Chapter 402: Chapter XXII: Vampirum Visitation

Chapter 402: Chapter XXII: Vampirum Visitation



"Would you care for some drinks before we begin?" Hassildor begins as we sit down, a mask of perfect politeness replacing his previous expression "I'd hate to be a poor host."

"If you please." I incline my head slightly, much to Alor's alarmed surprise.

Lady Vagyar covers her mouth and lets out a particularly fake sounding titter "You need to educate your servants in keeping their composure, Lord Dagoth. Many would see such a reaction as weakness."

"Oh please." I lean back and roll my eyes, pointedly not incinerating the little chit who thought to 'teach' me "You may need such posturing to keep yourself above others but I have no care for it."

"Not a care?" She raises an eyebrow as her husband fails to so much as twitch in reaction to the conversation "Or do you simply not care for the opinion of a bunch of 'lowly' vampires such as ourselves?"

I cup my chin and let out a light hum, pretending to consider her question before shrugging my shoulders theatrically "Tell me, Lady Vagyar who has not had the decency to introduce herself fully" She smiles "Did you feel a sudden pain in your right hand some two days ago, just around the early evening let's say?"

She was no longer smiling.

In fact, both she and her husband suddenly turned very tense as they finally deigned to straighten in their seats, their predatory gazes narrowing as they started actually considering me for the first time since I entered what I guessed was Hassildor's domain.

A rather misguided way of conducting negotiations but they were old farts masquerading as young looking people and were probably far too used to handwaving most issues away without a care.

Hell, a few years ago they'd have been right to think that way.

The silver haired man in the back other other hand... he merely raised an eyebrow, shrugged his shoulders, and kept pouring the drinks with the patient precision only an immortal could possess.

"A rather curious statement, young Reyvin." Hassildor speaks up as the duo refuse to utter a word, still futilely attempting to dissect my thoughts with their stares "I do wonder how you would come to such a conclusion however."

His tone was perfectly polite, not a hint of emotion to be heard.

Leaning in on the table with a predatory grin which could easily match my hosts, I met his eyes "Oh, I just happened to cut a bitch at that exact moment. Nothing too extraordinary." The obvious leader of the trio remains silent as he finishes pouring and brings us the drinks "An old Colovian vintage, aged for three hundred years on my personal vineyards."

I take a light sniff of the wine before following it up with a sip, it was delightfully sweet "Not something I usually partake of but a Mer can only drink so much mead before he starts craving some sweetness in his drink every now and then."

Not that mead was bad per se, just not my favorite. That particular position was reserved to dark bitter ales at least as far as alcoholic drinks went, one needed to take but a glance to know what my true favorite drink was.

"Knew it would suit your palettes" Hassildor grins lightly as I take a split second too long to respond, Alor finally taking a sip and nodding appreciatively as he did.

The vampire pauses a moment before asking "Would you care to trade us some information about the event?"

"Trade it for what exactly?" I raise an eyebrow.

"My good will of course." The old Count smiles amiably, his offer admittedly not completely worthless "And our own version of events accompanied by some order secrets you would no doubt appreciate."

"Janus." Lord Vagyar narrows his eyes at his peer "Sharing order secrets is not permitted without unanimous agreement."

"Calm yourself Mateus." Hassildor pointedly names the man who immediately scowls "I will not share anything critical with our guest, merely something worth an elaboration of recent events." He turns to me "That is if you are amicable to such a trade, of course."

"Eh, sure." I shrug "Not like you could use the information I have in any way that could harm me." Even Alor perks up as he was not completely privy to what happened in the cathedral.

"Excellent." Hassildor smiles "I will begin, as the one to propose the trade. The Vampirum Order is an ancient fixture of Cyrodiil as you know."

I nod.

"And throughout our prestigious history." He says with a note of sarcasm "Many of our Elders and Ancients have sought a way to free ourselves from our... patron's influences." He scowls slightly "Of course such a thing came with many drawbacks and sacrifices but after hundreds of years of research we uncovered a ritual which permits a weakening and eventual breaking of our Daedric bond."

