Chapter 165 (Patreon)

Chapter 165

Things had certainly changed at the guild hall manor in Riven’s absence, and it left Riven wondering why Allie hadn’t told him about it.

Kathrine Vonsilla Crushada the 9th, eldest daughter to the Duke and Dutchess of House of Crushada, 107th in line for the vampiric throne was somehow standing at the front of Riven’s multi-story home in a pristine black dress adorned with bright red flowers.  Her brown hair was swept to one side, elegantly shining in the light of numerous lanterns that now illuminated the outer walls of the manor.  The large metal fences had soldiers encircling the area around the front courtyard where a large pond encircled by beautiful death-attuned flowers, and along the back where the garden even more of the soldiers guarded his compound.  Two banners hung from the upper balconies, one of them displaying the Blood Moon Requiem’s sigil of a red crescent moon on a black backdrop.  The other was just blue with a black question mark.

Beside Kathrine stood Tupper in a butler's outfit, who was engaged in deep conversation with his sister Fay - and there were a number of very pretty high elf slaves present too.  They were almost all female, dressed in far more scantily clad outfits than Riven had ever remembered the previous maid outfits to be.  They essentially wore enchanted iron collars signifying their rank, were lined up with hands in front facing ahead, had been outfitted in black skirt-bikinis and thin slip-on shoes - and they all wore expressions of nervousness as Riven slowly approached while taking in the scene.  In fact the only males Riven saw were the ones Allie had taken into her man harem - which made Riven wonder where the other men who’d been in line to become butlers had gone.

He stopped ahead of Kathrine, leveling his red gaze to meet her own while she stood ahead of the others.  “I didn’t realize you could leave the confines of your trading commune.  Tell me, what brings you to my home?”

Kathrine’s visage of confidence briefly faltered at his cold tone, but the young woman remained in good posture as she addressed him with chin held high.  “You’re a busy man, Riven Wraithtide.”

“Riven Thane.” Riven corrected with a slow blink of his eyes.

Kathrine hesitated, then nodded.  “Very well.  Riven Thane it is.  Our elder High Queen Nephridi has informed me that my efforts to make contact with you and form relations have been less than adequate, and told me I needed to redouble my efforts.  Because I am unable to contact you outside of the commune’s borders under most circumstances, I asked your sister Allie if it would be alright for me to assign myself as an attendant.”

There was an awkward silence following her words.

“And Allie said yes?” Riven asked, pulling up the status page of his guild hall that was connected to his own status page as guild hall owner.

[Guild Hall: Stone Manor (Unnamed)

• Assigned Guild: Unassigned.  Owned by Riven Thane, Administrative Privileges also set to Allie Thane.
• Homeward Teleportation: Very long channel time.  Only hired attendants or guild members can utilize this teleportation function.  Currently there is no guild assigned to this guild hall, and there are no attendants, so the teleportation function is limited to Riven Thane.
• 15 attendant spots available, 600 Elysium Coins per month per active attendant are taxed by the system administrator.  You may either mentally link this guild hall to the nearest friendly Elysium Altar that you have access to in order to hire attendants from the general store, or may hire attendants from associated factions at that altar.Attendants Currently Enlisted (2/15): Tupper (Incubus Butler), Kathrine Vonsilla Crushada (Pureblooded Vampire Diplomat)
  
• 3 mile exploration radius for attendants before forced retrieval back to guild hall
• Core Sturdiness: Moderate
• Defensive wards: None
• Change Guild Hall Location: 1 year of channeling needed.]

Allie had guild hall privileges as he’d set it to be that way, but he was surprised he’d not been notified.  He glanced back up to see Kathrine nervously fidgeting, and his eyes narrowed.  “Answer me honestly.  Why?”

“Excuse me?” Kathrine replied, brows furrowed.

“Why go out of your way now?  What’s changed?  Why leave the relative safety of all your guards, servants, and immediate access back home through your commune portal in order to be here?”

“I… I’m not sure what you mean.  I’ve been trying to get ahold of you-”

“And I’ve actively been ignoring your efforts, yes I know.” Riven stated flatly, stepping forward again and causing Kathrine to cringe.  “What makes it so important to you that you’d leave the comfort of your lavish commune to be here - a mere popper’s hut compared to what you have at the altar?”

