fired. The bullet collided with the beast¡¯s face, and once it burrowed inside its skull, the round exploded, sending blood and brain matter all over the place. Elvin retched when a piece of bloody brain splashed onto his face, and once he was sure the beast was dead, he stomped his foot down and glared at Alucard. ¡°You always do this to me!¡± he exclaimed, wiping the mess from his face and clothes. ¡°Covering me in blood and guts and even mud that one time!¡± Alucard took his hellish eyes off the beast and glared at Elvin. The light of the lanterns shone oddly on his red hair, which fell to his jaw in length and was tied loosely behind his head¡ªmuch like Elvin¡¯s. A small, gold-looped earring shimmered in his right, sharply pointed ear, and an irritated look clung to his face. ¡°Do you ¡®ave to complain every time I save your life, Elvin?¡± His accent was thick, and he spoke much faster than anyone else Elvin knew. He didn¡¯t hail from the same land as him, but he had been around him so long that he understood every word. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said with a pout. ¡°What the heck was that wolf doing here anyway?! They haven¡¯t been brave enough to come out of the forest in weeks.¡± ¡°I zon¡¯t know,¡± he grumbled, putting his colt away as the surrounding buildings¡¯ lights started flicking on. ¡°But zhat ving vas a lot stronger and vaster zhan zhe verevolves I usually vace.¡± Elvin frowned worriedly. ¡°What does that mean?¡± The vampire sighed and turned around. ¡°Ve should leave bevore zhese people come out and start screaming at me,¡± he said, ignoring his question. With a nod, Elvin swerved past the corpse and hurried to catch up to him. Alucard glanced down at him. ¡°Vhat are you doing out ¡®ere? I told you to stay in zhe tavern.¡± He scoffed and muttered, ¡°They kicked me out, that¡¯s what.¡± Alucard smirked amusedly. ¡°Not vans of your singing, no?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Embarrassed, Elvin scowled at him. But he couldn¡¯t stay angry. He almost became that thing¡¯s dinner, and he couldn¡¯t help but linger on the fact that Alucard struggled to kill it immediately. ¡°You¡¯ve been killing werewolves for months like they¡¯re nothing. Why would one strong enough to break free from you show up now?¡± ¡°I zon¡¯t know, Elvin,¡± he said tiredly. ¡°I vill vind out, zhough. Zhe last ving I need vight now is vor zhem to become a pain in my ass again.¡± ¡°Maybe Tobias can help.¡± He looked up at him, waiting for him to respond, but it looked like he was thinking¡­very angrily. ¡°Did you get your things done for tonight? The things you refuse to tell me about,¡± he asked, hoping that a different subject would wipe the gloomy look off Alucard¡¯s face. ¡°Da,¡± the vampire muttered. ¡°So¡­will you tell me about them now?¡± He didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Tell me¡­please?¡± he pleaded. ¡°No.¡± Elvin frowned irritably. ¡°You never tell me anything.¡± Alucard looked at him and sighed. ¡°I killed a verewolf Alpha vor somevone, and zhen Zamien summoned me to meet ¡®im.¡± ¡°Oh, Damien, huh?¡± he asked with a look of angst smothering his once eager face. Even the slightest mention of that man discomforted him. ¡°What did you have to do? Meet someone again? Even more werewolf stuff? Or¡­Diabolus?¡± ¡°Zhe virst vone,¡± the vampire said, glaring ahead as they followed a dirt path out of the town and towards a small forest. The bard eyed him sceptically. ¡°Did you¡­have a date, Aleksei?¡± ¡°Vhat?¡± he snapped, glowering at him. ¡°I zon¡¯t care vhat zhat vas.¡± A nervous laugh broke free of Elvin¡¯s sigh. He might humour the idea¡­but thinking about Alucard dating made him feel anxious. ¡°Yeah, true. Well, whatever it was¡ªprobably not a date¡ªI want all the details when we get back home. I feel like this might be one for my manuscript.¡± ¡°If you are vailing as a bard, vhat makes you vink somevone is going to vant to publish your manuscript?¡± the vampire questioned. Elvin shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll make it one day; I gotta find the right angle, you know?¡± ¡°Vight,¡± Alucard mumbled, glaring ahead again. ¡°Vell, good luck vith zhat.¡± ¡°Aww, Aleksei,¡± Elvin said, smiling at him. ¡°You¡¯re so supportive.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± he grumbled, stepping aside before Elvin could place his hand on his shoulder. Elvin frowned in discontent, but then bounced up and down. ¡°Oh, oh, can I write down that little rescue back there? I bet you were chasing that wolf for miles, weren¡¯t you? If it weren¡¯t for me being there at that exact time, you would have never caught up with it, would you?¡± Alucard glanced at him. ¡°Zhat is not vhat ¡®appened at all.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­you told me to switch things up; people don¡¯t wanna hear about a scary, rich Vampire Lord killing things, saving people, and buying fancy stuff; they wanna hear about a mere, struggling bard saving a vampire!¡± ¡°Do zhey?¡± he asked doubtfully. As they came out of the other side of the forest and onto a white sand beach, Elvin nodded confidently¡­but then saddened. ¡°Sometimes, I feel like you don¡¯t believe in me. I so happen to think this idea would make a great story.¡± ¡°You vink everyving makes a great story.¡± ¡°Well, it does if you tell it right.¡± The vampire rolled his eyes. ¡°Vait ¡®ere vor me.¡± ¡°Come on, man, you¡¯re making me wait on a beach? What if more werewolves come? Or pirates? I could be mugged!¡± Alucard looked him up and down. ¡°You vouldn¡¯t exactly make a grativying snack vor a volf, nor do you possess much at all vor a pirate to steal. You just said zhat yourselv: mere, struggling bard,¡± he mocked, smirking. ¡°Wow. Crude as ever. Please, can¡¯t I come?¡± he begged, holding his hands together. ¡°I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut; I¡¯ll stand in a little corner and observe. You won¡¯t even know I¡¯m there.¡± ¡°No,¡± he refused again. Elvin crossed his arms and pouted stubbornly. ¡°Fine, but if I get eaten, you¡¯ll be the one digging me out of whatever creature¡¯s stomach and sending my remains to my next of kin.¡± Alucard frowned strangely at him. ¡°You zon¡¯t ¡®ave any next of kin, Elvin. You came vrom an orphanage.¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­you never know. I could have someone out there.¡± ¡°You zon¡¯t. I checked. Go and sit over zhere,¡± he instructed, nodding at a tree. ¡°I von¡¯t be long; I just ¡®ave to talk to zhem zhis time.¡± Sighing, Elvin dragged himself over to the tree, slumped down, and crossed his arms. ¡°Whatever. I could have cousins¡­or a long-lost auntie who bakes cookies and gets drunk all the time. Those places are notorious for failing to keep records, you know!¡± Alucard shook his head and dragged his hand over his face. ¡°Vhatever you vant to tell yourselv.¡± Then set his eyes on the open sea. In the distance, a ship was barely visible on the horizon. The vampire disappeared into vermillion smoke and sped across the water, leaving Elvin on the beach. Elvin scrunched up and tried to focus on working out how to get more information out of Alucard, but all he could think about was his family. Did he have anyone out there? No, he wasn¡¯t going to let himself make up some story about fake relatives. He was alone, and Alucard was right. He was always right. ??? | Alucard | Alucard reached the ship. He landed on the deck with a thump and waited impatiently as a tall, sleek man dressed in a black long coat stepped out from the cabin beneath the quarterdeck. Attila, one of Alucard¡¯s subordinates. ¡°Long night?¡± he called, his face as vacant as Alucard¡¯s. ¡°Vhen is ever not?¡± Alucard replied, glaring into the man¡¯s crimson eyes, the only thing visible under his hood. He chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s the news?¡± ¡°I vill be vorking vith a zemon,¡± he mumbled irritably, taking his eyes off the man to glare at the ocean. Just thinking about Zalith aggravated him. ¡°I am moving vampires vrom anozzer vorld¡ªEltaria. Zhey vill be staying ¡®ere in Dor-Sanguis,¡± he explained, setting his eyes back on the man. ¡°Zhere von¡¯t be enough space ¡®ere soon enough, so ve need to ¡®urry up and re-establish zhe empire I vuled bevore I disappeared. Zhe Nosveratu needs to resurface¡± The man nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got the Deiganish king eating out of my hands.¡± ¡°Make ¡®im beg,¡± Alucard mumbled. ¡°¡®E vill not be our vriend; ¡®e vill vork vor me, not vith me.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the man said, bowing apologetically. ¡°I suspect zhe volves are up to someving, too. I just vound vone ¡®unting zhe bard in Wrodiff. Zhis ving vas strong enough to break out of my arms and vasn¡¯t scared of me like zhe vest. I vill be ¡®eading to my castle tonight to tell my vampires to be cautious, so you should do zhe same.¡± ¡°You are concerned greatly, My Lord. Do you suspect another war?¡± Attila asked worriedly. ¡°I veally ¡®ope zoesn¡¯t come to zhat. I vill get to zhe bottom of zhis,¡± he said with a heavy sigh. That wolf was certainly something to be worried about. What if there were more? He needed to find out as soon as he could. Attila chuckled again. ¡°Does it make you miss the simpler times, Alucard?¡± He looked at him and frowned. There was a part of him that missed the days when Damien¡¯s hold on him wasn¡¯t so tight, but he wouldn¡¯t let himself get wrapped up in old memories. It never did him any good. ¡°No. If anyving, I am glad zhey are over, and zhat Luther is ¡®oled up in zhat castle vith ¡®is new vife.¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Attila laughed, shaking his head. ¡°I mean before Year Zero. This treaty you have worked so hard for; you wouldn¡¯t have had to spend half your fortune building castles and forts if our kind decided to stay hidden from the world.¡± Alucard sighed. ¡°Zhere are some zhat might agree, but I do not. I believe is better vor zhe vorld to know about us and learn to live vith us¡ªless superstition and mysterious deaths zhat vay, no?¡± Attila chuckled and nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Go,¡± he then said. ¡°I vill see you in less zhan a month, no?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you then.¡± As Attila morphed into a bat and disappeared into the clouds, Alucard turned to face the beach in the distance. His eyes shifted to the forest, and the worry that the werewolves were scheming made him frown worriedly. With Damien¡¯s new mission, he wouldn¡¯t have time to deal with werewolf attacks. Elvin was lucky that he turned up when he did, or that beast might have killed him. He needed to reach out to Tobias. If there was anyone who could get him answers, it was him. Chapter Three | Damiens Cause | Elvin | Elvin scribbled in his notebook, glancing at the ship every so often while he waited for the vampire to return. But as each moment passed, he grew more and more impatient. He slammed his notebook shut and tucked it and his quill into his pocket. What could be taking Alucard so long? Why did he have to fly over to some ship? Who was he talking to? The bard rolled his eyes and pouted, resting his chin on his knees as he wrapped his arms around his legs. It was cold, damp, and miserable. He wanted to go home; he wanted to hear about what Alucard had been up to tonight. But he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about that werewolf. If one came out of the woods, would more follow? If that happened, they¡¯d mess up the treaty Alucard was finalizing with the city. He¡¯d worked so hard for it, and Elvin had no idea what might happen if it didn¡¯t go through. Would Alucard have to leave Dor-Sanguis? What would happen to all the vampires? Alucard suddenly emerged on the beach with an aggravated look on his face. Elvin pounced to his feet. ¡°So?¡± he asked eagerly. ¡°How did it go?¡± The vampire glanced at him and rolled his eyes. ¡°Vantastic.¡± He frowned at Alucard¡¯s answer and followed him along the beach. ¡°Are you going to tell me about your night? What happened?¡± ¡°Stuff,¡± he muttered, following the stone path. Elvin pouted and followed in silence. He knew he wasn¡¯t going to get answers just yet; Alucard evidently needed time to cool down. They approached Alucard¡¯s home. The towering black-brick manor¡¯s sharp, pointed roofs cast sinister shadows across the grass, shrouding the majority of the grounds in darkness, and the tall walls stretched a mile around the estate, cutting it off from the rest of the land. Dargamoore sat a few miles in the distance; the city¡¯s glow emanated through the grassy hills. Huge, werewolf-infested forests surrounded the grassland, and black, nightmarish mountains graced the sky. Elvin and Alucard reached the black steel gates which sat between the walls of his manor, and when they opened, the vampire led the way through the grounds. Perhaps enough time had passed. Elvin looked up at Alucard and asked, ¡°Okay, what stuff?¡± Alucard rolled his eyes and snarled irritably. ¡°I met a zemon.¡± Elvin held back a victorious grin. ¡°A demon? But¡­demons and vampires are enemies; that¡¯s like getting you to meet a werewolf¡ªwell, one that isn¡¯t Tobias. He¡¯s cool.¡± ¡°Vell, I¡¯m supposed to be ¡¯elping ¡¯im move some vampires vrom ¡¯is vorld to zhis vone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re bringing vampires from some other world¡­to this one?¡± He nodded, reaching the manor¡¯s black front door. ¡°Is¡­it really a good idea to bring more vampires here? It¡¯s only been six months since you outran the Diabolus; what if they find you again? What will you do with all these new vampires? Especially if more werewolves are gonna come out of the forest.¡± Alucard sighed. ¡°Zhe Diabolus von¡¯t vind me ¡¯ere. Zhe last place zhey vould expect to vind me is living among ¡¯umans. As vor zhe volves, I¡¯ll deal vith zhem.¡± Elvin pulled out his notebook. ¡°True¡­.¡± He shuffled around excitedly. ¡°A whole new world?!¡± he squealed, scribbling on the paper as he followed the vampire into his house. ¡°What was it like? Was it like Aegisguard? Was it magical?¡± ¡°Vone moon,¡± Alucard said with a shrug, taking off his cloak, and then he hung it on the coat rack. ¡°Some¡­eroded castle, not much to see.¡± Nodding, Elvin went with him through the dark entrance hall and into a lounge. ¡°And these vampires: why do you have to bring them here?¡± Alucard clicked his fingers, and in response, the lanterns lined around the room lit up with small flickering flames. He then slumped onto the black leather couch and put one of the red cushions behind his head. As he rested his right leg over the arm and looked at Elvin, the bard sat in the armchair across from him. Elvin took a moment to rest, looking around the gloomy room. All the furniture was dark and looked antique. The walls were black with oak-brown panelling lined around them, and the front wall possessed three tall, arched windows. The vampire said, ¡°Zamien vants to undermine ¡¯is brover, Levoldus.¡± ¡°The¡­god?¡± Elvin asked with a frown. He nodded and looked at the fireplace. ¡°Zhe virst step in doing so vould be to vill zhis vorld vith ethos zhat¡¯s not of ¡¯is origin, zherevore not of ¡¯is control. So, ve are starting vith zhese vampires. ¡¯E ¡¯as me ¡¯elping some zemon zhat apparently vants to ¡¯elp zhe vampires of ¡¯is vorld because zhey vere loyal to ¡¯im vhroughout a war. Now, I ¡¯ave zhis night and ¡¯alf of tomorrow to vind somevhere to put zhem and to try and ¡¯urry up zhis treaty I ¡¯ave been vorking on vith zhe city.¡± Elvin scribbled in his notebook as Alucard spoke. ¡°The human-vampire cohabitation treaty?¡± The vampire nodded. ¡°Da.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll hurry that up,¡± Elvin said sadly. ¡°But maybe you can convince them.¡± ¡°Zhat¡¯s zhe plan.¡± ¡°Why does Damien call Letholdus his brother?¡± he asked curiously. ¡°Why do all the Numen call themselves brother and sister? They¡¯re not related.¡± ¡°I zon¡¯t know. Must be a God ving,¡± the vampire muttered. ¡°Hmm. Well, why does Damien wanna overthrow Letholdus?¡± Alucard shrugged and flicked his hand, lighting the fireplace with red fire. ¡°Zamien ¡¯ates ¡¯is siblings; ¡¯e vants to be on top. Zhere¡¯s noving more to zhat, veally.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he doing once he has other ethos in this world?¡± As he glanced at Elvin, Alucard shrugged again. ¡°Outside ethos vill corrupt zhe ethos ¡¯ere. Zhe more zhere is, zhe more damage is done. I gazzer zhat Zamien vants to veaken Levoldus and zhen kill ¡¯im.¡± Elvin wrote it down. ¡°Kinda barbaric.¡± ¡°Eh, not my problem. Gods vill do vhat gods vant to do,¡± he grumbled, staring into the fire. ¡°So, are you gonna do it? Help the demon?¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Vhat choice do I ¡¯ave? Zamien asked me to do zhis; I can¡¯t exactly say no.¡± Scribbling, Elvin nodded and looked back at him. ¡°What about this demon?¡± he asked with a smirk. ¡°He? She? What was it like?¡± The vampire scowled. ¡°Must you know?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. I need all the details. How else am I supposed to write this book? Could this book¡­possibly become a story of romance?¡± he teased, fishing for a reaction. ¡°A love triangle!¡± Rolling his eyes, he glared back into the fire. ¡°Insufferable, stuck-up businessman type; suit, blazer ving¡­I vink ¡¯e ¡¯ad a tie. I actually met ¡¯im virst outside a tavern; seems like Zamien sent ¡¯im to meet me on ¡¯is own. I zon¡¯t know vhy he vhought zhat vould vork.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I told ¡¯im to fuck off.¡± Elvin sighed, but there was amusement in his voice when he said, ¡°Oh, Aleksei. Perfect description, though. Love that.¡± He wrote it down. ¡°Seems like Zamien loves ¡¯im,¡± the vampire grumbled. Elvin then stopped writing and frowned at Alucard. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, I really don¡¯t think that creature of a man could ever love anyone; he probably loves the fact that this demon guy does what he¡¯s told,¡± he assumed. ¡°Da,¡± Alucard mumbled. ¡°Okay, do you have a plan?¡± The vampire looked at him. ¡°Vor vhat?¡± ¡°The whole¡­moving vampires from there to here thing.¡± ¡°Vhat is zhere to plan? Go zhere, bring zhem ¡¯ere. Simple.¡± ¡°Okay, but where will they live? You haven¡¯t got the treaty sorted yet with the humans in the city, so they can¡¯t exactly live there, can they?¡± ¡°My castle, I guess.¡± Writing it down, Elvin nodded. ¡°And the treaty?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try and sort zhat tomorrow; ¡¯umans sleep zhe night avay like babies.