Damien opened his eyes to a ceiling that filled him with a sense of familiarity and comfort. The sandstone brick held up by well-crafted wooden support bathed in a warm glow from the midday sun sneaking through the curtains was a welcome change from the featureless white walls of his hospital room.
'Why does the sunlight feel so... rejuvenating?' Damien thought to himself as he looked around. Although he was mostly immune to the sunlight, it still made him feel slightly uncomfortable on usual days. But today was different. The sunlight warmed his heart and left him feeling alive.
Damien looked to his left and saw Fay's sleeping face, just like always. She looked healthier and more beautiful every day, one of the advantages of evolving into a Blood Queen. Her silky smooth raven hair fell over her face as she breathed softly in and out against the pillow. Half her naked body was exposed, with the bed sheets obscuring her lower half.
He smiled at the sight until he spotted the side table behind Fay's head. Ointments and bandages soaked in blood covered the table's surface alongside plates of half-eaten food. Damien lifted the covers and inspected Fay's entire body. Again, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. All her limbs were intact, with no apparent scars or wounds, just perfect porcelain skin. He then inspected his own body and found out that things had changed.
Despite the darkness under the covers, his skin shone with a slight glow as blood moved below the surface like molten gold. Damien picked his finger with his black nail, and golden blood dribbled onto the bedsheets.
"Why is my blood golden now? Why am I back in Blackthorn?" Damien sat up as his mind raced to fill in the pieces. Everything slowly came back to him as he sat there in a daze. "Inara Elaine... central continent nobility and the appearance of the Akeldama Conclave..."
Damien frowned. None of this was good news. He quickly got himself out of bed and dressed. 'The Elaine noble clan should be on the verge of extinction. Once the other houses find out the bloodline isn't finished, my head will be next on the chopping block.' Damien walked out onto the balcony, lost in thought, 'It's bizarre that the Akeldama Conclave would work so closely with a central noble family. The Vampire Council usually stays out of noble affairs.'
Taking in the fresh spring air, Damien looked down at the busy courtyard in confusion. A massive portal of blood floated ominously in the centre, surrounded by the most magnificent display of a runic circuit Damien had ever feasted his eyes upon. It was both beautiful and efficient, and Damien could smell how full of vitality and power the blood used in the creation of the portal was. 'Only Vanity could supply such pure blood... Oh no.'
"Maid!" Damien shouted back into the room. Fay stirred slightly in her sleep, but days of exhaustion and recovery kept her in dreamland. A second later, a maid wearing a horsehair wig and crude makeup walked in with graceful movements.
Damien felt there was something off about this maid. Why was she wearing a wig and makeup that were so obvious? Did she have a health condition that she was trying to hide? 'Baldness at such a young age, how sad...' Damien shook his head in a light prayer and asked, "Where is my sister?"
Charlotte stiffened up at the name but answered in a clear voice, "My Lord, Mistress Vanity is residing in her bedroom. She asked to see you once you woke up..."
Damien nodded, "Very well. I will visit her soon." His face betrayed his nervousness about confronting his sister. Something terrible must have occurred for her to sacrifice a drop of Ichor blood. Damien pointed his thumb towards the balcony, "What is going on outside?"
"Answering my Lord, While you were asleep, I was informed that Vanity continued the mission and has been transporting resources from Staedbergh to Blackthorn as per your instructions."
Damien could hear the endless stream of carriages and carts carrying people and resources into the courtyard. The shouts from workers directing the endless stream of people ruined Damien's mood.
Checking his attire was perfect in the mirror, he headed down the castle's ancient hallways to his sister's room. He respectfully knocked three times, and a tired voice responded.
"Enter."
Damien obliged and nervously entered his sister's lair. "Vanity! I am awake. How are you..."
"Brother." If looks could kill, he would be dead, "I wasted my blood for you. Have you seen it?"
Damien nodded, "I have Sister- It's beautiful! Such expert runic knowledge, I am so proud..."
