Captain Argus Fellborn

If Giles' assessment was correct, over half the village had been wiped out by this attack. The locals wouldn't be able to withstand something like this happening again. The vampires couldn't afford losing the rest of these people- even if the gorebats had accumulated a good quantity of blood from the dead, it was a limited supply that would run out eventually. They needed these people to stay alive.

He was also unsure what the deal was between Julene and Giles. It was quite evident that in hindsight, Giles' measures had not been enough to protect the town, and that Julene blamed him for this disaster. However, he knew next to nothing of the situation here, and whether Julene's accusations held water. Was this something that could have been foreseen a league away? Some fortifications- stakes, palisades, watch towers- would have saved lives, but even so probably would've only delayed the inevitable without the vampires' intervention.

At this point, it didn't matter. With the losses they took, hunkering down and hardening the town against future attacks wasn't feasible anymore. In his experience as a pirate, a weakened settlement like this would make a tempting target.

One option would be go go on the offensive, track down and butcher every beast and errant undead in the woods, but that could prove to be a slow undertaking for a small band of vampires.

"I know very little of your situation, or the state of this city," Argus stated. "Miss Akyasha, what do you think? Do you believe that the city would be any safer for these people?" Giles claimed that it was overrun with beasts and undead, but given what he had seen of these woods, was that really any different than here?

@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

It was a bad situation truly. Half a village gone was half a renewable blood source. Julene seemed very angry at this Giles fellow. The vampire had little thoughts about that though, however. Humans were allowed their grievances with each other. And then Argus, her fellow, asked her opinion on the matter of what the humans should do. The vampire watched Julene walk off before looking at the human. "Hmm. What do I think, indeed. If they stay here, I believe they'll likely be fine for a small time. But, you never know when danger will come back. You would probably have to militarize if you wanted to survive, if you could. On the other hand, the city. Well... It's quite dangerous still though some of the scariest things are disposed of. If one could make it to the cathedral there I believe there would be no need to worry. But, as I said, the challenge is getting there. I guess it would depend on how brave you are. Either way, you'd need your own will to live."

The cleric gave a smile. If they made it to Alavaris alive it would give them an easy food source. Perhaps they wouldn't even mind being controlled by a bunch of vampires as food if it meant that they could live and have a decent life. That's what she had done once a long time ago. "I think the safest option overall is the cathedral, though getting there safely I have no guarantees. Perhaps one of the others will have a better suggestion than I."

Location:
Village
@Pyromania99@crimson Paladin

---

“Old Alavaris, you mean?” Gilles responded, a tone of surprise tinged in his voice. “That place is far too dangerous. Without an escort or someone clearing the way there’s no way we could go there ourselves.” A quiet murmur from the group of people behind him seemed to generally agree with the sentiment that he had spoken of.

“Hm…You know what.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Everyone, return to your homes for now. As soon as we can speak with the other outsiders we’ll decide what we’ll do.” The crowd muttered again, some disagreeing and others merely accepting. Those who disagreed though, would soon disperse with only a little bit of grumbling. A few seemed to be heading over to where Julene was heading.

“You both must be tired at least though. You can stay at my place for the time being and maybe we can talk a bit more about everything here.”

Forest of beasts

---

@Click This@VitaVitaAR

“Eh? I didn’t do anything like that…? Did I?” Kordelia paused, brows furrowed as she considered Giselle’s words. “...mmngh, my head’s all fuzzy.” Kordelia moved away from the two, a frustrated stride carrying her towards a small puddle of bloody ground where she’d proceed to simply kick a rock in frustration, right towards the other two.

Giselle and Aleksiya would watch as the latters severed arm sailed through the air, smacking the former right in the face if she didn't catch it.

“....Found your arm.” Kordelia huffed. “I guess you can fill me in later. All that sounds like suuuper troublesome.” The vampire glanced over her shoulder, to the now dead carcass of the large Bat King. “...Laters. I’ve got something I need to do. I won’t be…long.”

Captain Argus Fellborn

So Alavaris still stood, albeit overrun. Argus never cared for spending much time in the city during his time as a vampire, but in the current situation, it would make a good place to regroup, resupply, and perhaps search for the blade that Cynthia desired. With the blood gathered by the gorebats, he should have plenty of sustenance to fuel any efforts to fight back against the monsters that have overrun the city.