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯ll use tonight to prepare the castle, I assume?¡± ¡°Da,¡± he confirmed. Elvin smiled. ¡°See, why can¡¯t you be like this all the time? You only seem to answer me when I¡¯m asking for the book. You really do believe in me, don¡¯t you?¡± He grinned from ear to ear. Alucard didn¡¯t answer. The bard sighed and closed his notebook. ¡°Well, are you okay?¡± he then asked with concern in his voice. Alucard frowned, glancing over at him. ¡°Vhy vould I not be?¡± ¡°I worry about you. You never really talk about how you feel, and you always look miserable when you get back from seeing Damien.¡± ¡°Zon¡¯t you ¡¯ave a ¡¯ome to get to?¡± Alucard dismissed. Elvin pouted. ¡°Well¡­yeah, but don¡¯t you want me to help you tonight? I don¡¯t have anything else to do.¡± ¡°No,¡± Alucard denied. ¡°Go ¡¯ome.¡± The bard stood up and huffed. ¡°Will you let me get chased by wolves? Attacked by pirates? Walk me home¡­please?¡± Alucard glanced at him. ¡°No, no, and no,¡± he grumbled, scowling. ¡°Sergiu is outside vith zhe carriage. Tell ¡¯im I told ¡¯im to take you ¡¯ome.¡± ¡°Mean,¡± Elvin mumbled as he turned around, heading for the door. ¡°Where should I find you tomorrow?¡± he asked, looking back over his shoulder at the vampire. ¡°The city, outside zhe ¡¯Ouse of Commons,¡± he instructed. Elvin made his way to the door. As he left, he glanced back at Alucard, watching him as he made himself comfortable on the couch. He was worried about him; he knew how much Alucard despised Damien. But as much as he wanted to try and be there for him, he knew that Alucard didn¡¯t want his company right now. He knew him well enough to know that he wanted to be left alone for the rest of the night. With a pout on his face, Elvin pulled the door shut behind him and started searching the courtyard for Sergiu. ??? | Alucard | When the bard left, Alucard looked back into the fire. Tonight hadn¡¯t been what he expected. This was the first time Damien sent an associate to find him on their own, and the first time he¡¯d forced Alucard to work side-by-side with someone. At least all working together involved was meeting to drop off and pick up the vampires, though. Alucard was glad, however, that he didn¡¯t have to see Damien alone. The last thing he wanted was to be in that creature¡¯s presence by himself. But the meeting had been somewhat humiliating; this new demon¡ªZalith¡ªclearly thought that Alucard was incompetent and that he couldn¡¯t do what Damien asked of him. But Alucard was going to prove them both wrong. There had never been a time where he failed at a task¡ªnot since¡­then. But he didn¡¯t want to think about that. Then, he scowled. Zalith had mentioned ¡®the cause¡¯¡ªwhat was the cause? He hadn¡¯t been made aware of any cause. Clearly, Alucard had been left out of something once again. Did he care, though? Yes, he did. Damien made sure to always involve him in some way or another. So, why hadn¡¯t he been told what this cause was? Not only did he have that to worry about, but it also looked like the werewolves were testing the waters. They hadn¡¯t set foot in any of Dor-Sanguis¡¯ towns or villages since he¡¯d scared them off, so why had one been brave enough to hunt in Wrodiff tonight? He hoped it was just a stray desperate for food, but part of him knew that things could never be that simple. The wolves were up to something, and he needed to find out before someone was killed; that would ruin everything he¡¯d been working so hard for. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a job to do?¡± came Damien¡¯s harrowing voice. Startled by his appearance, Alucard sat up straight and looked over his shoulder. ¡°Vampires need moving,¡± Damien said as he made his way over and slumped down in the chair Elvin had been sitting in. ¡°And yet you sit around here like some useless fool. Not a surprise, though.¡± He sighed, tapping his claws on the arm of the chair. Staring at him, Alucard frowned cautiously. ¡°I vill be starting tomorrow. I need time to prepare a place vor zhem to stay.¡± Nodding slowly, Damien glared at him. ¡°You still keep that human around¡ªwhy?¡± ¡°¡¯E¡¯s¡­my vamiliar,¡± Alucard answered. ¡°Hmm¡­you tell him an awful lot, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡¯E¡¯s vriting a novel.¡± Damien scoffed. ¡°Pointless frivolity. To sit somewhere for hours looking at written words when you can simply speak from memory. Human minds don¡¯t have such a capacity, though. Do you, Aleksei?¡± he asked as a smirk crept across his face. Keeping his eyes on the Daegelus, Alucard frowned slightly, unsure whether he was meant to answer or not. But Damien then huffed. ¡°I suppose I should tell you about my new cause since I¡¯ll be needing you for it.¡± Alucard tensed up. He wasn¡¯t wearing his cape, so he didn¡¯t have the dragon fur to shield his mind. Damien had evidently poked around inside his head; why else would he have suddenly mentioned exactly what he¡¯d been thinking about? He tried to stay calm. ¡°Vhat is zhe cause?¡± The Daegelus grinned and abruptly leaned forward. He grabbed Alucard¡¯s shirt, and the vampire did his best not to panic, staring into Damien¡¯s eyes. ¡°If you speak a word of this to anyone¡­.¡± Damien¡¯s eyes wandered down to Alucard¡¯s chest. ¡°It¡¯s a fascinating organ, the proselytus. It gives you mortal creatures the ability to harness the energy you were graced to have been born with. I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s such a painful existence to have had one¡­and then to have lost it.¡± Alucard understood his threat. ¡°I von¡¯t tell anyvone.¡± Damien scowled and let go of him. Then, he looked at the fireplace. ¡°I want everything my siblings have. I want access to their bloodlines; I want dominion over what they have come to make, build, and own. To get it, I need to possess their blood and ethos, and I¡¯ve found a way to do so.¡± The vampire frowned, waiting. ¡°I will need to create another creature quite like myself¡ªanother Daegelus. But when I do, I will carefully craft everything I need into it. I will make sure it possesses the blood of each of my siblings, and the ethos of everything and everyone that I require. And then, when it has grown, I will absorb it, thus gaining everything it possesses, granting myself what I need.¡± ¡°Vhy do you need me?¡± ¡°I need four fathers.¡± ¡°Vhat?¡± ¡°Four males of each bloodline: Lucifer¡¯s, Lilith¡¯s, Ephriel¡¯s, and Erich¡¯s. You so happen to be Lucifer¡¯s son, so what better choice for Lucifer¡¯s bloodline? Yes, you are incompetent and insufferable, but I have no other choice. Zalith is of Lilith¡¯s bloodline. I am in search of an angel from Ephriel¡¯s, and I have one in mind. Then one of Erich¡¯s. Once I have found them, we will all meet to discuss preparations.¡± ¡°And¡­I gazzer you need a mother, too?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Damien answered, scowling at him. ¡°Whilst you assist Zalith, I will be searching for a suitable matriarch. Do you have any more stupid questions?¡± ¡°No,¡± he said, looking away from Damien¡¯s evil stare. Damien then smirked. ¡°I have heard of an angel sent by my sister to keep an eye on Letholdus. I have thought about asking him¡ªI will steal him from Ephriel, as I have stolen you from my brother.¡± Alucard glanced at him. ¡°Now, get to work. If you falter, you¡¯ll suffer.¡± As Damien stood up, a look of angst appeared on Alucard¡¯s face. ¡°I von¡¯t vail.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The Daegelus smiled, placing his hand on Alucard¡¯s shoulder and digging his claws into it. The vampire grimaced, keeping his eyes focused on the fire. ¡°Remember what I have taught you, Aleksei, and don¡¯t let me down again,¡± he warned, letting go of his shoulder. Then, as Damien left as silently as he had arrived, Alucard stared sullenly, watching the flames in the fireplace. At least now he knew what the cause was. What was Damien going to do once he had access to the other Numen bloodlines? Alucard knew that Damien wanted to kill Letholdus; that had to be why he didn¡¯t want someone possessing that Numen¡¯s blood. But what were his plans for his other siblings? Did he want to kill them, too? Or did he really just want access to their lineage? It wasn¡¯t Alucard¡¯s problem or his business. He had to do what he was told, and that was all he knew. He stood up and waved his hand, and all of the flames in the fireplace withered. He made his way to the door, irritably snatched his cape, and left, setting out to begin preparations for his new task. He couldn¡¯t risk wasting a single moment. Chapter Four | House of Commons | Elvin | The morning came fast. Elvin woke in his tiny shack house. The moment he opened his eyes, his first thought was Alucard. Where was he today, what was he doing, and what new material would present itself for his book? He sat up, pushing away his soft bed covers as he looked around his sunlit room. A single window clung to the left wooden wall with a black blanket for a curtain, but the sunlight broke through it. To the room¡¯s right was a small kitchen area, where several pots and pans were stacked on top of each other beside the basin. Next to it was his beloved desk with piles of paper all over it, and the walls were all but bare apart from the many cobwebs that clung too high for the bard to reach. Then, a quiet meow caught his attention. He leaned over the side of his bed and stared down at the small black tortoiseshell kitten. The feline¡¯s back left paw was the only ginger of its feet, and most of its coat was black with spots of brown and orange. She gawped up at him, meowing again as he sighed tiredly. ¡°All right, kitty,¡± he said, climbing out of bed, ¡°I hear you.¡± Elvin made his way to the small kitchen and pulled one of the cupboards open. Once he located a jar of dried fish, he opened it and handed one to the kitten, who savagely tore at it, purring crazily. ¡°I think I stayed up a little too late writing last night,¡± Elvin mumbled to himself, watching the kitten eat. When the sound of horses filled the morning air, Elvin turned around and opened his door. His home existed on the outskirts of a large farm area; in the distance, four men were ploughing a field, and two others were patrolling the grounds. The bard watched, waiting to see if the patrol would find anything. Usually, they¡¯d discover livestock slaughtered by the werewolves that haunted the land, but it didn¡¯t look like they were going to find anything this morning. And why was that? Elvin smirked, aware that Alucard, his best friend, had slain the beast last night. Smiling, he closed his door and looked down at the kitten, who stared up at him, licking its lips. He frowned. ¡°You ate that already?¡± The kitten meowed at him. He shook his head and handed her another fish. ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯re getting. I need to go and get more. I¡¯ll pick some up in the city¡­the city!¡± he cried. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be late!¡± Elvin rushed around, grabbing his clothes and pulling them on as swiftly as he could. He then hastily brushed his hair and tied it the same way Alucard did. He stopped in front of the mirror, making sure he got it right, and then grabbed his feather hat and put it on. Then, he snatched his notebook and a pencil and then raced out of his house, slamming the door behind him. The bard ran along the dirt path. ¡°Gonna be late, gonna be late¡ªhe¡¯s gonna kill me,¡± he mumbled, panting as he hurried towards the cobblestone path that would take him to the city. He set his eyes on the city as he sprinted towards it. Alucard told him to meet him outside the House of Commons, the meeting place of the city council, and if he was going to make it on time, he needed to move faster. If only he had a horse. But he ran and ran and ran. He wasn¡¯t going to let Alucard down. When he reached the city entrance, he passed two silver-armoured guards and succumbed to his fatigue. He had to stop for a moment, trying to remember which way the House of Commons was. Dargamoore was a forest of concrete with castle-like buildings so high that it hurt his eyes to gaze up at them. Everything looked so dark and gloomy; the buildings were made of black brick, foggy cobblestones, and dull woods. As a horse-drawn carriage passed the road he was standing in front of, Elvin shook his head and hurried up the bustling street. He jogged for at least ten minutes, making his way through streets and allies, along roads, and past crowds of hustling people, ignoring the world around him until he came onto a street that led up to the white castle tower squished between two black buildings. But as he made his way closer, there was no sign of Alucard. Was the vampire late¡­or was he? Panic filled his heart as he reached the front of the building. He looked around for Alucard, but he was nowhere to be seen. Was he already inside? Elvin approached the door, preparing to knock, but when several horrified gasps came from behind him, he lowered his hand and turned around¡ªand there was Alucard. The vampire walked up the street while people gawped at him with looks of fear and uncertainty on their faces. But Alucard didn¡¯t care; he ignored them just as he ignored anything that he found no interest in. ¡°Usually I¡¯m the late one,¡± Elvin said with a smirk once Alucard reached him. The vampire sighed irritably and looked down at him; his eyes were no longer hauntingly fiery but ice blue, and his pupils were rounded like those of a human. In the sunlight, his eyes appeared this way, and in any kind of shadow or darkness, they returned to their usual hellfire appearance. Why, Elvin wasn¡¯t sure, but he had to know¡ªfor his novel. He asked before but Alucard hadn¡¯t explained, so he had to wait and ask when he thought the vampire had forgotten he asked before. Alucard took a moment, leaning against the wall beside the white tower¡¯s door. ¡°I got caught up,¡± he said tiredly. ¡°Doing what?¡± ¡°Telling zhe vampires who alveady live in my castle zhat zhere vill be new vones joining zhem tonight. I varned zhem about zhe volf, too¡ªand no, I zon¡¯t yet know vhat vas doing in zhe town.¡± ¡°That took you all morning? I thought you were gonna do that last night.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°I may¡­or may not¡­¡¯ave vallen asleep.¡± Elvin grinned in amusement. ¡°Did you get sweepy?¡± he mocked, pouting. Glaring at him, Alucard stood up straight and knocked on the tower¡¯s door. ¡°Keep your mouth shut in ¡¯ere,¡± he ordered. The bard nodded. Then, the door creaked open. A smartly dressed blonde-haired man stood there, and as he set his hazel eyes on Alucard, he frowned strangely. ¡°What are you doing here? There was no meeting arranged. The next one takes place next month.¡± ¡°I need to talk to zhem now,¡± Alucard insisted, stepping forward. The man held out his hand. ¡°I say! You can¡¯t come in here!¡± ¡°Move,¡± Alucard snarled, barging his way into the tower. Gasping in shock, the man stumbled aside, and as Alucard and Elvin walked in, he shut the door. ¡°This is improper! In violation of agreements!¡± Alucard stopped walking and looked at him with an irritated scowl on his pale, exhausted face. ¡°Vhere are zhey?¡± he demanded. ¡°I will not tell you,¡± the man denied, but as Alucard stepped towards him, he shuddered in cowardice. ¡°Uh¡­second floor¡ªthey¡¯re in a meeting.¡± The vampire turned around and made his way over to the spiralling staircase. Elvin followed him as he made his way up to the second floor and walked down the short corridor towards the black door that sat at the end. ¡°Are you actually gonna be able to sort something out now?¡± Elvin asked worriedly. ¡°I ¡¯ave to try,¡± Alucard mumbled. ¡°Ve¡¯ve alveady spoken about vampires and ¡¯umans coexisting in zhis city multiple times; ve ¡¯ave been discussing zhe vhen, ¡¯ow, and vhy¡ªI need to make zhe vhen now.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°When was the when originally going to be?¡± ¡°Zhat is yet to be determined.¡± ¡°Do you¡­think it¡¯ll ever happen, though? I mean¡­vampires and humans in the same city, it¡¯s not really¡­well¡­realistic, is it?¡± ¡°I ¡¯ave been dealing vith zhe verevolves as zhe ¡¯umans asked, so is time zhey lived up to zheir end of zhe deal.¡± Elvin pulled out his notebook and started scribbling while Alucard raised his hand and knocked on the door. No one answered. The voices inside were hushed and rushed, and the fact that they ignored his knock seemed to aggravate Alucard more. Elvin glanced up at him, watching as he gripped the doorknob and twisted it, breaking its lock. The people sitting around the table inside gasped and mumbled to one another as Alucard invited himself in, and Elvin stumbled in after him. ¡°Who let you in?!¡± one of the men detested as he stood up, glaring at Alucard, who made his way to the end of the long, rectangular table. ¡°Our next meeting is not set until next month,¡± another man called calmly. The standing man looked at Elvin. ¡°And who is this bumbling idiot?!¡± Elvin quickly looked around the room, eyeing the eight people sitting at the table. Every wall, the floor, the ceiling, and all the furniture was white¡ªso white that Elvin¡¯s eyes ached terribly. But as he set his sights on the standing man, he frowned. Alucard had once given him rough descriptions of each of the council members, and this green-eyed, dirty-brown-haired man could be none other than Clyde, the council¡¯s lead speaker. Clyde took his eyes off the bard and looked back at Alucard. ¡°This is a private meeting; you simply cannot walk in here!¡± ¡°Vell, I just did, zidn¡¯t I?¡± the vampire snarled. The man beside Clyde held up his hand, keeping him from yelling any further. That was Dirk, who Alucard once mentioned was always trying to keep everyone calm. He set his blue eyes on the vampire and said, ¡°Whatever your business, I assume it must be important for you to waltz in here both during the daytime and uninvited.¡± Alucard glared at him while the rest of the council awaited his response. ¡°Zhis vegards zhe treaty,¡± he confirmed as Elvin slowly closed the door. With a stubborn glare, Clyde glanced down at Dirk and returned to his seat. ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to currently discuss. You have presented your terms, and we have presented ours; you should be out there ridding us of the wolf pests.¡± ¡°I ¡¯ave killed countless verevolves vor you, and you are yet to give me any sort of confirmation zhat zhese velations vill vork.¡± Once again, Dirk raised his hand. ¡°The terms have been looked over and discussed, and frankly, it is going to take a while for us to get the citizens of the city on board.