Chapter 112 – Second Vol. epilogue
Far to the north of the human kingdoms, beyond the unconquered lands that were infested by monsters escaping the dungeons, surprisingly a land where humans lived in small settlements could be found. On the lands that were covered by snow for most of the time of the year and night time prevailed over the day, as the sun in this region sometimes did not rise for a few months, small huts of nomadic people stood on the outskirts of the pine forest at the foot of the mountain range.
People in heavy thick clothes with furs covering their hoods and sleeves were watching their herded animals beat with their hooves in the snow to dig out edible greenery.
No mighty walls or armed guards were seen. Except for occasional bows on some of their backs with which they would hunt some small animals in the frozen forest, they had no means to guard themselves against any danger. Yet somehow, living in the monster lands they felt safe and unbothered by any ferocious monster.
These people lived under the protection of their deities. The guardians that lived in the mountains beyond the forest looked over them just like they looked over their herds. Just like this one, many other tribes traveled these lands, living in harmony with nature and entrusting their lives to the hands of their Gods and apostles.
They lived here for many generations unaware that any other lands inhabited by humans even existed. All they knew was that further beyond the blessed land that their Gods could protect them on, there was only death, as the bloodthirsty monsters would kill anyone who would leave this holy land gifted to them by their God.
The mountains where the guardian deities and their God lived, were carved full of statues and images of mythical beings. Roads of solid stone circled around these mountains, leading to their tops where instead of sharp peaks and snow tops stood huge buildings carved right into rocks and were part of these mountains. At the top of the largest mountain top stood an enormous castle with pointy towers of rock. This castle was carved into the mountain like all the structures in this mountain range. However, unlike other buildings, no road led up the mountain to this castle. The only way to reach it was to fly.
In the cold empty central hall of that castle stood two massive thrones. Behind these thrones was a stone crypt encrusted with images of bats and ancient runes.
Suddenly these runes were filled with crimson liquid that spread around the walls of a crypt in rivers. Once every last rune was filled, they started to shine with light, that had a rhythm to it.
*Thump-thump.
*Thump-thump.
*Thump-thump.
A loud rhythmic sound similar to a heartbeat came from within the crypt in tune with the shining of runes.
Loud screeches from all around the mountain range filled the air, making mountains vibrate. Countless bats flew out of every building on every mountain. A black cloud of bats formed in the air and soon it formed into a stream that flew toward the castle. All the bats hurriedly flew to the castle, not daring to be the last ones to enter it.
When the massive door of the crypt opened, a naked man strolled out of it. Just after a few steps, his figure was immediately covered by the mantle by the two pairs of hands. Two gorgeous women stood at his side with bright smiles and gazing at him with desire.
Covered in his crimson mantle, the man sat on one of the two thrones gazing at the enormous hall in front of him, fully filled by the countless kneeling figures dressed in black suits, mantles, and dresses.
""WE GREET OUR LORD!!!!"" Boomed the sound of all the people as one greeted the man on the throne.
Lord sat gazing at the gathered crowd emotionlessly scanning every being in the hall, as the silence settled in the room after their greeting.
"These are all our kin?" He asked after a few moments.
"Yes, my lord." Answered one of the women that stood on his throne. None of them dared to sit on the second throne beside him, yet they stared at it with desire.
Once that woman answered his question she noticed that her Lord's face scrunched with a frown.
"Is there anything we can do for you, my Lord?" She asked.
"If you could, you would have done it a hundred years ago already." He answered with disdain not even bothering to look at her.
"Listen to me, my dear children. Thousands of years have I waited for any of my kin to birth a daughter that would reach the highest level, and be worthy of sitting on this throne beside me as my wife and Queen of all our race. And today it finally happened. Today one of our kin has finally become worthy. One of our race's daughters has awakened her frozen heart. Today our race has gained a Queen. Even in my deep slumber, I could hear the magnificent sound of her first heartbeat. And even now it still echoes in my ears as the sound of heavenly song."
Murmur spread around the room at these words. Two women at his throne stood with their mouths open wide in shock. Both of them have been Duchesses of Nosferatu for centuries, yet none of them has been able to become worthy. Who overcame them?
"Yet, what I witness as I wake up from my slumber, " continued the Lord with menace spreading through his voice "That it is not any of my children. Not any of you. Disappointment. Utter disappointment is what you all are. You failed me for eternity, baring from the happiness of having a wife. A mother to birth my children. I will give you all the last chance to prove yourselves worthy of my blood that circulates within you all. Find me that worthy woman. Bring me my wife. BRING HOME YOUR QUEEN. And I shall spare all your lives."
