She lead me by the hand through dimly hit halls, ornate and fanciful. The floors were well carved wood, black as night. Over them were carpets that where clearly worth more than my entire apartment complex. The halls themselves were crafted from the same metal of the castle itself.
On the surface the place seemed almost homely, welcoming, yet there was something about it that sent warnings down my spine. I tried to open my mouth to speak, to question what was happening and where I was, but a single angelic finger met my lips before I could even put the words together.
"Hush, pet." I shivered in pleasure at her words, and at the power they had over me.
It was strange. I knew something was wrong, I knew that this was all beyond my understanding, but I could not bring myself to argue. I couldn''t bear the thought of refusing any desire she had, knowingly or otherwise. Things only grew stranger as we moved deeper and deeper into the castle.
We passed a banquet hall, where dozens of beautiful people danced just too quickly, and to the sound of music just too high pitched. Men and women dressed in clothing straight from the Renaissance looked at me in amusement as she led me past them and down another hallway. Thirteen guards garbed in blackest plate moved in unison as we passed them by, bringing their right arms over their hearts in salute. Twelve against both walls, staring across from each other, and one by the door.
I slowed as my eyes met one of the guards own, pale blue and stilted like a cats, he wheezed quietly at my passing. I looked back to her in time to catch a smile.
"Almost, Donovan." She said it with a hint of amusement even as my head tilted at the word. I don''t remember telling her my name, but I must have. Of all the oddities I''ve noticed, the most distressing was that she hadn''t told me hers. Still, I did not speak.
At the end of the hall a door waited for us, and a garland of roses hung over and around its border. It opened, and she guided me into a bedroom I could only imagine belonged to her. Red carpeting, embroidered with images of battle and horror that almost seemed real. The same black iron walls, and in the center of the room a bed with soft white sheets.
The angel who had stolen my will looked back to the guards with a smirk. "I am not to be disturbed until the celebrations are well underway. Tell my love only if he asks directly."
My shoulders slumped at her words. Love? There was someone she loved? "Who is your love?" The honest hurt I felt was enough to make me defy her wishes.
Her head whipped to me in an instant, honest confusion striking her face."Not a word." My mouth closed with an audible click. It didn''t matter anyway. I could show her my worth, and I would not have to hear of any other love but my own. I nearly laughed at my own thoughts.
I hadn''t believed in the concept of love at first sight before now, but it was with all the certainty in the world that I believed in it now. It was all consuming, Shakespearean in a way. She had given me a reason to live in the few moments we had together. My life had been empty for months now, and in a few short minutes, nearly an hour, she had turned it all around so fiercely it was impossible for me to ignore.
Even in the haze I was slowly starting to recognize around my mind I knew it to be true.
The guard nodded, stepping back and allowing her to close the door with the sound of something locking. She stepped into me a moment later, drawing me into a kiss and lightly pushing me towards the bed, when I reached its foot she stepped away. "Take off your shirt." she breathed.
I nearly tore it off in my desperation to comply. Her eyes looked over my chest in a moment, before looking back into my own. She made tsked at me after a moment. My heart dropped at the sound. The handful of women I had spent time with never complained before. Sure I was no superstar, but I was lucky enough to be somewhat attractive without the kind of effort some people had to put into it.
I used to be proud of that, but now I could only wish I had done more for myself.
"No matter." She sighed. I let out a breath of relief as her hands went behind her back, tugging at the knot that held up her dress. I found myself waiting and watching as she slowly peeled the dress off. There was no preamble or hesitation, only agonizing slowness and an ocean of anticipation within me.
It was even more than I had imagined, Long, perfect legs leading up to a toned stomach and a pair of perfect breasts. She took a step forward, laying her hands on my shoulders. With a smile she lightly pushed me, and I toppled on top of the bed. I didn''t move, only watching as she crawled easily on top of me. She laid a kiss on my cheek before sitting up with a sly smile.
"Have you ever been with a woman like me?" I was confused for a moment, before I caught the mocking tone. She already knew I hadn''t, she just wanted to bask in it.
"Never." How could I have? Every other woman I had met, seen, even heard of paled in comparison.
She smiled, before a pout came over her. "Do you love me?" I nodded. "Would you die for me?"
"Yes." I didn''t even hesitate. I would die for her, a thousand times if I had to. Her smile grew for a moment, before it fell away into a pout. She leaned into me, whispering into my ear.
"Then why did you ignore me? Pass me over for someone so mundane?" I tilted my head. Trying to remember what had happend when I first saw her.
"Ignore you?" Had I? It was the wrong thing to say. Her thumbs, once trailing lightly around my shoulders, buried themselves in my flesh. I grunted, managing only to gasp out some air as her thumbs dug deeper into my shoulders.
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"Yes. Ignore me, now why did you ignore me? Am I not perfect, everything you could ever dream of?" She snarled at me, her eyes growing black as she spoke. Even then she was beautiful.
"I-" I grunted as her fingers dug deeper. "-I couldn''t find a way to catch your attention over the others. I needed you to look to me, and I knew that only someone who could look you over would catch your eye." She smiled again, only this time it was cruel.
"Well it worked, you have my full attention. For tonight, tomorrow, and however long you last after." She pulled her thumbs out of my shoulders, giggling at the sound of my pain. "Perhaps I''ll keep you even longer."
She drew away from me a moment later, drawing a wickedly curved knife from under the bed. Part of me wanted to flee, to struggle as she began to carve against my skin, as the knife led a burning trail of white hot pain across my body. I didn''t.
I couldn''t. Even now I couldnt bear not to do exactly as she desired, and she wanted me to lie still, and cringe under every flick of the dagger. It was an ocean of pain washing over me, yet I found that sometimes she let me feel just a hint of pleasure as she did her work.