¡± ¡°Vampires are monsters,¡± the bald man across the table from Dirk called. ¡°Humans are afraid. They are still trying to come to terms with seeing you walking around their city, but to get them to accept seeing vampires daily? This sort of thing takes time.¡± Alucard scowled. ¡°Zhen ¡¯urry up. Zhere ¡¯as not been a ¡¯uman death ¡¯ere since my veturn. I ¡¯ave done my part and more; zhe least you can do is speed zhis up.¡± The bald man looked at Dirk. ¡°Dirk?¡± Dirk nodded and said to Alucard, ¡°We are working on things, Aleksei, but the next meeting to discuss this was set for next month, and during the time in between, we planned to address the people. Might I ask why you seem so desperate for this to go ahead? Before, you seemed a lot more¡­well, relaxed.¡± ¡°My vampires deserve to live in zhis city as much as your people do. You might ¡¯ave vorgotten, but zhis entire country is mine. If I vere any less kind, I vould ¡¯ave chased you all out¡ªyou know I¡¯m more zhan capable of doing so.¡± The council glanced at each other, mumbling quietly. Elvin then leaned into Alucard¡¯s ear. ¡°I think they didn¡¯t like that little threat.¡± ¡°Zhat vasn¡¯t a vhreat,¡± Alucard announced. ¡°Vas simply a veminder.¡± Dirk sighed and leaned his arms onto the table. ¡°We are trying, I assure you.¡± ¡°Assurance is no longer enough,¡± Alucard said. Dirk shifted his attention to the bald man and said, ¡°Get the terms, Lars.¡± Lars stood up and walked over to a white cabinet at the end of the room. He pulled its top drawer open and started searching through it. ¡°We have constructed an agreement combining both sides¡¯ terms. You should look it over,¡± Dirk called. With a scroll of parchment in his hand, Lars approached the vampire and handed it to him. Alucard pulled the red ribbon keeping the parchment rolled and dropped it on the table. He unwrapped the paper and stared at it for a few moments while an aggravated look appeared on his face. Clyde frowned. ¡°Is it¡­not to your liking?¡± The vampire sighed and gave the parchment to Elvin. Elvin knew that Alucard couldn¡¯t read their language, Deiganish. He may be able to speak it, despite his accent, but reading it was a different struggle¡­and Elvin was more than happy to help. He read aloud, ¡°The terms are as follows regarding human and vampire cohabitation in the city of Dargamoore: no vampire shall feed on any human without consent. No vampire shall kill or injure a human in any way. No vampire will turn a human under any circumstances. Vampires will be given access to housing and other facilities under the agreement of the protection-from-sunlight program. All facilities will be made safe for vampires to use during the daytime, and a means of daytime travel will also be set into place.¡± Alucard nodded, letting him know he should continue. The bard kept reading, ¡°Humans shan¡¯t treat vampires as outsiders. Humans shan¡¯t request any vampire to turn them¡ªturning will be treated as an offence, and both participants will be apprehended as the law states. Humans will abide by the protection-from-sunlight rules and do their best to ensure facilities are safe for vampires. Humans will receive priority regarding facilities such as restaurants or bars because vampires do not need such sustenance. Human and vampire relationships are also to be treated as normal. Discrimination will not be tolerated.¡± Alucard grunted in response. ¡°Under the decree of the Dargamoore City High Council, signed by members Clyde Del, Dirk Benign, Lars Richle, Silas Mear, Sebastian Mear, Hargot Mann, Reece Jackmoore, and Timoth Pal, and by The Vampire Lord, Aleksei Emeritus, this treaty is the law. So long as not one term is broken, humans and vampires may live together in the city.¡± The vampire looked at Clyde. ¡°Zhis is zhe treaty, and is signed. Vhy is not yet in effect?¡± he questioned, taking the paper back from Elvin. Dirk answered, ¡°As we said, we need time to inform the people. It will be done by this time next month. We can promise no sooner.¡± Irritated, Alucard placed the parchment on the table and rolled his eyes. ¡°How is the werewolf situation, Aleksei?¡± Reece, the small, short brown-haired man asked, gawping at the vampire. ¡°Vone vound zheir vay into Wrodiff last night, and as alvays, I vas zhere to kill zhe ving, and my vampires vill be everyvhere to kill zhem vor you vonce you get zhat treaty in place.¡± Lars nodded. ¡°We understand that. But as Dirk has said, we need time to inform the people. Next month.¡± Elvin then leaned over to Alucard. ¡°I mean¡­it¡¯s better than nothing, right?¡± ¡°Next month,¡± Alucard repeated, pointing at Clyde. ¡°No later.¡± Then, as the council stared in astonishment, Alucard stormed out¡­and Elvin hastily followed. ??? | Alucard | When they left the tower, Alucard glanced at the bard and watched him excitedly scribble into his book. ¡°Vhat are you vriting?¡± The bard looked up at him as he tried to glance into his notebook. ¡°The treaty. So many interesting terms. After seeing that, this cohabitation might work out.¡± Alucard rolled his eyes and glared ahead. ¡°I¡¯ll ¡¯ave to keep zhese new vampires avay vrom zhe city until next month.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just¡­bring them next month instead?¡± Elvin asked, closing his notebook and stuffing it into his pocket. ¡°No. I told both Zamien and zhat Zaliv guy I¡¯ll start tomorrow.¡± ¡°I assume that¡¯s the demon you met last night?¡± Elvin asked, reaching for his notebook again. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered as Elvin wrote it into his book. ¡°Am I coming with you tonight?¡± he asked, following Alucard to the city¡¯s exit. ¡°If you vant to become vood vor a ¡¯undred and vivteen vampires, sure.¡± Elvin frowned uncomfortably. ¡°Yeah¡­no thanks. How do you plan to get them back here?¡± ¡°I ¡¯ad vone of my people prepare a ship; ve¡¯ll use zhat. I¡¯m going to inspect zhat later, and you can come if you vant, but avter zhat, I von¡¯t see you until tomorrow.¡± The bard clapped his hands excitedly. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a ship since we got back here six months ago. How much later?¡± ¡°An hour or so. I need to go and see Tobias.¡± ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll know about the wolf that got into Wrodiff?¡± ¡°I ¡¯ope so,¡± he mumbled. ¡°Okay, well¡­I¡¯ll see you in a little bit then, right?¡± He nodded and sent Elvin on his way. Once he was alone, he let out a tired sigh and headed for the city gates. Soon, he¡¯d have to make his way to Zalith¡¯s world and begin transferring vampires. He wasn¡¯t at all looking forward to it, but it wasn¡¯t like he could bail, was it? When he left the city, he dematerialized into vermillion smoke and raced towards the forest. At this time of day, he knew he¡¯d find Tobias down by the river, so that was where he landed. The moment Alucard rematerialized, the blonde-haired, stubbly-faced man standing in the water with a makeshift fishing pole turned to face him and called, ¡°Oh, hey Aleksei!¡± Alucard walked closer to the river and watched Tobias reel in an old boot. ¡°I ¡¯ave a job vor you.¡± ¡°The huntin¡¯ kind or the information kind?¡± ¡°Both. A volf got into Wrodiff last night and almost killed Elvin. Zhe ving vas much stronger zhan any volf I¡¯ve vaced, even Alphas. I need you to vind out vhich pack zhat volf belonged to.¡± Tobias nodded as he climbed out of the river. ¡°Yeah, news travels fast around these woods. I heard about the attack, but I don¡¯t have any info right now. I¡¯ll look into it for you, though,¡± he said, making his way to Alucard. ¡°Is zhere anyving else I should be avare of bevore I leave?¡± he questioned. ¡°Nothing new. The packs have been kinda quiet lately¡­which is weird. Hey, you think it¡¯s connected to this wolf attack?¡± he asked, wide-eyed. ¡°Zhat¡¯s vhat you¡¯re going to vind out.¡± Tobias nodded. ¡°No worries, boss. Give me ¡¯til tomorrow.¡± ¡°I vill meet you back ¡¯ere tomorrow night.¡± Then, he dematerialized and flew off. Hopefully, he¡¯d have answers by tomorrow. If the werewolves were planning something, he¡¯d have to try and stop them before they caused any damage. He couldn¡¯t afford another war; he had fewer vampires than before and even less time, and he wouldn¡¯t risk allowing something to interfere with Damien¡¯s mission. Chapter Five | The First Transferal | Alucard | After a few hours and a small stop at his house, Alucard made his way to the docks below the cliff that held up his castle. The vast, black-bricked fortress overlooked the ocean, its shadow stretching across the slanted land which led up to it, and a swarm of crows circled the tallest tower. The place was almost deserted; a single black ship was moored there. On the ship¡¯s quarterdeck, a casually dressed man leaned against the fence. When he spotted Alucard, he watched as he and Elvin made their way on board. His eyes shone bright green in the afternoon sunlight, and his hair was greyed and platted behind his head. ¡°Aleksei,¡± the man called with a smirk. ¡°Vodney,¡± Alucard greeted. ¡°Elvin,¡± Rodney said, shaking the bard¡¯s hand. ¡°Rodney,¡± Elvin sang. Rodney then let go of the bard¡¯s hand and looked at Alucard. ¡°I came, as requested. What do you need of me?¡± he asked, leading the way back up onto the quarterdeck. ¡°I ¡¯ave to pick some vampires up vrom an island in an hour or so,¡± Alucard said, leaning back against the quarterdeck fence. Nodding, Rodney said, ¡°And you need me to transport them from there to here?¡± Alucard handed him a piece of paper. ¡°Zhese are zhe coordinates.¡± He looked at the paper and frowned. ¡°You want me there in what? An hour from now?¡± ¡°Da.¡± ¡°Well, the sun is setting; it¡¯ll take me at least an hour to get there, assuming Drac isn¡¯t being fussy today,¡± he said, glancing at the ocean. Alucard sighed irritably. ¡°Just get zhere. If you are late, I¡¯m sure zhe people I¡¯m meeting von¡¯t get off my ass.¡± Rodney laughed slightly. ¡°Who are you meeting?¡± ¡°People,¡± Alucard muttered as he turned around and made his way down off the quarterdeck. ¡°Do not be late.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll leave right away,¡± Rodney called. ¡°How is Drac?¡± Elvin asked as he followed Alucard off the ship. ¡°Vine,¡± the vampire mumbled, making his way along the docks. Elvin frowned as he hurried alongside Alucard onto the beach. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked with a concerned tone, staring at Alucard¡¯s stubborn face. ¡°Noving,¡± he grumbled, stopping in the middle of the beach. ¡°Something¡¯s clearly up.¡± The bard frowned, crossing his arms as he looked up at Alucard. ¡°You don¡¯t wanna help this demon, do you?¡± Looking down at him, Alucard rolled his eyes. ¡°No, I zon¡¯t. I ¡¯ave enough to deal vith ¡¯ere; I zon¡¯t ¡¯ave time to look avter more vampires.¡± The bard shrugged. ¡°At least it¡¯s vampires you¡¯re being made to help, not demons.¡± He had a point¡ªthe exact point Alucard had made to himself last night. He sighed and glared at the ocean. ¡°Go ¡¯ome, Elvin. I vill see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll give me all the details, right?¡± he asked excitedly. ¡°Sure,¡± he muttered, turning his back on the bard. ¡°I want character descriptions; I want details regarding how they talk, act¡ªeverything!¡± he demanded. ¡°I said yes!¡± Alucard snarled, glaring back at him. Silenced, the bard held up his hands. ¡°All right, sheesh. Don¡¯t stay out too late, and don¡¯t accept drinks from strangers¡ªbye!¡± he called, running off towards the cobblestone path. With an aggravated huff, Alucard glared at the water. He had the ship ready; he found out when the human and vampire cohabitation treaty would be in place, and he also prepared his castle last night for the new vampires. All he had to do now was go and get them. He wasn¡¯t looking forward to any part of his task, least of all working alongside that demon. As Damien always did, he made Alucard look incompetent, and his new work partner now obviously thought he was a useless idiot. But he wasn¡¯t going to dwell on it. He¡¯d prove them wrong without even trying. With an irritated sigh, Alucard dematerialized into vermillion smoke and swiftly made his way across the ocean, reaching the rainy island in ten minutes. He landed on the edge of a black cliff, causing a large school of colourful fish to disperse and bolt for the cover of far-away rocks. Alucard set his eyes on the portal. The last time he entered Eltaria, he felt such strange tiredness, and he was sure that he was going to feel it again. Alucard didn¡¯t know too much about portals, but he did know that there were kinds that used a person¡¯s energy in order for them to travel. This seemed to be one such portal. The vampire was confident of his power, though, and he knew that a silly little portal couldn¡¯t affect him too significantly. But bringing vampires back with him was a different story. They would be using his ethos to mask theirs, and he was sure that wasn¡¯t going to make him feel great. But what choice did he have? The vampire stood in front of the portal. He wasn¡¯t sure what might be waiting on the other side, but he knew it wasn¡¯t going to be a comfortable night. Sighing, Alucard stepped through the portal and emerged into the same eroded castle as last night. The tiredness hit, but it wasn¡¯t unbearable. He made his way down the hallway but walked past the stairs that led up to the tower, detecting a mass congregated elsewhere in the ruins. He could hear that demon¡¯s voice echoing through the corridors, nattering on about rules, plans, and the new world they were going to. Alucard approached an open archway and stepped through and into what looked to be the ruin¡¯s entrance hall. Zalith, dressed in an all-black suit, was standing in front of the one hundred and fifteen vampires, who were all staring at him while he spoke sternly. ¡°¡­You are being relocated to another world outside of this one¡ªit is called Aegisguard,¡± Zalith explained tonelessly. ¡°An associate of mine will be taking care of everything you will need. You will be travelling with him through the portal and to where he plans to have you reside. You must understand that once you leave this world, there is no coming back, so make sure you have everything you need because if you remain here, you will inevitably die.¡± One of the vampires frowned. ¡°What about Guillaume¡ªmy son?¡± Zalith replied, ¡°He is an adult; he made his own decision, and I am not responsible for what may happen to him. You should also remember that there are rules in the other world, and I advise you to follow them. There¡ª¡± ¡°Vhy ¡¯ave you brought all of zhem ¡¯ere?¡± Alucard asked irritably, abruptly appearing behind him. Zalith slowly closed his eyes and exhaled quietly as an angered look appeared on his face. He then glanced at Alucard. ¡°I am explaining the plan to them all at once as I prefer not to repeat myself.¡± Alucard took his eyes off the demon and looked at the crowd of vampires. ¡°Vine; I¡¯ll take zhis time to sort zhem all into groups, zhen.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. With a disinterested look on his face, Zalith watched Alucard make his way towards the vampires. As they eyed the red-haired stranger, Zalith called, ¡°This is Alucard, my associate. Let him do what he must.¡± Scowling, Alucard looked back over his shoulder at Zalith. ¡°You zon¡¯t call me zhat. You call me Aleksei,¡± he snarled. Zalith rolled his eyes. Alucard walked around the huddle of vampires, eyeing them closely. To his relief, not too many of them were older than two hundred and fifty. He knew that he couldn¡¯t take a group of vampires that exceeded his age by more than half; if he did that, it would use up a whole lot of his energy, and he wasn¡¯t interested in becoming weak to help strangers¡ªvampires or not. So, he had to sort them into groups whose combined age wouldn¡¯t exceed more than six hundred years. These vampires weren¡¯t going to attack, nor would they refuse his orders. They may not be from Aegisguard, but every vampire in existence was sired by him, which gave them a natural instinct to obey him. His only concern was that demon; he was the one that was going to question his tactics, but Alucard didn¡¯t care. He had come to do a job, and whether Zalith liked it or not, he was going to do it his way. Alucard grabbed the shoulder of one of the first vampires and pulled them from the crowd. ¡°Go over zhere,¡± he muttered, making his way through the crowd, ¡°and you,¡± he snarled, pulling another vampire from the group. He eyed each one of them closely, determining their ages, sending them out of the crowd as he did. Once the first group of twelve vampires was formed, he grabbed the collar of another man and pushed him out of the crowd, sending several others to join him a few moments later. But as he then watched a tall, overly muscular brown-haired vampire leave his group, Alucard scowled irritably. He followed the man with his eyes, observing as he and three other vampires¡ªwho also left their groups¡ªwent over to Zalith. With a frustrated snarl, Alucard headed back to Zalith. ¡°Vhat is zhis?¡± he asked, glancing at the four vampires who joined Zalith. ¡°They will be going first, and I will also be accompanying you this first time,¡± the demon answered. The vampire scoffed. ¡°No, zhey are not. I am zhe vone taking zhem, so you abide by my vules, zhose being zhat I take vone of zhese organized groups a month.¡± ¡°These groups, I assume, are organized to collectively tally to your own¡­power,¡± Zalith said, glancing at the groups Alucard put together. ¡°You believe you can only transport so many vampires at once so long as they do not exceed your limits.¡± ¡°No,¡± Alucard lied. The demon frowned impatiently. ¡°Are you not capable of taking the five of us at once? Will it kill you to do so?¡± he asked with a condescending tone. Alucard scowled evilly at him. ¡°Zon¡¯t test my patience; do zhis my vay or vind somevone else to ¡¯elp.¡± Zalith smiled amusedly. ¡°Do you think Damien would have asked you to do this if he thought you incapable? I am certain the Daegelus knows how powerful and how old each of these vampires is; he would not have asked you here if you could not do it. These people are also in danger, Aleksei; they need you. You are their sire; after all; you are the only person in either world they can rely on.