Countless voices started to plead at him
"GO!" He commanded not bothering to listen to any of their excuses.
Clouds of bats rose into the air streaming out of the hall and spreading in the sky above the mountain, dispersing throughout the world in search of the one whose heart revived.
******
In the demon realm, the Queen of Succubi lay on the floor of her throne room with a deranged face staring into nothingness. Deathly silence spread in the hall. Not even the sound of breath was heard within the castle walls.
"Why? Why are you not coming for me, my soulmate? Why do you not seek me? It should be me in her place. I should be the one ravaged by your wild lust. I should be taken as your slut. Why are you content with dominating some skunk unworthy of your great lust instead of satisfying me." She whimpered while drooling at the corners of her mouth.
"There is only you. Only you can satisfy me. They all are not enough. I must have you, my soulmate." She muttered lying amidst hundreds of corpses. In her deranged lust, she drank them all. Every living creature, every slave that served at her castle was emptied of their life force to satiate her wild hunger. All who could provide a spec of life force, with an exception of her kin and undead, were sucked dry of life in her raving sexual passion.
"If you don't come for me, I will find you myself." She whispered.
"Alika!" She screamed.
"Yes, mother." Immediately answered a young Succubus girl, elegantly landing on a spot free of corpses.
"Send my message to the so-called Demon Lord. We will join his campaign." She said
"Will do." The girl answered, bowing, and flew out of the castle.
"If you like the human realm so much, my dear, I will gift it to you." Whispered Succubus Queen.
*****
"Do you feel this, my lord husband?" Asked a middle-aged woman in a beautiful dress, sitting under a tree with her eyes closed and her head lying on the shoulder of a handsome middle-aged man with fire-like red hair that sat with her reading a book.
"You mean the youngling that our daughter is interested in?" The man asked, turning a page.
"Yes."
"It is the third time he proves his worth in such a short time. He is either very arrogant or a trouble seeker. In both cases, he is not a good match for our girl." The man said.
"We can't dictate to her heart, my dear." Said the woman with a gentle voice. "And our girl is not an example of a well-behaved child either."
"That is what I am most concerned with. They will be like burning oil and water. He is a prime example of a bad boy and not pure blood. She a rebellious child, bent on going against our every teaching. I can see why she is so attracted to him. But allowing them to meet would be the biggest mistake."
"Have you forgotten how we were in our youth, my dear? Two dragons of different tribes and different elements, not belonging to one world, not a good match, not fated to be together, yet madly in love with each other and ready to fight the world to prove our right to be together." The woman said with a smirk.
"I remember. That's why I am against it. The trouble they can cause would be no less than you and I made. Half the dragon race was on our tails back then if you remember. I don't want my daughter to go through even a slightly similar disaster."
"Neither did my father. It is every father's wish to protect their daughters. Yet you and I still made our choice to be together, even at the cost of our lives. Just like our parents could not make a choice for us, we can't make a choice for our daughter. She wants what she wants and she will fight for it, just like we did."
The man sighed without answering his wife. He did not feel like reading anymore so he closed the book and it disappeared into thin air.
"Let's return. I can feel her agitation. We might need to reseal her." He said standing up and giving his wife his hand to help her up.
Once they stood up their forms changed into two colossal dragons and with the flap of their wings, they flew into the sky.
*****
The moment Tessa felt the light of her sealing magic shudder, she roared and smashed against the light, shattering it with ease, and with a flash-like movement disappeared from the room through the doors that exploded into dust from her rush.
Within seconds she was in the servant hall where she felt Noah's presence not long ago.
With a wave of her hand the sealing circle Cassandra locked the door with shattered and she slammed the door open, breaking off the hinges. However, after breaking in she froze in place. Watching with surprise at the state her friend was in.
After a moment she noticed Cassandras muttering. At first, she thought she heard it wrong, but after a moment her eyes grew wide.
Tessa rushed to Cassandra and picked her up. At that moment she heard her words clearly
"La Kajira." Kept repeating Cassandra muttering under her nose.
There was no doubt of what she heard, now that she heard this from this close.
La Kajira. The words said in the ancient Gorean language, which could be translated as 'I am your slavewoman' were not something she would imagine being uttered by her friend ever in her life.