Even as she flayed the skin from my chest she grinded against me, even as my blood began to pool around us both she wouldn''t forget to whisper into my ear promises for more. It was all with a kind of intimacy and closeness I hadn''t expereinced even in my closest relationships.
It was agony, but agony I was willing to take, to trade for those moments she smiled at me. Those moments she looked at me as if I was the only man in the world. Even through the worst of it the most movement I managed was slight twitching as the blade bit particularly deep.
It must have been hours as she worked her artistry along my flesh, using more and more of my torso as a canvas of pain, and eventually, like all things it came to end. She had stopped for a moment, taking the time to lick at an exposed rib I distantly recongnised as my own.
Somehow it was pure ecstasy. She giggled huskily, opening her mouth to say something to me, before the door opened with a boom. She flinched at the sound, before smirking at the man who stormed inside.
"What is the meaning of this!?" He roared as he caught sight of me, and more importantly the woman leaning over me. His voice was cultured, and thick with an accent I figured as Spanish.
Her "love" probably. I hated him immediately.
The man had a similar feeling to him as the angel on my lap, but not as strong, not as natural.
He had a handsome face, a more olive skintone and strong arms to be certain, but the feeling he produced was jilted, and as I looked at him it was difficult to tell why he came off as attractive as he did.
Combined with my own sexual preference and growing hatred it was easy to look over. If anything the air of unnatural attractiveness made it easier to justify my anger.
An angelic, mocking tone met his roar. "I simply wanted to enjoy my meal in the comfort of my own bedroom. Is that not acceptable my love?"
His eyes once again met my own, this time studying us more closely. He spoke again, this time with far more control.
"Then why hide him from me? Why tell the guards to inform me precisely before the celebrations would begin, and the last of our guests would arrive?"
She let out a laugh. "A punishment, and a reminder, love."
She stood up, licking the blood from one of her fingers. "You''ve forgotten yourself, drooling over the duchess Farnal like a animal in heat, ''speaking'' to her alone and for hours on end. "
She snarled, flashing fangs at the mongrel. "It was I who saved you from my father''s ire! Who accepted your advances over the other suitors, and you can always be replaced!"
His hand flashed out, faster than I could follow, locking around her neck. "Well, consider the warning heeded. However, if I ever find you''ve betrayed me in the manner you''ve hinted to our guests, I''ll tear your throat out."
He lifted her into the air for a moment, and for a second I thought he would do just that.
He dropped her shortly after, gritting his teeth at me before smiling at her. "Come then Trua, the parties already begun. We don''t want to be poor hosts do we?"
"No, we don''t." Her voice was cold, emotionless, but she grabbed her dress, and followed him out the room.
"Stay." Was my only order. I was left to bask in my pain, and process how my night had gone. I was conflicted.
I didn''t move, following her order, but as time began to pass me by things began to become more clear.
I wasnt the superstitius type, but I had seen and felt more than enough to have an idea of what was going on. These "people" were vampires. The fangs, the cruelty, the blood, and the presence of them were evidence enough.
That brought up several glaring existantional issues, but I forced myself to put them aside for more important things.
At first I had been determined to show her my value with subservience, to show her my love was such that I would take any pain for her.
No more. That was something she wanted from prey. I needed to prove my worth in a different manner. I knew she was inside my head, twisting me so I would comply.
At first I had been accepting of that fact, knowing it would make her happy. Now though, I could see the truth of it.
She would be happy to see meat obey, allow her to feed as she wished. But that would mean allowing that man free reign, letting him take a place at her side.
And that...that was unacceptable.
My fingers twitched, and my fist clenched.
Chapter 3
It was some time before I managed to move again, it felt like a betrayal, as If I was personally murdering someone I dearly cared for. It started as twitching, the clenching and unclenching of my fists. Then I moved on to tensing my muscles, my arms and my legs.
At least fifteen minutes had passed since I had made my decision, maybe thirty since they had left for whatever celebration they where partaking in. I tried to sit up, my fists clinging to the now bloodstained sheets around me. I gasped as I fell back, wheezing as the pain came back to me.
My abdomen, flayed of skin and damaged by her tender touch, would not listen to my commands. Looking at what she had done was difficult, seeing so much of my own blood. I was looking at my own untouched muscle, freed of skin. I flopped once toward the canopy, pausing from the fresh wave of agony. It was another three halfhearted jerks towards it before I managed to wrap a hand around it.
She had been careful not to harm anything but my chest, keeping her ministrations localized. It was easier to life my self up, but no less painful. I felt the warmth of my own blood start to trail down my legs. A look at the full length mirror at the end of the room made it clear my eyes hadn''t been lying to me.
I wasn''t even certain how I was alive. Sure she somehow hadn''t knicked arteries or damaged any of my organs as far as I could tell, but between shock and blood-loss that shouldn''t have mattered. Then there was the fact I was moving at all. The pain was so much more than anything else I had experienced, but I wasn''t on the ground, writhing in the pain of simply breathing. Magic. Some kind of magic was the only answer. Something to keep my heart beating and my mind aware.
It was clear she had done something to my mind, it was no leap that she could do it to my body too. I crouched low, picking up my shirt with some difficulty. Just as well I didn''t want to see it anymore, the memory of the pain, the pleasure, was far too distracting. Besides, maybe it would put less of a target on my back.
I had a feeling jeans and a black T-shirt wasn''t the kind of wardrobe this party required, but it was better than nothing. With that in mind I managed to put the shirt on with only moderate difficulty and pain. I probably stilled smelled like a fresh corpse, but at least I wasn''t the same kind of advertisement.