"Interesting." I lean in, my wine going completely ignored "Most interesting in fact."

"I am glad you think so." He nods along "Imagine our surprise when two days ago a very large number of our blood progeny began howling in immense pain, clutching at their right hands and screaming their throats out as if someone had just placed a sanctified searing poker into their very bone marrow."

"Yes." Mateus Vagyar sneers "Watching my great granddaughter squirming on the ground and not being sure if she would live was quite... surprising." He barely manages to keep the frothing fury out of his mouth while his wife looks away, no doubt to hide her own rage.

"A terrible event to be sure." Hassildor notes with no hint of emotion, much to his peer's instant consternation "So you see, young Reyvin, we would be quite appreciative if you could enlighten us as to what happened."

I stare at the trio for a long while, the tension in the room rising with each and every second as they instinctually leaned in to hear my words. Naturally I decided to completely ruin said tension by deadpanning "I cut Molag's hand in half."

Lady Vagyar instinctually hisses, Mateus recoils, and Hassildor frowns and crosses his fingers in front of his mouth, staring at me almost as if he was trying to see what exactly made me

tick.

Finally, after a full minute of regaining their composure, Janus spoke "I trust that that is all we will be getting from you?" There was no threat nor demand in his voice, merely

acceptance.

rebellion followed by what I can only hope is a limited amount of lynching for anyone even

vaguely involved with Ferrontius' regime."

"You know what they say." I shrug lackadaisically "A defenestration a day keeps the

corruption at bay."

All three of the vampires and my own vassal give me deadpan looks at that.

"But yes, we can't let the people take justice into their own hands." I roll my eyes "That

would just be asking for an uprising every second month."

"It is good you understand the weight of the situation." Hassildor sounded almost relieved as

he said that.

"I do tend to possess reason and understanding." I grin "Hidden behind a mountain of my own personal brand of enlightened wit, of course." Before any of them can react to the obvious bait however my whole demeanor shifts and an invisible weight descends upon the

underground chamber.

"Now that we have established what is happening." I speak clearly and without a hint of my

previous laxity "What is it that you want out of this deal."

Hassildor his teeth as he feels the Magicka around him begin to buzz in a certain pattern he knew to be rather deadly to undead "My city." He grits out simply.

Oho? He appeared to be far, far more pissed about Skingrad's current state than he led me to

believe. Mateus Vagyar quickly cut in "The order has been facing issues with our current sources of wealth, the sea trade has been drained heavily in the last few decades." He completely ignores

my aura more out of practiced grit than anything "We possess personnel with educations far surpassing the mortals currently ruling the city and merely ask for the revenues usually owed to the reigning nobility to be paid to Ancient Hassildor while he acts as Count."

My aura intensifies and all three of them look close to retaliating due to simple self preservation. Instead however they wait for the full minute I stare them down, not so much as twitching as I finally spoke "50 years, you will owe your full loyalty to Titus and Minthara after she is crowned, you will not gorge on the population nor will you enthrall the

undeserving." I lean in a bit more, my voice now tinged with the river of magic flowing through me "Are. We. Clear?"

Hassildor takes in an unnecessary breath "Crystal."

The aura disappears as if it were never there as I grin and clap my hands "Capital!" I look to

my vassal, completely ignoring the bewildered vampires "Alor, you will be leading this mission."

"M-my lord?" He stutters in surprise.

"I have been looking for a reason to promote you." I chuckle "Kindly do not disappoint me."

The poor Falmer looked just about ready to have a panic attack.

"Oh, and Hassildor." I turn to the vampire who perks up "Do take an hour or three to pay me a

visit, I am curious as to what else my father did that was yet to be revealed to me."

He allows himself a light grin "It would be my genuine pleasure."

The Vagyars say nothing, more than content with what they got out of all this and not willing

to deal with me ever again.

Probably.

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