"Darling, you don't look so well?" Elizabeth Greentail circled the desk and held up her son's hand. It was shaking, and he looked deathly pale. "August dear, I left you a present in the usual place, okay? You need to look your best for your father's upcoming party. A King's birthday is a joyous occasion after all..." Elizabeth had a sly smile on her face and whispered. "... Since he is one year closer to death."
August reeled back his hand from his mother's tender touch. He reached onto the desk, grabbed a silver flask, and took a swig of an expensive rum. Then, after coughing, he rose to his feet and towered over his mother. She had the same blonde hair as him, tied in a bun, but her green eyes were venomous like a snake. August saw no warmth in them, even for him, her only child. August knew she saw him as nothing more than an easily led pawn under her thumb.
He smiled fakely, "Thank you for the gift, mother. Now leave. I have a guest arriving soon." August gestured for the door as he took another swig of rum.
Elizabeth briefly scowled before smiling sweetly. "What business does my dear August have with the guild master, may I ask?"
"He's an old friend of mine—nothing to be concerned about, mother. I will see you at the party in three days. I have much to attend to."
"Very well then, my dear," Elizabeth said coldly before leaving his office.
August's shouldered dropped. He was beyond exhausted; he glanced at his hands and winced. A fresh corpse would have better-looking hands. Black rotting splodges started from his fingernails and went up his arm, and he could see the bone through the anaemic skin. To this day, he resented his mother for shoving that lich's soul into his body. "Death would have been better than living like this," August muttered as he made his way to the massive wardrobe in the corner of the room. The wardrobe doors shook, and August could hear something knocking and clawing at the wood. With a sigh, he unlocked the door with a brass key and swung the door open.
A bear beastman August recognized tumbled out of the wardrobe and smashed his face onto the stone floor. He had metal chains binding his limbs, making him unable to move. August lifted the man's chin. "You sold me a burger with rotten meat last week at the university."
"P-prince?" The beastman gulped. "It was an accident, I swear! I had a cold that day, and my nose was stuffy. But, the meat looked fine..."
"Hmmm." August looked straight into the man's beady eyes. "Well, it doesn't matter. You will be my lunch for today." Then, August activated his necromancy. The rotting flesh covered in black splodges melted off. August shook the gunk off and presented his skeletal hand to the beastman.
"N-no. P-please. M-monster..." The beastman cried as he fought against his chains and thrashed around on the floor like an out-of-water fish. August smirked and kicked the beastman square in the jaw. Blood erupted from a busted nose and dyed the stone floor. "Look what you did... blood on my clean floor. Disgusting." August leaned over and clamped the screaming beastman with his skeletal hand. Green energy swirled around his fingers and then shrouded the bear. Everything the green energy brushed melted away, and a black vapour rose from the bubbling flesh.
After a few seconds, the beastman lay still and stopped screaming since its head had formed a puddle of brain matter on the floor. August let the spell run its course, and he shuddered in ecstasy as the life force flowed through him. But, unfortunately, the endless pit of hunger that was the lich's soul selfishly devoured the majority. Still, August managed to wrestle some away for himself to improve his condition.
After brushing some dust off his trousers, August went to a window and opened it. Then, taking a breath of fresh air, he smiled as he ventilated the room. The toxic black vapour dispersed; the only evidence of the beastman was a splash of blood.
A knock at the door brought him back from cloud nine. He had business to attend to today. "Come in."
August turned around and met the stoic face of Kassinki's guild master. The two sized each other up as August took his seat and crossed his arms. "Guild master, I heard some reports of your mission up north..." August leaned forward with a frown. "Rumours of resistance have reached my ears, and ten dead men on your hands. How did that occur?"
Jannalor cleared his throat and answered in a cold tone. "Duke Nightshade had a few errands to handle before coming to the capital. As I am sure you have heard, much progress has been made in Blackthorn due to his hard work. But your men..."
August gestured for him to stop. "They were not my men. They were the king's elites. A Royal Decree sent to another noble should always be delivered by men under the king's direct order."
"Apologies, my prince. I spoke out of line." Jannalor gave a slight bow. "As I was saying... The duke had a few errands to conclude, but the king's elites became impatient. So one fateful night, they stormed the duke's residence and attempted to forcefully capture and bring him here. Although the knights were in the wrong, we have successfully captured the culprit who killed the elites and brought her here to face trial for her crimes."
