Shadow of the Abyss

As much as he wanted to, the Vale King didn't have much interest in the Vampic Lord that appeared. He was lacking—lacking in that quality that predestines greatness—his father had it, as did his uncle, but this man? This Vampire lacked it. He wasn't a leader but rather appeared more like a wolf in sheep's clothing. It was a disappointing find.

The throng had gone silent at his descent. Every which way his eyes swept, the spawns shuddered, though not out of presence but in fear of the Baleful Aura emanating from the vampiric lord, foul and powerful. It was quite the combination.

To those with not the education of a palatine, it would appear that this man—this Vampire—might appear bigger than he seemed. That was, of course, far from the truth. To either Ashara or the Vale King, he was small, blaring his power when he already had absolute control over those around him. A clear sign of his lack of experience or inferiority. Whatever the case was, the Vale King had lost interest.

'Let us go,' he said in a soul whisper.

Ashara's surprise was so evident that she couldn't help but exclaim in a Soul Whisper that felt like a lashing across his Astral Sea, 'We've not even heard him talk. Doesn't your grace think he's being too hasty?'

The small, amused voice of Altair Blackwood reached up from the Realm of Madness, 'She's right, you know. You're being affected by my Sin of Pride," he chuckled before his awareness faded back into that accursed realm.

The sharp darkening of his palatine features shrouded whatever joyous mood he had been in. He had known Altair's Dao would affect him sooner than later, yet it was a blow to realize that he had not even felt the silent dagger of Pride piercing his mind.

'Bastard!' To his surprise, he had said those words aloud, slightly catching Ashara off guard, though it didn't matter. The woman was skilled enough to absorb those sound waves before it reached even an inch past his lips.

Stark, surprised, held her and then faded as she glanced sternly at him. For all it was worth, only a selected few knew about the dual personalities he held. They had decided—he and Altair—that it was best that no one knew about such a flaw in his being. His forsaken might be loyal, but they were all young, and keeping secrets was not their forte.

"My name is Sypher Logarian Tepes, thirteenth hier to the Night Prince, Lord of the Dark Void, Blood of my Blood, and the Hundreth Rider of Primal Death!"

The Vale King blushed in shame for the man. He had never seen someone introduce himself but then go on to describe someone else, especially in such a setting. Did the fool not know how to lie or give himself titles? In a simple introduction he knew more about Sypher's Master or Father than he did about him.

'Let the fool humiliate himself,' Altair's voice reached up once more. "It is not us who needs to feel shame.' If his voice was not half as powerful as it was before, the Vale King might have doubted he did not feel any sort of shame for what Sypher had said. It was indeed embarrassing.

Still, none of th Spawns caught such a mistake, and neither did the other vampires, or if they did, they did not stir or make it known beneath their hoods.

Sypher took a seat on the throne dais—a tad bit too comfortably on his throne, a throne was never supposed to be comfortable—eyes passing over the throng before he began again, a tad bit more authority in his voice, " There appears to be another clan entering my domain. Look at this face." He leaned slightly more out of his throne to stare.

The spawns, and even vampires, leaned forward to gaze upon his features, branding his image into their minds like one would brand a cattle.

"See this face and let it be known that I, Sypher Logarian Tepes, am your true master!"

The spawns, the mindless fools, roared his name in his glory, spittle flying from their lips in maddening, galavanting to garner a single glance.

The Vale King had seen enough; transferring a Forsaken from out of his shadow into one of the Spawns, he left alongside Ashara, practically boring a whole through his back.

"Bloody Spawns," He said once he was cleared, throwing his hands into the air.

Ashara had not dropped the invisibility spell, nor did she stop absorbing his voice through a simple runic spell. She was being careful, and he couldn't blame her. There were eight Transcendents in that room if he counted Sypher.

"Tasha, look up the name Sypher. I don't think the man is foolish enough to use such a name with his spawns as he does with the outside world, but you never know. He does appear to be a fool."

"Of course, your Grace. And shall I send an emissary to persuade him to join us?"

"You think pussy will get him on our good side?" The Vale King asked more sharply than he intended.

Ashara appeared slightly offended. "We are of the Hells, your grace. Each of my girls knows how to play the game of throne better than most of the Myriad. We have been born scheming since birth. A single mistake and every one of them, myself included, could be thrown into a Hell Pit to be tormented for what some might consider a lifetime."

The Vale King suppressed a smile. He had discovered a trigger for his little devil. Still, he considered Ashara's request. It was within his best interest to maintain a bit of distance between him and Sypher. The further he was from that particular transcendent, the better it would be. No one would ever make the connection that he was controlling the man.

"Give me a month, my Lord, and I assure you that Sypher will be eating off the ground when we are done with him. He is, after all, only a man. An arrogant, stupid man who obviously isn't trained."

On the way out of the building, the Vale King kept his silence, even as Ashara allowed the invisibility spell to drop. It was only after he returned to his manor that he shot her a hard look.

"Fine. You've my full authority to do what needs to be done. But Ashara, I need not tell you that failure is not an option. Altair might forgive you, but I shall not. You're a Devil through and through; I expect real results. You've three months to—"

"I only need—" Ashara gave a start, but the Vale King spoke over her.

"You will be given three. Show me what you can do. You've not failed me yet. So don't now. Show me the power of a Lilm and her band of succubus. I will be visiting the Temple of Sepith tomorrow. So your attendance will not be necessary. "

Ashara gave a low bow, a smile playing at her lips as she blended into the night, vanishing as if she was never there.

The Vale King had no intention of getting rid of the Lilm should she fail. She was a good advisor, and failure is always to be expected; Tenebrae had taught him that. What he wanted to know was the limit of her abilities to manipulate. The Sin of Lust was a dangerous tool. It was a driving factor in everyday life that few could push away, though none could rid themselves of.

Still, what really caught him off guard was the name, 'Tepes.' it was a name he knew well, existing in the earth's old text of a vampire of the ages. Whether it was true or not, someone had coined the name.

Stepping inside his manor, Raven's furious face met his. He smiled, knowing she was mad at him for leaving without an escort. He blew right past that. "Send a few servants to find me all the books pertaining to all the lore they have on vampires. Weakness and strengths. I want to know everything. From their first appearance to their last. Both on Almor and from Tera."

Raven gave a nod, though not before bonking him on the head, muttering, 'Big dummy!' As she stomped away.

He ignored all of that, returning to his antechamber to find the Old Duke looking around with an aged expression; this was once his room. Where he once served the Old King.

"What can I do for you?" The Vale King demanded. His voice was harder than usual.

"I hear you're going to the Temple of Sepith to make offerings."

The Vale King nearly spit. "Offerings? Why don't I just bend over backward for Sepith to fuck me while I'm at it? I'm going there with every intention to seek answers. Their Saintess mended my injuries. It's only fair I demand the price that came with such things." Find your next adventure on empire

The Old Duke's stubborn face turned dark. "Watch that tongue of yours, boy. You're not too old for me to have you over my lap."

The Vale King rolled his eyes. "Then do not insult me by asking such… petty questions. Anyway, what is it you need?" he grinned. "Looking for a new wife? A lover or a pet. I can provide all three, you know."

The Old Duke gaped, covering his face. "This damn kid…"