¡± Glaring at him, Alucard thought to himself for a few moments. He knew that the demon was trying his best to get him to back down, and his current method was an attempt to motivate him with fake assurance. But Alucard knew his own limitations. If he wanted to come out of this unharmed, then he couldn¡¯t take a group that exceeded double his age. If he didn¡¯t have responsibilities back home, he wouldn¡¯t care; he¡¯d do it to get away from this insufferable demon. However, he had to remain as well as he could in order to keep up his end of the deal that he made with the humans. He couldn¡¯t efficiently fight werewolves if he had to spend days resting after transporting vampires. He snarled and glowered at the demon. ¡°I said no. Zhere are vules; accept zhem or fuck off.¡± Zalith laughed slightly with an almost astonished look on his face. ¡°Might I suggest we meet somewhere in the middle, then? But I must insist that Ben comes, no matter the compromise,¡± he said, placing his hand on the shoulder of the scruffy-faced vampire he first called over. With a smirk, glad of his victory in getting him to back down, Alucard eyed the vampires standing at Zalith¡¯s side. His limit was six hundred or so years, but Ben was three hundred and twenty, and this demon was older than Alucard. He wasn¡¯t sure what to do, but if he couldn¡¯t lose the eldest of the vampires, then he¡¯d have to try and remove the second eldest to give himself some relief. He pointed to the dirty blonde man that stood beside Ben. ¡°You ¡¯ave to stay.¡± The selected vampire looked at Zalith, who nodded tiredly. Then, the vampire left them and returned to the group he had earlier been put into by Alucard. But the four of them were still past triple Alucard¡¯s age. He didn¡¯t have the strength to argue further, though. He wanted to get it over and done with. Alucard turned around and mumbled, ¡°Ve vill go now.¡± He made his way over to the archway and glanced behind him as Ben scurried over to a brown-eyed, auburn-haired woman, who he embraced and kissed. Zalith took his eyes off Alucard to look at everyone else. ¡°Remember the groups you have been sorted into. We will all meet here at the same time as we did tonight next month,¡± he called to them and then walked to where Alucard was. He set his sights on the vampire who Alucard told to stay behind. ¡°I will be in touch.¡± Then, Zalith, Ben, and the two other vampires followed Alucard through the castle ruins in silence until they reached the portal. Along the way, Alucard did his best to ignore his anger. He hated Zalith already. He was rude and insufferable, and he clearly thought he was smarter than everyone else. One thing that Alucard despised was being looked down on, and Zalith did it the same way Damien did. If the Daegelus wasn¡¯t the one to have put him on this task, then he would have walked away from that tower. But Damien had initiated this mission, so he had to keep his opinions to himself and get on with it. At least he¡¯d only have to deal with this demon once a month, though. When he reached the portal, Alucard stopped and looked back at them. ¡°You all need to be linked to me some¡¯ow so zhat vhen ve go vhrough, Levoldus does not detect any of you.¡± Ben and the other vampires glanced at Zalith, waiting for his instruction. Zalith sighed, rolled his eyes, and looked over at Ben with an irritable look on his face. Then, Ben set his eyes on Alucard. ¡°I can do it,¡± he said, stepping closer to him. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Alucard snatched his wrist. ¡°Take your vriend¡¯s ¡¯and¡ªall of you,¡± he instructed. As Alucard instructed, the vampires took one another¡¯s hands. Zalith took Ben¡¯s, one of the other vampires took Zalith¡¯s, and the last vampire took his. Then, Alucard stared at the portal, preparing to walk through. He didn¡¯t know how he¡¯d feel once he reached the other side, but bringing these people with him was undoubtedly going to exhaust him. He stepped forward, leading the way into the portal. When he emerged on the other side, the vampire frowned uncomfortably. He could feel his ethos waning the instant Ben stepped out behind him. His head started spinning, and an unrelenting dizziness gripped hold of him as Zalith followed Ben out. That was when Alucard began to feel as though he was moments from passing out, and he very nearly did as the other two vampires walked through. He suspected he would feel awful, but he wasn¡¯t aware that it would be this severe. Alucard snarled, denying the disorientation to grip him. He let go of Ben¡¯s wrist and pulled his flask from his blazer as he leaned back against the closest rock. What he felt in response to the portal travel was familiar; it was something he sorely hated¡ªdreaded. With his ethos suffering, he sipped from his flask, and the blood inside relieved him of his headache. Then, as he tucked his flask away, he glanced at Zalith and the vampires. He wasn¡¯t interested in engaging in conversation with them, so he looked at the island¡¯s edge and set his eyes on Rodney, who was standing on the ship¡¯s quarterdeck. Alucard made his way over, sure that Zalith and his vampires would follow, and as he stepped up onto the deck, Rodney pounced down and greeted him. ¡°Drac¡¯s being a pain in my ass,¡± Rodney said. ¡°Is zhat a surprise?¡± Alucard mumbled while peering into the ocean. As Zalith and his vampires walked up onto the ship, Rodney glanced over at them and frowned. ¡°Hey, uh¡­I ain¡¯t gonna be someone¡¯s snack, am I?¡± he asked quietly, leaning into Alucard¡¯s ear. ¡°Vhat?¡± Alucard questioned with a frown, but when he glanced at Zalith, he rolled his eyes and looked back down into the ocean. ¡°No.¡± Rodney took his eyes off the strangers and asked Alucard, ¡°We heading back home?¡± ¡°Da,¡± Alucard answered, tapping the side of the ship. ¡°How long is this going to take?¡± Zalith then called. Ignoring him, Alucard stepped back. A colossal beast burst up from the ocean, sending water crashing down on the ship. With a ferocious snarl, the huge, teal, and cyan-scaled serpent lowered its head towards Alucard. Its face looked like a crocodile with sail fins in place of its ears, and its head adorned three pairs of sapphire-blue horns, which stretched out above its four yellow eyes, two on each side of its head. The vampire held out his hand, and as the beast rested the end of its snout on his palm, he smiled. ¡°Vodney tells me you ¡¯ave been giving ¡¯im a ¡¯ard time, Drac,¡± he said with a smirk. Looking at him, blinking slowly, the creature whined quietly. Alucard then frowned and shifted his sights to Zalith and his vampires. While the vampires had impressed looks on their faces, Zalith tried¡ªand failed¡ªto don a look of disinterest. The vampire then looked back up at Drac. ¡°No, zhey are not vor you zhis time.¡± ¡°He ain¡¯t eating the shit I get for him,¡± Rodney mumbled. ¡°I believe ¡¯e misses ¡¯aunting zhe oceans and praying on unsuspecting ships, zon¡¯t you?¡± he asked, speaking to the beast as if it were a puppy, and the beast reacted as such. Alucard then sighed and took his hand off the scaled beast¡¯s face. ¡°Take us ¡¯ome, hmm?¡± he requested, staring into the beast¡¯s eyes, and as it snarled quietly, he frowned. ¡°Good.¡± Drac descended back into the ocean; Rodney made his way past Zalith and pulled the bridge onto the deck. He closed the gate, hurried up onto the quarterdeck, and prepared to set out. The vampire faced Zalith. ¡°Ve vill arrive in Dor-Sanguis in ¡¯alf an hour or so,¡± he said before turning away from them. He then headed towards the cabin under the quarterdeck, hoping he¡¯d not have to spend this entire trip in the company of that demon. He didn¡¯t like him, and he never would. He just had to put up with him until this mission was over. Chapter Six | Sanguine Castle | Alucard | As Alucard pushed the cabin door open, the boat jolted in response to Drac starting to pull it from beneath the waves. He glanced back at Zalith and his vampires, who were still out on the deck. He didn¡¯t want them going anywhere they shouldn¡¯t, so he latched the door against the wall so that he could keep an eye on them. He made his way to his desk and lazily slumped down in the chair, exhaling quietly in relief. Although it hadn¡¯t taken very long at all, he felt utterly exhausted. He¡¯d had been made to take Zalith, who was at least six hundred years old; the group was collectively over a thousand years old, and that had taken its toll. It drained a whole lot more of his ethos than he¡¯d planned for, and he wasn¡¯t sure how long this exhaustion was going to curse him. Alucard sighed, pulled his cape off, and placed it over the desk before resting his legs on it. He¡¯d take these vampires back to his castle, and then he¡¯d head home. Zalith obviously wouldn¡¯t stay here until next month, but Alucard had no plans to escort him back to the portal; he could get Rodney to do that. After this, he just wanted to go home and rest because he was sure as hell going to need it. Tomorrow, Tobias would hopefully deliver the information he needed about the werewolf which attacked Elvin. He wasn¡¯t sure of what to expect, but if there were more, then he¡¯d have his hands full. There was another month before the treaty came into effect, and he wondered, would Zalith¡¯s vampires stay in the castle that long? He¡¯d have to run all the rules by them. The last thing he wanted was a rogue killing humans and shattering everything he worked so hard to build. He just hoped that the humans would welcome the new laws. Dor-Sanguis was his land, after all, and as much as he didn¡¯t want to, he would drive the humans out if it came to it. Irritated, he rolled his eyes and took his feet off his desk; he turned in his seat to glare out the window behind him and watched as they sailed away from the rainy island. He couldn¡¯t drive the humans out; that would doom his people to starvation. He didn¡¯t want the land to return to how it once was¡ªhumans and vampires at war. No, he wanted something peaceful, an agreement between the two peoples, and he knew he could get it, he just had to keep trying¡ªhe just had to be patient. ¡°I assume you have a place set aside for the vampires to live,¡± Zalith said. Alucard turned to face him. ¡°Did I say you could come in ¡¯ere?¡± he asked, disguising his startle with anger. Zalith smiled. ¡°The door is wide open.¡± The vampire sat up straight. ¡°Yes, I ¡¯ave,¡± he answered, tapping his clawed fingers on the table as he eyed the vampires standing behind Zalith. ¡°Zhat is vhere ve are ¡¯eaded.¡± ¡°And is it safe? Secure?¡± ¡°Vhy vould zhis not be?¡± ¡°There wasn¡¯t much time to plan, so I¡¯m being cautious. We¡¯re bringing them here so that they¡¯re safe, and I need to make sure that will be the case.¡± Alucard huffed and looked back out the window. ¡°Zon¡¯t vorry; my castle is zhe safest place in zhe country, so long as zhey vollow my vules.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they will,¡± Zalith said, smiling. Not in the mood for Zalith¡¯s arrogance, Alucard waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Vhatever. Get out.¡± The demon scoffed condescendingly, turned around with a quiet scoff, and left the cabin. Alucard rested his legs on the table and snarled angrily. The demon shattered his trail of thought. He scowled and crossed his arms but then closed his eyes and sighed quietly, sinking into his fatigue. His job still wasn¡¯t done, and he wasn¡¯t sure when he¡¯d get to rest, so what better time than now to sleep a little? The vampire relaxed, allowing himself to slowly drift off to sleep. ??? | Zalith | Out on the deck, Zalith stared at the sea. He didn¡¯t have the strength to argue with Alucard; he was so tired and just wanted to make sure that this plan would be successful. There was already so much on his shoulders¡ªthe war, the vampires, Damien, werewolves¡ªnot to mention his personal affairs and the fact that there were people out for his head. Helping these vampires was something he wanted to do before his inevitable capture, and if he had to work with Alucard¡­then he would. As insufferable as he was, he was the one Damien chose, so he had to trust that the Daegelus made the right choice. He stared at the six moons; two purple, one silver, one red, one blue, and one gold. He wasn¡¯t sure how that was possible, considering the ocean¡¯s tides seemed much like those back in his world, and for a moment, it made him think about how remarkable these circumstances were. To think that his world was connected to this one¡ªit was somewhat wondrous. The differences, the similarities. If only he had more time to spend here, he felt he might quite enjoy it. He sighed and stared aimlessly, waiting for the ship to reach its destination. ¡°Veed Drac,¡± soon came Alucard¡¯s voice. Zalith looked at the cabin and watched Alucard walk out. As the ship slowed, the captain leapt down from the quarterdeck and followed Alucard to the ship¡¯s edge. The demon listened and observed his new associate, trying to get a good enough read on who this vampire was. The captain prepared the ropes for docking. ¡°I told you, he¡¯s been fussy lately.¡± The ship stopped, and the captain jumped onto the docks and started mooring the ship with the dockworkers. Once he was done, he and his colleagues attached the ramp. Alucard headed down the ramp as Zalith and his vampires followed. ¡°Try vonce more; if ¡¯e still von¡¯t eat, I¡¯ll talk to ¡¯im.¡± The captain shrugged and sighed as Alucard led his guests along the cobblestone path that led up to his castle. ¡°I¡¯m telling ya now, he¡¯s not gonna eat.¡± Irritated, Alucard waved his hand in dismissal, mumbling to himself. Ben moved closer to Alucard. ¡°Your snake isn¡¯t eating?¡± With a concerned frown, Alucard glanced at him. ¡°¡¯E is a dragon,¡± he corrected, looking ahead again. ¡°And no, ¡¯e¡¯s simply vussy.¡± ¡°What does he eat?¡± A smirk appeared on Alucard¡¯s face. ¡°I kill zhe verevolves ¡¯ere, and I veed zhem to Drac.¡± As the other two vampires chuckled, Ben laughed loudly. ¡°I feel like you and I are going to get along well.¡± ¡°Vill ve?¡± Alucard muttered, leading the way up a small flight of stairs. Zalith watched them. Alucard¡¯s response was amusing, but he wouldn¡¯t laugh. He just wanted to make sure this plan would work. And once they reached the castle, he hoped that he¡¯d finally get an answer. He followed silently as Alucard led the way towards the huge black castle. A swarm of crows circled the tallest tower, cawing loudly, catching the demon¡¯s attention. He glared at them; their eyes shimmered as crimson as the vampire¡¯s hair, and their bodies were torn, burnt, and rotting. They weren¡¯t alive, and by the looks of it, they acted as sentries, watching over the castle. The demon looked ahead as Alucard led the way to the castle¡¯s door. Alucard looked over his shoulder at the vampires. ¡°You can come in,¡± he mumbled, granting them entrance into the castle. They made their way into the entrance hall. The floor was dark oak wood, and the rib-vaulted ceiling was black, as were the walls with patterned gold engravings. Tall, arched stained-glass windows were lined along the left and right walls, lighting the room with an array of different, striking colours, and a long, rectangular table sat in the centre. Against the right wall were two suits of steel armour with a dark-oak door between them. Another door was in the far-right corner and another to the left. The back wall also had a huge, circular stained-glass window displaying paintings of dragons, wolves, and what could only be vampires. The arched windows around the room had similar scenes: dragons, wolves, vampires, angels, and even demons. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. A curious smile appeared on Zalith¡¯s face. Clearly, Alucard had an eye for art. From what he could see and what he knew, the art might be historic, representing this world¡¯s past. The window to his left had Damien in it with a shimmering blue moon behind him¡ªit looked much like the blue moon that sat in the sky. The window beside it possessed the image of the crimson-haired demon, Lucifer, with a blood-red moon, and the windows opposite them were painted with two women: one angelic-looking with a golden moon, and another demon-looking woman with a bright purple moon. While the angel possessed black hair, the demon¡¯s hair was ashen. Was the angel a Numen? Zalith had only seen Lucifer and Lilith, so he wasn¡¯t sure what the other Numen looked like. The window beside them possessed the image of a wholly cloaked, hooded man and a silvery moon, and the window opposite that one was painted with the image of a tall, long-purple-haired man with a black-purple moon above him. Zalith wasn¡¯t sure who they were. Alucard stopped beside the table and turned to face the group. ¡°I ¡¯ave vules ¡¯ere. You vill listen, and vhen more of your vriends arrive, you vill tell zhem. Understood?¡± Ben nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°To begin, all vampires are classed, and some ¡®ave more vesponsibilities zhan ozzers,¡± Alucard said. ¡°Vledgelings: newly created vampires, Acolytes: vampires younger zhan a ¡®undred, Adherents: vampires betveen vone ¡®undred and vree ¡®undred, and vinally, Paladins: my strongest and oldest vampires. You von''t see zhem avound zhe castle very ovten. Zhey are who I send out into zhe vorld to conduct my business overseas.¡± ¡°So¡­will that be my job?¡± Ben asked. ¡°I''m three hundred and¡ª¡± ¡°No. You''re new ¡®ere, so you''ll all be starting as Acolytes. I''ll explain your voles later,¡± Alucard said. Then, he pointed to the back-left door. ¡±Zhat is my ¡¯alf of zhis castle; no vone is to enter zhat door unless I ¡¯ave said so,¡± he said. Then, he pointed to the back-right door. ¡°Zhat vill lead you to zhe kitchen¡ª¡¯owever, zhat is also vhere zhe ¡¯uman ¡¯elpers veside. Zon¡¯t eat zhem; zhat vould piss me off immensely.¡± The vampires agreed. With a tired sigh, Alucard pointed to the door between the suits of armour. ¡°Zhat door vill take you to your part of zhe castle. Is daylight-proov, and zhere are several safe vays in and out ozzer zhan zhis door. ¡¯Owever, zhe city is not yet veady vor us. I ¡¯ave been vorking on an agreement vith zhe council. Next month, you vill be vree to valk avound and veed off people so long as you zon¡¯t kill zhem, and so long as zhey consent. I vill make sure to get my bard to vrite you all copies of zhe agreement. Does all of zhat make sense?¡± No one had anything to question or disagree with. Alucard frowned and looked at the silent demon. ¡°Vell?¡± Zalith smiled. ¡°I¡¯d like to see their part of the castle, please.