Unfortunately, it would be easier said than done, and there was still the much more imminent concern of the surviving villagers. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Gilles had a point- it could be difficult for just the two vampires to escort the entire band of human survivors to Alavaris safely. And that was assuming that they could be convinced to comply, because even after everything that had happened, they may find the familiarity of these dark woods to be less discomforting than the walls of the once-great vampire city.

For now, Argus saw no harm with accepting the village leader's hospitality. There were some things that he needed to sit down and take care of, such as penning new articles of piracy, and this would be a good time to do it. There was, however, one other matter that needed to be addressed.

"I would be grateful for your hospitality, Mister Gilles," Argus said, bowing, "But there is a dire matter to discuss- what will you do with your dead? There is grisly necromancy afoot, and you do not to risk your dead getting back up."

@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

Akyasha nodded along to all the human's complaints about going to Alavaris and then listened to what Gilles and Argus. "I as well will accept your hospitality. I'm not sure how long my fellows will be." The cleric said, "I think they may assist with insight to the situation. Or, perhaps, the resolution to what they had encountered." Akyasha smiled looking to her bats. "You all, keep an eye around town. Make sure nothing hostile comes about." She considered what to do with the bats. She might use them to summon something a bit more combat effective. Not now. Not while there were humans in front of her at least.

The cleric then thought about the girl that had walked off. "Well, I'll go check on Julene first and make sure she's fine after that... Encounter." Akyasha mentioned, "I'll be back in a bit." The cleric said, turning and heading off toward where she saw Julene go.

However Giselle dealt with her severed arm, Aleksiya soon took it from her.

"You could have been more gentle with it," she remarked, eyeing Kordelia briefly. However, she did not press it any further. The manner in which her fellow lord gazed towards the corpse of the Bat King told her everything that she needed to know.

The ice she'd used to dull the pain of her grievous injury crumbled. Of course, it wasn't as if regenerating a new limb entering was impossible for her. But reattaching one that already existed would be far easier.

The small girl placed it against the stump. Muscular tissue stretched and knitted itself back together, holding the arm in place without needing her to do so on her own. Veins and tissues reconnected just as swiftly, as even the bone itself began to rejoin, growing back together just as the skin began to mend.

In a matter of seconds, there was not even a scar remaining, as Aleksiya flexed her fingers.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said of her damaged dress.

"We should return to the village," she asserted, content to allow Kordelia to mourn for her companion for the time being now that her arm was reattached, "I suspect they'll be in need of guidance, and only a complete idiot would abandon them."

@Rune_Alchemist@Click This

Undead Princess, de Farry

---

“Yes, well. You may have been indisposed, controlled by that… thing, but you certainly did.” Giselle shrugged, looking Kordelia in the eye. “I hope you didn’t do too much damage, but I doubt it. If there are human survivors though, the true cause remains a secret among us,” she continued, pitching her voice loud enough so that Aleksiya could also hear her words. Giselle wanted to gain their trust, and even if it had been against her will, having the source of what was likely a massacre walking among the remaining humans was a little bit of a minefield.

She straightened herself out a bit, making herself look a little more presentable after that harrowing fight. “Consider this a favor or so owed, Kordelia. For now though… I’m glad to have you back.”

Giselle barely caught the arm that suddenly sailed towards her face, frowning as she felt some of Aleksiya’s cold fingers briefly touch her forehead. With a scowl at the crude treatment, she tossed the smaller vampire her severed limb back.

“Try not to lose that again.”

Glancing back at the dead Bat King with a sigh, she gave Kordelia a knowing nod. “Fine. We’ll talk later, I trust you’ll know where to find us?”

With a gesture of agreement towards Aleksiya, she started back towards the village, although not without a glance at the state of the vampire’s dress. Giselle had already repaired hers to its proper state, making the contrast between her and Aleksiya even greater…

“Want me to fix that?”

Location:
Village
@crimson Paladin

---

“Indeed.” Gilles responded passively. “We will do what our parents did and what their parents did. Cremation. Its been this way since the sun fell. Though I have heard that some other villages have other methods of disposing of them. I heard one feeds their dead to their guardian serpent creature or something…” Giles started walking, leading the two back towards his home just as the other humans also now cleared out, running back to their homes.

They could hear the sound of some people barricading their doors and windows more thoroughly as they walked. Julene was nowhere to be found still. Perhaps she was off by herself somewhere still.

