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Chapter 221: (Book 2 releases tomorrow on Amazon!)
Chapter 221
“May I present Prince Riven Wraithtide, presiding master of this house - along with his sister, Princess Allie Wraithtide, his fiance, Kathrine Vonsilla Crushada the 9th, and his attendant demon - the succubus Fay.”
The doors to the great hall swung open, revealing an elongated room with an overhead Works of art such as paintings and sculptures of vampires performing great feats lined the walls where servants and soldiers stood at attention. Twelve very attractive men and women were sitting at a long rectangular table, all dressed in fancy attire concerning either elegant robes, dresses, or Victorian-style suits; and all of them immediately stood upon the approach of the two royal siblings.
They all bowed their heads in greeting, with General Viku coming to a stop at the head of the table where four vacant chairs were already placed - having servants holding them out expectantly for the newcomers to sit.
“Please, have a seat.” General Viku motioned to the four chairs, which was somewhat odd to Riven considering the four of them had spectral bodies.
Then again he HAD been walking around the ship like this, and he couldn’t really interact much with his environment - but he COULD just barely feel it. “Thank you, General.”
Riven’s eyes shifted over the gathered vampiric nobles, all of them out of xianxia cultivation novels, medieval fantasy, or Victorian era fiction. It was certainly an odd combination in his opinion, but seemed to be the norm here. Six figures on each side of the table gave him fixed, polite smiles - all of their eyes glowing the same bright crimson his own did. All of them fanged, all of them pale, all of them with extraordinarily perfect facial features.
“Riven, I believe they’re waiting for you to sit first.” Allie said with a raised eyebrow, her own chair already having been pushed in and her spectral body leaning onto the wood.
Riven wordlessly shifted, letting the faint feel of wood under his apparition underneath him when the servant pushed his chair in.
The others of House Wraithtide all took their own seats when he did, elegantly flowing in one synchronous motion to join him at the table again.
General Viku cleared his throat, then took the equivalent of a tablet from a nearby soldier with a muttered word of thanks before stepping to stand at Riven’s side. “We have with us the minor branch families and nobility of House Wraithtide in attendance my prince. They represent the families that control various aspects of production, security, management and trade with your house resources. They are what make the machine of your trading hub here on Luteski run. I will introduce them one by one, and because you are so new to the empire please feel free to ask any questions that may be unknown to you - no matter how trivial. I will try my best to fill in the gaps of prudent information.”
The vampire general started on the right hand side of the table, where an older but very fit and slender woman with silver-gray locks of hair down to her bare shoulders sat unblinkingly staring. “This is Lady Riska Wraithtide, head of Taxation and Treasury, and in my opinion the most competent person here at this table.”
This got poorly concealed frowns and huffs from many of the other nobles present at the table, but the old woman absolutely beamed at the praise - displaying her fangs with the first sign of genuine emotion Riven had seen since entering the room. “General Viku honors me, I am merely a humble servant for your estate - Prince and Princess Wraithtide.”
The corners of Riven’s lips quirked upwards a bit, and he nodded - otherwise he remained silent and waited for Viku to continue introductions.
“Then there are Lord Ruim Wraithtide and Lady Nulasta Wraithtide, husband and wife who oversee infrastructure and education.” General Viku gestured to a man and woman who both had eccentric pink hair, hers in dreadlocks and his in a mohawk that made them stand out like a sore thumb.
Both husband and wife smiled politely but did not say anything.
“Count Amestrius Wraithtide oversees our judicial branches here on Luteski. Viscount Adian Wraithtide, Baroness Julasi Wraithtide, and Baron Eethinsa Wraithtide deal in any major trade negotiations with other parts of the empire. Duke Hazith Wraithtide and his wife, Dutchess Ova Wraithtide deal in any major trade negotiations with factions outside the empire. Lord Wyvern Wraithtide deals in maintaining food supplies and slaves.”
Coming to the last two men at the end of the table’s left side, General Viku paused and took in a brief breath of air. “Lastly these two are Baron Orimus Wraithtide, overseer of mining operations on the northern hemisphere - along with his cousin Count Jaricock Wraithtide who oversees mining operations on the southern hemisphere. Our mining and vast crystal farms on Luteski are some of the most profitable resources House Wraithtide possesses. Alongside our strategic location in the empire’s borderlands with a natural wormhole that we were able to turn into a warp gate - it creates a unique opportunity that allows our homeworld to become a centerpiece of galactic trade in this sector.”
Baron Orimus Wraithtide was a very thin man with slightly sharper features than the others, with slicked back black hair and slightly hunched posture. Meanwhile his cousin Count Jaricock Wraithtide was quite the opposite - a very well built, thick mountain of a man with knotted muscles that bulged through his vest.
No one moved or said anything after that, with only Lady Riska Wraithtide to have spoken at all since the arrival of the royals. The silence grew heavy after that, everyone in the room looking to Riven expectantly as if it was he that should make the next move.