August smiled. "Jannalor, we have been friends for a long time, right? I believe the guild was looking to construct another branch closer to the noble district..."
Jannalor's stoic expression cracked, and he smiled slightly. "You are well informed, my prince. It is my honour to serve."
"Good, good. I am glad you are so understanding." August opened a side draw and withdrew a key. "A key to the lowest level of my personal dungeon. My men will let you in." August pushed the key across the desk, and Jannalor hesitantly picked it up. "The culprit is a vampire, is she not?"
Jannalor nodded.
"Excellent; please handle her with care and take the necessary precautions. I will handle her transgression against my father's men myself. His majesty is far too busy dealing with his birthday preparations to be disturbed with such a trivial matter." August stood up and reached out a hand. "Do you understand?"
Jannalor overlooked the blood-stained floor and cautiously shook the outstretched hand. "Of course, pleasure as always, prince."
"Likewise, guild master."
Jannalor pocketed the key and strolled away, closing the door behind him.
***
Guards saluted him as he strode by and a particularly buff fellow wearing chainmail approached. "My Prince. Please come with me."
August frowned. That wasn't the usual greeting his captain gave him. Despite his presence, Baron Marth was a timid man. He would usually hand him a parchment of information instead of speaking to him. "Baron. How many children do you have?" August questioned as he sized up his captain.
The man blinked in confusion. "Two? One young boy and a teenage daughter."
"And your wife?"
"Dead, my lord."
August shook his head, "Sorry about that," he said and gestured to the heavily guarded doorway behind the man, "Lead the way, captain."
Baron Marth nodded, turned on his heel, and led the way down a narrow stairwell. The captain's boots clinked against the stone steps as they descended. Glowstone embedded into the wall every few steps helped him find his footing, but the lighting was still dim. The sound of metal doors beings hit, yelling, screaming and crying made the descent a rather unpleasant experience, and the intense smell of human waste didn't help. If August didn't know better, he would assume this place led to the sewers below the capital.
After reaching the bottom, the pair passed by many doors. August paid little attention to the racket and instead focused on the final door at the far end. It was heavily enchanted and could resist an A-grade mage's magic.
"Is she inside?" August asked, and his voice echoed down the tunnel.
Baron Marth chuckled. "That she is my prince. Restrained and ready for you." The man brought out a keychain and fished out the correct one. With a click, it went in, and the door swung open.
August took a deep breath and strode inside. In the centre, bound by hundreds of magisteel chains from the ceiling and dressed in a ragged black dress, was a white-haired woman. She followed his movements with enchanting scarlet eyes and snarled at him.
Although August had only seen Damien Nightshade on a few occasions, the similarities in face structure between the two were obvious. "State your name, vampire." He demanded. "I know you are related to Damien Nightshade. Spit it out."
"Come a little closer, and I might tell you..." The vampire smiled, showing off her pearly white fangs.
August stayed standing at a safe distance. "I will not be fooled by your temptations. Answer my questions."
The vampire smiled and battled against the chains. She laughed manically as she flayed around. "I can't believe my dear brother was afraid of such a wimpy kid." She surged forward, and August instinctively took a hesitant step back; she crackled with laughter, and the magisteel chains groaned in protest. Luckily, they resisted the vampire's strength and stopped her a foot away from August.
August frowned, and she grinned. "Scared little prince? Even though I am held back by so many chains? I can't use magic with these on me, you know? Does your mama know you are down here? Hmmm?" The vampire tilted her head to the side, and her snow-white hair fell over her chest. "What do you desire, human. Immortality? Freedom? I can grant them~ Name is Vanity, by the way... a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Vanity strode back, chains dragging along the floor as she went. "Your no fun. I sat in the dark for a whole day waiting for this moment, and all you do is stand there dumbly and silent."
"Oh, don't worry, Vanity Nightshade. We have all the time in the world to chat... the king's birthday isn't for a few days. I'm good at staying awake for a long time-" August's speech was interrupted by the metal door slamming shut behind him. "Baron?" August looked over his shoulder, and Baron Marth was standing beside Vanity... August blinked in confusion. He wasn't hallucinating. Vanity was standing beside Baron Marth, except her clothes were in pristine condition instead of rags.
