Blood and Tears - Grumbo Vampire AU

Chapter 24: Instincts

Grian sat on the edge of his bed, his face resting in his hands. Every attempt he had made to try and sneak out just ended up backfiring and failing spectacularly, Scar had guards pretty much everywhere at all times. Even the tiniest squeak of the floorboards underneath his boots would cause the guards to peer in, making sure he wasn't trying to do anything.

He heard the door of his bedroom open with a creak, causing the architect to glance upward with tired eyes. Instead of meeting the cold gaze of a knight watching him, Grian locked eyes with the king, who shut the door as he stepped into the bedroom.

"Scar!" He stood up, "Scar, you need to let me out of here! You can't keep me locked in this room forever! I'm not some kind of brainwashed vampire slave!"

Pleading eyes stared into Scar's cold gaze. For a moment, they softened. He glanced away, letting a sigh escape. "I'm protecting you from those beasts, Grian. They'll hurt you."

"Please, Scar—" Grian stepped forward, desperation filling his voice. "—just let me show you! Mumbo, he's harmless! He would never hurt me, or anyone! And those other creatures, they're all nice! They're just scared."

The king straightened his posture, the green of his irises slowly becoming colder as he stared down at Grian's pleading expression. "Those creatures are evil," He spoke in a sickening sweet voice, placing a hand on the human's shoulder. "I know it's confusing, but they'll only hurt you. That beast only used you for blood."

"No he didn't!" Grian looked up at him, holding eye contact with Scar's cold gaze.

After a few silent moments, Scar took a step back, his face morphing into one of confusion. "Fine, fine." He eventually said, waving his hand as he turned back to the door. "I won't leave you here. I'll let you see the vampire in just a little bit. I'll have Xisuma bring him out of the dungeon."

"Thank you, thank you! I'll prove to you that he's not a threat to the kingdom!" Grian smiled, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Scar said nothing as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. He leaned his back against the wall, staring down at his hand. "What happened..?" He muttered the question, flexing his claws. Grian should have been under his power, he should have listened when he spoke.

He noticed his claws looked a bit smaller, not as sharp or powerful as they once were. "Tsk," the vex tightened his fists. "I need magic. I don't have as much energy as I used to.."

It had been a while since he had the chance to enjoy some magic from another beast. Usually Scar didn't need to use his vex magic, which helped save his energy, but Bdubs was annoyingly loyal. Sometimes his advisor needed to 'forget' certain things he saw or heard. Obviously that was having a greater toll on Scar than he expected.

But it didn't matter right now. He now had more than enough magical creatures to feed on, soon he would be able to regain his full strength. But for now, Scar would need to be a bit more cunning if he wanted to convince Grian that those monsters were truly wild beasts.

He walked down the castle halls, guards standing tall and saluting the king as he passed. As he entered the throne room, Wels could be seen trying to drag a very resistant beast out from the staircase that led down to the dungeon. It was Doc, his snout wrapped in leather strips to prevent any damage from his flames.

"Dumb beast," Wels snarled as he tugged on the chain, trying to force Doc to walk. "I wish I could just skin you and make you a rug!"

"Now, now, Wels. No need to be so violent." Scar spoke calmly, walking over to greet the knight with his hands behind his back. He smiled at the creeper as he passed, Doc letting out a growl at the sight of the king. "These beasts have more value than you could ever imagine!"