¡± The vampire sighed but didn¡¯t argue. ¡°Zhis vay,¡± he grumbled, and as Zalith and his vampires followed, Alucard led the way through the door. ??? | Alucard | Alucard just wanted to go home. But he¡¯d show Zalith what he wanted to see to avoid an argument; that was the last thing he needed. He led them through the dark hallway; every window was boarded up so tightly that the moonlight couldn¡¯t shine through. The walls were black and patterned with gold engravings, and a long red rug stretched down the corridor. They reached a small lounge, where Alucard turned left and led them down another corridor and up several flights of stairs, showing them the entire east wing, pointing out every room where vampires slept. The tour felt like just moments for Alucard; his tiredness helped him zone out as he showed them around. To his relief, Zalith seemed content, so the vampire took them back to the entrance hall. He made his way to the table, leaned back against it, and took a moment to wake. He looked at Zalith. ¡°If zhat is all, I vould like to bring zhis to an end.¡± Zalith glanced around the room and then looked at Alucard. ¡°I¡¯m satisfied,¡± he answered. He looked at Ben. ¡°This is where we part ways,¡± he said, holding his arms out, inviting Ben closer. As he and Ben embraced each other, Zalith swiftly kissed his right cheek. Ben then stepped back as Zalith placed one hand on his shoulder. ¡°Are you okay with everything?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he answered with an assuring smile. ¡°It¡¯s a little different, but I can get used to it¡ªI¡¯m sure we all can. I really appreciate what you¡¯re doing for us.¡± The demon smirked. ¡°Stay out of trouble.¡± Ben nodded as Zalith let go of his shoulder. Then, the demon looked at Alucard with an expectant expression. Alucard exhaled quietly, stood up straight, and escorted Zalith out of the castle. When they stepped outside, Zalith stopped and faced the vampire. ¡°Thank you, Aleksei¡ªtruly¡ªfor helping us. I wouldn¡¯t have ever suggested this to Damien if things in Eltaria weren¡¯t so dire.¡± Alucard shrugged. ¡°Zhey¡¯ll be safe ¡¯ere.¡± Then, he went to head towards the forest. Zalith smiled slightly. ¡°So, tell me about this city,¡± he requested, turning towards the path to the docks. The vampire hesitated for a moment¡­but Zalith was probably going to need this information for the vampires that were still in Eltaria. He followed behind him. ¡°Vhat about zhe city?¡± ¡°A treaty with humans?¡± Alucard sighed as they made their way down the cliffside. ¡°Zhis land vas empty; zhe only people zhat lived ¡¯ere vere zhe people zhat vaised me. I levt vhen I vas vive and came back vhen I vas tventy-vone to vind zhat ¡¯umans ¡¯ad built zheir villages vhroughout zhe land. I vasn¡¯t too bovered back zhen, but vonce I vas done vith some business, I vanted my land back¡ªbut I¡¯m a vampire, so I need ¡¯umans. Zhe next best option vas to see if ve could co¡¯abit, ¡¯ence zhe vorming of zhis treaty,¡± he explained, reaching the bottom of the cliff. Zalith nodded. He continued as they boarded the ship, ¡°Our kind vonce stayed ¡¯idden vrom ¡¯umans as best as possible¡ªzhey vhought zhat vas safer vor everyvone. But zhen Levoldus vanted to be known and vorshipped¡ªall zhe Numen did¡ªso ve came out into zhe light. People call zhis event Year Zero. Zhe vorld basically veset vhen zhe Numen showed zhemselves. Ever since zhen, zhere ¡¯as been a constant struggle vor ¡¯umans to live alongside zhose of us vith ethos, but I am trying to make vings vork ¡¯ere. ¡°Took a lot of convincing. I asked zhem vhat I can do to prove zhat I can be an ally. Zhey ¡¯ave me killing verevolves; zhey ¡¯unt ¡¯umans vor sport, kill zheir livestock or vhatever. Zhey said, kill zhe volves, and ve¡¯ll vorm a treaty. So, I kill zhe volves and veed zhem to my dragon to keep zhem vrom turning into ¡¯ell¡¯ounds.¡± Rodney called to him, ¡°I guess you need me to take you back?¡± Alucard replied, ¡°Da.¡± Then, as Rodney prepared to disembark, Alucard led the way into the cabin. ¡°I¡¯ve been killing zhem vor six months. I spoke to zhe council yesterday, and zhey told me zhe treaty vill be in effect next month. Zhey made me vait long enough; zhe verevolves ¡¯aven¡¯t killed a single ¡¯uman since I got back. Eizer zhe ¡¯umans are dumb or zon¡¯t vant to accept zhe vact I lived up to my end.¡± No one had been killed yet, but since that wolf tried to kill Elvin in Wrodiff, he¡¯d been worried that might soon change. Once he was done with tonight, he really needed to look into that. The demon smiled in response as Alucard sat down and invited him to sit across from him. As the ship started moving, Alucard exhaled deeply and shrugged. ¡°I vink zhey know zhat if zhey zon¡¯t agree and come vhrough, I vill turn ¡¯ostile. Zhis is my land; if I ¡¯ave to rid zhem vrom ¡¯ere like vermin, zhen I vill.¡± ¡°Humans are a repulsive species; I have no doubt that they may try to work their way out of it; this often happens to be the case with them. I advise you keep an eye on them, be persistent, and remind them of their place.¡± Glancing at him, Alucard nodded. ¡°I know.¡± Amused by his response, Zalith laughed. The vampire scowled. Why did he find everything so amusing? If he wasn¡¯t staring and smiling, he was laughing at something that wasn¡¯t funny. Alucard didn¡¯t care. He rolled his eyes and glared out the window, but he couldn¡¯t see through the thickening fog. The sound of rain wasn¡¯t too far away, so it wouldn¡¯t be long until they reached the island¡ªuntil he could finally go home and rest. He glanced at the demon; to no surprise, Zalith was staring, and it made Alucard feel uncomfortable. He frowned and tried ignoring Zalith¡¯s expectant gaze by thinking about tomorrow¡¯s plans. Werewolf hunting, as usual, and he could speak to Zalith¡¯s vampires and make sure that they were comfortable. He also had to be adamant about them not feeding on humans. They would have to do what the rest of his resident vampires did and wait for him to bring them blood. ¡°What is the Nosferatu?¡± Zalith asked him. Alucard glared at him. ¡°Is vhat I vas known as a long time ago; zhe vord stuck, and I decided to keep zhe name. I named my empire avter zhis, too.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Next month, are you coming back ¡¯ere or staying zhere?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay behind.¡± Alucard didn¡¯t have more to say; the demon still stared, the silence was awkward, and he was tired. The island was fifteen minutes away¡­and that was plenty of time for him to get more rest. ¡°Go vait outside,¡± he grumbled, waving his hand. Zalith scoffed amusedly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You ¡¯eard. I ¡¯ave vings to do zhat vould get done vaster vithout you staring at me.¡± The demon laughed quietly as he stood up. ¡°Fine.¡± Wasn¡¯t he going to argue? Alucard frowned skeptically, watching Zalith leave and shut the door. That was easier than Alucard imagined. With a relieved sigh, he slouched in his seat and closed his eyes. The night was almost over. ??? | Zalith | Zalith stared at the moons again. To his relief, this plan might just work. Ben and two others were already safely transported, but he wouldn¡¯t relax until more vampires were in Aegisguard. Although he initially thought Alucard was incompetent and an idiot, this first night had already swayed him from that assumption. Alucard was arrogant, but Zalith found himself almost liking him in some strange way. Perhaps a friendship may form one day; there were a few things he had come to realize about this man that he could relate to, and he also enjoyed their conversation. He had certainly enjoyed looking at him, too. He¡¯d miss Ben a little, but his pursuit of that man was over. It was only a temporarily amusing distraction pursuing a man who wasn¡¯t interested in having sex with him; however, Ben now lived in an entirely different world, and Zalith had also begun to grow bored of him. Whatever he¡¯d been seeking was over. Alucard, on the other hand, caught Zalith¡¯s attention from the moment they met. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a surprise. Zalith was an incubus. His life revolved around having sex; he needed it to sustain himself, and it led him to a life of promiscuity¡­and loneliness. Nobody he slept with remained in his life for long. He always got bored of them, and he was sure that Alucard would be no different. Zalith was keen to get to know Alucard more first, and maybe the world he lived in, too. He hadn¡¯t failed to notice the fish swimming in the sky, and he was sure that Alucard would have an explanation. He¡¯d be sure to ask him when he joined him again. After a while, the ship stopped. Zalith looked over his shoulder and watched Alucard emerge from the cabin with a tired look on his face. He headed over to Zalith and sighed quietly¡ª ¡°What are the fish I saw swimming in the sky?¡± Zalith asked before Alucard could speak. Alucard frowned slightly. ¡°Vish,¡± he answered tonelessly. ¡°But fish swim in the sea¡ª¡± ¡°Not ¡¯ere. Vell¡­zhey svim in zhe sea and sky. Vhen vains or snows, zhey can move using zhe moisture in zhe air.¡± ¡°How fascinating.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Alucard mumbled, leading the way down onto the island the moment the captain lowered the ramp. They walked to the portal, but before stepping through, Zalith turned to face Alucard. ¡°I shall see you next month, then.¡± ¡°Da,¡± Alucard replied tiredly. Zalith actually enjoyed his time here. But it was time for him to get back. There were people waiting for him and there was no time for him to stick around and flirt with Alucard tonight. So, he turned around and stepped into the portal, heading back to his own world. And he hoped that he wouldn¡¯t be met with his enemies on the other side. Chapter Seven | Repercussion | Alucard | The vampire lay in his bed, gripping the black covers as his claws tore the fabric. He frowned in confliction as pain surged through his head like he¡¯d been impaled. His body ached, and his eyes stung in the afternoon sunlight shining through the gaps between the curtains. The glum room was filled with light, but it didn¡¯t brighten the dark furniture, the oak floorboards, or the black, ebony-panelled walls. The only colour came from Alucard¡¯s shimmering, blood-red hair, and his pale-as-ice skin. As the sunlight clawed at his face, Alucard scowled and tried to concentrate, but his vision was blurred and unfocused; everything swirled around as though he was intoxicated. He was the opposite, in fact, and as he felt himself sinking deeper into the strange trance, his hunger grew. He thought resting would help him recover from last night¡¯s events, but it seemed to have only worsened it. He knew what he needed and wanted, and he was going to stop at nothing to get it. So, he sat up, but overwhelming dizziness gripped him so tightly that he felt like he might fall back down. But he couldn¡¯t allow himself to become hungrier. The vampire stumbled to his feet, pulled on the first shirt his hands could find, and then dragged himself out of his room into the dimly lit hallway. But for a moment, he felt utterly confused¡­. Where was he? He looked around, setting his eyes on the black, ebony-panelled walls; the oak floor beneath him and antique-like furniture spreading down the hall didn¡¯t seem familiar, but it didn¡¯t really matter where he was, did it? Alucard held his hand against the wall, keeping himself on his feet as he made his way forward, passing the closed doors. When he reached the stairs, he hastily made his way down into the foyer. But once he got there, the front door opened. Elvin stepped into the foyer and took his hat off. When he hung it on the coat rack, he sharply turned his head and watched as Alucard struggled to make his way to him. ¡°Uh¡­are you all right?¡± the bard asked, stepping aside as Alucard made his way towards the table by the door. He watched the vampire grab his blazer and search the pockets. Alucard anxiously pulled his flask from his blazer pocket and desperately pulled off the cap, but once he lifted it to his mouth, dread consumed him. It was empty. ¡°Aleksei?¡± Elvin asked worriedly as Alucard placed the empty flask on the table and stumbled into the lounge. The bard followed, and as Alucard slumped down onto the couch, Elvin sat in the armchair. Alucard¡¯s head swirled. All he could think about was blood and how it would relieve the pain and disorientation. But the thought of having to get up made him feel worse. ¡°Hey?¡± Elvin asked. ¡°Did something happen? W-was it another one of those strong werewolves?¡± The vampire snarled irritably and lowered his hand. ¡°Vhy are you ¡¯ere?¡± ¡°I¡­always come in the mornings¡ªunless we have somewhere to be. Are you okay? You¡­you look sick.¡± It took Alucard a moment to wake from the confusion that latched onto him. The world started falling into place, and when he realized that he was in his lounge, he sighed and looked over at the perplexed bard. ¡°Noving ¡¯appened.¡± ¡°You look¡­well¡­if you weren¡¯t a vampire, I¡¯d say you look like you got the flu.¡± The vampire rolled his eyes, but he felt far too exhausted to say anything else. He turned his head and stared into the fireplace, trying to fight his hunger¡­but all he could hear was the sound of Elvin¡¯s blood making its way through his veins. The human¡¯s heartbeat enticed him greater and greater as each second passed, every beat echoing through his head. If he didn¡¯t send Elvin away now, he wasn¡¯t sure what might happen in the next few minutes. He frowned and snapped out of it. Then, he looked at the armchair, but the bard was no longer sitting there. Had he become so lost in his thoughts of thirst that he hadn¡¯t noticed him leaving? No¡­he was still here; he could smell human blood, but it was a whole lot more potent than before¡ª ¡°Here,¡± Elvin said, holding out a drinking glass, appearing from behind the couch. Looking up at him, Alucard frowned strangely. In his right hand, the bard was holding a glass of blood. But where had it come from? He didn¡¯t care. He took the glass and sipped from it, and relief instantly outweighed his hunger and exhaustion. This blood¡ªwherever it had come from¡ªwasn¡¯t old. It clearly hadn¡¯t been stored somewhere; it was fresh. Where had fresh blood come from? Elvin sat back down in the armchair and rested his arms on his knees as he stared at Alucard. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked again. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you like this in like¡­two years. You¡¯re starving.¡± Holding the empty glass, Alucard glanced at him. ¡°Vhat?¡± ¡°You looked like you were starving,¡± he repeated. ¡°Now I know you lose ethos or strength or whatever when you bleed or get hurt or stuff¡­so, what happened? Did you get into a fight? Did you get hurt? Was it werewolves? Were you bit?!¡± The vampire rolled his eyes and glared into the empty fireplace. ¡°No,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Zhe portal veeds off my energy vhen I go vhrough, and I ¡¯ad to take several ozzers vith me too; zhe trip near enough drained me.¡± The bard frowned. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t they just walk through on their own?¡± Alucard sighed irritably. ¡°Because Levoldus vould ¡¯ave detected zhem. Zhe point of zhis mission is to sneak zhese vampires into Aegisguard. Zhe last ving I vant to do is give ourselves avay.¡± ¡°True. Well¡­can I get the details?¡± he asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his notebook, but he grunted painfully as he did. When Alucard looked at him, he noticed a bloody rag wrapped around Elvin¡¯s hand. That was where the blood had come from. ¡°You met that demon again last night, right? What was it like?¡± he questioned, his concerned tone changing to excitement. Alucard wanted to rest more. But he didn¡¯t have the luxury of being able to lounge around all day doing nothing. He had to wake up and get on with yet another day. First, though, he¡¯d sate Elvin¡¯s curiosity. Tobias wouldn¡¯t be at the river for hours, so he had time. He sighed quietly. ¡°Vas irritating.¡± Scribbling into his notebook, Elvin nodded. ¡°What happened? Did you make friends?¡± ¡°No,¡± he mumbled. ¡°Zemons and vampires vill never be vriends. I did speak to vone of ¡¯is subordinates, zhough. ¡¯Is name vas Ben. ¡¯E appears to know vhat ¡¯e is doing, so per¡¯aps I von¡¯t ¡¯ave to keep my eye on zhese new vampires all day every day.¡± ¡°What did you all talk about? How many vampires did you bring with you?¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hmm¡­vree,¡± he answered, holding up three of his claw-tipped fingers as he shuffled around in his seat, trying to relax a little now that the pain of his headache was fading. ¡°I von¡¯t tell you vhat zhey look like. You can come vith me to zhe castle soon. I actually zon¡¯t vemember vhat zhe ozzer two looked like, zhey vere kind of¡­quiet.¡± ¡°What about you and the demon?¡± Elvin asked eagerly, tapping his notebook with his pencil as he gawped at Alucard with his brown eyes. Alucard snarled quietly at the thought of Zalith¡ªthe thought of his arrogance. But he¡¯d not let it keep him in a sour mood all day. He didn¡¯t even matter. He was just some guy he¡¯d be working with once a month for a year. He sighed and slouched back a little. ¡°Ve spoke about zhe ¡¯umans and zhe city a bit, zhe treaty¡ªzhat¡¯s all, veally. Zhen ve vent ¡¯ome. I ¡¯ave to meet ¡¯im again next month.¡± Elvin smirked. ¡°See, you¡¯re talking¡ªyou could be becoming friends.¡± He scowled. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Come on, what harm could it do? It could be good for you, you know¡ªto hang out with someone. All you do is work, Aleksei.¡± Alucard snarled in disapproval, silencing the bard. He didn¡¯t need nor want friends. What was the point? Elvin sighed and rested his arms on his notebook. ¡°Whatever. There anything else I should note down?¡± ¡°Drac isn¡¯t eating,¡± the vampire said. ¡°¡¯E is being vussy.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm, mm-hmm,¡± Elvin murmured, noting it down. ¡°I vink I pissed Vodney off,¡± Alucard then muttered, a little amusement in his voice. ¡°I levt ¡¯im on ¡¯is own on zhe island last night.¡± The bard glanced up from his notebook. ¡°Rude,¡± he mumbled, writing Alucard¡¯s information down. Alucard then sighed as he sat up straight. He placed the glass Elvin had given him on the table beside the couch and glanced at him. ¡°Multumesc.¡± Shrugging, Elvin tucked his notebook and pencil away. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± He smiled, finishing his writing. ¡°I¡¯d rather this than let you go kill someone,¡± he said, holding up his rag-wrapped hand. The vampire stood up. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be trying to stop me,¡± he grumbled, straightening his shirt. ¡°Is vhat I do.