The lost to times Empire of Gor, was a nation that strongly implemented slavery. It was a country ruled by high priests that were deemed equal to apostles of gods. These high priests were of course all Vampires. That's right. It was a nation that Vampires created to rule and brainwash humans that they held as stock. Humans in the country were divided into 'Free men' that were equal to nobility and 'Slaves'. Slaves were doing everything and slaves were everywhere. There was no middle class. Only owners and the owned. Slaves did not need to wear slavers' collars or be forced.
That country had an intricate brainwashing system. With the help of Nosferatu hypnosis, they installed a program into the minds of every child born within the kingdom. Every child, be it a 'Free man' or a child of 'Slave', from a young age, was brainwashed to embrace slavery to the degree that just uttering the keyword was enough to make them obedient as lambs before their masters for the rest of their or their masters' lives. Once any of the Gor kingdom's humans in his sober mind and of free will uttered the words 'La Kajira' to another 'Free man' they chose as owner, they were forever an obedient slave of that 'Free man'.
And Cassandra was born in that country. As the child born in the ancient Gor Empire she had been programmed with that brainwashing as well. This program, which she never used since birth and up till being initiated as a Vampire, still was sleeping within her mind. Now that she uttered these words, that program would activate making her a slave to whoever she promised herself to. And Tessa had a feeling that this someone was her mate, Noah.
But where the hell was Noah himself?
Tessa slapped Cassandra on the cheek to wake her up from her delirium, right before Archduke and his Knights appeared outside the door behind Tessa's back.
Cassandra came to her senses, staring into her friend's eyes and a tear dropped from her eyes.
"Forgive me, Tess." She whispered with shame written on her face. She turned away not daring to look her friend in the eyes.
"You would really kill him?" Asked Tessa.
"Only if he binds you. I would never do something you would not forgive me for, Tess."
"Who's side are you on?" Asked Tessa surprising her friend.
"Tess, I…." Started to say, Cassandra
"Duchess Threadweaver! I would ask you to step out of the room." Said Archduke with a commanding voice.
Cassandra stood up from the floor looking at the Archduke.
"She is not 'Tamed', your excellency. I can attest to that."
"That is not of importance." Said, Archduke. "Step away from her, Duchess Vespertine."
"Wha…" Started to say, Cassandra.
"Cass. It was never about me being tamed. They accuse me of treason of my own free will."
"WHAT?!" Screamed Cassandra with anger.
Archduke creased his eyebrows.
"Duchess Vespertine, I understand you are a close friend and I promise you that we will conduct a fair investigation however until Duchess Threadweaver is proven innocent she will be in our custody." Said, Archduke.
"PROVEN INNOCENT?" Squeezed the words through her teeth Cassandra her appearance gradually changing from an elegant noble lady to a bloodthirsty monster.
She grew in size now standing, head over any human. Her ears elongated, turning into something that resembled a bat's ears. Her nose sunk in and her mouthline elongated almost to her ears allowing her to open the mouth wide enough to bite off half of a human's head. Her eyes lost their color becoming pale gray and exuded cold that made everyone tremble from just a passing glance. Her hands turned into claws that could pierce steel. And on her back formed two huge bat-like wings.
"YOU WILL TAKE YOUR MEN AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE. AND UNTIL SHE IS PROVEN GUILTY, SHE WILL BE IN NO ONE'S CUSTODY." Said the monster that replaced the fragile-looking woman in an elegant dress.
Archduke looked around and saw that halls from both sides started to fill with vampires glaring at him with menace.
"You do realize, I can make a short job of the two of you and all your kin?" Said, Archduke.
"Do I have to remind you that you are not outside my territory, but within my pseudo-cores domain?" Said the furious Nosferatu.
"You will put everything to the scale for her?"
"You bet I will!" Said Cassandra without hesitation.
Archduke stared at them for a moment.
"I have nowhere to run, your excellency. If you find me guilty, you know where to find me. All we ask is to do it right. I served this country for centuries. I made mistakes but I never overstepped boundaries. I deserve a just judgment, not to be a scapegoat." Said Tessa, standing at Cassandra's side.
"If I find you guilty. I will execute you both, no matter what the Royals say about it." He said and turned his back on her, walking away.
"And we will come to speak with the boy. He'd better be well and healthy if you want it to be just as you said." Said Archduke without looking back.
As he and his knights walked, Vampires stepped aside, yet kept glaring at the humans waiting for a single word from their Duchess to jump them with no regard for their lives.
Behind the crowd of angered vampires, a small group of vampires stood calmly without joining the others. In the middle of that group stood the only other Nosferatu of this household. He stood watching the scene from behind the crowd as if it did not concern him in the slightest. Then he looked at Cassandra and Tessa and his face scrunched in disdain.