This was a celebration for what was probably vampires, and that meant there was likely dozens of them in this place. If that woman was any indicator they where far stronger, far faster, and had actual magic powers. If common knowledge about the legend was any indicator they probably had better senses, and the experience to use it too. All I could do was hope that whatever they called "entertainment" was distracting enough for me to move without notice.
I needed to watch them. If I wanted her, I would need to know how their society worked, what was fact about them and what was fiction. I needed to know what to do next. I took a few steps forward, stumbling and catching myself at the door. I gathered myself for a moment.
"Trua. Her name is Trua." I whispered to myself. I fiddled with the lock for a moment, before opening the door. I froze a moment later, before looking frantically at the empty hallway. There had been guards of some kind hadn''t there? Not a sound met my ears, and no set of black armor met my eyes.
I breathed a painful sigh of relief. I could have died before I really even began. I stepped outside, and began to walk the halls of the castle, frantically searching my mind as I did. What did I know about vampires? Every story was different, but all of them where equally possible now. Any mix of legend and media could be true.
Somewhere in the haze of what had happened we passed people dancing, and that was the only clue I had to where they were. I tried to backtrack, going off half remembered and shrouded memory as I avoided patrolling guards, and even what looked to be terrified servants. Human if the way they trembled was any indicator.
The dark of the halls made it easy to avoid them at least. I wandered aimlessly, trying to stick to the vague direction she had led me in earlier. It grew easier as the sound of violins began to flow down the corridor, and voices and laughter grew louder. Unfortunately as the clamor increased so too did the guards and servants.
I drew back when it was clear I couldn''t go further without being noticed. I had no idea what would be done to me, if I would be killed, eaten, captured or anything in between. So I changed my strategy. I followed two servants who seemed to have left the celebrations, one was covered in blood, walking silently with a deadened look in his eye, and the other was crying her eyes out.
They lead me past winding hallways and into a side passage I had looked over, taking me down a long staircase and into a far brighter, but less cared for section of the castle. This area had to have been for servants or slaves. Above me they even had fluorescent lighting. I ducked into the first door I saw after the servants rounded a corner, and I nearly ran into a group of people carrying a large platter with a lid over it. Thankfully they were too distracted by the platter to fully take notice of me.
The room itself was pitch black, and I took a moment to breathe. After giving my eyes some time to adjust I looked around again, and managed to make out several large, box like objects attached to the floor, with what looked to be retractable beds of iron. A crematorium.
I shook off a spell of dizziness, before I straightened, and stepped back. Magic or no I was going to lose consciousness soon, and probably my life shortly thereafter. I was feeling weaker by the moment. So little time. I listened for movement, waiting until I was sure no one was in the hall
When not a sound met my ear I stepped outside. I checked every door I passed, quietly opening them, catching sight of sleeping quarters, maintence closets, storage space, and finally a laundry room. It was for less modern than the hall and the crematorium, with nothing but soap and several large buckets scattered around the room. In the corner however I saw my goal. A group of hampers, filled with uniforms.
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They were fanciful things, old uniforms one would expect on an medieval man servant. Black silk doublets, and strange pants puffed out at the knees. At least they would hide the blood. I took my pants off, leaving my T on and carefully putting the ensemble together over it.
The buttons were difficult, and I was unsure how I looked without a mirror, but I was far less likely to be questioned. I straightened my collar, before carefully stepping outside again. I didn''t bother to wait for a moment when the hall was empty, hoping to test the disguise against people less likely to kill me the moment something was amiss.
Several servants walked past me, but none looked my way. I walked with them, following several as they made their way up the stairs and back to the celebration. I lowered my stance to match the servants, keeping my head low and making a mental note not to look anyone in the eye.
I didn''t know much about high society, but some things came easily enough. We eventually managed to walk past several groups of guards, and enter a banquet hall. I realised immediately why all the servants seemed constantly on edge.
The hall itself seemed normal enough to belong in any rich persons manor, but lined along the tabletops were mortal men and woman just like me, but prepared and readied as meals. They were uncooked, but often cut in small pieces like beef or pork. The whole hall smelled so strongly of blood that even I managed to pick up on it.
Those dressed in the clothing of nobility were beautiful without exception. some quietly speaking amongst themselves, and others loudly tearing into their meals. They were all passively letting out that same feeling, but it wasn''t directed at me or anyone else from the looks of it. Music rang out around the hall, but I could here more in the next room, where I saw lights focused around a dancing crowd.
I kept away from the tables, making sure to steer clear of party goers when one of the servants drew too close, and a large man pulled her screaming onto the table, laughing boisterously as he did. I tried to ignore the sound of her screams as I watched them go about their celebration.
One of the vampires standing off to the side sighed in annoyance, turning to a brunette beauty. "Lord Vance always insists on having his meals live. Not a question to the host and not a sign of respect to those around him.The barbarian doesn''t know anything about proper etiquette."
She scoffed. "Give the man his due, he performed well against the Eastern houses, and earned a place here at Lord Fulgus'' table."
He huffed. "Perhaps I''m letting my impatience get to me. When does the main event start?"
"Soon, love." I walked past them a moment later, keeping my head low. I wanted to know more, but I had to keep my movement constant, and I had to look like I belonged. You could go anywhere if you looked like you belonged.
I caught sight a maid with shaking legs, holding a platter but too afraid to present it to the table. I stepped beside her, gently taking hold of it."Where is it supposed to go?"
She swallowed, looking at me with wide eyes. "W-what?" I took the platter from her.
"Where does the platter go?" She pointed to a somewhat empty portion of the table. I took it there without a word. Taking note of the laughter of those who I was serving. I paused for a moment when I noticed the greyed hair of the man in the center. Either he was turned later in his life or these vampires aged.