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯ll just keep stopping you wherever I can,¡± he argued, also standing up. ¡°The less killing you do, the more likely people are to trust you and vampires altogether, you know?¡± He frowned as he followed Alucard to the front door. ¡°I know you need blood, but can¡¯t you just, like¡­not kill someone when you feed off them?¡± he asked, scurrying after the vampire, who left the house after attaching his rapier to his side, carrying his blazer and fur-collared cape over his arm. ¡°No,¡± Alucard answered as he felt the flicker of pain as his eyes faded from hell-fiery red to icy blue when the sunlight hit his face. Elvin gazed at him as they walked through the manor gardens, but he then stuttered and stumbled as the vampire threw his cape at him. The bard caught it in his arms and held onto it while he watched Alucard put his blazer on. Then, Alucard took his cape back and pulled that on, too. ¡°Why?¡± Elvin asked, following Alucard to the left of the manor¡¯s garden, where a black stable stood. Alucard stopped walking and turned to face Elvin. ¡°You ¡¯ave been vollowing me avound vor seven years and you still ¡¯aven¡¯t vorked out vhy vampires kill people?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I mean¡­I could have done my research, but I¡¯d rather learn from the creator of vampires himself,¡± he said confidently. Setting his eyes on Sergiu¡ªthe cedar-brown-haired groundskeeper¡ªas he made his way over in his black tailcoat, the vampire sighed. ¡°Ve cannot stop vonce ve start,¡± he mumbled. ¡°Zhe taste of blood just¡­takes control of us.¡± Elvin took out his notebook and started writing down Alucard¡¯s explanation. ¡°So, it¡¯s like¡­a drug?¡± ¡°No.¡± Alucard frowned strangely. ¡°Vell¡­vor some, maybe. Vhen ve veed off living ¡¯umans, ve do experience a kind of euphoria. But is more of an instinct to kill our victims vather zhan let zhem go,¡± he explained slowly¡ªhe wasn¡¯t exactly sure how to describe it. ¡°Interesting. So you can¡¯t just bite someone and drink a little and then let them live?¡± ¡°Ve can learn to¡ªI ¡¯ave learnt to¡ªbut I choose not to let zhem live.¡± Elvin pouted. ¡°You can¡¯t just murder people, Aleksei.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± Then, as Sergiu stopped in front of him, he laughed slightly, amused by Elvin¡¯s distraught face. ¡°Zon¡¯t vorry, Elvin. I zon¡¯t kill people who zon¡¯t deserve to die; you know zhat.¡± Still pouting, Elvin tucked his notepad away and crossed his arms. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you kill¡ªyou always tell me it was ¡®some guy¡¯. Anyway, I still don¡¯t approve. Killing people is an awful thing.¡± ¡°Is killing a murderer an awvul ving? If so, you should go to zhe courts and tell zhem ¡¯anging people should be outlawed,¡± he grumbled, setting his eyes on Sergiu. Before Elvin could argue, the vampire glared at the groundskeeper. ¡°Are zhey veady?¡± Sergiu nodded as he kept his olive eyes fixed on the vampire. ¡°As always, sir,¡± he replied. ¡°Get zhem.¡± The groundskeeper nodded and hurried into the stable. Alucard then looked at Elvin. ¡°I told you bevore, and I vill tell you again: you vere zhe vone who chose to vollow me avound; if you zon¡¯t agree vith my methods, you can alvays valk avay and go back to DeiganLupus. I¡¯m not keeping you ¡¯ere.¡± Elvin frowned in dread. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go, it¡¯s not that¡­I just¡­worry about you. What if you accidentally kill someone one day? Like someone you don¡¯t mean to kill?¡± he stammered. ¡°Zhat vill never ¡¯appen. I am careful, I can control myselv, and I am never vithout blood. Zhis morning vas just¡­I vas unprepared,¡± he admitted. ¡°I zidn¡¯t know zhe portal vould do zhat to me.¡± Elvin shrugged. ¡°You ran out; it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get the gate, sir,¡± Sergiu then said, handing Alucard the reins of a black stallion and Elvin the reins of a dark brown mare. As the groundskeeper walked off, Elvin sighed and looked back at Alucard. ¡°Anyway, what are we doing today?¡± he asked, changing the subject. Mounting his horse, Alucard shrugged. ¡°I ¡¯ave to go and check on zhe vampires who came last night, and zhen I¡¯m going to meet Tobias. I sent ¡¯im to vind out vhat ¡¯e could about zhe volf zhat attacked you in Wrodiff.¡± Climbing on his own horse, Elvin said, ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll find anything?¡± ¡°I ¡¯ope so. If zhe verevolves are planning someving, I¡¯d vather know now zhan later. I von¡¯t visk zhe treaty, especially not now vith zhese new vampires moving over ¡¯ere.¡± ¡°Yeah, the treaty¡­but what about you? You need to be careful. I saw that wolf escape from you last night.¡± He sighed quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll be vine. I¡¯ve dealt vith verevolves all my life.¡± Elvin frowned worriedly. ¡°It¡¯s not just the werewolves, though. All you do is work, Aleksei. Don¡¯t you have anything else to do? You know, you could always come and hang out with me. If you won¡¯t make new friends, at least spend time outside of work with me.¡± ¡°I ¡¯ave ¡¯obbies,¡± Alucard insisted, disregarding his suggestions. ¡°Really? I haven¡¯t seen you doing anything¡ª¡± ¡°Private vones,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Oh¡­okay.¡± Elvin frowned¡ªAlucard knew he wasn¡¯t going to give up yet. ¡°Well, if you ever get bored, you can always come over. I live by¡ª¡± ¡°I zon¡¯t vant to know vhere you live,¡± the vampire interjected irritably. He then tapped his horse¡¯s side, making it move forward. Following, Elvin frowned. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Because I zon¡¯t,¡± he mumbled, glaring ahead as he left the manor. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to know where I live? I know where you live¡ªI even have a key to your house!¡± the bard exclaimed. Alucard rolled his eyes. He didn¡¯t want to sit there and explain anything to him. Elvin sighed and looked over at him. ¡°You¡¯re weird. I¡¯ve been travelling with you for seven years and I still don¡¯t get you.¡± ¡°Is vor zhe best.¡± ¡°I¡¯m your friend, you know. Friends know things about each other. Like¡­I¡¯ve not seen you do anything that could be classed a hobby¡ªunless making growling sounds at people you don¡¯t want to talk to is a hobby.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you,¡± Alucard snarled. ¡°Why?¡± Alucard ignored him. ¡°Do you¡­write? Draw? Sing?¡± ¡°Do you veally imagine me singing vith zhis accent?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elvin smiled, amused. ¡°You could be a famous opera singer for all I know¡ªyou never tell me anything.¡± The vampire rolled his eyes. ¡°Do you¡­hmm¡­what about archery? I know a guy that does archery for fun.¡± ¡°I do not do archery.¡± ¡°Dance? Do you dance?¡± Alucard glared at him. ¡°I vould much prever silence during zhis trip.¡± He wouldn¡¯t let up. ¡°What about cards? Do you play cards?¡± The vampire deadpanned. ¡°I could teach you!¡± he said, clapping his hands. ¡°No.¡± Elvin pouted. ¡°What about fishing? Do you know how to fish?¡± ¡°I know ¡¯ow to use zhe line to shut somevone up,¡± he hissed. ¡°Of course, you do,¡± Elvin mumbled, shaking his head. He then sighed and pulled out his notebook and pencil. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll just write then, shall I?¡± he sneered. Alucard didn¡¯t answer, so he looked down at the blank page he had flicked to and began to write. Now that he had the silence to think, Alucard glanced at the forest. A cold chill ran down his spine; it felt like there were eyes on him. But when he focused his sensory ethos, he couldn¡¯t detect anything in the woods. Was he imagining it? He sighed and set his eyes on the castle. Although he didn¡¯t show it in front of Elvin, he was worried about the possibility that there were more werewolves planning on attacking townspeople. If a single human was killed, he knew the council would dismiss the treaty. He wanted to go out there and search the entire forest himself, but he just didn¡¯t have the time or energy. He needed to focus on the new vampires; if he fucked a single thing up, Damien would come down on him like a tonne of bricks¡ªsharp, jagged bricks. All he could do was wait and see if Tobias was able to find something. And he sorely hoped that he would. Chapter Eight | Servitude | Alucard | Alucard and Elvin reached the castle. Once they dismounted their horses, the beasts wandered over to the grass by the white marble fountain. ¡°These vampires aren¡¯t gonna try to eat me, are they?¡± Elvin asked, walking beside Alucard as he led the way to the castle¡¯s door. ¡°No.¡± The bard frowned. ¡°Okay¡­and we¡¯re just here to see how they settled in?¡± ¡°Da.¡± He nodded as Alucard opened the door. ¡°Okay¡­.¡± Alucard stepped into his castle expecting to find the entrance hall empty, but despite the room being filled with sunlight, Ben was standing by the table. Ben smiled at him and said, ¡°Good afternoon.¡± Perturbed, Alucard slowly walked over. ¡°Zhe sunlight? You are¡­vine?¡± he asked, looking at the windows. No vampire other than himself and those turned with his blood could walk in the sunlight. Ben took and shook Alucard¡¯s hand. ¡°Oh, we would have told you last night, but you seemed pretty tired, so I thought I¡¯d save it for today. We can all walk in the sunlight¡ªall us from Eltaria¡­uh¡­my world.¡± Letting go of Ben¡¯s hand, Alucard nodded and frowned. ¡°Hmm¡­Janus did take off vith my blood a long time ago; ¡¯e created many vampires vith zhat, so zoesn¡¯t surprise me zhat ¡¯e made some vith zhe ability to valk in zhe sunlight.¡± Ben¡¯s face flickered with intrigue. ¡°Well, we¡¯re all linked to you one way or another.¡± ¡°Who is this?¡± Elvin then asked with a curious look as he tapped his notebook with his pencil, having just written down details of Ben¡¯s appearance: ¡äScruffy big man, a lot of muscle¡¯¡­. Alucard shook his head slowly, stifling a facepalm. ¡°Ben,¡± the new vampire said, holding out his hand. Elvin noted down his name before shaking his hand. ¡°Elvin¡ªI¡¯m Aleksei¡¯s friend,¡± he said proudly as though it was an honourable title. ¡°Vamiliar,¡± Alucard corrected. Elvin pouted sadly. ¡°Oh, well, I, too, hope to call myself Aleksei¡¯s friend,¡± Ben said, looking at Alucard. Alucard ignored him as he looked around the hall. ¡°Vhere are zhe ozzer two?¡± ¡°Upstairs,¡± Ben answered. ¡°I need to ask, how do we feed? You told us the humans here are off-limits, correct?¡± ¡°Until zhe treaty is in place. Vor now, you can dvink vhat ve ¡¯ave ¡¯ere. I¡¯ll show you vhere ve keep zhe blood,¡± he invited but then looked back at Elvin. ¡°You stay ¡¯ere.¡± ¡°Aw, why?¡± the bard complained. ¡°Because I said so.¡± Pouting, Elvin pulled out one of the chairs tucked under the large table and slumped down. ¡°Zhis vay,¡± Alucard said, leading the way to the kitchen door. ¡°I ¡¯ave kept vhere zhe newer vampires can¡¯t get; ozzervise, I¡¯m sure zhey vould tear vhrough zhe entire supply in a vew hours.¡± ¡°Do we have to ask for it?¡± ¡°No,¡± he said, leading Ben through the deserted kitchen and towards a wine cellar. ¡°Just needs to be kept avay vrom zhe younger vampires until zhey can control zhemselves. I ¡¯ave sentries to guard zhis part of zhe castle at night¡ªto protect zhe ¡¯uman vorkers and zhe supply on zhe off-chance zhat a vampire disobeys me,¡± he explained, heading down into the wine cellar. Following him, Ben looked at the shelves of differently shaped and coloured wine bottles. He took a moment to stare at the huge barrels, assessing the huge apparatus they were attached to in the middle of the room; Alucard was sure that he wanted to examine everything closely, so he waited for him to inevitably ask his questions. ¡°Do you make your own wine here?¡± he asked¡ªthe question Alucard had been waiting for. ¡°Sometimes,¡± he mumbled in response, stopping in front of an oak-wood cabinet that stretched across the entire back wall. The wood was black and engraved with white runes. He tapped the glass, and as Ben set his eyes on the rows of bottles inside, Alucard leaned back against the cabinet. ¡°Zhis is vhere ve keep zhe blood. Zhis cabinet is enchanted to keep vrom rotting. Von¡¯t taste zhe same as veeding off a ¡¯uman; you von¡¯t veel zhe euphoria, but zhis vill sate your ¡¯unger.¡± Taking his eyes off the cabinet, Ben looked at Alucard. ¡°Where do you get it from?¡± ¡°Is probably best I zon¡¯t tell you zhat¡ªunless you vant zhe job,¡± he said with a smirk, opening the cabinet and taking a bottle out. Ben smiled. ¡°I certainly would,¡± he agreed, watching as Alucard opened the bottle. Having not been expecting him to offer, Alucard frowned. ¡°Vas a joke, but sure.¡± He placed the bottle down as he pulled his flask from his blazer pocket. He had been the one bringing blood to the castle, and it would be a relief if he didn''t have to do it anymore. He refilled his flask with the blood from the bottle before returning it to the cabinet. Then, he put his flask back into his pocket and headed for the cellar''s exit. ¡°Zhis sort of ving vould usually be an Adherent vampire''s job, and considering your age, I trust you''ll manage.¡± ¡°Yeah, you can count on me,¡± Ben said as he frowned curiously. ¡°Actually, I was hoping to see the city¡ªor would that have to wait until the treaty is in place?¡± ¡°I zon¡¯t ¡¯ave time. I¡¯m going to get vone of my subordinates to show you vhere zhe blood gets picked up vrom, zhough, so I¡¯ll get zhem to take you vhrough zhe city on zhe vay,¡± Alucard explained. ¡°All right sounds good. Thank you.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± ¡°It must have taken a while for you to set up a treaty with them,¡± Ben then said. Alucard sighed. ¡°Not veally. Kill zhe volves, keep people vrom dying, zhat vas zhe deal.¡± ¡°The werewolves here are the enemy, then?¡± As much as didn¡¯t feel like it right now, Alucard knew that he should tell Ben what he¡¯d need to know. ¡°I vas in Drydenheim six months ago looking vor Ada; she vas zhe virst verevolf like I vas zhe virst vampire. Zhe gods ¡¯oped zhat ve vould vight¡ªJanus and Kardos loved convlict. But I grew tired of zhe constant wars betveen my people and ¡¯ers, and I tried to vorm peace vith ¡¯er. She vasn¡¯t intervested. I zidn¡¯t vind ¡¯er during my search, so vings are still zhe same. Verevolves try to kill me and my people, so ve kill zhem.¡± Ben nodded slowly. ¡°I see. Makes sense. So, any werewolf I see¡­I kill?¡± ¡°No.¡± He looked at him as they approached the door to the hall. ¡°I ¡¯ave some verevolf allies zhat you vill meet soon. Until zhen, zon¡¯t kill any volves unless you see zhem trying to kill ¡¯umans or vampires. I zon¡¯t vant to vind my allies dead.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Then, they continued in silence. ??? | Elvin | Elvin waited as patiently as he could. Today had been odd already. He didn¡¯t understand why Alucard didn¡¯t want to know where he lived; it didn¡¯t make sense. Why didn¡¯t Alucard want the same things as him? As much as he hated to admit it to himself, there were things even he didn¡¯t understand about Alucard. The vampire was just so closed off and private. But he was determined to get closer to him. After all, they¡¯d been travelling together for years, and Elvin liked to think that he was one of the very few people Alucard actually liked. If the vampire didn¡¯t like him, then why would he be keeping him around? Anyone Alucard didn¡¯t want around would surely know it. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. He sighed, trying to dismiss his thoughts. Alucard was his friend. It didn¡¯t matter that the vampire kept a lot to himself. They helped each other¡­and that was all that really mattered. Elvin understood what he needed to and that was enough, right? The moment he saw Alucard and Ben emerge from the kitchen, Elvin jumped to his feet. ¡°Are we going now?¡± he asked as they headed over to him. ¡°You are,¡± Alucard said. ¡°I ¡¯ave to get veady to meet Tobias,¡± Alucard answered, leading the way out of the castle. ¡°What about me?¡± Elvin asked as he followed, doing his best to keep up with them. Why did they walk so fast? Setting his ice-blue eyes on the bard, Alucard frowned. ¡°Vhat about you? I said you could come ¡¯ere, and zhat vas all.¡± He scoffed. ¡°So, am I to walk home?¡± he asked as the horses made their way over and stopped in front of Alucard and Ben. ¡°Da,¡± he confirmed vacantly, handing the black stallion¡¯s reins to Ben. Then, he turned to face the castle and waved his hand the way he did when summoning a vampire. Moments later, one of Alucard¡¯s daylight vampires flew down from the closest tower in his bat form, and when he landed, he morphed into a red-eyed, blonde-haired man. ¡°Yes, My Lord?¡± ¡°Take Ben to see zhe prison. ¡¯E vants to see Dargamoore, too, so take ¡¯im via zhe city,¡± Alucard instructed. ¡°Bring Ben back ¡¯ere avter and call vor my groundskeeper to come and collect my ¡¯orses.¡± With a nod, the man mounted the horse Elvin rode there, and Ben mounted Alucard¡¯s stallion. Elvin pouted angrily. He often spent close to all of his day with Alucard; why should today be any different just because there were some new vampires here? ¡°Can¡¯t I just hang out here until you get back?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not coming back ¡¯ere tonight,¡± Alucard answered. ¡°Go ¡¯ome, Elvin. I vill see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°But¡­I don¡¯t want to.¡± He frowned sadly. ¡°I don¡¯t really have anything else to do.¡± ¡°Zhat¡¯s not my problem,¡± the vampire muttered as Ben and his subordinate rode off, leaving the castle courtyard. He wasn¡¯t going to interrupt Alucard¡¯s work. As much as he hated cutting his time short with the vampire, he didn¡¯t want to annoy him. So, he rolled his eyes and sighed. ¡°Fine. Just¡­be careful with those werewolves, Aleksei.¡± Alucard grunted in response and then dematerialized into vermillion smoke. He raced into the sky, leaving Elvin alone. Elvin frowned sadly and dragged himself along the path, trying to figure out what he¡¯d do for the rest of the afternoon. He could write¡­or¡­well, he didn¡¯t have anything else to do, did he? All he wanted was to hang out with Alucard, but the vampire was busy¡ªhe always had something to do every day. Elvin wasn¡¯t sure how he managed. With another sigh, he focused on the fact that he¡¯d still get to see Alucard tomorrow. That was¡­if nothing terrible happened with the werewolves. But he trusted Aleksei; he knew how to handle himself, and these wolves would be no different. Right? ??? | Alucard | The moons were rising, and soon, Alucard would find Tobias. He moved away from his study window and refilled his colt barrels with explosive rounds. Then, he slipped them into the inside pockets of his blazer. Once he ensured his sword was securely sheathed, he headed for the door¡ª ¡°Off somewhere, are we, Aleksei?