Elysium's Multiverse

Chapter 134

Chapter 134

Kathrine Vonsilla Crushada the 9th, eldest daughter to the Duke and Dutchess of House of Crushada, 107th in line for the vampiric throne, was not in a good mood.

“Yes instructor Pladius…” Kathrine said for the twelfth time that night while brushing a comb through her long locks of brunette hair - staring at a slim figure wearing a black dress that she seemed to barely recognize lately in the mirror. “I realize it’s important, but there’s simply nothing I can do.”

“You’re obviously not making this a priority!” Kathrine’s teacher scolded, irritation flaring in his words as the older vampire glared at his pupil over a stack of books on a desk made of polished wood. “It is your responsibility as mouthpiece to initiate contact!”

“I know that instructor Pladius…”

“Then do something about it!” Pladius snarled with fangs bared, slamming a thick book onto the table and glaring over the rim of his glasses and steepling his fingers. “It is not just you and your family that will feel restitution if this succeeds, and you are CERTAINLY not the only ones who will feel the queen’s scorn if we fail! My entire family’s fortunes are riding on my success, your highness! Please keep that in mind!”

Katherine’s eyelids drooped, and she smoothed out the formfitting black silk before turning on her backless stool to glare coldly at the older man. “Need I remind you just who it is you speak to? Instructor?”

Pladius opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it after meeting the unflinching gaze of the young royal in front of him. Sighing, shaking his head to stare at the desk underneath him, and running his fingers through his graying hair - he only ended up mumbling something under his breath.

“As I thought.” Kathrine stated coolly. “Now please have patience. I am confident one of them, if not both of them, will come speak to us in time.”

“What makes you so sure of that?” The old man asked angrily, glaring up at her again with a sniff and sipping on a goblet of blood.

“Because they haven’t kicked us off the planet yet.” Kathrine turned confidently back to the mirror, trying out different types of dao flowers in her hair that she’d been gifted by her mother for acquiring this position in the first place. Despite her outward appearance, she too was worried that Riven and Allie would simply never come. But just as the old man's - her family’s entire fortunes as well as her own future were riding on this mission, and she couldn’t fail no matter what it took. Yet she was at a loss for what to do, and the instructor’s ramblings didn’t help her feel at ease when she was battling with her own internal demons.

A rapid knock at the door caused her to turn, and the dimly lit study was opened to reveal a half-panicked vampire maid wearing a red and black dress of her own; with a red veil to cover half her face from the nose down like most of the maids here did. Her red eyes were wide, her blonde hair disheveled, and she was breathing heavily as if she’d sprinted up the stairs of the keep to get there.

“My lady!” The maid said, bowing low with a curtsy.

Kathrine frowned at the woman, not remembering her name, and tapped a finger against her folded arm with irritation evident on her features. “Since when is it ok that you just walk in without asking for permission first? What is your name?”

The maid froze, then she looked up hesitantly from her bowing position. “My name is Cherna, your majesty… It’s just that-”

“Just that you should be re-schooled in the appropriate manners of your class and rank, Cherna. Peasants do not just waltz into the abode of a royal, and it is an offense that some would punish by death.” Kathrine stated flatly. “Be happy that I am no such tyrant, but keep in mind that I will not tolerate such behavior either.”

The maid stuttered a whispered acknowledgement, standing up to a normal posture with hands clasped in front of her when Kathrine bade her rise.

“Now tell me, Cherna.” Kathrine stated, still irritated at the complete lack of manners on the maid’s part. “Why did you enter this room in such a vulgar way?”

The maid stilled, then caught her breath. “I tried to come earlier but the others - they stalled me! My lady, Riven Thane is downstairs. The other nobles and children of the great houses who came across the portal are already beginning-”

“Curse those incompetent DIRTBLOODS!” Kathrine whipped herself into a frenzy and out of the chair, with Instructor Pladius quickly scrambling after her. “Of COURSE they wouldn’t tell me! Their insufferable political games just HAD to follow me here!”

Kathrine stomped past the maid, who was trying to make herself look small and even paler than what was normal for a vampire - being well aware that getting a peasant such as herself involved in the powerplays of the nobility would likely see her dead one day.

“Pladius!” Kathrine glared over her shoulder at the older man, pulling up her dress to begin half-running down the steps of the keep to the lower levels so that she’d hopefully get there in time before her political enemies caused too much damage. “Pladius I need you to put on your best behavior, no matter what you actually think about them! Understand? None of your pompousness today, AND DEFINITELY NONE OF YOUR PHILOSOPHIES, or I swear by the blood god I will have your head!”

