V3 C2 - The Demon-Blood Covenant

As Lord Ruthven promised, there was an escort waiting for David and his party outside the Dread Keep.

There was a pristine black wooden carriage drawn by two large horses along with several attendants in formal attire.

After a brief introduction, David’s party climbed into the carriage which was then teleported to a dirt road inside a forest.

Instant teleportation? Does the Court have access to magic we don't?

They travelled for twenty minutes until they entered into a large clearing which had a beautiful, crystal lake at its centre. Sat on the banks of the lake was a magnificent castle; it was almost three times the size of Castle Kelsey.

How did they manage to keep this place a secret for all these years?

When they arrived at the main gatehouse, the attendants opened the carriage doors and extended a ruby-red carpet for David’s party to walk down. Stood outside of the gates were guards dressed in full plate armour along with fifty tall, grey muscular winged creatures.

Alongside the carpet were countless maids and butlers of all species, all bowing their heads respectfully. Standing at the very end of the carpet was an elegantly dressed, and handsome, man with tidy black hair and dark green eyes.

“Castle Bathory welcomes the Demon Emperor,” the man said with a polite smile and bow. The soldiers, attendants and monsters all dropped onto one knee. “We are honoured to have you here, Dark Lord.”

David couldn’t help but smile a little beneath his helmet. If they’re willing to go this far to impress me, then they really must want to be my ally.

David stepped down from the carriage, closely followed by Hilda and the twins. “You truly know how to give a guest a warm welcome, Lord Ruthven.”

The man stood up straight. “It was only right that we offer you this much, your majesty. We have heard many great things about you.” Ruthven’s smile widened just enough to show his fangs. “And I can tell just by standing before you that those things must be true.”

“Oh?”

I’m guessing he sensed when I initially arrived in this world and then tried to track me down. That's rather impressive, given how careful I’ve tried to be.

David, Hilda and the twins walked down the carpet first, followed by the others several metres behind him.

“If your majesty and his party would like to follow me, I shall escort you to your rooms. If there’s anything else you require during your stay, please, don’t hesitate to ask.”

They followed Lord Ruthven through the interiors of the castle that would put royalty to shame and to the three bedrooms that had been specially prepared for them.

One was for David, the other was for his generals that also acted as a communal area between the three rooms, and the last one was for all of the maids to stay in.

“I’m afraid that I have some other duties to attend to at the moment, your majesty, but I hope to be able to return soon to discuss my proposal. Do forgive me and, please, enjoy your time here at Castle Bathory.”

With a big bow, Lord Ruthven promptly left.

Once David could sense that there was no one else nearby, he nodded to the group who split into two. Eva and the maids went into their bedroom whilst the generals, Rebecca and Jessica stayed in the communal area.

“So, what do you all think of our hosts so far?”

“It’s impressive how luxurious their castle is, Lord Allaric. I knew that there were few places in the Holy Empire that could match the Dread Keep, but I never expected to find such a place in the Beast Woods.”

“Nor did I. The Vampire Court seems to be rather confident in their power and wealth.”

“The real question is whether or not it’s for show,” Charybdis said. “For all we know, Master, the Vampire Court might not extend outside of Castle Bathory. If it doesn’t, then their influence and power could be much lower than what you desire.”

“They did address themselves as the Vampire Court of Themis in Lord Allaric’s letter, did they not?”

“Regardless.” A single word from David was all it took for the room to go quiet. “The plan does not change. I, Lady Rebecca, Hilda and Charybdis will meet with Lord Ruthven and negotiate with the Court. Scylla and Jessica will protect Eva and the maids. While we’re busy with the vampires, Fenrir will head into the woods and search for the werewolves and bring them into the fold.”

“What if they don’t want to join us, Master?”

“You will make them. No matter the cost.”

Fenrir swallowed hard. “Shall I get started?”

“Go. Take as long as you need and be careful. Mimir told me about what happened at Stonefall.”

Fenrir nodded, opened the window and leapt out into the woods.

An hour later, Lord Ruthven returned with a beautiful female vampire with blonde hair and ruby-like eyes, two attending knights and a small number of maids and butlers.

“Forgive me for the delay, your majesty,” Lord Ruthven greeted with a bow as the woman beside him curtsied. “It took me longer than I would’ve liked to finish my work.”

“It’s fine,” David said as the two sat down across from him.

“Then, your majesty, shall we just get right to the matter at hand?”

“Let’s. Tell me, why is it that you invited me here?”