“Regardless, allow me to thank you again for helping.” Gilles led the two into his home. A few people were climbing out of the tunnels with a look of relief while a few more seemed to have recently fled into them. “I’ll have someone collect the dead…ah? I see your companion has decided to not come…”

Seems Akyasha had left Argus and Giles at some point during the walk to his place.

“...Well, I hope if she’s checking on Julene she’s prepared for an earful.” He turned to Argus. “While we wait for your companions to arrive, Argus…you said you were a sailor? Do you actually sail or were your ancestors sailors? Apologies if I’m being too forward, but my dad always told me our ancestors used to be as well. He always used to carry around this old folded piece of cloth. A flag, I think it was. Unfortunately it was lost some years ago when Julene…shall we say accidentally burned my previous place of residence.”

River shore
@Pyromania99

---

Julene wasn’t hard to find for the vampire. The gorebats could easily locate her and seemed to have taken a fancy to nesting on the upper levels of her house. Julene herself wasn’t there, however, though she had clearly stopped by earlier. She had taken off her smithing apron and clothing, leaving it by the counter. The only things of notice missing were her blade and one of her spare crossbows.

Following the gorebats direction more, Julene could be found not far away from the shore of the river.

She was quietly practicing the sword it looked like, a dummy made from some twisted wooden logs tied roughly together near the treeline.

She swung the heavy blade -

A solid thunk as the weapon cleaved clean through the wooden block.

“Haa….”

Seemingly unhappy with the result, Julene proceeded to toss the entire sword at the split in half dummy, knocking it over.

She was just wearing a simple dress now, it seemed.

Forest of beasts

---

@Click This@VitaVitaAR

“Yeah yeah whatever, don't worry about me I’ll be fine. Just give me a minute…” Kordelia grumbled, walking towards the fallen bat king. She vaguely recalled making a deal with that woman, but she couldn’t remember the terms all that well. She really didn’t want him to die. She had raised the little guy from the time he was basically a little bat when she was still human.

…

Kordelia glanced towards the sky.

If Giselle or Aleskiya happened to look back, they would see the bats large body slowly start to dissolve, the rest of the blood in its body being sucked out by Kordelia as its quickly shriveling corpse slowly faded into nothing.

Silence fell over the grove.

Only the distant howl of some still mutated beast echoing.

Giselle and Aleksiya would find their way back to the village first. It was a brutal sight. Bodies had been accounted for as best they could, but most had just been tossed into a haphazard pile by now it seemed. The somber, but still somewhat hopeful attitude the villagers seemed to have when they had arrived earlier had all seemingly vanished.

No one spoke, but if asked they’d be directed to Giles house where their companions were. Apparently a sailor showed up and was apparently already talking to Giles. Julene seemed to not be found but some gorebats flying overhead would direct them to the river if they asked about her.

Captain Argus Fellborn

"It's complicated," Argus answered, somewhat hesitantly, a bit caught off-guard by the question, "But yes on both counts- my father was a sailor, and so was I. However, my ship was lost to some unseen horror out there, so it may be a while before I return to the sea." He didn't want to elaborate too much, lest he tip off his true, inhuman age, or the true nature of his nautical career to Gilles.

"Besides," he confided, to the headman, removing his hat, "There is much to be done ashore before I can think about heading back out there. I must get my strength back, perhaps ask Julene for help crafting a polearm, and look into whatever is going on with Alavaris."

There wasn't much potential for piracy in this ruined world, but this new world was ripe for exploring, if Argus lived long enough to get back his strength, his ship, and a new crew. Even if the stars and coastlines were the same, the vampire was curious to see what other races and groups had survived the world's end. For now, however, there were more important and immediate matters to address, such as ensuring the survival of these surviving humans, dealing with Alavaris, and fulfilling his bargains with the witch and the spearwoman.

"You mentioned your father possessed a flag. Did you ever see what it looked like when unfolded?" he asked. It was too bad that Julene had caused it to be destroyed, but he was curious what sort of flags were being flown in this new world.

@Rune_Alchemist

"So she left home did she?" Akyahsa asked her bats that found her home comforting. It didn't take long to find her however. Akyasha walked up on her and noticed her cleave a training dummy in half. Perhaps this was the moment to dig into the girl's psyche? The red-headed cleric smirked and moved close to the now sword-less human. "My, I wish you could have done that to the monster earlier. Well, I suppose you can't help it when I had to pull you away from the jaws of certain death that awaited you... Twice now, in fact." The cleric mentioned, letting her words hit a mean tone to them. Almost petty even.