“What’s wrong with philosophy!?” Protested the old man with a scowl while he raced after her down the spiral staircase.

“NO! I don’t want you to bore him to death! Not yet! UNDERSTAND!?”

***

Riven stood in the dining room of what had to be the most extravagant place he’d ever set eyes on.

Gold and platinum trimmings decorated the walls and ceiling where carved monuments to creatures of all kinds were set in marble. Overhead the chandeliers sparkled with types of gemstones he had no name for, and though it was well-lit - the light here had an unnatural feel to it. It was a room far too large for the keep it was contained in, making him think there was some kind of spatial magic going on, and some of the vampiric or thrall servants were already beginning to set up a feast on the single long table present adorned with finely made glass cutlery.

“Your majesty, it is an honor that you grace us with your presence!” The singsong voice of the lone female vampiric noble said with a charming smile. She wore a brilliant, Victorian-style red dress with a corset that starkly contrasted against her pale white skin, and her orange hair was cut in a punk-rock type style: being very short and almost shaved on the right side of her head while being very long everywhere else.

Another very tall, muscular man with a raven ponytail and dressed in what looked to be silver-trimmed black combat robes a monk would use (one of the two other nobles present), gave a poor attempt at hiding a sneer while he eyed the woman. “Yes… I finally find myself agreeing with Lady Muren at long last.”

The man with the ponytail shifted his red gaze back to Riven, then bowed at the waist with a hand on his front and the other on his back. “It is a true pleasure to finally meet you, Prince Riven of house Wraithtide. My shorter name is Duke Blemrich, but you may call me Blemrich. Will your beautiful sister be joining us this night? I was hoping to meet her as well!”

Wraithtide. There was that family branch name again that Riven and Allie apparently belonged to.

Riven’s face betrayed a scowl, and he shook his head while keeping them at a short distance. “Unfortunately not. The last interaction we had here was less than receptive, so I thought it’d be better if I came alone. Allie will not be attending tonight’s meeting.”

The third person, an incredibly handsome but rather thin man with long blonde hair trailing to his shoulders, glared at the two shorter people standing beside him given the obvious social blunder. He wore something akin to what Duke Blemrich had on, the formfitting robes of a cultivator, but his were colored royal-purple with gold inlaid into the fabric with various draconic designs.

He’d briefly introduced himself as Lord Carsion, and otherwise hadn’t talked at all - but had merely observed the interactions since.

“We humbly apologize for that attempt on your lives…” Lord Carsion said warily, staring daggers at Duke Blemrich with a clear signal to shut up about Riven’s sister. “The man who attempted the assassination was dealt with not only by the system, but was thoroughly tortured and executed on a public stage for the entire empire to watch. The queen wishes for us to send her deepest apologies, as we only wished to establish positive contact with the two of you.”

“The lack of oversight on the part of our esteemed expedition leader is under scrutiny by the crown even now.” Lady Muren mused, waving away a veiled servant girl who’d brought over refreshments. “It is truly a shame, we had such high hopes for her.”

The bustling of activity in the dining hall was growing, with full-plate armored guards bearing halberds and tower shields being positioned all around the room - giving Riven respectful nods whenever he looked their way. Servants, both thralls and vampires of lower status alike, were setting up jugs of blood wine and various decorated appetizers of extremely high quality food all along the table. Slabs of steak, cakes, tarts, cheese and other foods Riven didn’t have names for of all kinds were being laid out.

Riven glanced Lady Muren’s way. “You’re saying the attack was Kathrine’s fault? The woman I met earlier?”

Lady Muren winced slightly, then gave a hesitant frown in exchange with Lord Carsion. “I spoke out of turn… it is just that she is very… Oh, how should I put it. Well, if it had been me, there would have been little in the way of such oversight. To think that she’d not assume an attempt would be taken on your life…”

Lady Muren gave an exaggerated huff and fanned her face with a handkerchief.

“She should have checked the thralls as she was the one in charge of assigning duties.” Duke Blemrich stated flatly. “If anyone is to blame for what happened other than the man attempting to take your life, it is her.”

Brutal.

Riven exchange looks with Athela and Fay on his right, and Azmoth behind him continued to stand silently with his maul weapon-down on the floor.

“And who exactly are you three? Aside from being some random nobles that just happen to be here off world in the trade commune.” Riven eventually said, curiously tearing his eyes away from Athela.