Lord Ruthven snapped his fingers.

One of the maids behind him placed a large pile of documents gently on the table between them.

“To discuss both of our futures, your majesty.”

David nodded to Eva who handed a document to Rebecca and the rest of David’s council.

The Demon-Blood Covenant

Described below in this document is Lord Ruthven’s proposal to his Imperial Majesty, the Demon Emperor, detailing the specifics of an alliance between the Demon Empire and the Vampire Court of Themis.

Clause 1 - All vampires across the world, regardless of social status, wealth, income and capabilities, are entitled to citizenship within the Demon Empire.

Clause 2 - Appropriate positions, titles and land will be granted to the eight highest ranking members of the Vampire Court (Lord Ruthven will provide the names of the eight at a later date). Further, at least two members of the Vampire Court, including Lord Ruthven or Lady Lilith, will be assigned to the Demon Emperor’s personal council.

Clause 3 - Per the signing of this contract, the Demon Emperor agrees to take Lady Lilith of the Vampire Court as his Empress. While the Demon Emperor will be allowed as many additional wives/concubines/slaves as he desires, Lady Lilith can be the only Empress.

Clause 4 - In exchange for the acceptance of the above clauses, the Vampire Court of Themis eternally pledges its allegiance and support to the Demon Emperor, his descendants and the best for his empire. This includes but is not limited to: financial support, intelligence from across Aangapea, the court’s military, the court’s influence and their assistance in managing the territories of the empire.

Clause 5 - As long as the above conditions are met, then the Vampire Court of Themis pledges to serve his majesty the Demon Emperor for eternity. Anyone caught breaking this Covenant without a justifiable reason on the Court’s side can be punished however his majesty decides.

After reading the proposal through, David couldn’t help but grin.

It’s interesting to see just how much Lord Ruthven’s willing to give me in exchange for his terms. These are, on the surface, incredibly advantageous terms for me with few downsides.

On the surface at least.

He glanced over at Rebecca who was scrutinising the document.

I’ll have to consult the others before I even think about signing this.

“Your majesty, when I felt the disturbance in the air that marked your arrival, I knew that this world was going to change. I knew that those of us who have lived in the dark side of the Holy Empire would finally be able to step into the light, that we would find our place in this world.

“I spent months trying to find signs of you and your influence on our world, and I have heard many great things about you.

“I have learnt of your deeds at the Shadow Tombs and the destruction of Black Port. I have read countless reports about the Great Disaster and the ever-growing chaos in Stonefall. I know that it was by your magic that Karak-Harth arose from his grave and destroyed Teriscant.”

"You fear me then?”

“Far from it, your majesty.” Lord Ruthven smiled. “I am in awe of your achievements.

“There are few beings in history who could claim to have done even half of the things you have, myself included, and I envy that. More than that, your majesty, I dream of being a part of your great plans.”

“Oh?”

“And yet, you skulked around in the shadows for months whilst our Master achieved these things you envy?” Charybdis chimed in with a snide smile.

David glanced over his shoulder at her, but didn’t stop her.

“Forgive me, my lady, but what is your-?”

She put on a fake sweet smile. “Charybdis, Beast of the Ocean, Lord Ruthven.”

“Lady Charybdis, do you presume us to be fools?”

“Not at all. However, if you truly did feel his majesty’s arrival all those months ago, why is it only now, now that he’s earnt all of his achievements alone, that you offer your services to him? If you truly sensed that the times were changing and knew of our Master’s strength, why did you not offer this alliance sooner?”

Charybdis’ eyes changed colour. “Are your convictions so weak to ally with our Master whilst he has power? Would you truly uphold your end of the bargain, or are you just trying to use his majesty for your own gains?”

“Lady Charybdis, the Vampire Court are not idiots. Whilst we have great influence and power, we only exert that strength when it is in our best interest. I did know that his majesty would change this world and I did search for him for months, but I will not deny that I only offered this alliance to him now after seeing what his majesty could do.

“The Vampire Court knows when to back a winning horse and.” Lord Ruthven smiled somewhat bitterly. “We know when to submit to those much stronger than us.”

“Is that why Saint Themis never fully destroyed the vampires?” Rebecca asked.

“Indeed.” Lord Ruthven met her gaze. “Despite what the Church might preach to its flock, Saint Themis made many compromises to secure her power, one of which was with us.”

“What do you mean?” David interjected.