“That’s a lot of names to remember, but I’ll do my best. It’s nice to finally see my extended family, I’m just sad that my mother and father aren’t here to be with us too.” Riven eventually said with a polite smile, acknowledging each of them in turn. “I appreciate all of you coming. I’m sure you’re all very busy. Unfortunately this meeting had to be called due to what I believe to be discontent amongst house members, and though I’m quite a far ways away - it still falls to me to make sure Luteski is properly run. Apparently, there have not only been minor thefts… but rather treacherous acts as well. Even as far as some people trying to sell major components of our inheritance, such as continents on the planet or large caverns of crystal farms to private buyers.”
He glanced up at Viku. “At least that’s what the general tells me.”
Nervous laughter echoed throughout the hall, and Count Jaricock Wraithtide leaned forward onto the table with hands clasped in front of him - muscular arms bulging through his sleeves. “May I be the first to say that it is an honor to finally have Lady Sheline’s children home, in your rightful places in the cosmos. Even if it is just through a communication array.”
“I second this!” Lady Riska said with a more genuine smile than any of the others had. “Sheline was my best friend, I’m sure she’ll return to us one day if the Queen has anything to say about it. I’m glad you called this meeting, there have been many questionable things going on regarding how this house has been run in Sheline’s absence and frankly it has grown tiresome.”
“Rich, coming from a penny pinching nymphomaniac who doesn’t have the foresight of a gnat.” Lord Wyvern Wraithtide, a younger man with sandy blonde hair muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. “If you’d just allow us to spend more of the treasury on slave acquisition by even ten billion A-grade coins for the next year - we’d easily increase revenue by 20% and make up the difference in no time. Just ask Baron Orimus and Count Jaricock, they’ve been badgering me about slave acquisition in the mines for a decade and all I get from you is the same whining complaints about how the numbers don’t add up.”
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This immediately sent Lady Riska to her feet. “You watch your tongue, little man! There ARE discrepancies in the vaults, someone is stealing from our house coffers and I have a pretty good idea of who that is!”
The room went into an uproar, with Lady Riska pointing accusatory fingers at numerous people while Count Jariccock, Baron Orimus, Duke Hazith and Dutchess Ova got to their feet cursing insults at the old woman while Lord Wyvern put on a sly, amused smile and leaned back to watch the fireworks go off.
“It is not STEALING if it is for the betterment of our house - Lady Riska!” Count Jaricock hissed angrily with clenched teeth. “We need more manpower to make more money and you’re not willing to invest! It’s that simple! Do you even know WHEN the last time it was that we bought slaves in bulk!? It’s been twenty years! TWENTY GODS DAMNED YEARS, YOU OLD HAG!”
“With 6 billion slaves you should be able to repopulate your losses easily enough!” Lady Riska snapped back with a snarl. “Your operations in the mines are just as careless as Orimus over there! Zero safety measures and cattle dying off like flies whenever a tunnel collapses or a smelting chamber blows up! Completely careless and unacceptable! If you want money to reorganize the mines and set out new safety measures then I’d gladly hand you money to do so - but I will NOT give you more money to buy more slaves just to let them die off by the hundreds of thousands for your careless laziness! Not to mention the amount of food it’d take to FEED another influx of slaves - food that Lord Wyvern here knows VERY well we’d have to import because our farmlands were RUINED in the slave uprisings that mysteriously started popping up as soon as Riven and Allie were found. How odd is that, hhmmmm!? DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK THAT’S RATHER ODD?!”
Next to her, the couple Lord Ruim and Lady Nulastra nodded sagely in agreement.
“It is certainly odd.” Lord Ruim said allowed, eyelids half lowered like he was bored.
Duke Hazith tisked in irritation. “Oh shut up you pink-haired fairy fucking twat! I don’t even know why you and your wife are on this council, for all the good you do! Infrastructure and education can be left as peasant work if you ask me!”
Lord Ruim only rolled his eyes, not bothering to reply.
Riven’s one raised eyebrow stayed raised, and beside him Allie began to giggle and snort underneath a hand that’d been raised to cover her amusement.
“This is like a Jerry Springer episode - family feud edition!” Allie said with another snorting laugh, and Riven had to chuckle with a shake of his head while just taking in the absolute madness that Lord Wyvern had obviously provoked intentionally.
The man even now was sitting back with that amused grin, silently sipping on a drink in his chair while the various other nobles of House Wraithtide raged at one another.
General Viku, on the other hand, was unamused. “Prince Riven, Princess Allie, should I shut them up?” freeweɓnøvel.com
“Absolutely not. At least not yet.” Allie replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, leaning forward and taking all that was being said in with a keen eye. “Let them talk for as long as they can. I’m finding all of this information very interesting. Oh, and please - bring up that slave you talked about right before we entered the room… I want to confirm a few things with him before really making any decisions on what to do here.”
***
Jeltuna was a Sarak, a native species to Luteski that’d been enslaved hundreds or possibly even thousands of years ago by the vampires - though he’d not lived long enough to know the exact timeline. He’d been born into slavery along with all of the other slaves now kept in the mines, on the farms, or were working as servants and sex workers for the vampiric population. He’d dreamed of freedom his entire life, dreamed that savior would one day come to free his people from the hardships of this hellish life they and their children now lived in. It was all he’d ever known, and it had caused a burning hatred for the vampiric kind.