Lord Carsion cleared his throat in feigned embarrassment. “Oh dear, we did get caught up in the excitement didn’t we? The three of us are representatives of great noble houses very close and loyal to the queen. She thought it wise that, due to our influence across the empire, our houses should send the young elite for representation.”

“They paid an extreme amount of money and exchanged many favors to be here.” A familiar feminine voice called out across the extravagant dining room, and all heads turned to see Kathrine Vonsilla Crushada gracefully crossing over from a hallway adjacent to the kitchen on the left. Her long, form-fitting black dressed flowed out behind her - and her silky brown hair was perfectly combed with a red flower adorning the side of her head. “They are not as important as they might try to make themselves out to be.”

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The two men scowled, with Duke Blemrich clenching his fists, and Lady Muren snorted in derision while tossing her hair to the side and clasping her hands in front of her. Behind Kathrine, an older man scurried behind her while clutching a book and pen to his chest before bowing low in Riven’s direction when he came to a stop.

“My prince!” The old man stated with a huff. He stood up straight again, adjusted his glasses, and glared at the other three nobles in front of him. “The princess and I were not made aware of your coming until just now. We apologize for not having a formal entrance or tour prepared, this was most unexpected.”

Princess? Ah, yes. Kathrine was technically in the line of succession, though she was near dead last from what little Riven understood.

“Those are rather petty insults, coming from someone who can barely call herself a princess - one from a family that is considered the equivalent of lower nobility at best. Wouldn’t you agree, Lord Carsion?” Lady Muren mused, glaring heatedly at Kathrine who only coldly stared back.

Lord Carsion coughed into one hand, unsure of what to say - but was saved by Duke Blemrich as the bigger man crossed his arms.

“I agree wholeheartedly.”

Kathrine’s smile twitched, and she gave Riven an apologetic smile. “I am truly sorry. We shouldn’t be involving the politics of our nation or the feuds between families in your presence, Riven Wraithtide. It also appears that some people cannot remember just who the queen appointed as expedition leader, or what the chain of command here is. Would you mind following me? I wish to speak to you in private, cousin to cousin.”

“We have already begun dinner preparations-” Duke Blemrich stated with a scowl, but he was cut off with a wave of Kathrine’s hand.

“Later.” Kathrine said dismissively, turning heel and beckoning Riven to follow. “Please, this way. We will have dinner after I speak to you in private.”

***

The fog and dark clouds hanging over these haunted lands wasn’t always present, but it had certainly been a weather favorite ever since the altar’s terraforming. Even now at midday, it was an overcast sky with thin mists in patches across the landscape.

Riven sipped a tea mixture that included blood and some kind of berry with a sweet aroma. He sat on a balcony in a fluffy brown chair overlooking the rest of the altar, which was buzzing with activity. Orcs, undead, and demons all conversed with one another in or around Dungeon Negrada’s enormous red tent with the black eye symbol etched into it - encompassing their trading commune. There were even a few goblins and humans down there too, though in smaller quantities than the others. No doubt the humans were residents of the city that Allie had brought on board, or at least he’d thought that until he saw some of them pulling wagons with various goods - dressed in peasant attire from a medieval civilization.

Traders from Dawn had already gotten this far? That was his only guess.

As for the goblins… Well most of them were downright stupid, but there were a few of them that were more intelligent than their counterparts. These were few and far between, due to this particular species of goblin being rather stupid in order for the orcs to subjugate them - but according to Gurth’Rok there were other smarter goblin species that were just as intelligent as other enlightened races.

Maids set down refreshments and burning incense sticks on the center table on their balcony, and Kathrine set down her own glass cup to lean back and breath in deeply. “Again, I wish to extend my most sincere apologies for what happened. To think that one of our own would try their hand at killing you is beyond me, I would have never thought it even a possibility and I take full responsibility for my failings.”

Riven stared out across the fields adjacent to the altar where he could see his guild hall manor in the distance on the southern edge of the city. People kept coming and going to and from Brightsville, crossing a dirt road that’d been created inbetween greenskin cabins and tents, inbetween the fields of farmland that his high elf slaves were tending to. Trade was bustling and a true thriving community was starting to appear in the ashes of the old world.

“It’s not ok, but I do forgive you.” Riven stated solemnly, turning his attention back to his distant cousin - who visibly sighed in relief with a slumping of her tightened shoulders. “It appears that you don’t get along very well with those other royals.”

