Chapter 92: It can’t be her

Caius stayed right where he was. His brows furrowed in confusion. Anton Orlock paused. "That look. Don’t tell me that you didn’t even know the blood that runs in your veins?" He asked and then laughed to himself a little before leaning forward, catching the light more so his features were clearer to see. Anton had thin white hair that fell from his head in scattered strings. He had pale skin and his face was gaunt with sunken cheeks like he was malnourished. There were heavy bags under his Vampire red eyes like he had spent at least a century without sleep. Centuries of Blood experiments to improve on the ’perfection’ of Vampirism had left Anton Orlock a shell of his former self. Appearance-wise. The way his thin arms moved in the large sleeves of his large purple/black robes and the way his fingers curled while looking skeletal was like something straight out of a horror movie. He was sitting in a black throne made of the same black stone as the castle. It also looked as worn down as the castle did which matched well with the creature sitting in it anyway. Not even the description in the original story had prepared Caius for how bad the Vampire Lord looked and how much he felt like recoiling at the sight. Nothing about Anton Orlock screamed the eternal youth that Vampires were supposed to be blessed with. The Vampire women that flanked him continued that trend but they were less shocking to Caius because they looked like the one named Monika who had flown him over here. Seriously, they all looked exactly the same. Their skin was the same pale shade. Their hair was the same shade of black. Their eyes were the same Vampire Red and their jagged fangs of teeth were identical. If there were any differences to be seen, Caius couldn’t detect any of them. He quickly realized that that was the point; This appearance was what Anton had decided was the epitome of female performance. This was his masterpiece of Biological engineering and he took pride in how identical they had turned out. Curling one thin index finger, Anton called Monika over and she walked forward so he could take her hand and plant a kiss on the back of it. "I’m glad to see you return," he said with a proud smile, "Will you be giving me a report?" "Let’s wait a while, husband. One of the others might yet return with far better details than I have," Monika answered in a reserved voice. Anton’s smile slipped a bit, "It went that bad?" He asked. "We—underestimated them," Monika said and bowed her head in remorse. Anton released her hand and with a gesture, he signaled that she should take her place with the six other consorts all standing by his black throne and all with their hungry red eyes on Caius. "I remember telling you to approach, boy," Anton said. "I think I’ll rather stay right where I am," Caius said, warily glancing at those hungry eyes on him. There was an eerie silence for a moment and then Anton Orlock laughed. It was a dry, chilling sound. "Boy, you are in my home. If I tell you to do something, you do it. Approach!" That was a clear order now. Caius felt the Vampire Noble authority exude from the Vampire Lord’s mouth and it gripped him and filled him with the urge to obey but it was not irresistible yet so he endured. He decided to stop beating around the bush and get right to the point. "You want my blood to further your experiments. But my ’royal’ blood won’t do you much good. But I know what will." Anton looked amused. "And what’s that?" He asked. Caius set his jaw as he mustered his confidence because now was the time to present his bargaining chip. "The Blood of Strigoi," he announced. There was a silence again. This time it was an intrigued silence. The Vampire Consorts shared looks. "The blood of..." Anton started and Caius interrupted with a nod. "Yes," he said, "The blood of the First Vampire." Technically, every Vampire carries the Blood of the First Vampire as it has been passed down since the very start of it all. But that was not what Caius meant. There’s a reason Anton was putting so much stock in ’Royal’ Vampire Blood and it’s because there is a quality to it, a mostly intangible quality, that places it above the rest. In all the hundreds of thousands of years since the first Vampire, things have changed. The Vampire Noble ranks have been established and ordinary Vampires have been largely exempt from those ranks. But there is a legend among Vampires about the blood drawn purely from the body of the First Vampire. It hasn’t been diluted. Hasn’t been changed. It was hidden away and kept in perfect condition and is the most potent with the essence of Anyxyl, the Goddess of Primal Darkness. And Caius knew where to find it. Anton laughed again. "A minute ago, you didn’t even know you had Royal blood." "I never said that," Caius said. "What?" "I never said I didn’t know I had ’Royal’ blood. I was just confused how you knew about it. I know my creator but not many others do. I’ve never interacted with you or anyone who could reveal it to you so, of course, I was confused." Caius explained. That was the truth. In the original story, Caius was a mere Vampire spawn. Anton had other targets he could have picked but he became slightly obsessed with Caius the moment he realized whose blood he had running through his veins. —"... Athenodora, that bitch! Who knew she created a Spawn before she went off and died! You might not know it but your creator and I had a bit of history. It’s only right that I close that sordid Chapter by harvesting you for all you’ve got."— That was a passage from [To Kill A Demon Lord...] while Caius and Aurelius were in a fight with the Vampire Lord to the death. But a series of events had occurred before any of that happened. One of those events was the battle between Caius’ father, Lucian Von Helsing, and Athenodora where Lucian lost an arm but successfully cut off the Vampire’s head. That obviously happened yet. Things were happening out of order. Why? Anton stroked his beardless chin. "How did I learn of you? I received valuable, trusted information and investigated. I have to admit, I was skeptical. Was it truly possible that a Royal created a spawn and let them out so much and so easy to watch and snatch up? Royals are usually so careful with their Spawns. They take special care of them. Don’t let them out unless they have the strength and support that’d deter even me. But that was not the case with you. When I learned you were at the Third Circle, I doubted even more. It could not be possible, I thought. But it was possible. I am so glad I followed through. I wouldn’t have a Royal Spawn within my grasp as I do right now." Caius frowned. Someone offered information about him? Who? "Tell me about the Blood of Strigoi," Anton said, cautious but curious. "I’ll need you to give me your word that I’ll go free," Caius said. Anton laughed cruelly. "Do you really think you’re in the position to bargain with me?" He asked. Caius knew he wasn’t in the position. Even if Anton swore he would let him go, he knew he’d just stab him in the back once he got what he wanted anyway. Yes, he knew where the Blood of Strigoi was but he had no intentions of giving it to the Mad Scientist Vampire Lord who would create the most horrors with it. That was one of the treasures Caius was sure would be safe until he was ready to claim it for himself because of how frankly stupid and incoherent the clues to it were in [To Kill A Demon Lord...]. All he was doing right now was buying time. His storage ring was not only enchanted to be able to alert him when Gareth and the other Guards were available to pick up from school, but it could also track his location. Caius expected Hellsingers were homing in on this general location now. He knew they would encounter some trouble because of the large-scale illusionary veil all over the region which was why he needed time. He needed to play along. "I think you know how valuable the Blood is," he said, "Especially to you." Anton laughed again and this time, his consorts joined in. "Boy, I don’t think you know anything. And even if you did, I’ll get it out of you anyway. In my own time." "With torture? Please, I’ll tell you anything with torture but will it be true though? How would you know I’m not sending you on a wild goose chase?" Caius asked. "How would I know you’re not doing that even if you ’surrender’ the information to me of your own free will?" Anton asked. ’He got me there,’ Caius admitted to himself and then was about to kick start another even more intense round of bullshitting when he saw Anton tense up. "Someone’s here," the Vampire Lord said. "What—" Caius started. There was no way the Hellsingers were that fast. And then, he felt his blood stirring. His Vampiric blood was being drawn to the new arrival. "No," Anton said almost in a gasp, his eyes now wide and bulging. "Husband?" Monika called and her fellow consorts looked as concerned as her. Anton Orlock didn’t seem to see or hear her. "It can’t be her," he said, "It can’t be..." It was Caius who completed the sentence, "... Athenodora."