Diplomacy by Other Means

I stayed in Montreal for another five days. Hunting humans was not necessary in this period, I had enough hunting for a couple months or more before the mercenaries catch me. I needed blood to replace what my body expend healing, and is healthy to sip some glasses of it every night if possible. For a week would be no problem to rely on animal blood, but fortunately uncle Bob brough me a box with 12 bottles of an elixir that works as well as blood, with the advantage that it tastes better than animal blood, is even more potent than the same volume of human blood, and is a little bit intoxicating. Like wine is for humans.

Only downside of this thing is how expensive it is. Takes many hours of skilled vampire alchemists, every day, for years, to keep production of this sort of thing. Materials are not cheap either.

I didn’t want to leave the house and risk another encounter with the mercenaries before we get results from the research about the Dense Wave pistol.

Vampires need to consume more blood when they are using vampiric powers, most of them demand a lot of blood to be used near to the maximum level a vampire is capable to use. As usually happens during serious combats. If I had been using special vampiric powers to speed up my movement and became stronger that would have costed me most my blood. Fortunately, all the strength and reflexes I used are part of my basic capacity. As if I was a vampire one million years old. Instead of little more than one year old.

Still, healing has a cost in blood, even for me.

Turns out we could not connect the weapon to the Englishman or anyone in his vampire family. The Italian Extraterrestrial Elder got the connection between the weapon and a vampire lassie named Monique, 36 thousand years old child of the night, from a lesser vampire family stablished in Quebec.

We could burn the family, and they would likely deny any knowledge of this mercenary operation. Let this Monique take the blame, and end up destroyed. Would not save their reputation entirely, but would likely save them from destruction.

Instead, we negotiated mutual discretion. Through anonymous connections online.

The Englishmen preserved his extra-official vassals in North America, no one had to be destroyed, I would have back my privacy.

According to V the Englishman was not likely to escalate it any further, his family would want the matter buried and forgotten if it was involved. Even if my false identity didn’t convince everybody, it had proved that I am not a lowlife.

I wanted to go home, but both V and Bob insisted that since I had stablished a provisory base in Canada, I should stay for a little longer and do something that would make my presence here plausible. Mysteries like that are dangerous, even if the Englishman and his subalterns had guaranteed they would no longer keep my movements under vigilance. Some among them would certainly sell information in the underground maze of lowlife vampire world.

“You wanted to hunt some bears to your collection. I have a list of different preys we could add to that. Compatible with the character we created for you.” Said the Extraterrestrial Elder based in Italy.

I was still not officially in the territory of the local Nocturnal Court. Was better not to present my false credentials more often than necessary.

That said, I had now some freedom of circulation. V wanted me to use that to visit some people she knew. Mostly Extraterrestrial people, like herself. Some vampires staying on Earth only for a few decades, one was a non-organic fellow, an android from some highly advanced society in another galaxy. The visits had a social side, but each one involved a small commercial transaction of some sort. What was important was making those contacts direct, in person.

Some of them knew my actual identity, and for others that was irrelevant. I practiced swordfight with that android, got lessons about court rituals and arranged marriages between minotaur men and their many wives, smoked cannabis with a gorgon who is as old as any Elder Vampire born as human on Earth. However, she was not a vampire, despite being possible for her specie to be turned.

I started feeling that there was little substance in all that. My house was turning into a deposit of exotic materials, some archeologic museum mixed with sci-fi setting, but nothings seemed important enough to keep me this side of the Atlantic.

The third bottle of elixir was half empty when V showed up at my door, in her unforgivable Vampirela uniform.

Her arms pressured my head like an anaconda, and her tong invaded my mouth angrily.

“I missed you, lover!”

“Wow! I am glad to see you, but…”

“No time for you to see my butt properly, my king. Summer nights are short, we must move fast”

“What? Why?”

“The game of cat and mouse we have been playing with the Englishman finally turned in our favour. Both sides walked on eggs, looking for a significant enough violation to justify a protest. I got that now, and that allowed me to blind the last vigilance drones he had following you. Our family back home is well protected too our defences are reinforced now.

Tonight we go for the Englishman’s connection with his local vassals. Our troops are positioned around their stronghold. I brought an army with me. All we need is you and this the tools sent to you. Where are they? ”

“What things?”

She showed me a list, manuscript on paper.

“Do not speak any of that out loud. Some vampires can hear from really admirable distances. Lock the door, then tell me where those things are.”

“I am not sure, you should have told me how important those things are. Most of them are in the vault, I think.”

“What vault?”

“The safe room. I show you”.

We run to the hidden door behind a wall in my room. “That is the place where I have been expending most the day. Is where I sleep as well”.

I opened the door, and she hesitated for one instant.

“We need to hurry! Can you find the list?”

I when in the room, trying to remember where I had left that particular stuff.

She locked us in. Using a code I was not familiar with.

“Why did you do that?”