"Qin dynasty they call themselves. Arrogant isnt it? One of the youngest houses and they think themselves worthy of such title."
I noted the Italian accent, and moved the platter to the empty space as they spoke.
"They certainly know their place now though. It was Cassius who managed to breach their little hovel wasnt it? You-" He paused for a moment, before looking to me. His hand met my shoulder and I had to stop myself from cringing in pain. His nostrils flared.
His eyes met my own, before he shook his head, looking to the platter. "Smells good! Fresh! Seems that upstart Alvarado knows how to treat his guests, if not his wife." The men and woman around him laughed as I stepped away.
Too close, but it got me information I needed. His name was Alvarado then, and people thought of him as an upstart. I nodded at the greatful look the maid sent me before I moved toward the ballroom, nearly stumbling at the sight.
She was there, dancing with an older man who held some resemblance, and the same hair color. Family of some kind. I stepped away just as she was lead around to face me, walking towards a group of servants.
A man with a more ornate uniform seemed to be in charge of this group, and they seemed more experienced than the rest. "Somebody get Annete properly disposed of, and we need more people ready with the food. I know it''s worrying their hunger might come to us, but it almost certainly will unless the masters guests are properly catered. We have-" He looked to his watch. "-Five minutes before the main event starts and all the food needs to be in place by then."
Five minutes. Alright then. I walked past the group, making my way back down the servant staircase. I took a moment to review once I was inside the crematorium.
This was a celebration, possibly because of a recent success in a war with something known as the Eastern Houses. The vampire I was planning to murder was considered an upstart by his peers and his name was Alvarado.
I leaned against the door, clutching my ribs for a moment. Not much time now.
Chapter 4
When I stumbled back out into the hall it was empty, and silent of even the music that had been coming from above. I managed to climb back up the stairs, this time with some difficulty. I stepped into a crowd of other servants as he raised a hand into the air, silencing the idle chatter.
"You''ve partaken in my food, supped on my wine, and enjoyed the hospitality of House Alvarado. The time has come for the main event. Over the past weeks the campaign against the Eastern houses has been unfortunately bloody. Thousands of ghouls, slaves, and even several lords fell in the ensuing battles, not to mention the loss of my progenitor and ancestor Juan Alvarado."
Several of the creatures of black armor dragged the bloody and limp form of a man into the room. Spears, swords, and daggers alike pierced his flesh from all angles, deeply embedded into his flesh. The skin of much of his body loosely hung around him, trailing behind as he was pulled inside. He was thrown to Alvarado''s feet.
"All thanks to the creature seen before you. The elder known as Qin Shi Huang. Just two hundred years ago he orchestrated the complete purge of the old Eastern houses, and installed a hundred freshly turned pups as the new ruling class" The crowd began to murmer at the reminder, a number brought up the sheer volume of weapons inside of him.
He beckoned to the pile of flesh that Qin Shi Huang. "With strength belying even his considerable years he nearly single-handedly crippled us when we were foolish enough to take him lightly, ending no less than three bloodlines and making the Western houses a laughing stock."
"It is my great pleasure to be host to his final moments. As the ones who managed to overcome the ''Emperor'' of the East, the honor of consuming the wretch goes to Lord Casius Sergia, and of course my father in law, Lord Alek Vasiliev." At his words two men stepped away from the table, walking with purpose to the mans side.
The guests and guards alike began to chant in a language I did not recognize as they walked. "Sarg luth phuul drak''corluus!"
The first man seemed to be a young blonde with boyish good looks, and the other a grey-haired man, old but clearly still strong, and covered in scars. When they reached the eastern vampire they took hold of his tattered arms, and the guards began to remove the weaponry he was impaled upon.
The blade of each weapon was a pristine, glittering silver, and each one was let out with the whistling hiss of burning flesh. "Sarg luth phuul Cor''Nal!"
When the last blade was removed the bloody form exploded into motion, screaming and hissing in what I assumed to be his native tongue. "N¨¡ozh¨¯ng! Y-" Both the vampires at his side tore into his throat before he could continue.
"Sarg luth phuul Sar''dun!" The hall descended into silence as the chant ended, not a soul moving as they drank his blood. The body of the eastern vampire shriveled and dried as they consumed him, letting out a final hiss before it stopped moving entirely. I smiled. This...this was something I could use.
When they drew away and let the corpse fall I noticed what seemed to be shadow disappearing into their mouths. The old man rolled his shoulders, exhaling, before he began to speak. "Our enemies in the east have been dealt a considerable blow, and we are all the stronger for it, however they are not defeated yet. I will remind you that in spite of our victory over their leadership we were driven out. Many of his bloodline remain, and it seems even in the short time since they were born they have grown much."
The blonde spoke next."-and they are not our only enemies. We celebrate today, but always remain wary." The party resumed shortly after that, and the three men in the center of the hall began to speak to each other as the guards grabbed hold of the body, but my attention was no longer on them. I palmed a bloody dinner knife off of a passing servant as he walked several dishes away from one of the tables, hiding it up my sleeve before anyone took notice.
Based off what I''d seen I couldn''t kill Alvarado yet, and that plan wasn''t likely to impress Trua enough to want me regardless. I had been running on the assumption killing him was my only option, but a plan was beginning to form that went beyond that. I strafed around the hall, watching the door the guards carried the body through.
Of course it was just then that things started to go wrong. One of the armored guards came into the hall, half-walking, half-running to Alvarado. It began to whisper in his ear, and I picked up the pace, noting his increasingly displeased expression.
I kept my head low, walking through the door and catching sight of the guards as they disappeared down the servant staircase. I heard the vampire start to shout orders out, and I quickened my pace.