“During the Battle of the Beast Woods, Saint Themis led her mighty army to fight us by the lake outside our walls. After a long and desperate battle, only she and I survived. Both of us knew that if we continued to fight, we’d both die and thus I offered her a deal.

“I swore that the Court would never bring harm upon her or her descendants and she would tell the world that vampires had gone extinct, keeping the members of the Court’s identities safe.”

“Would you not be breaking your deal with her by allying with Lord Allaric?”

“Not at all, Lady Rebecca.” Lord Ruthven grinned mischievously. “Lady Themis’s original bloodline died out seventy years ago. The heirs born at the time were from an affair another empress had with another noble. We vampires alone are the only ones who know of this.”

“How?”

“I could smell the differences in their blood. I went in disguise to a party the royals were hosting at their palace and smelt the difference. It wasn’t as pure or rich as Saint Themis’s had been.”

David couldn’t help but laugh. “I see, so that’s how you can keep your covenant and break it at the same time.” His expression stiffened as his aura grew. “Do you intend to do the same to me?”

Everyone in the room froze for several, terrifyingly long seconds.

Then, calmly and stone-faced, Lord Ruthven spoke.

“Not at all, your majesty. If I ever intended to do that to you, then I would never have offered you my daughter’s hand in marriage.”

“Daughter?”

Lord Ruthven gestured to the woman sitting beside him, the one who had remained dead still and quiet since the meeting had begun.

“May I introduce to your majesty Lady Lilith, heir apparent to my estate and the future Head of the Vampire Court.”

The woman sat beside Lord Ruthven stood up and curtsied beautifully to David.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, your majesty,” Lilith said with a bright smile that made David’s heart skip a beat. “My name is Lilith. May I have the honour of knowing his majesty’s name?”

“Aren’t you overstepping your bounds-?” Scylla started to say.

“Allaric.”

“May I be permitted to call you Lord Allaric, your majesty?”

“That is definitely-”

“Feel free to.”

Lilith’s face lit up as she giggled happily. “Thank you, Lord Allaric.”

David’s council behind him struggled to not let their shock show on their face.

Only a handful of people at the Dread Keep were allowed to call him by his name, but his chosen generals were not among them.

To Scylla and Charybdis, they couldn’t understand their master’s intentions.

David himself was a little bit surprised at himself.

Why did I allow her to call me by my name? He locked eyes with her, causing the vampire’s cheeks to redden. What is with that reaction?!

“My daughter has been eager to meet you since you first arrived in this world.”

“F-father! You promised not to tell Lord Allaric!”

Lord Ruthven chuckled. “Sorry, but I couldn’t help it, not after you acted so giddy upon seeing a portrait of his majesty.”

Lilith went silent and sat down, hanging her head in shame.

“…You have a portrait of me?”

“Oh yes, your majesty. Originally, I had our men who were observing you from a distance draw up a reference for both myself, the Court and, as it turned out, my daughter. We even had it painted so that we could fully appreciate your imposing form.” Lord Ruthven laughed again. “It’s currently hanging in-”

“Father,” Lilith growled, baring her fangs.

“A-Apologies, but I seem to have forgotten where it is.” He cleared his throat. “I hope you do forgive me, your majesty, but it was essential that the Court saw who it was that we were to pledge our allegiance to.”

“Why is that?”

“Lady Scylla, do you truly think that the members of the Vampire Court could agree to ally with someone without ever seeing their face? If you so wished, your majesty, we could order more portraits of you created. We have many great artisans among our members. If you’d prefer, we could create a marble version of your majesty to display in the centres of your cities.”

“I-I’ll have to think about that.” David cringed inside when he imagined a large statue of himself in the centre of the capital. “But I am interested in seeing this portrait at some point.”

Lord Ruthven nodded. “I’m sure my daughter would be more than willing to do that, your majesty.”

“With pleasure, Lord Allaric.”

David’s heart skipped again.

She’s so beautiful.

I’ve seen lots of attractive people since coming to this world, including my generals, but she’s just so…captivating. Why? David frowned a little. Is it possible that this is a trap of some sort?

What if she’s using some sort of charm magic on me to make me feel this way? That would make sense, given how cute she’s acting. And she is really pretty.

Wait.

When I summoned my first generals, Mímir said that I couldn’t be affected by charm magic like Mania’s, so that isn’t it.

It’s the same sort of feeling like when I met-David bit down on his lip. When I met Kella.

…It’s just like then. This same happiness, this warmth, it’s just missing the feeling of disgust that comes after it.