Yet he’d also been afraid. Too afraid to act on his own… until something akin to a miracle was found in the form of a small note on his rotting wooden desk in a slave barracks. It was a location with a key code to a vault, as well as a threat - and a set of instructions.
His moment to take back the lives of his people had finally come. The threat had been unnecessary, he would do it regardless.
Jeltuna’s drifting thoughts were interrupted by the sliding clang of his cell door, and his pale eyes lifted up to see two vampiric soldiers come in. His purple skin was a stark contrast to theirs, as was his white hair and two smooth antennae that were soft and fleshy as opposed to insectoid.
“You’ve come to kill me, I hope?” Jeltuna said in ragged gasps, the shackles around his wrists and ankles pulling against the chains that tethered him to the wall. He spat blood from bruised, cracked lips. Still, he managed to let out a chuckle. “I have no regrets. I took my vengeance, I will never apologize for what I have done. Not after the horrors your kind has inflicted on my people for generations! You all sicken me!”
One of the two vampire soldiers shrugged, walking over to where Jeltuna was still tethered to the wall. “I don’t care if you apologize or not, cattle. Personally I’d rather just throw you out an airlock now to be done with it, but apparently the prince and princess want to see you.”
Jeltuna was about to snarl something back, when the realization of what the soldier had set hit him. He abruptly stopped. “Prince? Princess?”
“House Wraithtide’s main branch has finally returned. They’re here now in spectral form and want to talk to you, hopefully before they let us gut you. Come on, cattle - let’s get going fast. If you slow us down, I’ll start taking fingers.”
Jeltuna was shoved out of the prison cell and into a long lane that stretched to the right and left far into the dark. His kind were adept at seeing in the dark however, just like the vampires, which made them good slaves to have in the dark mines of Luteski’s underground.
“Any disrespect to the royals will be an immediate beheading.” His red eyes turned to glare down at the slave the other soldier was yanking along. “After that we’ll kill your family too. I know you have kids and a wife back on surface, don’t make us do that. Understand? These royals have the say so to completely wipe out your entire pathetic race with a simple command, so don’t test them. You creatures are already on thin ice and just beginning for a purging after the shit you pulled in those rebellions.”
***
Negrada’s flaming eye shifted to gaze upon his breached body, where thousands of enemy undead poured over his demon and azag warriors in the pits of Hell to try and stave off the invasion of their home. Pillars of fire boiled and pulsed out of volcanic pits, the skies were filled with ash, and the raging hordes collided with one another along a bridge connecting his fortress to an outside exit.
He was losing. His allies had already been overrun, and soon even his own dungeon core would be shattered and consumed by the enemy dungeons now finishing their ransacking of the last of his friends. If Riven hadn’t given him the Azag relic, Negrada would have been long dead already. It’d been his greatest boon since the war had begun.
[Cursed Azag Sanctuary Stone: This sanctuary stone enables the bearer to create an Azag Hive Cluster Sanctuary, and will list the creator of this sanctuary as this hive’s Overmind. This sanctuary will seclude an area of the planet in a protective layer that has permanence for 1 year, and can only be passed through by the overmind, Azag, and whoever the overmind deems as allies. Becoming the Hive Overmind will enable the creator of this sanctuary to create a Hatchery immediately upon creation, and will open up the ‘Queen’ and ‘Drone’ pathways to breed units with. More units will be available upon creation of the necessary biological modification facilities. Warning: This item is cursed; It afflicts the owner with compulsions that are in the best interest of the Azag Hive Clusters, and links the owner to the galactic hive minds for communication purposes.]
The great eye, wreathed in hellfire, flashed away and appeared back in his altar room where the dungeon boss he’d created now slept soundly. He didn’t bother waking the creature just yet, no - his guardian needed as much rest as possible after slaughtering the last invading army. Instead, Negrada turned his sight to a crystal ball that depicted a frontier planet on the edge of integrated space. Negrada was in a very weak area of Hell that was full of F-grade and E-grade enemies, with no one here being higher than late E-grade. Low amounts of ambient mana meant less dangerous enemies, and it'd allowed an upstart dungeon like himself to remain viable for as long as he had.
Those days were quickly closing, however.
Perhaps… Perhaps he could hire some mercenaries to help him.
Yes. That is what he would do. Riven still had the ability to portal back, and with him he could bring others… Or perhaps he could even use the mercenary guild system instead. Hadn't guild functions just arrived on Panu anyways? Elysium would be angry about it but it technically wasn’t against the rules. Taxes would be high, and that would be the end of it. He was desperate enough to pay the taxes even if it bankrupt him now, because if he was dead - what use would he have for treasures and wealth anyway?
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Sending a message to his demonic servants at the trading commune in Brightsville, he prepared a tribute to the vampire who’d started as a mere welp in the depths of his first dungeon level. He was interested in what Riven’s response would be, and what the man would have to say.