I followed the ghouls, clutching my stomach lightly but keeping a manageable distance from them. There where no guards outside the doors anymore, but I could hear the sound of metal boots clanking down the halls at the sound of their masters distress.
Something was definitely wrong. I wasn''t sure what kind of response my escape would illicit, but it seemed I would soon find out. I disappeared down the staircase before any of the guards noticed me. Still, I couldn''t help but wonder how they figured things out. I was certain Trua had not yet left the hall. Too many things I didn''t have time to figure out.
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I stopped, keeping myself from tumbling down the stairs as another wave of pain washed over me. I didn''t have much left, this was-"Where exactly are you going?" A hand landed on my shoulder. I froze, before turning around. "The master wants to look over every servant, he says someone isn''t who they seem to be."
I found myself looking back to the face of the fearful maid from before. Her eyes widened at the matted and wet doublet I was wearing, and more importantly the arm covered in my blood. "O-one of them took a swipe at me. Tore into me. N-need bandages." I fell to my knees. not having to work too hard to fake a pained groan.
I grasped at the hem of her dress. "I c-can''t let them take me. You''ve seen what they''ll do." Her lip quivered for a moment, and she leaned forward, her wide eyes locked where I knew my wounds to be.
"Y-your hurt." I looked up to her with the most pathetic expression I could manage. Struggling and failing to stand up again I took one of her hands into my own. Once I would have thought her beautiful, she was pale, with black hair and a button nose.
"Just go back to the celebration, they won''t question you. the worst thing that could happen is I get taken, and I won''t tell them you looked the other way." Her head whipped around to the sound of plated boots stomping in our direction. When she looked back to me she steeled herself, before nodding.
She disappeared up the staircase without a sound. If she looked back she would have seen my expression harden. I pulled myself up, moving down the stairs. If I didn''t already have an idea of where they where going I would have been furious at the prospect of losing the guards. They had taken the body, likely to dispose of it without much of a mess.
The macabre design of this place was in my favor today. Of course the crematorium was right next to where the servants resided and worked, it''s presence was a warning and a convenience. Those who disobeyed or failed were eaten, then tossed by their old fellows into the fire with the rest of the meat.
I straightened my stance, looking as best I could like a normal, scared servant. She had cost me the chance to hide, but hopefully that wouldn''t matter.
The two guards who had been carrying the body turned the corner just as I was reaching the bottom of the stairs, and let me pass as they made their way up the stairs. One of them stopped to sniff at me, but let me go regardless. I smiled, they weren''t yet aware that anything was wrong. They would undoubtedly tell their master I was here, but that would take time, and right now they were in no hurry.
I chuckled to myself as I stumbled my way down the passage, leaving a trail of blood along the wall as I did. I was dying, and I didn''t care. I took the knife from my sleeve, opening the crematorium door. The single active chamber bathed the room in light. I shut the door behind me.
Comic books, movies, legends, video games and so much more had been right about at least one thing in my life. Monsters were real, and as experience has taught me they would break for nothing more than mild entertainment. I was a failed medical student yesterday. What am I now?
I shut the machine down, opening the chamber and looking at the corpse of some old Eastern warlord. I pulled the sheet he rested on back, taking no heed of the sound of my hands sizzling against the metal. The pain was distant, and the world was spinning around me. I knew this was a bad plan, but I was out of options, and time. All I could rely on was what I had learned in my short time here.
Flames danced across the already dried form of the carcass. I ignored them, reaching past the fire. His face was set in a perpetual scream, and his fangs shined against rotten, burning flesh. I plunged the knife into his chest, before shoving my wrist into his mouth.
My other hand gripped his chin, and I forced the corpse to bite me. I tore my wrist against the vampires jaws, forcing it to cut the artery and spilling what little blood I had left. Alvarado had told me vampires could be made, and in doing so he had sealed his fate.
Sources differed on how, but I would cover as many bases as I could. Both my hands grasped around the knife, and with a heave I pushed it forward, breaking past the already weakened bones with a few short pushes. Black spots danced along my vision as I worked, cutting all the space I could from his rib-cage.
When I had enough space I reached a single burned hand through, knowing exactly what I was looking for. What I eventually pulled from his chest looked almost like the skin of a rotten plum. In some legends the curse of vampirism was spread through blood transfusal, in some a simple bite, and in others one could only be born with it.
I lifted Qin Shi Huang''s heart to my lips, before biting into it with all my might. I took no time to savor the rot I was eating, no effort to consider the fate I was consorting. This was my final gasp against the fate of meat, my last stand against a life as nobody, hungering for the love of a woman I wouldn''t even be certain existed.
It was dry, empty and tasted like a sin against the natural world. I fell to my knees, forcing myself to swallow it all down just as I started to hear the sound of armored guards rushing to my posistion. I collapsed onto my chest as the door opened behind me. I had fought with everything I had.
I felt like I was landing on the softest sheets in the world. It all went black.
Chapter 5
When awareness returned to me I found I was already awake, and moving. I was drowning in a world of foreign instincts and sensations, and almost like breathing I had been moving and operating without any real higher function dictating my actions. I stood stock still for a moment as I processed my surroundings.
I was still in the darkness of the crematorium, I could hear the fire crackling behind me as the elder vampire corpse burned. The crumpled form of one of the guards lay in a corner, his head completely removed. In my hands I grasped crumpled plate.
I withdrew my fangs from the throat of another guard, watching his blackened blood leak quietly down his neck. Something told me it should be coming out in spurts, but I had already drank too much for that to happen. It was lukewarm, tasting of rotten blueberry, not altogether terrible but unpleasant to be certain.
