The Mentor watched in amusement as the Horned Reaper shuffled his feet. He'd come to watch the progress on opening the portal, and suddenly wished he'd stayed behind and murdered some chickens.
When Seras had found she couldn't move the blocks with her Keeper powers, the demon had laughed. Rather then let him have his just mock her efforts, she decided to apply some old-fashioned elbow grease to the problem. With a huff, she began lifting slabs and blocks of stone ten times her size and weighting at least several tons like a lumberjack would carry logs. The demons laughter caught in his throat as he watched her work. Even the Reaper would have been hard pressed to lift one of those, and the ease with which she did it made things worse.
The girl was still just a child! Sure, she was a vampire, but he'd never seen any with that kind of raw physical power. Where did her strength come from?!
For the ghost's part, he found it all very amusing. Watching Horny squirm was a privilege, one that he found was accentuated further by just who was showing him up.
Soon, the stones were back in place, and the portal was ready to be opened. The specter floated over to his young charge, and found a smile splitting her face from ear to ear. Not a vicious snarl or a maniacal grin, but a genuinely happy smile. Now that he looked at her closer, she was a very pretty young woman. That her body was far more attractive than the uniform let on made it even sweeter.
Seras herself didn't even notice the apparition's lecherous grin. She felt tired! Not since she'd been turned had she felt this way. Her muscles burned with the effort of hard work, and her heart - her heart! - was pounding in her ears. Taking in deep breaths, she wiped the sweat from her brow with a rag offered by one of her imps.
"My lady?"
"Who?" Seras suddenly realized that Strix, Horny, the Mentor, and even her imps had been watching her. "What's everyone looking at?"
She couldn't see it herself, but the color had returned to her skin completely, and her hair was its natural golden hue. Even her eyes had changed back to their original crystal blue. The Horned Reaper, stomping a hoof to break the silence, brought her back up to speed. "All the stones are back in place. The portal is ready to be opened."
"Oh. What's next?"
Focusing on his charge once more, the Mentor floated over the standing stones. "These monoliths channel ambient magical energies to create a portal connected to other gateways. Simply touch them and funnel mana from your heart to open the portal."
Stepping forward, the fair young Draculina pressed her palm against the largest of the stones, feeling the power rush forward from inside her to feed the hungry gateway. With a loud roar and a flash of light, a new portal was born. It spun in the air like the eye of a miniature hurricane, only one made of glowing dust that flowed with the consistency of fluid. Peering inside, she could see the outline of a town. Gradually, the image cleared and she spied a place that looked less like a township and more like a garbage dump.
"Skid Row? That shit-hole hasn't burned down yet?" The demon seemed much less enthusiastic about leaving the dungeon.
"Yes. Well, it's only for a little while." For once, the ghost and demon were in agreement. "She needs to find some qualified labor and purchase a few essentials without alerting her competitors to her presence."
"So, aside from being a dump, what's wrong with it?"
Horny sneered and spat his reply. "Its populated by nothing but vermin, weaklings and castoffs. If the Underworld has a stinking anus, Skid Row would be it."
"He is correct. There is little in Skid Row worthy of attention. We'll simply be looking for bare essentials and a few new minions. Spending more than a couple hours there would be a complete waste of energy."
"So, what do we need?"
"You need a researcher to discover and improve room designs and spells. You also need armor, weapons and other items for yourself. With your imps busy collecting gems, price will not be an issue."
There wasn't much to prepare before they left, but she still felt nervous. Excited too, but nervous seemed to be the prevailing emotion at the moment. Strix seemed to pick up on this, and she felt a reassuring pedipalp brush her arm. She turned to the Mentor and spoke her mind.
"Before, you had mentioned that not many people would work for a vampire. Is it because," she bit her lip before continuing, "Is it because they think I would eat them?"
He chuckled at her nervousness. "Vampires are far from the worst thing to roam this world. Very dangerous, yes, but your fellow children of the night should not pose much of a threat today." He looked her over before continuing, "The biggest problem you may find is that warlocks have a deep contempt for vampires, and are the most likely researchers we will find in Skid Row. Dragons are picky, and vampires tend to flock to places where they will be most comfortable. Namely," he gestured to her, "Under another nosferatu. Even then, they may be hesitant to follow you because of your youth."
"This may not be the case for the mistress", Strix added. "Unlike the other hungry shadows, Keeper Seras still appears to be a normal two-legs, and does not reek of decay as they do."
"This is true. Perhaps we can keep the knowledge of your true nature to ourselves then."
"Then how will I explain my strength?" Even Seras was surprised at how powerful she had become.
"Simple" Horny snorted. "Tell them you have a demonic heritage, and you've inherited a demon's strength."
"Are you sure that will work?"
"They'd have no reason to doubt it, and as long as you don't go handling any silver, they never will."
"Nothing else? Good. Then lets head out."
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(Posted Fri, 21 Nov 2014 10:54)
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