"Fifty years, FIFTY YEARS I spent cultivating that droplet, and I waste it on some dumb portal to ferry livestock to your STUPID town!" A wooden chair hurtled past Damien's head and smashed into the hallway wall. "Do you know how lazy I am? The mere thought of spending FIFTY years cultivating to get that droplet back makes me sick. Karpov is still thirty ahead of me, and here I am wasting one on some pathetic excuse of a Vampire that allows an Angel to bite him of all things!"
"Sister, please calm down and explain. I can't remember... oof." Damien exhaled as Vanity viciously hugged him.
"I thought you died!"
Damien's hand hovered over Vanity's head and froze. 'Where did the soulless monster of a sister go? She thought I died? Didn't she watch on as I was almost killed by that Redhead Vampire only a fortnight ago?' Damien didn't know what to think as he awkwardly returned the hug and patted Vanity's back, "Sorry for making you worried."
Vanity slapped Damien's hand away and pushed him back with more force than necessary. Then, as he stumbled back, he saw Vanity's face return to her usual ice-cold scowl.
"Enough of this. There is much to do."
Vanity declared and led him back to his room.
"My blood will deplete by tonight, and the portal will collapse. Is there anything else we need to bring through? Because there is NO chance, I am opening it again."
Damien rubbed his chin as he watched the procession of carriages below, "Hm. What have we brought through so far?"
Vanity opened her hand, and a terrified maid standing in the corner of the room hurried over with a piece of paper. Clearing her throat, she read down the list, "After you passed out, I deemed it an emergency and worked alongside my vessel to open a rift between Blackthorn and Staedbergh. Unfortunately, my vessel died from organ failure an hour later, but that is of little concern." Vanity flipped the paper over and read the list on the back, "During the last three nights, we transported over five hundred Thralls that are now residing in the Blackthorn dungeon, below Rose and Thar's living quarters."
Damien nodded, "Good. That is a sizable amount of force we can utilise when the time arises. Shame they are useless in sunlight, so are worthless foot soldiers."
"How will the Prince use his undead then?"
Damien glanced at the bed and saw Fay laying playfully on her side, revealing her bust and irresistible thighs.
"Good question Fay," Damien answered with a smirk, "Prince August has many mages in his employment, such as Earth Mages to build tunnels, Spatial Mages for transport or even Darkness Mages to shield the army from the sun. However, that is beside the point; Prince August has his hands tied in the capital, so we should focus on strengthing Blackthorn and plan to invade the Eldritch Valley for now."
"Eldritch Valley?" Vanity squinted into the distance as she tried to recall the name.
"Our next destination. Now hand me that list and stop sulking."
Vanity scowled and roughly shoved the piece of paper into Damien's hand. "If anything is missing, come tell me. I will be sleeping." With that said, she stormed out and didn't look back.
"She really loves you... I think." Fay chuckled as she rolled back under the covers, "I promised not to say much, but she was worried sick about you."
Damien stared at the closed door for a while. 'She cares for me... an imposter in her brother's skin.' Hundreds of years' worth of memories flew through his brain, all those times Vanity had tried to beat a vampire's mindset and techniques into Damien's stubborn head. 'Well, it's my stubborn head now. I am Damien, after all. Huh. I guess I can officially see myself as her brother now instead of just pretending to be.'
Damien went and sat on the end of the bed and uncrumpled the piece of paper. The handwriting was awkward, and there were a few spelling mistakes. Damien smiled, "Have you been teaching her to read and write?" He asked over his shoulder, "You are doing a terrible job."
Fay grumbled under the pile of covers, "Shut up. I never claimed to be an amazing teacher."
Damien patted the area where Fay's foot was, "There there. We can't be great at everything. Maybe she is just a slow learner."
"I only began teaching her yesterday!" Fay protested, and Damien hid his slacked jaw. 'She made this much progress in a single day...' Shaking his head, he tried to focus back on the list but saw the side table's contents again, "Hey Fay."
"Mhm?"
"Did you hurt yourself?"