I let the corpse drop to the ground, looking to my now far paler hands. So it had worked then. I had managed to turn myself. Already I liked this plan better than waiting for Alvarado to let his guard down and attempting to kill him as a delirious dying man. Sure I had died either way, but this was far more preferable.
Now I just had to figure out exactly how much had changed. I didn''t feel necessarily stronger, or more powerful than I had before. I Just felt...numb, tingly, and most importantly thirsty. Pins and needles danced along my spine, and throughout the rest of my body. I distantly heard the sounds of orders being dealt out from up the staircase and in the ballroom, alongside indistinct chatter far too mixed for me to accurately pick up on.
The sound of metal hitting the ground tore my attention from the sounds above. The guards body finally landed on the stone floor. I took a few steps forward, grasping the handle to the crematorium door. I wasn''t sure what my next move was. I couldn''t leave, I didn''t know the outside any better than this place.
I couldn''t fight vampires more experienced, better armed and more numerous than myself. They had even implied growing older had a positive effect on how strong you where. Which meant I had one option, but it was one I would have had to take regardless. It was the only one that presented the opportunity to be with her.
I opened the door wide, before stumbling away at the thrust of a spear. barely avoiding being impaled by more creatures in blackened armor. They must have moved quietly enough to escape my notice. I stepped to the side as it attempted to run me through again, and as more of them began to stream into the room.
Their weaponry was the same strange metal that had impaled the elder, and glinted almost blindingly as swords and spears were brandished in my direction. Something to avoid then. The creatures growled at me, and I could hear their teeth nashing in my direction. They were predators of a world I wasn''t aware of even a few hours ago. I should have been afraid. I wasn''t.
I ducked under a sword swing, before grabbing an overextended arm and throwing one of them into an outstretched spear. They were slow, and it was easy to fall back on instincts that already felt far too natural. I was moving before the fourth even fully entered the room.
I kicked the one in the door way, watching him strike the opposite wall with a booming clang, before backhanding another just to my right. I caught an axe swinging into my midsection, tearing it from the grasp of a ghoul and using it to bludgeon another into the ground. A casual toss behind me took the head off of one trying to follow me, embedding the weapon into the wall.
I grunted as a spear tore through my ankle from behind, immediately feeling notably weaker. I pulled its owner into me and bit into its throat, draining it as more of its fellows came down the stairs. It was like I was fighting children. They were angry, relentless, and carried a slew of weaponry I knew was dangerous, but they were weak.
I tore the spear from my leg when I was finished, licking my lips at the ghouls coming down the stairs. They stopped for a moment at the sight of the bodies around me. I noticed that there was also alot of them. I could hear hundreds more from around the castle throw silence to the wind, charging towards the sounds of combat.
I slowly picked a sword up off the ground with my free hand. This was going to be fun.
Lord Pedro De Alvarado was not a patient man. He had thrown this celebration in hopes of impressing his step-father, and as a means to prove he was an individual of respectable standing within the Western Houses, just like his predecessor was. Then his wife threw her little tantrum, parading a human around as if he was a concubine, implying to all their guests that she was bringing a mortal into their bed because her husband did not satisfy.
In one mere moment she destroyed years of scraping and groveling for every scrap of prestige and honor he could get his hands on. Decades of preparation on his knees, bowing to those who thought of him as nothing but an upstart with strong patronage. First to his ancestor, and then to the "mighty" Alek Vasiliev. Everything he had worked for was ruined, and this night had become a desperate scramble to save his honor.
Whats worse, was that his wife, the beauty he had spent years courting, battling older and stronger men for, smiled as he pretended not to hear the incessant mockery of their guests. She danced away without a care in the world, enchanting the ballroom with every twirl. For every insult the old lords had for him they had praise for his wife.
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Where he was a useless, weak-blooded upstart with delusions of grandeur, she was the pure-blooded daughter of one of the most feared vampires to have ever existed. Where he was a coward with ideas above his station she was a rightfully ambitious woman desired by even the most loyal of husbands.
Where he was a wretch who grew off of the power of better vampires, she held the strongest manifestation of metaphysical magic anyone had ever seen. She could bewitch even elders with her own mixture of physical allure and natural glamour. There was a time he loved that about her. Now it only emphasized his shame.
Whats worse is that he could not rid himself of her. Even if he waited for her to let her guard down, and managed to kill her, her father would personally hunt him down, and feed him to the ghouls. No, he was with her until the end of time, nothing more than a toy for her to manipulate. The only way to restore his honor was wait, and hope that sometime in the next thousand years he would have the power and respect to seek his revenge on those who "whispered" in his hall.
So he waited, kept his smile up as he was insulted and put down. He waited as his step-father and Cassius took the glory his assault had earned them. They may have defeated the chinaman, but it was he who had noted the weakness in the walls of their fortress, he who had signalled the elder, all the while holding the breach Cassius'' created.
Perhaps their valor had earned them the right to steal the power of the would be emperor of the east, but it was he who gave them that chance. Yet they bathed in glory, and all he had to show for it was a growing reputation as a cuckold.
He had thought it safe to assume the evening couldn''t get any worse, and then the captain of the guard, grin, came in warning about an enemy disguised and running about as one of the servants. More importantly one that could ruin his already tattered reputation. His first thought had been to keep it quiet, and contained, but his guests were not fools. There was a notable chance some of them were being made aware as he spoke. They would all know by the nights end regardless of what he did.
The human slaves were simple things, and they would almost always betray their lord and provider for whatever false promises another vampire made. They always seemed to think it couldn''t get any worse, that the grass was greener in another masters hands. Foolish of them, but the nature of mortals was not easily changed.