"So, what's got you looking disappointed? The aforementioned? Feeling too powerless to save the town?" The cleric added with a smile. "I think all humans are guilty of being too powerless to save those around them at times." The vampire then smiled smugly. "Well, some can't even save themselves as well, I suppose." While it wasn't blatant, it was easy to tell those words were directed at Julene herself. "But I suppose humans can only do so much without help."

Undead Princess, de Farry

---

“Do what you must,” Giselle nodded, before turning and giving her a casual, backwards wave—one that Aleksiya and Kordelia were more familiar with but hadn’t seen since the world had gone to shit. Nonetheless, the white-haired vampire couldn’t help but to look back and steal a glance, sighing as she saw the fallen bat king whither to dust. She smiled wryly to herself at being nostalgic for an age that, from her perspective, had only been a few days ago.

The Farisian princess hardened her feelings once more as she approached the village. Even from this distance, she could feel the death in the air, and the scent of blood –though, to her, it was as appealing as the smell of fresh pastries wafting from a bakery—was thick. Entering the village proper, or what remained of it confirmed the terrible massacre that had taken place. Giselle took heart in the sight of survivors milling about, almost aimlessly in the aftermath of disaster, however despondent they might have seemed.

Despite the great tragedy, her eyes were drawn to the piles of the dead piled up, their corpses still fresh and oozing ichor. Giselle grimaced; at this point, she still needed the blood to regain her strength, but this was not the refined, cultivated way that she would ask of humans for in the past. Taking their blood here was no more than vulturism, but at this stage, prudence took priority. Waste not, want not.

With a sigh, she approached one of the body piles, kneeling down as if to inspect the dead. Taking an angle where she would be more obscured, she drew the blood from their bodies with her blood magic, taking it in and infusing her body with their vitality. With the volume of blood here, she could feel her strength returning.

Taking as much as she dared to take, she stood back up, looking for the other lords. Seeing the gorebats in the air, she was led to Akyasha and to her mild surprise at her survival, the blacksmith girl.

Overhearing some of the conversation, she stepped in. “Leave it alone, Akyasha,” she sighed. “It’s not her fault that she’s been dealt a shit hand. We barely survived in the forest as is. I can guess at numbers, but how bad is it, really?”

Village
@crimson Paladin@VitaVitaAR

---

“I can’t recall clearly, but I believe it was some sort of bird? Rather macabre thing I remember it being depicted as somewhat skeletal. No idea if it means anything but he spoke about it fondly.” A small creak of the door as it opened, and in walked not one, but two young looking women. Aleksiya and Kordelia, the latter of which had a somewhat sickly looking bird perched on her shoulder. Some sort of crow, perhaps, but its beak was longer and many of its feathers were missing.

“...Ah, you’re back. With an extra. Another friend of yours, miss Aleksiya?” Giles asked.

“Kordelia. Princess. I expect to be treated like one.”

“...Princess…?”

“Uhuhu, yes princess! So go on, give me all the sugary sweets and pastries you have! Oh and if you have any pretty animals around here lemme see ‘em.” Giles didn’t respond, mostly seeming at a loss for words and turned his attention back to Aleksiya.

“Sir Argus and I were just discussing what to do about the village. Its clear that we can’t stay here and leave things as is, but we’re not sure what our next course of action should be. I wanted all of your opinion on the matter since you seem to have some expertise in the area. We had settled on whether or not to move into that old city or simply try and build defenses here…”

Riverside
@Pyromania99@Click This

---

“What do ye fuckin’ think you dumb red-headed harlot? Of course it is.” Julene spat back. “ButI only counted one time. I could’ve gotten out of that burnin’ building.” She’d glance towards Giselle, though the other vampire was met with a frown. “Don’t pity me or try to sugarcoat it. Fake nun here is right. I’m strong. For a human. But best I can do is fight some beasts. If whatever that bird thing was that attacked the village again…haaa…what hope do I have to do anything about it?” Julene gruffly responded as she walked over to the training dummy, picking up her blade and giving it a good long look over. It had been completely restored by Giselle. The previous signs of aging and well worn use gone.

She rather missed the small nick in the blade near the hilt.

“...At least half of us were killed just now. Even if we manage to live…not enough folks left to keep the village going.” She glanced back towards Akyasha. “You asked me about power earlier and what I’d do with it. Maybe I was wrong. How do you folks fight those beasts with barely breaking a sweat?”