After all. David shut his eyes. Kella could be dead in a few weeks’ time.

If we make this alliance, Lilith will join us and become my wife.

I could have some semblance of normalcy in my life.

I could-

“Lord Allaric, is something wrong?”

David reopened his eyes and saw that almost everyone in the room was gazing at him anxiously.

I wonder if they think I’m upset. David scoffed. Well, they aren’t wrong.

It’s not their fault.

“I was lost in my thoughts for a moment,” David said dismissively with a wave of his hand. “Lord Ruthven, you have given me much to consider today. As such, I would like some time to think things over and discuss this alliance in more depth with my generals.”

“Very well, your majesty,” Lord Ruthven said. “As I mentioned in my letter to you, we will be hosting a great ball in your honour tonight. I hope that you will enjoy it and will see first-hand just how powerful the Vampire Court truly is.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

***

Deep in the Beast Woods, Fenrir ran through the trees, sniffing and searching for any signs of the werewolves.

After three hours of nonstop searching, she had found a faint trail but hadn’t found any werewolves yet.

She transformed out of her wolf form and conjured a portal behind her. Two Machai stepped through from the Dread Keep.

“I need to speak to Abaddon.”

The Machai bowed and returned to the keep. A minute later, the demon general appeared.

“What do you want?”

“I…need your help.”

“With what?”

“The werewolves.”

“Werewolves?” Abaddon looked around, confused. “What werewolves?”

“No, I mean…um.” She rubbed the back of her head and screamed in frustration.

“W-what?”

“I need you as backup in case something goes wrong!” She howled; her cry echoed around them for a few seconds.

Abaddon looked at her in stunned silence.

Once Fenrir had calmed herself down, she said, “Just in case is all.”

“Is this about what happened in Stonefall?”

Fenrir meekly nodded. “When we went to finish off the Sons of Tartarus, I messed up badly. Herakles almost knocked me out before I’d even realised what’d happened. Then, I struggled against those three A-rankers because I was still disoriented by that first attack which made me realise something.”

“That there are those who can rival our power?”

“…Yeah. I don’t want to ever go through that humiliation again; I don’t want to make any more mistakes like that.”

“So, you want me to hang back and keep an eye on things in case the werewolves are stronger than you think?”

“Yeah.”

“I can do that, but I don’t have much time. I’ve still got my orders from the Demon Emperor to follow and I might not make it if I’m away for too long.”

“How much could you take off?”

“Two hours, maximum. Hopefully, you’ll be done in an hour.”

Fenrir grinned. “I hope so too and.” She turned away from him to hide her embarrassment. “Thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

***

After Lord Ruthven and Lilith had left, David and his council began to get ready for the ball.

With the help of Eva and her maids, they were all bathed, had treatments applied and were being dressed into smart outfits.

David was to wear a black tuxedo while the women, excluding Hilda, were all wearing dresses.

To properly show off his chosen knight, David wanted Hilda to remain in her full suit of armour at the ball.

As he and the generals were being changed, David had Jessica’s party stand guard outside with Hilda to scare off any prying eyes from the Court.

“What do you think of Lord Ruthven’s terms?” David asked Rebecca.

The two were dressed on opposite sides of a screen door; Eva and two maids attended to Rebecca whereas the other three attended to David.

“I think they’re very generous, Lord Allaric, perhaps a bit too generous.”

“Do you think it’s a trap?”

“If it is, it’s a well-hidden one. I triple checked the clauses, but the wording isn’t left ambiguous at all; it’s too clear cut and dry. When you took control of the Dread Keep, you offered us terms but left parts unclear so that you could use them to your advantage later.”

David chuckled. “I hope you aren’t criticising me, Rebecca.”

“Far from it, your majesty!” She apologised beneath her breath, then continued. “What I meant was that I’m more suspicious because of the treaty’s wording than anything else.”

“Yes. They seem agreeable enough, at least.”

“They also knew how to properly respect you, your majesty,” Eva added.

“They did, indeed. Then again, the Gørviligr treated me in the same way.”

“However, Lord Allaric, the Gørviligr weren’t observing you in secret for months.”

“That’s what concerns me most.”

If someone’s able to spy on us even with Mímir's Ravens and Jorōgumo’s spiders in place, then that means other people could and that means highly important information could be leaked.

“They did acknowledge that they couldn’t possibly defeat you, Lord Allaric,” Rebecca said.

“Anyone can easily lie about such a thing. It might be worth having Lord Ruthven and the other members of the Court demonstrate their strength against the twins or Hilda.”