"Huh?" Fay rolled over and saw what Damien was looking at, "Ah! No, I got a small wound from practising my Fire magic while you were sleeping. Nothing much."
Damien could tell she was lying but shrugged. 'She would tell me if it was serious.'
Focusing back on the paper, he read through the listed items and tried hard to ignore the glaring spelling errors and bizarre use of punctuation. 'Other than the Thralls, a bunch of strong Delvers were captured and are locked in the castle's prison cells. Thousands of residents have been hypnotised and are ready to be used as rations. Some nobles and wealthy merchants have also moved to the more prosperous Blackthorn after fears of a dungeon break.'
After the list of captives was a list of resources looted from the city. 'Seeds and food are perfect for feeding this sudden increase in population. With the aqueducts built and Roselyn's undead helping out on the fields, this year's harvest should be well above the needed amount.'
Damien then saw the long list of metal ores and other valuable materials, "Wow. The spoils of war are no joke. Maybe I should do this more often..."
A deep sigh escaped the mountain of bedsheets.
"Okay, no more conquest for a while. We can have some alone time." After hearing a confirming grunt, Damien returned to the list, 'I had no idea Staedbergh was so prosperous. I mean, it was the size of a city, but this level of wealth puts me on par with Dukedoms or maybe even the Greentail Royal Family.'
After reaching the end of the list, Damien frowned. "Where are the Aurel?"
"Those creepy jellyfish monsters?" Fay answered with a long sigh, "Still roaming the streets and being an absolute nuisance. We could have transported more resources if they stopped attacking people at night."
Damien didn't waste another second and ran out the balcony and jumped into the courtyard. He needed to retrieve those Aurel before the portal closed.
He contacted Thar with telepathy as he ran past the many carriages towards the portal. 'Thar? Get over to the castle on the double. I have a job for you.'
"Master? You are awake! I will be over right away. Should I bring anything?"
'Yes. Bring as many suites of armour, tools to create armour and ores you have on hand. It's time we get an army of our own.'
Damien opened his eyes to a ceiling that filled him with a sense of familiarity and comfort. The sandstone brick held up by well-crafted wooden support bathed in a warm glow from the midday sun sneaking through the curtains was a welcome change from the featureless white walls of his hospital room.
'Why does the sunlight feel so... rejuvenating?' Damien thought to himself as he looked around. Although he was mostly immune to the sunlight, it still made him feel slightly uncomfortable on usual days. But today was different. The sunlight warmed his heart and left him feeling alive.
Damien looked to his left and saw Fay's sleeping face, just like always. She looked healthier and more beautiful every day, one of the advantages of evolving into a Blood Queen. Her silky smooth raven hair fell over her face as she breathed softly in and out against the pillow. Half her naked body was exposed, with the bed sheets obscuring her lower half.
He smiled at the sight until he spotted the side table behind Fay's head. Ointments and bandages soaked in blood covered the table's surface alongside plates of half-eaten food. Damien lifted the covers and inspected Fay's entire body. Again, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. All her limbs were intact, with no apparent scars or wounds, just perfect porcelain skin. He then inspected his own body and found out that things had changed.
Despite the darkness under the covers, his skin shone with a slight glow as blood moved below the surface like molten gold. Damien picked his finger with his black nail, and golden blood dribbled onto the bedsheets.
"Why is my blood golden now? Why am I back in Blackthorn?" Damien sat up as his mind raced to fill in the pieces. Everything slowly came back to him as he sat there in a daze. "Inara Elaine... central continent nobility and the appearance of the Akeldama Conclave..."
Damien frowned. None of this was good news. He quickly got himself out of bed and dressed. 'The Elaine noble clan should be on the verge of extinction. Once the other houses find out the bloodline isn't finished, my head will be next on the chopping block.' Damien walked out onto the balcony, lost in thought, 'It's bizarre that the Akeldama Conclave would work so closely with a central noble family. The Vampire Council usually stays out of noble affairs.'