"Did you know..." Vanity's voice echoed from in front and behind him. August glanced back, and Vanity was still in chains. "...that immortality is a curse? Sometimes the sweet embrace of death is all that can keep us sane."
"Baron! What is the meaning of this?" August screamed as he backed up. Green energy spun around his hands as his flesh melted away. His eyes darted around the dimly lit cell, looking for an escape. He cursed himself for trusting his subordinates. Baron Marth stood still, his eyes devoid of anything. As if he was a zombie... or hypnotized. 'But when could that have happened? Jannalor should have brought the vampire here with all the precautions taken care of...'
"Oh, that bastard," August swore under his breath. "That fucker. He betrayed me after all these years?"
Vanity moved and appeared in front of him before he could even react. Her black nails dug deeply into his neck. He then felt another arm grab his leg, and the next thing he knew, he was flying through the air and hit something wet.
It was slimy and wrapped around him. He squinted his eyes and saw the other Vanity, still bound in chains looking down at him. Now that he was up close, she had a different texture than normal skin. The light didn't bounce off it right.
Suddenly, Vanity melted away into a pool of blood around him. He gagged as he felt as if he was drowning. Something bit into his neck, and he tried to resist with all his might, but the invading mana was far more potent.
August briefly lost consciousness, and when he returned, he was naked, bound by chains and staring at himself. Well, someone who looked just like him. He looked around but couldn't see the other Vanity.
Vanity stood beside the carbon copy of him and laughed. "You know the best way to deal with a cockroach?" The vampire leaned closer with a face-splitting grin, "Trap them until they starve."
Turning on her heels, Vanity gestured for Baron Marth to open the door. But, before leaving, she looked into the man's eyes and commanded. "Do not let anyone enter. The prince is busy and will kill anyone who disturbs him. Also, ignore any noises from inside, even if the prince cries for help. Got it?"
The dazed Baron nodded.
"Excellent! Well then, your highness." Vanity turned to the carbon copy of the prince. "We have some nobles to talk to, don't we?"
"Darling, you don't look so well?" Elizabeth Greentail circled the desk and held up her son's hand. It was shaking, and he looked deathly pale. "August dear, I left you a present in the usual place, okay? You need to look your best for your father's upcoming party. A King's birthday is a joyous occasion after all..." Elizabeth had a sly smile on her face and whispered. "... Since he is one year closer to death."
August reeled back his hand from his mother's tender touch. He reached onto the desk, grabbed a silver flask, and took a swig of an expensive rum. Then, after coughing, he rose to his feet and towered over his mother. She had the same blonde hair as him, tied in a bun, but her green eyes were venomous like a snake. August saw no warmth in them, even for him, her only child. August knew she saw him as nothing more than an easily led pawn under her thumb.
He smiled fakely, "Thank you for the gift, mother. Now leave. I have a guest arriving soon." August gestured for the door as he took another swig of rum.
Elizabeth briefly scowled before smiling sweetly. "What business does my dear August have with the guild master, may I ask?"
"He's an old friend of mine—nothing to be concerned about, mother. I will see you at the party in three days. I have much to attend to."
"Very well then, my dear," Elizabeth said coldly before leaving his office.
August's shouldered dropped. He was beyond exhausted; he glanced at his hands and winced. A fresh corpse would have better-looking hands. Black rotting splodges started from his fingernails and went up his arm, and he could see the bone through the anaemic skin. To this day, he resented his mother for shoving that lich's soul into his body. "Death would have been better than living like this," August muttered as he made his way to the massive wardrobe in the corner of the room. The wardrobe doors shook, and August could hear something knocking and clawing at the wood. With a sigh, he unlocked the door with a brass key and swung the door open.
A bear beastman August recognized tumbled out of the wardrobe and smashed his face onto the stone floor. He had metal chains binding his limbs, making him unable to move. August lifted the man's chin. "You sold me a burger with rotten meat last week at the university."
"P-prince?" The beastman gulped. "It was an accident, I swear! I had a cold that day, and my nose was stuffy. But, the meat looked fine..."