“They’re not royals.” Kathrine quickly corrected with a shake of her head, picking up a smoking pipe from a dish on her right to puff on it - letting it emit a dull purple vapor with each exhale. “They’re high nobility. Our society is divided into royals at the top, high nobility directly under them, and low nobility at the bottom for the ruling classes. They all come with titles and responsibilities of various sorts but in the end it doesn’t really matter - what does matter is that you must realize these people are not your friend.”

“They seemed friendly enough.”

Kathrine set the pipe down and gave him a raised eyebrow. “They are opportunists.”

Riven smirked at her expression, then warmly smiled at a nervous servant girl who almost tripped on her way over to give him a pipe of his own. She flushed underneath the thin veil she wore and scurried away after delivering the item to him, covering her face and whispering to other maids who giggled or softly laughed in the background at their friend’s poor coordination.

Kathrine watched the interaction with growing amusement of her own. “You make them nervous.”

“You’re royalty too. Wouldn’t you make them just as nervous?” Riven asked with a side eye.

Kathrine shook her head. “No, they’ve been my servant girls since I was little. We all grew up together, they never act this way around me.”

“Why use vampires for servants when you can use thralls? I see you have a mixture of them here. Wouldn’t it just be easier to have more submissive ‘mind slaves’ to do your bidding rather than other vampires?”

Riven said the words ‘mind slaves’ with a tinge of distaste that was obvious to anyone with ears, and Kathrine frowned.

“Do you have something against owning thralls?” Kathrine asked, rather curious in her tone.

“Absolutely. I think it’s disgusting to warp someone’s mind like that. Plus, it really rubs me the wrong way that my sister already has two hunky sex slaves she’d changed into thralls. Really pisses me off actually.”

Kathrine’s draw dropped slightly, then she sputtered a laugh and held up a hand over her mouth with a flush of amusement. “Your sister created two thralls just for that? Are they human thralls?”

“Yes.”

“How erotic! I’ve always wanted to do that, but my parents said it was beneath my station.” Kathrine refused to hide her grin much longer and placed her hands in her lap, ignoring the old man at her side clearing his throat with a disapproving frown. “To sleep with cattle, I mean."

“Perhaps you’d get along with Allie after all.” Riven muttered, sighing and taking a long inhale on the pipe. It gave him a buzzing sensation, and he immediately lifted his spirits upon smoking some of the stuff. “You never answered my question.”

“Oh! About why I keep vampires as servants? Vampire servants are more expensive to maintain, it is true, but they’re also one of us. It adds prestige to enlist other vampires in such a position as well, gives your house recognition that you are able to afford such things - and it allows me to speak with them frankly; rather than just having the thralls who agree with anything or everything you say. Have you ever had a conversation with a thrall before?”

Riven shook his head. “I have not.”

“It’s not very enlightening.” Kathrine mused thoughtfully, tapping her chin with a slender finger. “They’re good for manual labor, a useful food source, or are good for being obedient slaves. They are still somewhat their own people, but only to an extent. They can think abstractly, but when it comes to their masters - they will immediately switch opinions to match your own as soon as they find out that their own opinions conflict with yours. They are all-pleasing, which I suppose is why your sister enjoys the two men she’s taken.”

Kathrine winked Riven’s way despite his loud snort of discontentment. “Haha! I am sorry, enough with the teasing! I would say that I’d deliver the queen’s gifts, but they were very short-lasting dao fruits that have already expired… and we cannot bring any others across at this time due to system limitations. Above all else - what can I do for you? Why did you come here now? What changed your mind about speaking with us?”

Riven shrugged in his seat, scooting over to make room for Athela when she yawned and transformed into a spider to curl up next to him. He stroked her head fondly as she buried her arachnid face in the crevice of his arm, then looked up to the mildly surprised royal across from him. “Three reasons. First, I wanted to see what you could offer me in terms of aid. Secondly, I want to know more about malignant prophecy and malignancy points. Third, I need help identifying some world-quest items. A ghoul woman by the name of Mara should be arriving with an undead escort soon, she’ll be carrying another piece concerning the world-quest and I need your identifiers to look them over. I figured it’s the least my long lost family can do after almost getting my sister and I killed.”

The old vampire next to Kathrine winced at the outright accusation, and Kathrine nodded sagely. “Of course. I’d be more than happy to help with all three of those things. Should I address them in order?”

“Address them however you’d like.” Riven said flatly.