The best action was to react with speed, force, and precision. He rallied the guards, sent them through the halls in search of suspicious servants, and had all the ones in the banquet hall lined up to be searched and questioned. It had ruined the event in many lords and ladies eyes, but at this point it wasn''t his celebration anymore.
Servants were questioned, searched, and in some cases consumed as the hunt went on. Several were brought in from outside, screaming as the ghouls pulled them from whatever task they had been set to complete, begging not to be the next meal. He had been ready to tear the throat from his head servant when one of the maids ran in.
She was a pretty little thing, breathing heavy and terrified even as she shouted to the hall.
"I saw a man rushing to leave the celebration! He was covered in blood!" He looked to guards in the hall, failures that couldn''t even maintain the security of his home! He snarled at them, and then at the girl.
"Where!?" She paled at his rage, quivering for a moment. Grin left the room, ordering his lesser''s to attend their master.
"He went down the servant passage, to our quarters master!" Then there was no escape. Some good news at least.
"You heard her! He''s hidden in the servants quarters!" Several ghouls ran out of the room, hunting now for the mortal that had displeased their master. "Find him!"
They were simple beasts, but they would be quick to secure a human. He drained a goblet of blood as his father in law stepped up to him. He didn''t speak a word, only glaring into his eyes. He took a step back at the slight growl the old man sent his way.
Only four centuries older and the man already commanded the respect of every vampire in the room. Alek shoved past him a moment later, no doubt making to speak his disapproval to Trua. Alvarado shook his head, before collapsing onto his throne.
She would speak down to him, cry on her fathers shoulder for a time, but she would remain his wife. She had more to lose than reputation and honor. He had reminded her of that far too many times for her to ever forget. No matter what she threatened.
He stiffened at the sound of something over the ever louder gossip in the hall. Many other lords and ladies, all experienced in battle, began to quiet at the sound of bright-silver ringing out. It was immediately notable that it was growing closer.
A ghoul crashed through the main doors of the banquet hall, sliding against the floor and directly to his throne. A familiar man stepped without a sound inside, black blood trailing down his face. With casual ease he pulled a sword from his back, before flinging it into the ground.
Alvarado threw a glance to Trua at the sound of a gasp, looking to the ashen, terrified form of his wife. He stepped forward, before dropping into a kneel. "Lord Alek Vasiliev!" He rasped.
"I''ve come to pledge my service."
Chapter 6
I didn''t move from my place in the center of the hall. I couldn''t afford to be seen as a threat after such an overt show of aggression. I had let my excitement and a slew of unrecognizable instincts get the better of me. I should have come up with a more subtle way to approach the vampire I wanted to learn from.
Instead I had killed a number of servants of unknown value, and interrupted a celebration filled with vampires who where all likely to have at least some experience in a war with their own kind. They knew how to kill me better than I did. I hid my fear and trepidation behind a lazy grin with a few too many teeth.
The hall was silent for a moment, before I picked up on the barest of whispers, and a subtle tapping going around the hall. Morse code maybe? Either way I couldn''t understand what was going on around me. Alvarado moved first, stepping forward and holding up a hand before the guards behind me could try and attack me again.
"You think you can come into my home, interrupt my party, spit on my authority, and escape just by declaring yourself a servant to my father in law?" He paused, visibly restraining himself. "Who are you?" I inclined my head at his words, before my grin became a bit more real.
He didn''t recognize me, at least not fully."Well, my name is Donovan." He waited for me to elaborate, opening his mouth when it was clear when I wasn''t going to. I cut him off before he said a word. "And come on now, authority? I''ve been here for two hours and I can already tell you don''t have any authority."
I caught some muffled laughter from the crowd before what felt like an anvil struck my face, bringing me to the ground. I spit out some teeth, noting that most of them had already grown back by the time I brought myself back into a kneel. I felt a distant pang of thirst.
When I looked back up at him Vasiliev had grabbed his arm before he could strike me again. "Come now, lord Alvarado, I believe he was talking to me." His voice was rough, commanding, and mildly amused."I can handle the questioning myself." The two shared a look, and for a brief moment I thought Alvarado would attack. Instead he growled, before stepping away and walking out of the hall.
Alek Vasiliev looked to me, his expression growing cold."You''ve certainly made quite an entrance, but why should I consider welcoming you into my service? A man I''ve never met, an infiltrator of the worst kind?" I considered telling him outright that I would piss off his step-son, but I imagine he had already figured that out.
I bowed my head."I believe it''s best to impart my reasons in private, but for a start I have information of some importance to you." His brow rose. "I know by now that you''ve started to have suspicions that I''m not who you where looking for, and I also know who that person is."
His head tilted, and a number of the whispers along the crowd quieted."Something was stolen from this place, something of importance.You and yours figured out it was someone disguised as a servant correct? It''s not me."
I hadn''t noticed it before I was turned, but now that I could think without the ever present haze of pain I could parse out the situation a bit further. I looked over to a familiar face in the crowd, and smiled. "It''s her." A maid paled at my words, before trying to run as all eyes turned to her.
There were a number of things off about my interaction with that woman. First, she warned me about the ghouls, about someone being an infiltrator. Then, she realized I wasn''t a servant, and she froze up in surprise. Not unexpected, but it was her focus on me following that that gave me doubts.
She came up with a plan much like I had. She realized that she wouldn''t be able to escape after whatever it was she had done, and noticed that I was in a perfect position to take the blame. Even then I wouldn''t have noticed until she tried to throw me under the bus. She avoided the ghouls and went directly to Alvarado to warn about me.
She could have found the ghouls, and they would have hunted me down before I was finished, she could have yelled for ghouls to come to the staircase, and I would have been caught before I even entered the room. Instead she waited a few minutes for things to pick up, and burst into the banquet hall with the answer to all his problems.
