War of the Covens

Two

September 17th, 1516

"P-please Sire, I'm sorry!" The guard pleads, sinking back against the dungeon wall as Vassago approached him. His eyes black with rage, Vas let out a demonic growl before slamming his fist against the wall, making the stone crumble to the ground. The sound echoed through the empty room.

"You had one fucking job, you parasite." Vas spat. He moved with great speed to grab the guard and slam him against the wall opposite of them. The guard let out a painful scream and tried to scramble to his feet before Vas pinned him down once more.

"W-we still were able to kill most of the Coven!" The second guard off to the left pleaded in horror, watching his friend being tossed about like a rag doll, his armor clinking loudly throughout the dungeon.

"The important word in that sentence is 'most.' I wanted them ALL dead, you incompetent skamelar." Vas stepped back for a minute and brushed a few stray hairs out of his face, the rest of his raven hair nestled into a bun. He began to roll up his sleeves, smirking at the blood splatters across his forearms.

"Remove your chest plate." He spoke coldly, making the man before him whimper. With a chuckle as he began rolling up his second sleeve, his voice rang throughout the corridor. "I said REMOVE YOUR CHEST PLATE!!"

As he shakily began to remove his only protection. He immediately dropped to his knees and began to plead with him.

"Lord Vassago... I humbly ask y-you to f-forgive me, I will not fail again if you give me one more chance, please I'm begging you!" He held his hands together with his head down, making Vas chuckle.

"You're right, you won't fail me again." He replied with a haughty tone, gripping the guard by his neck and lifting him off the ground swiftly.

"I'm growing tired of being failed by unreliable parasites. You disgust me, and deserve to be made an example of." Vas looked to the man in the corner and sadistically smiled - before his fangs began to grow twice their size.

"Do you feel dead?" He chuckled again, drawing his arm back.

Vas shoved his hand through the man's chest, squeezing his heart - smiling wickedly as he spits up blood all over Vas. Vas' jaw unhinged as he removed his hand from his neck, keeping him off the ground with his hand still on his heart. He swiftly pulled the guard down and completely ripped out his neck - down to the bone, before throwing him off to the side. His jaw hinged back into place as he looked over to the other guard with a blood-stained smile.

"You're dismissed." He growled, the guard immediately disappearing up the dungeon stairs. Vas chuckled to himself and licked his lips, disappearing into thick, black smoke and appearing in his personal study to clean himself.

Vas walked over to the desk scattered with parchment, quills, and books to retrieve a cloth to wipe his face clean. He paused for a moment and let out a soft laugh into the cloth.

"Should've known you'd be the first hereafter that... disagreement, Alexandre." Vas wiped the remaining blood away from his face, tossing the cloth to his Chancellor. Alexandre watched the cloth fall to his feet and sighed, stepping over it.

"Having him remove his own chest plate?" Alexandre spoke after a few seconds watching his Lord pace throughout the study.

"Did you like that one? I rather enjoyed it." Vas let out a hearty laugh as he retrieved two chalices from his cabinet. Alexandre couldn't help but roll his eyes at how superfluous Vassago was, and always had been.

"I had also considered ripping his spine out through his neck, but I felt as if they all got the message." Vas began to pour a clear liquid into the chalices. Alexandre perked an eyebrow, watching.

"What is-"

"Gin, my humble Chancellor! Distilled gin, to be exact." He held the bottle up to the candlelight and chuckled.

"...And where did you come across distilled spirits?" Alexandre took the chalice questioningly as Vas handed it to him with a sinister smirk. The aroma filled his nose making him scrunch his nose up in repulsion.

"Ahh, yes! Distilled spirits! The 'mistress of all medicine!' Come, have a drink with I." Vas lifted his chalice a bit as Alexandre looked at the drink.

"It's not poisoned, you daft idiot." Vas scoffed, taking a sip of his drink, as well as from Alexandre's chalice, proving his point. "I still have a use for you." He winked and turned on his heel to lean against his window sill.

"I'd prefer to not be a drunk." Vas rolled his eyes and let out another laugh.

"Do not tell me, dear Alexandre, that you side with those scoundrel Protestants that are condemning the drink because humans are too weak to resist it! A wonderful thing that we are not of their kind, aye?" He spoke, finishing his drink without a wince.

"Have you not heard them in the streets of Beroux?" Vas set his chalice down and stood, speaking in a mocking tone with exaggerated arm movements.

"Oh, misery! We are not alone drunk from wine, but drunk, drunk with the lying spirit, error, and ignorance!" He picked up Alexandre's chalice and finished the drink as well, pointing toward the bottle. "For so long as no ban exists, and is in place, I recognize no Gospel or Christian community to speak of. One must remove the impure from the community of God!" He continued to mock and laugh.

Alexandre stood stone-cold and managed to smirk slightly before Vas slumped against the window sill again.

"Well, you are absolutely no fun at all. Fetch me Lavinia." He ordered with a wave of his hand. "I require her... personal company."

"My Lord, we should really discuss the rest of that Coven that got away. They could already be at your sister's castle planning an attack-"

"Good, it'll send a message to that bitch anyway. It's not like they can travel very far from the forest, Alexandre. Now, I require Lavinia in my chambers. I really do not want to ask a third time." He ordered, making Alexandre nod.

"As you wish, my Lord." He turned on his heel and closed the study door behind him as he exited.

Vas stood there alone in his study. Looking down at Alexandre's chalice. With a slight chuckle, he dipped his blood-stained finger in it, his skin beginning to bubble as if to melt away.

Vas knew Alexandre was too smart to fall for his parlor tricks, like spiking the gin with distilled Juniper, a plant considered deadly to vampire kind. As he waited for his love to enter his study, Vas stared out into the dark, emptiness of the night.

Valentina... to think he could even be related to such a puterelle. She tries to hold herself to a high standard, thinking she was better than him because she came to the throne before Vas could even taste being King. He was exiled because of his sister, he lost his power because of his sister, and he murdered his own father because of his sister.

'Valentina... that bitch.'