Taking in the fresh spring air, Damien looked down at the busy courtyard in confusion. A massive portal of blood floated ominously in the centre, surrounded by the most magnificent display of a runic circuit Damien had ever feasted his eyes upon. It was both beautiful and efficient, and Damien could smell how full of vitality and power the blood used in the creation of the portal was. 'Only Vanity could supply such pure blood... Oh no.'
"Maid!" Damien shouted back into the room. Fay stirred slightly in her sleep, but days of exhaustion and recovery kept her in dreamland. A second later, a maid wearing a horsehair wig and crude makeup walked in with graceful movements.
Damien felt there was something off about this maid. Why was she wearing a wig and makeup that were so obvious? Did she have a health condition that she was trying to hide? 'Baldness at such a young age, how sad...' Damien shook his head in a light prayer and asked, "Where is my sister?"
Charlotte stiffened up at the name but answered in a clear voice, "My Lord, Mistress Vanity is residing in her bedroom. She asked to see you once you woke up..."
Damien nodded, "Very well. I will visit her soon." His face betrayed his nervousness about confronting his sister. Something terrible must have occurred for her to sacrifice a drop of Ichor blood. Damien pointed his thumb towards the balcony, "What is going on outside?"
"Answering my Lord, While you were asleep, I was informed that Vanity continued the mission and has been transporting resources from Staedbergh to Blackthorn as per your instructions."
Damien could hear the endless stream of carriages and carts carrying people and resources into the courtyard. The shouts from workers directing the endless stream of people ruined Damien's mood.
Checking his attire was perfect in the mirror, he headed down the castle's ancient hallways to his sister's room. He respectfully knocked three times, and a tired voice responded.
"Enter."
Damien obliged and nervously entered his sister's lair. "Vanity! I am awake. How are you..."
"Brother." If looks could kill, he would be dead, "I wasted my blood for you. Have you seen it?"
Damien nodded, "I have Sister- It's beautiful! Such expert runic knowledge, I am so proud..."
"Fifty years, FIFTY YEARS I spent cultivating that droplet, and I waste it on some dumb portal to ferry livestock to your STUPID town!" A wooden chair hurtled past Damien's head and smashed into the hallway wall. "Do you know how lazy I am? The mere thought of spending FIFTY years cultivating to get that droplet back makes me sick. Karpov is still thirty ahead of me, and here I am wasting one on some pathetic excuse of a Vampire that allows an Angel to bite him of all things!"
"Sister, please calm down and explain. I can't remember... oof." Damien exhaled as Vanity viciously hugged him.
"I thought you died!"
Damien's hand hovered over Vanity's head and froze. 'Where did the soulless monster of a sister go? She thought I died? Didn't she watch on as I was almost killed by that Redhead Vampire only a fortnight ago?' Damien didn't know what to think as he awkwardly returned the hug and patted Vanity's back, "Sorry for making you worried."
Vanity slapped Damien's hand away and pushed him back with more force than necessary. Then, as he stumbled back, he saw Vanity's face return to her usual ice-cold scowl.
"Enough of this. There is much to do."
Vanity declared and led him back to his room.
"My blood will deplete by tonight, and the portal will collapse. Is there anything else we need to bring through? Because there is NO chance, I am opening it again."
Damien rubbed his chin as he watched the procession of carriages below, "Hm. What have we brought through so far?"
Vanity opened her hand, and a terrified maid standing in the corner of the room hurried over with a piece of paper. Clearing her throat, she read down the list, "After you passed out, I deemed it an emergency and worked alongside my vessel to open a rift between Blackthorn and Staedbergh. Unfortunately, my vessel died from organ failure an hour later, but that is of little concern." Vanity flipped the paper over and read the list on the back, "During the last three nights, we transported over five hundred Thralls that are now residing in the Blackthorn dungeon, below Rose and Thar's living quarters."
Damien nodded, "Good. That is a sizable amount of force we can utilise when the time arises. Shame they are useless in sunlight, so are worthless foot soldiers."