Captain Argus Fellborn

By Ichor, could it really be?

Argus was visibly taken back by the bombshell of a revelation- that from the sound of it, Gilles' father possessed the Jolly Roger of the Silent Swordbill. But how? Exactly what had become of his ship during his long sleep of death?

It was a disappointment that Julene's blunder deprived Argus of the opportunity to recover his old flag, but he could always make another one. He would also need to find out more about Gilles' father and how he got his hands on the flag.

The pirate would have continued discussing this matter, but they were interrupted by a visit by two other vampires. Gilles identified the first one as Aleksiya, a name he knew well. She was Aleksiya the Rime-Winged Vermilion Angel, a Vampire Lord known for her potent powers over ice. The second introduced herself as "Princess" Kordelia, another Vampire Lord Argus knew of. As one of the first of the lords to fall against the Hundred Paladins, her demise had been an early sign of the mortals fighting back. Despite her having somewhat of a reputation for being supremely arrogant, Argus was pretty sure that Kordelia's insistence on animals and sweets was just playing a bit as part of her self-proclaimed "Princess" title.

"Aleksiya, Princess Kordelia," Argus addressed them. He didn't want to say more or imply to Gilles that he already knew who they were, and he assumed they would do the same.

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

"Ahh, Giselle. Pleasure to see you. Yes, dealt a horrid hand perhaps but that's gamble you take when you decline an offer before you knew what you needed." The nun giggled as she moved close to Julene. "Now, if you were to ask how we were able to beat monsters such as that? That's an easy answer." The nun pulled the human into a tight hug whether Julene wanted or not. If anything, it were to prove the pure difference in strength between them if the human tried to break out of it.

The cleric then spoke into the human's ear. "We gave up on our humanity a long time ago. Humans are poor, weak, frail creatures. Have I not taken more than enough damage in the past day to kill a normal human at least 5 times over? It is all because I have given my all to my goddess, Ichor. I had nothing. A poor, frail human. I can't even remember what I was like at the time." The nun said as she released Julene from the hug. "Now, I'm quite the powerful woman. A vampire. A being above human and one that can give you the power I can tell you crave and desire. Power that would enable you to protect the villagers here, if you so desired. The only price is binding your heart to both me and the goddess. A small price, is it not? Gaining a family to protect your village?" The vampire held her hand out to the human then anticipating a positive answer.

Undead Princess, de Farry

---

“A pleasure to see you too,” Giselle dryly greeted her back. She frowned at both Julene’s answer and at Akyasha’s sudden antics. The white-haired vampire audibly groaned at the cleric’s sudden hard sell. “Really? Now, Akyasha? Is that tantamount to emotional blackmail?” Running her hand through her white hair, the princess stared at her incredulously, as if she herself wasn’t just as easily willing to stoop that low at times if she needed it. Nonetheless, the red-haired vampire had let the cat out of the bag. This was either going to end badly, or Julene was becoming a thrall or vampire herself today—and Giselle rathered the fanatic not get another follower. Time to put her skills as a diplomat to use and make another speech.

“I would consider her offer very carefully, Julene. Yes, some of what she speaks is true—we are vampires. Not the type you might have come to know from bad fairytales, but real, noble ones from an era long past whence vampires and humans could peacefully live in coexistence if you lived in the right place.”

“We are powerful, and if we did not chance upon your village when we did, it’s likely it wouldn’t exist at all right now,” she admitted frankly, “but even we couldn’t defend the entirety of it with our numbers. Not like we used to, at least.”

“Akyasha’s offer is not a light one. If you accept, you will gain power—perhaps enough to peacefully rule a nation for over a millennia, as I once did—and you will become immortal. But as she said, you will have to serve her, and our goddess, Ichor. And you already know she is a fanatic.”

“I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t want you to accept any sort of offer, Julene. Even hers is better than none. You’re smart, capable, and have a strong will to survive and protect even as you are now, and that is the sort of person I respect, and somebody that deserves a reward better than your current lot in life. Her offer is not a bad one. There are just better ways to be rewarded with such power than through her.”