Kathrine cleared her throat, steepled her fingers, and leaned back into the soft cushion of her chair. “In terms of aid… The most valuable we have to offer isn't anything tangible, and system limitations are set to prevent us from giving much out for free anyways until the integration is over. Instead we’ve actually prepared quite a lot in the form of knowledge and training. We have a legion officer and general’s son here that is to teach you the strategic art of warfare and physical combat, three magical instructors that were some of the best for their given levels across our empire that can guide you, as well as a historian and dao theorist who happens to be standing next to me.”

She gestured to the old man with glasses next to her. “This is Instructor Pladius, historian and dao theorist, who is hoping to teach you and your sister about the happenings of our universe as well as give you insights on how to expand your dao pillars to new heights. He’s been a family friend for a while and has been my own teacher for quite some time.”

Riven’s eyes focused on the old man, and Platius bowed low.

“My prince, it is an honor to be assigned to tutor you.” Platius straightened again and smile widely - exposing his fangs. “It is a great opportunity for both you and I to pursue. I hope that you will take me up on my offer, you shan't be disappointed if you agree. I have many things to teach you.”

Riven nodded to the man. “I may take you up on that.”

Platius beamed in turn.

Kathrine’s own grin widened too. “I hope you do. To be trained by some of the best the empire has to offer is no small feat. True, it is within a level 90 restriction set upon us for people we could bring to this world, but our empire spans across hundreds of worlds. The talent here is very real, and it would be a tragic waste of resources if you and your sister didn’t utilize them. The queen personally hand picked these people, because she is very invested in getting her favorite granddaughter’s children up to par with the rest of the royal family.”

Riven remained silent for a time upon mention of the queen or his own long-lost mother, and Kathrine looked like she was preparing a statement if he was to ask about it - but he moved on to the more important subject matter instead. “What about malignancy points?”

“What about them?”

“I’ve used malignant prophecy twice.” Riven held up his pointer and middle finger in a ‘peace’ sign. “And yet I've acquired 4 points. The first prophecy cost me 1 point, the second prophecy that saved all of our lives when the assassination attempt happened cost me 3. I have a gut feeling that acquiring them isn’t a good thing. Would I be correct?”

Kathrine opened her mouth to reply, but frowned and then shut it again. She turned to look at the scholar beside her next. “Platius?”

The old man stepped forward. “It would be my honor to explain these thing to you, young prince. I have had the honor of tutoring many of the royal family’s young, including Kathrine here, but unfortunately not all the royals have the gift you and your sister have acquired. Most of them don’t, actually, and the secrets pertaining to your malignant prophecy are a well kept thing indeed. The gift is an invaluable resource to the empire, so the two of you having this gift makes you both a very strategic resource for the queen to obtain.”

He held a hand up to his chest while looking at the gray overcast sky, as if he was about to recite poetry. “To outsiders and the general public, malignant prophecy is just a way our empire has climbed to the top. It is a thing of legend and myth that sways the tides of fate in our favor, it has won many wars for us in the past, and it is a thing to be feared. It is a way to change the future before it happens by giving routes and avenues to success where they’d otherwise be lost. However, it does come at a steep cost. Each time you use malignant prophecy, you altar fate - and in doing so you acquire bad karma. These malignancy points you have are symbolic of that bad karma, with more points being given for more drastic changes to the future. Spontaneous combustion of your points will happen at random, with more probability for combustion with the more points you accumulate.”

“Spontaneous combustion?” Riven repeated, a little unnerved. “What exactly does that do if it’s supposed to be ‘bad karma’?”

Platius frowned, and his shoulders slumped slightly. “My boy, it means that something very bad will happen to you, your interests, or the people you love. It is not an unavoidable thing, but it is often a ‘trial’ set up by the system to punish you for intervening in fate - which is on the borderline of heresy concerning Elysium’s laws.”

That did not sound good at all.

“Any examples?” Riven asked, shifting in his chair to put Athela’s spider body in his lap.

“That… is unfortunately beyond my knowledge. I only know that we have lost royal family members twice before because of this, and many of the royal family have experience significant loss in other undisclosed ways. Secrets like that are kept close to the chest, even from people like me, due to many under-the-carpet rivalries between different royals who have the ability. The general idea is that you only want to use malignant prophecy if you absolutely have to, but many times it only activates when you’re in dire need - so there isn’t often a choice in the matter. More important than avoiding its use, is overcoming the trials that Elysium will administer to you as punishment. What or when that may be is never known to us.”