If she wanted me caught, she could have had it managed in a moment, and if she wanted to help she would have been able to simply stay quiet and be scared at the right moments. I had been wondering how my absence had been noticed, how my position as a servant had been revealed without me in particular being singled out. Trua and Alvarado both would have been able to describe me easily. Even if they didn''t my wound would be enough of a give away on its own.
A finely dressed noblewoman grabbed her by the hair, before tossing the maid into the center of the room alongside me. She didn''t get up, only weeping on the floor as the realization of what was going to happen to her hit. Judging by my own experience, whatever punishment that came her way would not be pretty.
Lord Vasiliev inhaled sharply at the development."I suppose that is worth my...consideration." He looked around the hall."leave us. The celebration is over, and the enemy has clearly already made their move." The crowd murmured at the sight of the maid, and some of the nobles made to speak.
"What''s happend here? What was stolen?" He asked, before stepping back at Alek''s expression.
"Now." His voice cut across the hall, silencing them all.
The crowd made to exit the hall a moment later, all with some manner of haste. His eyes fell back onto me. "Grab the maid. I have questions for the both of you." I nearly let out a sigh of relief, before grabbing the woman by the shoulder and following my new master outside the room.
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A number of ghouls followed us as we made our leave. I imagine they were personal servants to Vasiliev over the ones that belonged to Alvarado, but I wasn''t really certain how they could be told apart. A limo not unlike the one that took me here awaited us. We were in a towering construction of metal that vaguely resembled a medieval castle, seemingly made only out of the stark grey of iron.
Little light shown throughout the place, but now that I could see in the dark it was far less of an issue. Below us, pale creatures in the thousands toiled away, pushing cranks and pulling chains that held no purpose I could easily discern. They moaned and wailed as they went about their task, emaciated and barely humanoid.
Above them a number of empty streets were laid out, and I managed to make out the occasional vehicle make its way down the roads. Mostly limo''s, but a few were cars of expensive make. A number of towers just like Alvarado''s stretched into the sky as tall as any skyscraper. A glimpse into the distance outside the city itself revealed a barren waste resembling snow, but I also knew it was at least eighty degrees when I arrived as a human.
Now that I thought about It I haven''t been able to pick up on temperature very easily. Strange. So many of my senses felt were in overdrive that most of my experience so far had been something of a sensory overload. To have something so basic all but gone was odd.
I shoved the maid into the car after Vasiliev took a seat, and we started driving as soon as I closed the door. He didn''t speak to me as we left the residence, only gripping the maids chin and looking into her eyes. I felt the weight of something fill the car, something not unlike the allure Trua used on me. It felt weaker, less overpowering.
"Who owns you?" His voice was rasping, hungry, and furious. She stuttered as a blush came to her cheeks, and her breath grew heavier.
"Lord Yeong promised he would see me freed." His head tilted at her words, before recognition dawned in his eyes.
"What was he looking for?" His thumb brushed past her cheek, and his face drew closer to hers. She squeaked as his lips brushed her own.
"The location of a key, one that you keep hidden in your very residence." He snapped her neck a moment later, a growl forming in his throat.
A key? One he doesnt want found? I tried to keep the interest off my face. He drew the corpse''s neck up to his lips, before biting into it. I waited for him to finish before he turned to me. "I''m a man of my word, and your little stunt pulled my interest, but that doesnt mean I trust what you say."
I leaned back, taking a breath I no longer needed. "What do you want to know?" He smirked, before loosening his collar and pulling out a cigar. He pointed to the corpse between us before he spoke again.
"I know what she was looking for, I know why she was looking for it, but what I don''t know is why you where there." The same aura fell over me a moment later, only this one was one of command. I kept my eyes low as I spoke.
"I came to that party as a human, more specifically as a victim of your daughter." His eyes narrowed, and he remained silent, chewing lightly on the cigar. "She tortured me for a while, and left me with the command to stay where I was while the party began."
The feeling grew worse, and I felt a headache begin to form as my memory of the night started to play by me again. "Eventually I managed to overcome it, pulling myself from my place on her bed and escaping into the halls." The memory started to run faster, and I almost felt like I doing it all over again.
"I followed several servants into their quarters, and used the opportunity to steal a uniform to learn more about your kind firsthand. I watched as you and that elder ate the captured vampire, and knowing I was not long for this world I made a desperate move." I stiffend as my mind was forced to the memory of the crematorium, eating the heart of the vampire, forcing it to bite me.
I grit my teeth as every detail of the event played over and over. Blood trailed down my nose as I spoke on. "I used the body to turn myself into one of your kind, so I could survive and move up your ranks." The pressure intensified, and I could barely bring myself to answer his next question.
"Why did you want to be one of us? Why do you want rank and position?" I swallowed, feeling as he searched through my head.
Distantly I realized that as easily as memories came to him, the thoughts associated with them did not. I leaned forward, looking into his eyes with a grin I knew wasn''t entirely sane.
"I want it so I can prove myself to your daughter, so I can kill her husband and take a place at her side. I love her." His brow rose.
"Why? She was torturing you not too long ago. If you were strong enough to resist that then you know as well as I that she is nothing like she seems"
I groaned as the feeling grew stronger. Before looking into his eyes and feeling my own blacken.
"I love her, not because I think she¡¯s good or kind, but because she, for a moment at least, took away the loneliness and guilt. She gave me pleasure and pain in equal measure, and she gave me a purpose. Maybe it¡¯s false, maybe its just my own fucked up head reacting to her glamour, but its enough for me, and I¡¯ll cling to it until the world ends."
He smiled. "Interesting."