“Julene, I had said that I wanted to rebuild this broken world, and I still intend to do so. The loss of your fellow villagers pains me just as it does you, and makes it all the harder. It will not be easy, and I still need allies to my cause. I can give you an alternative, without the poisoned chalice that some others may offer you—if you want agency, your free will, then it’s a luxury you’re unlikely to receive from her or others. I was always known as the most secular and ‘human’ among the vampire lords; if you help me rebuild, I can give you the same gift, without permanently binding your heart to one of us. We can rebuild the village, the nation, a civilization once more, and protect them all through strength in numbers, but it will require your utmost dedication and loyalty over years of service.”

Giselle left out the fact that she would have to wear a maid uniform in exchange for her leniencies.

Location:
Village
@crimson Paladin@VitaVitaAR

---

“Yes, it is I! Princess Kordelia. You arrrre…?” Kordelia frowned, observing Argus for a few seconds, a look of recognition soon following. “Ah! I remember. That guy that had the cool undead ship!”

“...undead…ship?”

“Ahaha, yeah you should’ve seen it, human. This guy here had humans and merchants and the holy paladins both running like scared little puppies, ahaha.” Gilles turned his head towards Aleskiya and Argus both, lips pursed.

“I am…not one to pry into the business of others so I will not ask, however…I do believe that it is still beneficial for all of us if we work together. That being said, it would be better to be truthful and explain everything, wouldn't you agree?”

Kordelia was about to say something, so unless the other two wanted her to blab inelegantly about everything they might want to stop her.

Village
@Pyromania99@Click This

---

Whatever Julene had been expecting, it wasn’t a hug.

“H-ha?! What the hell do you think you’re touching you dumb fake-nun!” She’d shout, though there was no way she could get free of Akyasha’s grasp. The difference in strength was far too different. She also wasn’t expecting such an admission - vampires! Living, sort of breathing, vampires! The entire reason the previous age ended!

Julene was released, face a shade of red and wearing a light glare towards Akyasha as Giselle said her piece.

“Don’t sugarcoat what kind of monsters you are, Giselle.” Julene responded, with a low snarl. “I was right huh, power at the cost of your humanity. The way I see it, your ‘kindness’ is just a manipulation tactic.” She fell silent, glancing at Akyashas hand. If it had been a few hours ago she’d have probably just bombed all three of them. Better that they were killed and not bother anyone but now…?

“I’d be giving up my free will no matter which of you creatures I decide to throw myself in with. Forced to serve you for the rest of my unlife?” She seemed receptive to the idea, currently, but she wasn’t sold entirely just yet.

Well, this was certainly a total mess. The last thing she'd wanted was for the village to be destroyed, but at the very least a considerable number of people had managed to survive. Homes could be replaced.

Human lives could not, despite what some of her fellows sometimes seemed to think. And those human lives were what fueled with own. If nothing else, keeping them alive and well was of direct benefit.

Besides, usually blood of a well-kept human tasted better.

Even if the fear and terror of those deserving was also delicious.

Regardless, especially now that they had met another of the Lords(not one of Aleksiya's favorites, all things considered, but perhaps that was simply the feelings of one who governed a region towards one who based his existence around violating the law), there was one thing to do before anything else.

Aleksiya raised one dainty hand, the small vampire sighing heavily.

And, sharply, she brought it down against the back of Kordelia's head.

"... She means undying ship," asserted the small girl, "Kordelia is so excitable she misspeaks at times, you see. Last I heard, our friend here had been able to take his ship through the roughest waters unscathed. That's what it means to be undying, isn't it?"

She smiled, tilting her head as she did.

"... As luck would have it, there's somewhere in the city that should be safe for all of you."

Above everything, that was her primary concern. The lives of these humans needed to be preserved. Both for the sake of their own appetites, and for the sake of the humans themselves.

Right now, the cathedral was the safest place she knew of.

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin

Captain Argus Fellborn

Argus was in disbelief. All of his efforts to avoid frightening the humans with the knowledge of his true nature, and Kordelia just blurted it out. He had heard that the self-proclaimed "Princess" wasn't the sharpest cutlass in the armory, but he had hoped for just a little subtlety.

Aleksiya attempted to shut Kordelia up and cover for her oratory blunder. An admirable effort that might fool Gilles for a time, but only for a while. Sooner or later, the vampires would need to feed, and there would be no hope at hiding their true nature, or the motivation behind protecting these humans. And the longer the vampires conceal the truth, the more the truth will upset the mortals when it inevitably comes out. Such a perceived betrayal might compel them to fight back or escape, resulting in almost certain death for them.