"Hmmm." August looked straight into the man's beady eyes. "Well, it doesn't matter. You will be my lunch for today." Then, August activated his necromancy. The rotting flesh covered in black splodges melted off. August shook the gunk off and presented his skeletal hand to the beastman.
"N-no. P-please. M-monster..." The beastman cried as he fought against his chains and thrashed around on the floor like an out-of-water fish. August smirked and kicked the beastman square in the jaw. Blood erupted from a busted nose and dyed the stone floor. "Look what you did... blood on my clean floor. Disgusting." August leaned over and clamped the screaming beastman with his skeletal hand. Green energy swirled around his fingers and then shrouded the bear. Everything the green energy brushed melted away, and a black vapour rose from the bubbling flesh.
After a few seconds, the beastman lay still and stopped screaming since its head had formed a puddle of brain matter on the floor. August let the spell run its course, and he shuddered in ecstasy as the life force flowed through him. But, unfortunately, the endless pit of hunger that was the lich's soul selfishly devoured the majority. Still, August managed to wrestle some away for himself to improve his condition.
After brushing some dust off his trousers, August went to a window and opened it. Then, taking a breath of fresh air, he smiled as he ventilated the room. The toxic black vapour dispersed; the only evidence of the beastman was a splash of blood.
A knock at the door brought him back from cloud nine. He had business to attend to today. "Come in."
August turned around and met the stoic face of Kassinki's guild master. The two sized each other up as August took his seat and crossed his arms. "Guild master, I heard some reports of your mission up north..." August leaned forward with a frown. "Rumours of resistance have reached my ears, and ten dead men on your hands. How did that occur?"
Jannalor cleared his throat and answered in a cold tone. "Duke Nightshade had a few errands to handle before coming to the capital. As I am sure you have heard, much progress has been made in Blackthorn due to his hard work. But your men..."
August gestured for him to stop. "They were not my men. They were the king's elites. A Royal Decree sent to another noble should always be delivered by men under the king's direct order."
"Apologies, my prince. I spoke out of line." Jannalor gave a slight bow. "As I was saying... The duke had a few errands to conclude, but the king's elites became impatient. So one fateful night, they stormed the duke's residence and attempted to forcefully capture and bring him here. Although the knights were in the wrong, we have successfully captured the culprit who killed the elites and brought her here to face trial for her crimes."
August smiled. "Jannalor, we have been friends for a long time, right? I believe the guild was looking to construct another branch closer to the noble district..."
Jannalor's stoic expression cracked, and he smiled slightly. "You are well informed, my prince. It is my honour to serve."
"Good, good. I am glad you are so understanding." August opened a side draw and withdrew a key. "A key to the lowest level of my personal dungeon. My men will let you in." August pushed the key across the desk, and Jannalor hesitantly picked it up. "The culprit is a vampire, is she not?"
Jannalor nodded.
"Excellent; please handle her with care and take the necessary precautions. I will handle her transgression against my father's men myself. His majesty is far too busy dealing with his birthday preparations to be disturbed with such a trivial matter." August stood up and reached out a hand. "Do you understand?"
Jannalor overlooked the blood-stained floor and cautiously shook the outstretched hand. "Of course, pleasure as always, prince."
"Likewise, guild master."
Jannalor pocketed the key and strolled away, closing the door behind him.
***
Guards saluted him as he strode by and a particularly buff fellow wearing chainmail approached. "My Prince. Please come with me."
August frowned. That wasn't the usual greeting his captain gave him. Despite his presence, Baron Marth was a timid man. He would usually hand him a parchment of information instead of speaking to him. "Baron. How many children do you have?" August questioned as he sized up his captain.
The man blinked in confusion. "Two? One young boy and a teenage daughter."
"And your wife?"
"Dead, my lord."
August shook his head, "Sorry about that," he said and gestured to the heavily guarded doorway behind the man, "Lead the way, captain."
Baron Marth nodded, turned on his heel, and led the way down a narrow stairwell. The captain's boots clinked against the stone steps as they descended. Glowstone embedded into the wall every few steps helped him find his footing, but the lighting was still dim. The sound of metal doors beings hit, yelling, screaming and crying made the descent a rather unpleasant experience, and the intense smell of human waste didn't help. If August didn't know better, he would assume this place led to the sewers below the capital.