“Because a gorgon puppets left by uncle Bob, strategically, in all part of the house except this room, have been activated. They are liberating spores in the air, that will seek any vampires and leave them petrified. Even alchemists and apprizers should have difficulty to fight it. Not permanent destruction, but unless we have someone far more powerful than I imagine outside this room, everybody in this house, outside this room will need rescue. That’s why I had to cut the ait connection between this room and the rest of the house”

“I don’t understand”

“Remember the power uncle Bob used to rescue you?” the other shoe dropped. Clock of Oblivion.

“How long we have to wait here?”

“Before we leave, there is one thing I need you to do.”

“I am starting to feel like your assistant in a comedy show”

“I promise you will like the punch line here” she smiled a horny and mean, smile.”

“That’s good to know”

“I need you to reveal your secret”

“What?”

“I will stand here, and I need you to consume everything in this room, and everyone. Except me.”

I was about to try, before I close my attention to the outside and focus in introspection three more people showed up inside the vault. Then another two.

“Victor le P’tit. Elder from the same family of our dear Monique, only much older than the poor scape goat. Almost 1 million years. I didn’t imagine someone that old would get involved directly in something that small. Never heard about you having the Oblivion Seed either, Monsieur.”

“We must pay our debts, as you well know, madam. My family owns many favours to the Englishman. As for the power, is well stablish practice to hide it. We are far more useful for our families when that particular capacity remain secret. And secrecy is the nature of this specific blood seed.

I have not been able to read your minds, but I have enough sensibility to realize that you two are not entirely bluffing. I am somewhat curious to see this power of your friend in action, of course.

However, my contract with the English stablishes that I would deliver your friend in conditions to being revived for interrogation.

Depending on how it evolves, I may find myself in the need to destroy him.”

V smiled.

“You know who I am. You are old and well informed enough to imagine that your weapons will not work in this room. I have been selecting artefacts with the specific purpose of neutralize that sort of advantage.

Your team must have someone capable to stablish privileged connection with someone outside this house, I presume it was tried and failed. Some of your friends here probably is capable to fade trough solid matter, caring one or more of you with him. That failed as well. I had this panic room prepared in advance, carefully. The last resource you may still have is to hack the door, but if you know my reputation you must know that will not be easy. Even if one of your companions here happens to be a Cleric.

It seems you felt in my trap. What kind of terms you want to propose for your surrender?”

“Your reputation as a warrior is formidable, signora. I admit, you are much older than me, if legends can be trusted. I do not know the gentleman standing by your side. According to my agents he is probably around my age. He could be older, clearly, he was hiding his true capacities that night.

Still, before we talk about surrender introductions are in order.

You recognized me. In my days as a children of the night I was mostly know by my speed and endurance, of course you where not on Earth yet back them, signora. Later, my Blank Seed became somewhat infamous in the battle field. Wasn’t enough to protect my family prestige and status, but against few targets at the time, in a small place like this, it is effective enough. I may not be able to take all vampiric powers of someone as old as you, but I am most certainly capable to reduce them considerably. And nullify your companion’s power at the same time, likely.

By my right side you see Jean Michel and Maurício. The first is couple thousand years older than I am, the other is twice that age. Both are shapeshifters, Michel has the Oblivion Seed like myself, Maurício has the Blank Seed, and we have been practicing combine our capacities for a considerable time. Also, Maurício is a very capable alchemist, what add to his Blank powers the additional capacity to poison our adversaries.

By my right you see Magnolia, only laide in our group. She is an apprizer, and alchemist. 750 thousand years old, she is the youngest among us. However, her portfolio compensates that. Extraterrestrial like yourself she was born from a specie naturally capable to feel and use extradimensional energy. She was a wizard with super-human reflexes, the ability to use force-fields in combat and cut enemies in half telekinetic attacks, even before she was transformed into a vampire. Now she is one of the five most powerful warlocks I ever met, and two in that list are dead. Your speculation was precise, she is usually one of our options to escape traps like that, she has a spell for teleportation good for some kilometres but failed us here.

Her force-fields on the other hand are working nicely, and they should provide us any extra-armour we may like to have in this confrontation. If a confrontation happens to be necessary.

Finally, Monsieur Noir. Million and a half years old, Abyssal Root Seed. Also

Ghost Path, so yes, he is able to carry us all out of traps through solid walls, usually. More Blank Seed, but I realize that, right now, this may sound redundant. He also has the Necrotic Seed, nasty damage it causes, you know, painful, debilitating, and difficult to recover from.

I am not mentioned every single detail that could be useful for us in a fight, I narrowed things to essentials. Didn’t mentioned less rare powers, except for improved speed, and only because the cases I have mentioned involve rare levels of development of this not too rare power. I think I mentioned improved vigour as well, for the same reason.

I trust you can feel the honesty in my words. If not, I can allow you enough access to my mind to confirm what I am saying.

Should e now talk about your surrender. Or should we fight?”

“I believe we should fight, dear gentleman. I wish you the best luck”. Then turning her face to me she raised one eyebrow “Let’s proceed, love!”.