The village headman, in particular, would surely take particular offense if they were to lie to him to his face after he explicitly requested the truth. Argus couldn't be sure if Gilles was a man of his word when he spoke of working together, but if he Any hope of a partnership or a mutual agreement would die.

Argus was no stranger to the power of fear. It was precisely for this reason that he feared the consequences of furthering this deception. These people were no doubt frightened and traumatized, having just watched their entire pitiful world turned upside down and their loved ones slaughtered by the beasts they wrongly believed they had some measure of safety from. He believed that this would be the optimal state of mind for them to learn the truth. Any earlier and they would have had enough confidence to resist. Any later and the reveal would come as an act of treachery.

Besides, in all of his piratical career, Argus was not one to fly false flags- when the []iSilent Swordbill[/i] appeared, her crew's intentions were worn plainly upon her mast.

"I appreciate the cover, Miss Aleksiya, but the longer the truth is delayed, the more damage it will inflict upon us all," he spoke to the vampire, then slowly turned back to Gilles, looking the mortal man square in the eyes.

"I agree, Mr. Gilles, if we are to work together, there must be some trust. It will inevitably come out, and it is best that it does so on our terms. I am more than a sailor. My strength, my inhuman power, it is because I am a vampire." he revealed.

"Everything is a manipulation tactic." Akyasha mentioned with a shrug glancing sideways at Giselle ever so quickly. "Unconsciously all thinking beings manipulate each other with their thoughts and emotions." The cleric then changed the topic. "But yes, forced to serve me for the rest of your unlife. It's not so bad. I don't even mind if you speak your mind, so long as your not overly rude or speaking ill of the goddess. Think of the power you stand to gain with this. The power to defend yourself and even protect those around you. Power that you would fail to gain if you stay in this pitiful form of a human."

"Is it not worth that power?" Akyasha asked with a smile as she brought a finger to her ear. She touched behind her ear, causing a blood lily to slowly start growing from it. "If you join me, I'll turn you into a wonderful knight and a commander." The flower seemed to stop growing by now as a fairly sized lily comfortably settled on her ear. "It's a fairly simple process, really, if you wish to agree. Simply pluck the flower from my ear and settle it on your own. Then, you simply pledge yourself to me and most importantly to Ichor. I usually prefer something a bit more ceremonial and elaborate but circumstances as they were this is the best it probably will be for now."

Undead Princess, de Farry

---

Giselle held up her index finger and wagged it in response. “Manipulation tactic, perhaps. Kindness, no. Call it a difference in philosophy,” she replied, acknowledging both Julene and Akyasha. She refrained from rolling her eyes at the nun’s far more intimate tactics.

“And no, I won’t sugarcoat it. Our kind has done enough terrible things in the past to warrant such a label, although I’d like to think that as a whole we’re better than that,” she continued, looking a bit chagrined. “Yes, swearing an oath does require giving up your free will. To an extent.”

“Yes, swearing that oath can be for the rest of your unlife. And for some, that is true,” she agreed, “But that’s not my style. I really don’t like making people work for me just because they’ve been forced to. It’s not my governing style. It’s not why I became what I am—my very existence as a vampire was to protect the people under my wing. No, if you’ve given enough years of loyal service, once the terms of the contract are fulfilled, you are free to leave of your own volition. Pursue your own power, but to remember who first helped you grow all those years ago,” she explained. “Although, obviously, I’d greatly prefer if you remained in my service afterwards.” Giselle had always preferred that method—creating a wide, network of contacts and followers that were not loyal because their wills had been bent to fit hers, but because she had given them a reason to be loyal. Oh, how she missed her maids… “It’s bitten me in the back more than once, yes, but I think the mutual benefits outweigh the negatives.”

“That said, more importantly, I’m far more focused on protecting people and rebuilding towns and villages more than a nun who’s overly focused on religious worship. Do you really want to do that constantly for the rest of your life, instead of doing what you do best? However different our methods, I do still intend to rebuild –protect the villagers-- and people like you are integral for that. I can teach you far more than anybody else in that regard—I was renowned in my time for engineering and building, after all.”

She turned, briefly, letting her eyes obviously fall onto the nearly pristine sword that she had repaired for Julene for emphasis.

Giselle held out her hand for Julene to take. “Swear an oath to me and Ichor, and we can become so much more. Do so much more. What do you say, partner?”

She’d mention having to become a maid and wear the proper uniform later, if she accepted.