"How will the Prince use his undead then?"
Damien glanced at the bed and saw Fay laying playfully on her side, revealing her bust and irresistible thighs.
"Good question Fay," Damien answered with a smirk, "Prince August has many mages in his employment, such as Earth Mages to build tunnels, Spatial Mages for transport or even Darkness Mages to shield the army from the sun. However, that is beside the point; Prince August has his hands tied in the capital, so we should focus on strengthing Blackthorn and plan to invade the Eldritch Valley for now."
"Eldritch Valley?" Vanity squinted into the distance as she tried to recall the name.
"Our next destination. Now hand me that list and stop sulking."
Vanity scowled and roughly shoved the piece of paper into Damien's hand. "If anything is missing, come tell me. I will be sleeping." With that said, she stormed out and didn't look back.
"She really loves you... I think." Fay chuckled as she rolled back under the covers, "I promised not to say much, but she was worried sick about you."
Damien stared at the closed door for a while. 'She cares for me... an imposter in her brother's skin.' Hundreds of years' worth of memories flew through his brain, all those times Vanity had tried to beat a vampire's mindset and techniques into Damien's stubborn head. 'Well, it's my stubborn head now. I am Damien, after all. Huh. I guess I can officially see myself as her brother now instead of just pretending to be.'
Damien went and sat on the end of the bed and uncrumpled the piece of paper. The handwriting was awkward, and there were a few spelling mistakes. Damien smiled, "Have you been teaching her to read and write?" He asked over his shoulder, "You are doing a terrible job."
Fay grumbled under the pile of covers, "Shut up. I never claimed to be an amazing teacher."
Damien patted the area where Fay's foot was, "There there. We can't be great at everything. Maybe she is just a slow learner."
"I only began teaching her yesterday!" Fay protested, and Damien hid his slacked jaw. 'She made this much progress in a single day...' Shaking his head, he tried to focus back on the list but saw the side table's contents again, "Hey Fay."
"Mhm?"
"Did you hurt yourself?"
"Huh?" Fay rolled over and saw what Damien was looking at, "Ah! No, I got a small wound from practising my Fire magic while you were sleeping. Nothing much."
Damien could tell she was lying but shrugged. 'She would tell me if it was serious.'
Focusing back on the paper, he read through the listed items and tried hard to ignore the glaring spelling errors and bizarre use of punctuation. 'Other than the Thralls, a bunch of strong Delvers were captured and are locked in the castle's prison cells. Thousands of residents have been hypnotised and are ready to be used as rations. Some nobles and wealthy merchants have also moved to the more prosperous Blackthorn after fears of a dungeon break.'
After the list of captives was a list of resources looted from the city. 'Seeds and food are perfect for feeding this sudden increase in population. With the aqueducts built and Roselyn's undead helping out on the fields, this year's harvest should be well above the needed amount.'
Damien then saw the long list of metal ores and other valuable materials, "Wow. The spoils of war are no joke. Maybe I should do this more often..."
A deep sigh escaped the mountain of bedsheets.
"Okay, no more conquest for a while. We can have some alone time." After hearing a confirming grunt, Damien returned to the list, 'I had no idea Staedbergh was so prosperous. I mean, it was the size of a city, but this level of wealth puts me on par with Dukedoms or maybe even the Greentail Royal Family.'
After reaching the end of the list, Damien frowned. "Where are the Aurel?"
"Those creepy jellyfish monsters?" Fay answered with a long sigh, "Still roaming the streets and being an absolute nuisance. We could have transported more resources if they stopped attacking people at night."
Damien didn't waste another second and ran out the balcony and jumped into the courtyard. He needed to retrieve those Aurel before the portal closed.
He contacted Thar with telepathy as he ran past the many carriages towards the portal. 'Thar? Get over to the castle on the double. I have a job for you.'
"Master? You are awake! I will be over right away. Should I bring anything?"
'Yes. Bring as many suites of armour, tools to create armour and ores you have on hand. It's time we get an army of our own.'