“I volunteer, Master!” Scylla eagerly cheered, poking her head around from the next room.

“I would gladly do the same, Master,” Charybdis followed up.

“If that time arises, then I shall count on you both.”

The twins beamed and thanked him. They were both wearing elegant teal-blue dresses and had their hair done up by the maids; Scylla had hers in two small buns and Charybdis had hers in a braid.

Once the maids had finished dressing David, they presented a mirror to him.

“You look awesome, Master!” Scylla shouted.

Rebecca stepped out from behind the screen and smiled. “You look very handsome, Lord Allaric.”

“Thank yo-”

David trailed off when he saw Rebecca.

She was dressed in a stunning emerald dress; her hair was tied up in a bun on her head and she was wearing very fine jewellery. Without makeup, Rebecca was a pretty woman but, with it, it made her look gorgeous.

“L-lord Allaric?”

“You look amazing.”

Rebecca, slightly confused and embarrassed, smiled awkwardly and scratched her cheek. “T-thank you.”

Out of the corner of his eye, David could see the twins pouting.

“Sis, he didn’t react like that to us, did he?”

“No, Scylla, no he didn’t.” Charybdis put her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Alas, there’s no hope for you.”

“Huh?!”

As the twins fought, David sighed before Jessica stepped back into the room.

“Forgive the interruption, your majesty, but Lady Lilith is here to see you.”

Lilith is?

“Send her in.”

Jessica bowed and let Lilith inside.

David once more found his heart skipping a beat when he saw her.

She was just as beautiful as she had been earlier, but the pure white dress and ornaments she was wearing made her look even more attractive.

…What the hell? Why is this happening now?

Like the twins said, I didn’t react to them like this and they’re pretty girls. I didn’t even react like this when Mania slept with me.

What’s wrong with me?

“What brings you here, Lady Lilith?”

“U-um, I was wondering, Lord Allaric, if, um.” Lilith trailed off and played with her fingers. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and, for a small time, she didn’t say anything more than gentle whispers beneath her breath.

Then, with her courage restored, she asked, “C-could you be my escort for tonight’s ball?”

The room went silent.

“…You want Lord Allaric to escort you tonight?”

Lilith nodded; her cheeks became a deeper shade of crimson. “I-it was my father’s idea, originally. He thought it would be good to demonstrate to the rest of the Court that we were on friendly terms with one another, so that they would be much more accepting of the alliance with your majesty.”

“I understand that, but even then-”

“Exactly!” Scylla cried, getting between David and Lilith. “It’s one thing to ask to call our Master by name, but to ask him to escort you? Wouldn’t that be the same as declaring that we’d accepted when his majesty clearly said he wanted more time to think about this?”

“…I know, but…” David could see a tear form in her eye. “I just…”

He sighed and took her hand in his. “I will gladly escort you, my lady.”

Lilith brightened up and smiled. “T-thank you! Also, please, call me Lilith, Lord Allaric.”

David smiled back. “As you wish, Lilith. I will be out in a moment, so could you wait one minute for me?”

“Yes!”

Lilith excitedly left the room and David ordered Jessica to bring Hilda into the room.

“Why did you accept her-?” Charybdis tried to ask but a sharp glare from David made her quiet.

“I appreciate your concerns about how this will appear to the Court but, remember, I always act for a reason. Do not, I repeat do not, upset Lord Ruthven, Lilith or the Court for the duration of the ball. Is that understood?”

“Yes, your majesty,” everyone answered.

“Good. Now, as we discussed earlier, I do not completely trust the Vampire Court and I will gladly bide my time until I am confident that I can. However, until such a time, remain on high alert and gather what information you can about them during your assignments that I give you tonight.

“Rebecca, keep Jessica’s team close as you go and make yourself known to as many of the most influential members of the Court as possible. Given what Lord Ruthven has said, it seems likely that a number of them could be high ranking nobles and thus you are the best among our party to talk to them.

“Scylla, Charybdis; protect Eva and the other maids during the party. I do not want any of you eating or drinking anything that hasn’t been delivered to you by our party and checked for poisons and other such things. Remember, you can only trust those who came with us here with your lives.

“Hilda, I want you to shadow me as my guard. I want you to be keenly paying attention to any and all potential threats, but do not engage unless they make a direct move at me or another among our party. If they do, do not kill them; merely incapacitate them.

“Are there any questions?” Everyone shook their heads. “Then, let the Vampire Ball begin.”