¡± That creature¡¯s voice stopped Alucard¡¯s heart. His entire body tensed up in response to his dread, and the look of vacancy on his face became something of a haunted stare. Why was he here? What could he have done this time? He slowly turned around and set his eyes on Damien, who was sitting behind his desk with his legs resting on it. The Daegelus had the same condescending look on his face that he would always adorn when looking at him, a look which told Alucard that he should only speak when spoken to. So, he remained silent, staring at Damien, waiting to be told why he had come. Damien tapped his long, black claw-tipped fingers on the table as a malevolent scowl twisted his strangely pale face. He glared with a demeaning expression as he eyed Alucard up and down, and after a few moments of tense, ominous silence, the Daegelus scoffed and asked, ¡°Are you going to stand there like the moron you are or are you going to tell me how last night went?¡± ¡°I started moving vampires vrom Eltaria,¡± he answered. ¡°Zhey are staying at my castle. I vent vhrough zhe portal, and I brought vree vampires back vith me. I plan to bring more next time; vas zhe zemon¡¯s choice to ¡¯ave me bring as many as I did.¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± Damien mumbled. ¡°I assume you came up with a plan¡­well, I say you, but I suspect if there is one, it was probably Zalith¡¯s idea¡ªright?¡± Alucard didn¡¯t want to tell him he was wrong, but he was tired of this man constantly thinking of him as some useless child-like idiot. He wasn¡¯t stupid; he could plan, he could achieve what the Daegelus asked, and he always made sure to do it to the best of his ability. He just wanted Damien to see that. He frowned slightly as he prepared to answer. ¡°I vill move a specifically organized group of vampires vonce a month; vas my idea to do so, and zhe zemon agreed.¡± A cruelly astonished look plastered itself onto Damien¡¯s face. ¡°You?¡± He laughed. ¡°Come up with a plan? On your own? We both know that isn¡¯t possible; your mind is far too inferior. You wouldn¡¯t be lying to me now, would you, Aleksei?¡± ¡°No,¡± Alucard answered with a confused frown. Damien then stood up, watching as Alucard flinched the same way he always did when he made any sudden movement. He then dug his claws into the desk. ¡°We both know what happened last time you tried to fib your way out of something¡­don¡¯t we?¡± he growled, folding his feathered wings against his back. The vampire didn¡¯t take his eyes off him as his dread worsened. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So, tell me once more: what¡­is the plan?¡± ¡°Zhe zemon organized zhe vampires into specific groups vor me. I vill take vone group back vonce a month,¡± he said, his angst becoming overwhelming as the room¡¯s tense atmosphere increased with each passing moment. He wasn¡¯t sure what was going to happen next, but he could assume, and what his mind told him wasn¡¯t in any way what he wanted. ¡°Just as I thought.¡± Damien smirked, pulling his claws from the wood. ¡°You? Coming up with a plan¡ªdon¡¯t try to amuse me, you insolent brat. I know what you are and what you are not capable of; don¡¯t ever think you can fool me,¡± he warned, pointing one of his clawed fingers at him. ¡°Now, these groups: how are they organized?¡± he asked, resting his hands in his lap. Despondency gripped Alucard tightly. Would there ever come a time when Damien would see him as more than just some worthless, useless child who couldn¡¯t ever do anything properly? He tried to the best of his ability to pull himself from that condescending part of Damien¡¯s eyes, but it didn¡¯t seem as though that would ever happen. No matter what he did, and no matter how many tasks he completed, Damien would never thank him. But did he deserve to be thanked? Damien was his superior; it was Alucard¡¯s job to serve him, whether Damien showed him appreciation or not. He should do as Damien told him, and that was all there was to it. He stared vacantly. ¡°Zhe vampires in each group ¡¯ave total ages to my own, plus ¡¯alf, as taking any more at vonce vould veaken me too much.¡± ¡°Weaken you?¡± Damien laughed, moving from behind the desk. ¡°As if you aren¡¯t already weak enough.¡± Alucard felt the urge to back off, but it would be a mistake if he moved even an inch. ¡°I need to make sure I zon¡¯t become too veak so zhat I may be vell enough to keep up vith zhe vings I do ¡¯ere.¡± Damien then scowled impatiently. He grabbed Alucard¡¯s collar and glared into his horrified eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t decide what you need; you¡¯re utterly incapable of anything¡ªeven the simplest of things. Are you forgetting who you are?¡± he snarled. ¡°Must I remind you of your lowly place?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you¡¯ve got going on here in this ugly, revolting world. You live to serve me; therefore, what I tell you to do is of the utmost importance¡ªis it not?¡± Alucard stared into his eyes, sure that he was about to be made to pay for his insolence. But if he were punished, he¡¯d deserve it. He knew better than to speak out of line and of his needs. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Never forget that. I could care less if you were dying of some mortal sickness; you do what I ask until the day you die, whether it be by my hand or not.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he agreed once more. Damien then skeptically asked, ¡°Who is the vampire I have seen you with today?¡± ¡°Ben, vone of zhe vampires who came ¡¯ere.¡± ¡°Is he your friend, Aleksei? You don¡¯t have friends, do you?¡± ¡°No. ¡¯E¡¯s just a subordinate. I ¡¯ave no intervest in becoming ¡¯is vriend.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Damien snarled, tightening his grip on the vampire¡¯s collar. ¡°I¡¯ve warned you about getting close to people.¡± Alucard nodded. ¡°They will only ever use you. I¡¯m the only one you can trust,¡± he drawled, losing his condescending scowl. ¡°Everyone will leave you eventually, but not me¡ªyou¡¯ll never be without me.¡± He took his eyes off the vampire and fell silent for a few moments. But then he frowned and let go of him, pushing him away so that his back hit the wall. ¡°Don¡¯t ever lie to me again, or you¡¯ll lose something else you value so dearly,¡± he warned, raising his hand to point at the vampire. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Alucard said, hanging his head in shame. ¡°You did, however, do well bringing those vampires here, so I won¡¯t punish you this time. I will, however, alter Zalith¡¯s plan.¡± The vampire looked at him. ¡°Once a month will become twice a month. I have another mission for you, one that must be done after these vampires are moved. Don¡¯t take too long, Aleksei. I will be back here at this exact time next month. Make sure there are more than three measly vampires here.¡± Despite knowing this change would make it even harder for him to deal with the werewolves, Alucard obediently replied, ¡°Yes.¡± The Daegelus smiled condescendingly. ¡°If it kills you, know that it won¡¯t be hard to find someone to replace you.¡± Then, he turned around, walked out onto the balcony, and took off, disappearing into the sky, leaving Alucard alone. The vampire looked down at the floor. Twice a month? He suffered immensely from the first transferal; how was he supposed to do that twice? His waned strength still hadn¡¯t fully returned since, and he still felt exhausted. He couldn¡¯t refuse, though. Damien ordered him, and if he had only kept his mouth shut, then it might not have happened. Another mission was lined up for him, and if he failed to do as Damien asked, he knew he¡¯d suffer something worse than death. Alucard turned around and walked through his empty house and out into the garden. He couldn¡¯t hide the fact that he was tired of the people he worked with seeing him as weak and inferior. He was far from either of those things, but it seemed as though Damien would never see that. He¡¯d always be a disappointment, and he¡¯d never impress the Daegelus. He could only keep trying his best. The vampire stopped by the gates and frowned hesitantly. He didn¡¯t have time to meet Tobias now. He had to contact Zalith as soon as possible to discuss the change, and he knew that if he waited, Damien would somehow find out and punish him. He had no idea where Zalith lived, and he wasn¡¯t willing to go searching for him. The demon hadn¡¯t left him any means of communication, had he? Ben. He had to know how to contact him. But would Zalith even come? Alucard was sure that he resented him just as much as Alucard despised him. However, these were Zalith¡¯s vampires; he was the one who wanted them moved as quickly as possible, and Alucard was confident that he¡¯d be content, if anything, to hear that he would be making two trips a month. Then he wondered¡­what could this other mission be? If Damien was making him rush an important mission like this, then it had to be huge. Whatever it was, though, Alucard knew it would either hurt, belittle, or degrade him as a person¡ªeverything Damien made him do was degrading. That creature treated him like a slave. But the fact was, Alucard would never be able to rebel. Damien was a Numen, one of the most powerful, influential beings known to man, and he was a lowly vampire whose father didn¡¯t even want him. What was he next to an eternal God? Nothing. He should appreciate the fact that Damien chose to care for him. Without the Daegelus, he would have died a long time ago. Chapter Nine | Deviation | Alucard | When he got to the castle, Alucard saw Ben and Felix arm wrestling at the table. As he moved towards the table, all of his vampires climbed to their feet and stared obediently at him. ¡°You, ¡¯ere,¡± he called, moving to the corner of the room as he pointed at Ben. Ben walked over to Alucard and asked, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can you contact Zaliv?¡± He frowned in concern as he watched an impatient glare flicker across Alucard¡¯s face. ¡°Has something happened?¡± ¡°I need to speak to ¡¯im about zhe mission¡ªis important,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Do you need to send him a message, or do you need to see him?¡± ¡°I vant to talk to ¡¯im¡ªnow,¡± he snarled irritably. Ben nodded. ¡°I can¡­try to work something out.¡± ¡°Zhen do zhat,¡± Alucard mumbled, moving away from him. Without any hindrance, Ben left through the front door. Alucard made his way to the table and leaned back against it. He wasn¡¯t looking forward to seeing that arrogant demon again, but what choice did he have? Felix stood up and wandered over to him. Alucard rolled his eyes, sure that the silver-eyed man was about to start a conversation he didn¡¯t want to have. The grey-haired vampire stopped beside Alucard. ¡°Everything is okay, My Lord?¡± he asked nervously. Alucard glanced at him. The small, silvery-eyed man was unnecessarily close, so he snarled and moved a little to his right to put more distance between himself and Felix. ¡°Da,¡± he answered. ¡°Clear zhe voom.¡± Felix did as he was told and made his way over to the others. He told them to leave the hall and left with them. Alucard sunk into one of the chairs as a sullen look stole his vacant one. He knew that telling Zalith the plan was changing would make him look stupid. He¡¯d been so adamant with his original plan; changing it now was going to make Zalith think even less of him. But he didn¡¯t care¡ªwhy should he? It wasn¡¯t like they were friends. They were work associates, and that was all it would ever be. What did it matter how Zalith felt? Alucard knew he could do his job, and that was all that mattered because no one else was going to appreciate his work. He sighed and waited, tapping his fingers on the table. At least he was right about Ben being able to contact Zalith. How, he wasn¡¯t sure¡ªbut again, he didn¡¯t care. He just wanted to tell the demon about the deviation as quickly as he could. Then, he could go and meet Tobias if it wasn¡¯t too late. Ben came back through the front door after ten minutes and made his way over to Alucard. ¡°He¡¯ll be here shortly,¡± he said, sitting at the table. ¡°Multemesc,¡± Alucard thanked. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ben then asked in concern. Alucard had no interest in answering that question. Ben seemed to pick up on that. He took his eyes off Alucard and looked around the empty hall. ¡°Should I be concerned about the rest of the vampires?¡± ¡°No.¡± They sat there in silence for the next few minutes. Alucard wasn¡¯t sure how long Zalith might take, but each passing minute made him feel more aggravated. He had other things he needed to do; for all he knew, another werewolf could be prowling through Wrodiff right now. But then footsteps approached, echoing down the short corridor that led from the hall to the castle¡¯s front door. Alucard snapped out of his thoughts and watched as Zalith walked in. Zalith, whose face adorned an irritated yet concerned look, set his eyes on Alucard. ¡°Good evening,¡± he said pleasantly, stopping a few feet away from where the vampire was sitting. ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± Alucard looked up at him. ¡°Sit,¡± he said, kicking out the chair beside him with his left leg. With an irritated sigh, Zalith sat down. Then, he waited for Alucard to speak. ¡°Zamien contacted me.¡± Zalith¡¯s attention seemed to be grasped. ¡°Ve must deviate vrom zhe original plan. I vill make two trips a month, not vone. I must make vone more bevore zhis time next month.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Zamien zidn¡¯t say,¡± he lied. He wasn¡¯t going to sit here and tell Zalith why he had to make changes¡ªwhy should he? All that mattered was that he was still doing to job. ¡°Tell me vhen I should come.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Damien didn¡¯t say, or does he not want me to know what was said?¡± the demon questioned skeptically. ¡°¡¯E zidn¡¯t say,¡± Alucard repeated sternly, scowling. Zalith eyed him for a moment¡­almost as if he was trying to read his thoughts. But then he looked away and muttered, ¡°I can have them ready by next week¡ªthe same time as yesterday.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be zhere.¡± Before Alucard could stand up, Zalith glowered at him. ¡°Why make me come all the way here just for a two-minute conversation? Would it have not been smarter to simply send a message?¡± he asked condescendingly. ¡°No,¡± Alucard snarled. He wasn¡¯t going to tell him why he preferred to meet in person. ¡°Why?¡± he questioned, evidently aggravated. ¡°Messages are never guaranteed to veach zheir destination. I am not villing to visk zhat ¡¯appening,¡± he said, standing up. ¡°You can go now.¡± ¡°Might I offer you a simpler way for us to communicate?¡± Zalith offered as he got up. The vampire stopped before walking off and scowled. ¡°No. Ve meet in person only.¡± Zalith then frowned, clearly antagonised as his anger simmered in the scowl on his face. ¡°So, I¡¯m expected to drop whatever it is that I may be doing to come here for what is likely to be another two-minute conversation regarding something that isn¡¯t going to happen for another few weeks?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The demon scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t expect someone like you to understand the precariousness of the situation I¡¯m in, but I do at least hope you can understand that I simply cannot be coming back and forth whenever you so wish it. I find this refusal of finding an easier means of communication rather ridiculous, and you just as much so.¡± ¡°And I vind very little intervest in vhat you are saying,¡± Alucard sneered, walking off. ¡°Yet you were so interested in talking to me previously that you had me come all the way out here to this pathetic place,¡± Zalith called, following Alucard. Alucard scoffed. ¡°And yet, you came.¡± ¡°Yes, I came because when someone summons you to their house with such urgency, it usually means that there is something of a dire nature involved; I am not here because I want to be!¡± he growled as Alucard reached the front door. Alucard stopped walking and turned to face Zalith, who also stopped. Why was the demon following him? Usually, anyone he expressed anger towards would back down. ¡°I zon¡¯t expect somevone like you to understand zhe precariousness of my situation,¡± he mocked. An amused smile suddenly cut through Zalith¡¯s angered scowl. ¡°Why are you acting this way, vampire?¡± he asked with a flirtatious smirk. Scoffing, Alucard turned his back on him. For a moment, he felt confused¡­yet a little amused; their argument felt almost entertaining, but he¡¯d not let Zalith see that he was actually enjoying their confrontation. ¡°Get out of my castle,¡± he snarled. Keeping his smirk, Zalith walked past him, and as Ben followed, the demon left the castle. The vampire rolled his eyes and sighed. Why did Zalith always seem so entertained by everything? That man obviously found Alucard¡¯s anger funny, and that pissed him off. The demon smiled at everything in a way that made Alucard understand that he thought himself superior to him. He wasn¡¯t, he was just some annoying, insufferable demon who he was stuck working with. Alucard smirked, though. He couldn¡¯t deny that he enjoyed letting Zalith argue with him because the demon would always have to back down. He found it amusing that Zalith thought he might win by mentioning knowledge or ¡®smarter alternatives¡¯, but Alucard was content with his own techniques, and Zalith would never, ever make him change his mind, as much as he may try. But his amusement was swiftly destroyed when he remembered that if Damien found out he was having fun, he¡¯d punish him. This was a serious mission. He and Zalith needed to work together professionally. So, he put it out of his mind. How could he have been such an idiot to let himself get carried away? He wouldn¡¯t let it happen again. He turned around and headed for the door. It was time to find Tobias and find out what he¡¯d learned about the wolf that attacked Elvin. ??? | Zalith | Zalith made his way toward the castle gates as Ben followed. Despite the annoyance he¡¯d initially felt being called all the way out here for a conversation they could have had through a letter or two, he found that he actually enjoyed his brief interaction with Alucard. He¡¯d managed to fluster the vampire, something he found rather amusing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to come all the way out here for that,¡± Ben said, walking beside him. Zalith approached the gates. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Ben frowned. ¡°What?¡± The demon smiled. ¡°I had a delightful time.¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­okay then.¡± Then, Zalith lost his smirk and looked at him. ¡°Farewell.¡± As Zalith stood in front of the wall, Ben waved. ¡°See you later.¡± But then some naked man covered in bleeding scratches and bites burst through the gates and rushed past them without so much as an apology for making Zalith stumble aside to avoid a collision. He watched the blonde-haired man who reeked of wolf run up towards Alucard, who had just come out into the courtyard. He wanted to create a rift and head home, but he was curious. So, he stood there and listened. The blonde man panted when he stopped in front of Alucard, who looked embarrassed when he saw the guy wasn¡¯t wearing any clothes. He scowled at his face, and Zalith smirked amusedly. That was twice now he¡¯d seen Alucard become flustered. ¡°B-boss,¡± the guy stuttered, stifling his breaths. ¡°I¡­got something,¡± he wheezed. ¡°Vhat?¡± Alucard demanded. With a few deep breaths, the man shook his head. ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna like it, man.¡± ¡°Just fucking tell me!¡± the vampire exclaimed. ¡°That wolf who attacked Elvin? Yeah, it came from some rogue pack. I ain¡¯t ever seen or heard of them until I found them.¡± The look of concern that stole Alucard¡¯s scowl intensified Zalith¡¯s curiosity. ¡°Fuckers almost caught me¡ªme, an Alpha, man. These things were so strong that I had to fucking run for it. I managed to catch some conversation beforehand, though, something about scheduled attacks. The wolf who almost killed Elvin was supposed to kill him to send some sort of message. I think these guys are planning something bad, man,¡± the guy explained so fast that it was like his words were literally seeping from his stubbly face. ¡°They¡¯ve got an Alpha or something¡­really big-looking guy.¡± Alucard snarled and stormed down towards the gates. ¡°You want my help?¡± the man offered, following him. ¡°I can round up my pack¡ª¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll deal vith zhem myselv,¡± the vampire uttered as he walked past Zalith. ¡°Vhere are zhey?¡± ¡°Ardelean Forest, boss. They¡¯re camping in that abandoned village. You sure you wanna do this solo? I dunno if you heard me when I said even I couldn¡¯t match them.¡± As Zalith watched the vampire head for the forest, he frowned in confliction. The idea of rogue werewolves strong enough to scare an Alpha away was concerning enough already but knowing that Alucard was going to face them alone made him feel anxious. Judging from what Damien told him, he was confident that Alucard was walking to his death, and where that might not bother Zalith under different circumstances, it bothered him now. Not only was Alucard his only hope of getting his vampires to safety, but Damien had also told him to make sure that Alucard didn¡¯t get himself killed. He wasn¡¯t about to learn what happened when he disappointed the Daegelus. So, with an irritated huff, he left Ben and raced after Alucard, hoping he¡¯d reach him before he did something stupid. Chapter Ten | The Amarok | Alucard | Alucard hurried through Ardelean Forest. He suspected that the werewolves were scheming, and he was right. Of course he was. Why now? Why did they have to decide to crawl out of the woods while he was working on something for Damien? He couldn¡¯t afford to let them threaten the treaty, so he was going to kill them all before they could try to kill anyone else. His scowl thickened as he tried to work out what he was going to do once he reached the abandoned village. The werewolf that attacked Elvin was stronger than any other he¡¯d faced, and if every wolf in this rogue pack was the same, then he was going to have to be much more careful than usual. The vampire used his ethos to shroud himself from detection, and as he approached the tree line, he set his eyes on the rubble up ahead. A campfire burned in the old village square and several Beta werewolves were curled up around it. He spotted three Etas on patrol, and inside the only building that still had a roof was the silhouette of a large, wolfish creature. Alucard silently moved to the left, trying to get a better look inside, but judging by the beast¡¯s sheer size, he assumed it was the Alpha that Tobias mentioned. He counted eleven wolves. He¡¯d faced packs three times the size of this before; but he had to remember that these might not be ordinary werewolves, and if the Betas were as strong as the one he faced in Wrodiff, then the Alpha was probably much more dangerous. The vampire set his eyes on one of the Etas and used the darkness to prowl closer. Then, when the wolf passed by, sniffing the ground, he snatched it by its scruff and pulled it into the brush. The wolf squirmed and tried to alert its packmates, but Alucard held its maw shut with one of his hands, and he plunged the other into the wolf¡¯s neck and tore its throat out. One down, ten to go. But the wolves smelled the blood of their packmate, and when they all climbed to their paws and raced towards the corpse, Alucard moved away from it, left the trees, and took cover behind a wall. He watched the wolves find and both mourn and anger over their dead friend, and then he shifted his sights to the Alpha. The massive creature emerged from its den, and it brought a look of dread to Alucard¡¯s face. An Amarok. Huge, insane werewolves with no humanity and the strength of a hundred wolves. The creature¡¯s navy fur glistened in the moonlight as it prowled towards its pack, blood dripping from its gnarly jaw. Alucard could see inside the building, and the corpse of three humans lay inside. The vampire clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He could tell from the smell that the bodies were no more than a few hours old, and he was certain that in the morning, there¡¯d be an uproar. ¡°Find¡­them,¡± came the Amarok¡¯s distorted, rumbling voice. On his word, the pack spread out and started looking for their packmate¡¯s killer, just as Alucard hoped they would. If he could take them out one by one, this would go a whole lot smoother. Alucard waited as a Beta approached and passed the wall he hid behind. He pulled his rapier from its sheath and stabbed the blade through the wolf¡¯s skull, killing it instantly. He dragged its body behind the wall, and then he used the shadows to mask himself and moved over to a mountain of rubble. He peered through a small gap. The Amarok was prowling the village square; the stomps of its massive feet echoed through the tense quiet, and when it sharply turned its head and looked Alucard¡¯s way, the vampire backed away from the small gap between the bricks. It was coming his way. Alucard disappeared into vermillion smoke and reappeared on the other side of the village, but when his back hit a wall, pieces of stone fell and hit the concrete. He heard the wolves growl, and he knew they were coming. He moved away from the wall and turned to face the first incoming Beta. But when he reached for one of his colts, another Beta came from behind a building and crashed into him. The vampire landed on the ground with a thump and a grunt, holding the wolf¡¯s snapping jaws back with his free hand. But it was so strong that he felt himself losing the battle. And the other wolves were closing in. Alucard dropped his sword and pulled his colt from his pocket. He fired it into the beast¡¯s neck, and as the round burrowed inside its skin, Alucard kicked the yelping wolf away before the bullet exploded inside it, sending a rain of blood everywhere. He climbed to his feet, but before he could grab his sword, another wolf lunged at him and tried to sink its teeth into his arm. The vampire managed to smack the wolf¡¯s face with his colt, but he had no time to turn and face the werewolf running at him from behind. The Eta smashed into his back, pushing him back to the ground. He rolled over to face it and reached for his dropped colt, but the wolf pounced on him and went for his throat. Although he grabbed its maw in time, three other Betas were seconds away. Alucard¡¯s heart was racing. He tried throating the wolf off, but it was too strong¡ªstronger than the wolf from Wrodiff. It snarled and swayed its body, attempting to break free from his grip¡ª Wolf¡¯s teeth pierced Alucard¡¯s shin, and when he felt the venom gush into his body, he yelled painfully, and he lost his grasp on the wolf¡¯s jaws¡ª The wolf suddenly burst into white flames and flew off Alucard, colliding with the wolf which bit him. Alucard hurried to his feet but grunted as pain shot through his bitten leg. It withered, though¡­when he saw where the white fire came from. Zalith stood between two ruins with his hand pointing towards the wolves. Alucard watched him throw ashen fire at two beasts running towards him, and when the flames hit them, they tumbled along the ground and shrieked in agony. The vampire snarled and recovered his weapons. But before he could yell and ask Zalith why the fuck he was here, the Amarok let out a deafening howl. The remaining three wolves raced to its side, and Zalith moved to Alucard¡¯s side. ¡°Did you fucking vollow me?¡± Alucard growled, keeping his eyes on the wolves, waiting for them to make their move. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Not because I wanted to,¡± the demon replied. Alucard scoffed. ¡°Zhen vhy vhe fuck are you in my business?¡± ¡°Damien,¡± he answered. The vampire felt both rage and embarrassment race through him. But there was no time for him to ask why Damien was the reason. The werewolves growled when the Amarok told them to charge, and then they raced towards him and Zalith. Alucard watched Zalith go for the three of them, so he ran towards the Amarok. The beast roared and watched Alucard approach, and when Alucard reached it, he dodged the swipe of its massive front paw and skidded along the ground. Then, he plunged his blade towards the beast¡¯s back. But all he was able to do was leave a minor cut on the Amarok¡¯s skin; it swung around and slammed its arm into him, sending Alucard stumbling back. The Amarok then roared and lunged, but the vampire dodged again and sliced its forearm. He avoided each of its attacks, getting as many slices off on the beast as he could. But it quickly enraged and stomped its front paws onto the ground, making it shake. Alucard struggled to keep his balance as the concrete shattered, and when the beast launched a massive piece of stone at him, he escaped its trajectory by mere inches¡ª The Amarok slammed its paw against his chest before he could record, and Alucard went tumbling across the ground. It was then that he realized the venom coursing through his veins was making it harder for him to concentrate. But he had to keep fighting. He climbed to his feet and set his eyes on the monster. However, Zalith was now facing it. The other wolves were dead, and the demon was launching flames at the Amarok. But the massive beast didn¡¯t shriek and back down like the others. It was almost as if it didn¡¯t feel pain. It was covered in slices and cuts from Alucard¡¯s attacks, bleeding all over the place, but it fought as if everything they did to it was nothing. Alucard hurried over, and when Zalith backed off to dodge the Amarok¡¯s swing, Alucard gathered his strength and stabbed the blade as deeply as he could into the creature¡¯s leg. It howled painfully and swung around, but Alucard avoided its swing and aimed his colt at it. Before he could fire, though, the Amarok pulled Alucard¡¯s sword from its leg and threw it at him. Alucard smacked the blade away, but the monster used Alucard¡¯s moment of distraction to lunge¡ª Zalith threw fire at its face, knocking it off balance as it wailed and shook its head. Alucard fired his gun, and the bullet embedded itself in the Amarok¡¯s arm. The round exploded, blowing the monster¡¯s limb off its body, and it fell to the concrete with a loud, ground-shaking thump. However, it wasn¡¯t dead yet. It wiped the white flames from its face with its remaining hand, and before Zalith could get another hit off, the beast kicked him away with its back leg and then pushed itself up. It dived towards Alucard, and he was too slow to avoid its paw. It knocked his gun from his hand, but when Alucard fell, white flames consumed the beast¡¯s gaping wound, and it whined and swiftly turned to face Zalith, who stood across the square with blood seeping down the side of his face. The Amarok charged as best it could with only three limbs. Alucard tried to get up, but the venom was stealing his strength. He watched Zalith dodge a few of the wolf¡¯s attacks, but its strength was clearly too much for him, too, and it quickly pinned him down. Alucard snarled in frustration and pulled his other colt from his coat. He aimed it at the beast Zalith held its snapping jaws back with his hands, but it was quickly overpowering him. The vampire¡¯s arm was shaking, and he tried his best to focus. If he didn¡¯t fire¡ªif he missed¡ªthe monster would slaughter Zalith, and Damien would be furious. With a pained grunt, he sat up, grasped the gun with both hands and fired. The bullet cut into the Amarok¡¯s neck, and as it drilled deeper, the beast pushed itself away from Zalith and desperately cut at its throat with its claws. But it was too late. The round exploded, blowing the beast¡¯s head off its body, and sending a flood of blood, bone, and innards crashing down on Zalith, who lay on the grass with a disgusted, humiliated look on his face. Alucard let himself laugh quietly in amusement. It was over. The Amarok was dead, as was its pack. As Alucard struggled to his feet and grabbed his weapons, he watched Zalith wipe the mess from his face, retching a little as he did. The demon climbed to his feet, holding his arms around as blood dripped from him, and when Alucard approached, he looked at him and asked, ¡°Do you have a handkerchief?¡± ¡°No,¡± Alucard replied, unable to keep the smirk off his face as he looked Zalith up and down. Zalith scowled and snarled quietly as he tried to wipe as much blood off as he could with his hands. But he was drenched. ¡°Zhere¡¯s a river zhat vay,¡± Alucard sneered, nodding at the tree line. ¡°Or do you ¡¯ave to get back to Zamien?¡± The demon rolled his eyes and turned around. He headed in the direction of the river. As much as Alucard wanted to leave, he wanted to know what Zalith meant when he said that he was here because of Damien. So, he followed. ¡°Vhat does Zamien ¡¯ave to do vith you vollowing me?¡± Zalith stormed towards the water and grumbled, ¡°He told me to make sure you don¡¯t get yourself killed, and evidently, he was right to do so.¡± Alucard scowled and grabbed Zalith¡¯s shoulder, turning him to face him. ¡°I zidn¡¯t need your ¡¯elp,¡± he growled, glaring at the demon¡¯s bloody face. ¡°And if you vecall, I vas zhe vone who saved you vrom getting killed!¡± The demon scoffed and yanked his arm free. ¡°And if you recall, I stopped those wolves from tearing you apart, so we¡¯re even.¡± Then, he walked towards the river. With a quiet, aggravated growl, Alucard made his way to the water, too. He crouched by the riverbed and started cleaning the blood from his skin, and when he glanced at Zalith, he caught him looking at him. Alucard scowled and shifted his sights to his injured leg. He gently pulled his boot and sock off to assess the wound. Several gashes cut into his shin, and the skin around them was dark and infected. He loathed werewolf bites, but to his relief, it was only a Beta. If the Amarok managed to bite him, he¡¯d be in a much worse state. He moved his leg into the river, and when the freezing water hit his wound, he grimaced and groaned painfully. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Zalith called. Alucard ignored him and gently rubbed the wound with his fingers. He watched the blood wash away, and as he gently pinched the gashes, slithers of silvery werewolf venom oozed out. He heard Zalith tearing fabric, and when he looked at the demon, he¡¯d ripped some of his shirt and was heading over to him with it. ¡°Here,¡± Zalith said, offering him the piece of torn shirt. With a pout, Alucard snatched it from him and started wrapping his leg. He caught a glimpse of Zalith¡¯s abs, and for some reason, he couldn¡¯t help but glance again once he was done. Alucard then pulled his sock and boot back on. He tried to get up, and Zalith offered to help, but he shoved the demon away and snarled at him, ¡°Get off me.¡± Zalith rolled his eyes and backed off. Once he was up, Alucard pulled his sheathed sword from his side and used it to help him stay on his feet. He turned away from Zalith and glared at the tree line. It relieved him knowing that the Amarok and its rogue pack were dead, but the thing had been feeding on three bodies, and Alucard was certain that it wouldn¡¯t take long for the humans to work out that it was werewolves. He sighed and dragged his hand over his face. Maybe telling the council that he killed all the rogues would convince them not to void the treaty. If he didn¡¯t have to deal with Zalith¡¯s vampires, then maybe this wouldn¡¯t have happened. Maybe he could have killed the Amarok before it got those people. The demon then huffed and said, ¡°Well, if you¡¯re done almost getting killed for the night, I need to get back.¡± ¡°Zhen go,¡± Alucard snapped. Zalith sighed irritably. ¡°Fine,¡± he uttered. Alucard glanced over his shoulder and watched the demon head over to a tree. Zalith flicked his fingers at the trunk; the bark split and cracked, opening to form a rift. Crimson flames spewed out, and as the demon stepped inside, he shot one last glare at Alucard. And then he was gone. The rift closed, leaving a thick, black burn on the tree. The vampire rolled his eyes and huffed angrily. That man boiled his blood. But he didn¡¯t have the energy to argue. He was exhausted, and his leg was twinging. He had to get home; the woods were infested with werewolves, and the last thing he needed was one taking a chance and attacking him in his current state. He took a deep breath and then dematerialized into vermillion smoke. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and he hoped he¡¯d be able to save the treaty. But what if he couldn¡¯t? Where would he take the vampires if the council cast him out?