After reaching the bottom, the pair passed by many doors. August paid little attention to the racket and instead focused on the final door at the far end. It was heavily enchanted and could resist an A-grade mage's magic.
"Is she inside?" August asked, and his voice echoed down the tunnel.
Baron Marth chuckled. "That she is my prince. Restrained and ready for you." The man brought out a keychain and fished out the correct one. With a click, it went in, and the door swung open.
August took a deep breath and strode inside. In the centre, bound by hundreds of magisteel chains from the ceiling and dressed in a ragged black dress, was a white-haired woman. She followed his movements with enchanting scarlet eyes and snarled at him.
Although August had only seen Damien Nightshade on a few occasions, the similarities in face structure between the two were obvious. "State your name, vampire." He demanded. "I know you are related to Damien Nightshade. Spit it out."
"Come a little closer, and I might tell you..." The vampire smiled, showing off her pearly white fangs.
August stayed standing at a safe distance. "I will not be fooled by your temptations. Answer my questions."
The vampire smiled and battled against the chains. She laughed manically as she flayed around. "I can't believe my dear brother was afraid of such a wimpy kid." She surged forward, and August instinctively took a hesitant step back; she crackled with laughter, and the magisteel chains groaned in protest. Luckily, they resisted the vampire's strength and stopped her a foot away from August.
August frowned, and she grinned. "Scared little prince? Even though I am held back by so many chains? I can't use magic with these on me, you know? Does your mama know you are down here? Hmmm?" The vampire tilted her head to the side, and her snow-white hair fell over her chest. "What do you desire, human. Immortality? Freedom? I can grant them~ Name is Vanity, by the way... a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Vanity strode back, chains dragging along the floor as she went. "Your no fun. I sat in the dark for a whole day waiting for this moment, and all you do is stand there dumbly and silent."
"Oh, don't worry, Vanity Nightshade. We have all the time in the world to chat... the king's birthday isn't for a few days. I'm good at staying awake for a long time-" August's speech was interrupted by the metal door slamming shut behind him. "Baron?" August looked over his shoulder, and Baron Marth was standing beside Vanity... August blinked in confusion. He wasn't hallucinating. Vanity was standing beside Baron Marth, except her clothes were in pristine condition instead of rags.
"Did you know..." Vanity's voice echoed from in front and behind him. August glanced back, and Vanity was still in chains. "...that immortality is a curse? Sometimes the sweet embrace of death is all that can keep us sane."
"Baron! What is the meaning of this?" August screamed as he backed up. Green energy spun around his hands as his flesh melted away. His eyes darted around the dimly lit cell, looking for an escape. He cursed himself for trusting his subordinates. Baron Marth stood still, his eyes devoid of anything. As if he was a zombie... or hypnotized. 'But when could that have happened? Jannalor should have brought the vampire here with all the precautions taken care of...'
"Oh, that bastard," August swore under his breath. "That fucker. He betrayed me after all these years?"
Vanity moved and appeared in front of him before he could even react. Her black nails dug deeply into his neck. He then felt another arm grab his leg, and the next thing he knew, he was flying through the air and hit something wet.
It was slimy and wrapped around him. He squinted his eyes and saw the other Vanity, still bound in chains looking down at him. Now that he was up close, she had a different texture than normal skin. The light didn't bounce off it right.
Suddenly, Vanity melted away into a pool of blood around him. He gagged as he felt as if he was drowning. Something bit into his neck, and he tried to resist with all his might, but the invading mana was far more potent.
August briefly lost consciousness, and when he returned, he was naked, bound by chains and staring at himself. Well, someone who looked just like him. He looked around but couldn't see the other Vanity.
Vanity stood beside the carbon copy of him and laughed. "You know the best way to deal with a cockroach?" The vampire leaned closer with a face-splitting grin, "Trap them until they starve."
Turning on her heels, Vanity gestured for Baron Marth to open the door. But, before leaving, she looked into the man's eyes and commanded. "Do not let anyone enter. The prince is busy and will kill anyone who disturbs him. Also, ignore any noises from inside, even if the prince cries for help. Got it?"
The dazed Baron nodded.
"Excellent! Well then, your highness." Vanity turned to the carbon copy of the prince. "We have some nobles to talk to, don't we?"