Kathrine frowned, her hands tightening around one another as she huffed.  “You underestimate your importance as a prince in the empire.”

Riven wasn’t buying it.  “You’re 107th in line for the throne.  I’m only, what - 30th?  35th?  I can’t even remember.  I’m not an immediate heir and we haven’t even been to the Blood Moon Requiem.”

“You are the son of the queen’s favorite granddaughter, and you are a holder of the gift.”

“Malignant prophecy?”

Kathrine nodded.  “As previously stated, not many within the empire’s royalty have that ability.  It is a key asset, one that is valued above all others.  The fact that you and your sister both have it is a tremendous boon, one that cannot be lost to us.”

There was a pause.

“I see.”  Riven gave his distant cousin a wary up-and-down look.  She seemed very nervous.  “Kathrine… What happens if you fail to establish good relations with me?”

At this, Kathrine blanched.  She stuttered at first, then calmed herself and cleared her throat.  “I will be executed.  Along with my entire family.  None of us possess the gift… and although we are technically royalty, we’re only barely so.”

Riven’s eyebrows raised.  Sighing to shake his head, he mentally willed his helmet to dislodge from his face so he could rub at his temple to relieve his building headache.  The helmet peeled back and hung off the back of his neck, revealing his face to the abrupt inhale of many of the slaves nearby.

Stopping mid temple-rub, he glanced up at the wide-eyed slaves who were gawking and staring with surprised expressions.  Frowning, he looked down at this outfit, then back up.  One of the slave girls was even covering her mouth subconsciously.

“Am I really that scary?” Riven asked with an exhausted, deflating hunch of his shoulders.  His eyes fell to Kathrine, and even she wore a similar expression - which was unusual as she’d met him before.  “What is it?”

“You look… rather good.  Better than I remember.” Kathrine eventually said hesitantly, stepping in closer to get a better look.  “Do not take this the wrong way, but… Perhaps you should look in a mirror.”

He snorted, then turned to Azmoth and Luke.  “Do I look any different?  What are they talking about?”

Luke and Azmoth both simultaneously shrugged.

“Whatever.  Anyways I’m off to take a nap.  Kathrine, you’re more than welcome to stay and we can talk about ways to ‘build relations’ later.  I won’t let you or your family be executed and you can tell the queen that I’m interested in maintaining a positive connection with the empire, but I’m rather busy.  I just haven’t had time to deal with diplomacy when I have a series of world-ending events I need to deal with, especially since I’m now in the top 10.”

Kathrine’s features brightened immediately with relief, then confusion.  “Top 10?”

“I’m rank 5 on the world power boards.  I have a responsibility now, more than ever.”

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, then delight.  “The queen will be pleased to hear it, we don’t have access to the ranking boards of integrating worlds as outsiders - but it is a great honor to be shown as such.  If you don’t mind, I do have some important matters to talk to you about before you go to sleep… The incubus and I actually have a dinner prepared for your arrival.  Would it be alright if we-”

“It can’t wait?” Riven asked impatiently, glaring down at his distant relative with exasperation.  “I don’t think you realize how awful this last trip was for me.  I really just want to pass out.”

Kathrine hesitated, then shook her head.  “Hours matter.  It involves your off-world estates, ones that you and Allie technically own as heads of the Wraithtide household.  Large amounts of wealth, and numerous lives will be affected by your decision or lack thereof.  Allie… has been less than cooperative dealing with this matter as she’s busy at her academy.  Beyond that, you’re the elder brother and the inheritance technically belongs to you.”

Riven groaned.  “Lives are going to be influenced?  Numerous?  What does that even mean?”

“The Wraithtide household is in a state of disrepair and other nobles are seeking to absorb your assets by bribing lesser members of your house.  You need to sign a decree so I can take it to the commune and transport it back to the empire from there through a messenger, establishing yourself as a present entity and denying access to those who would seek to sell and buy your rightful property in your absence.”

“You’re saying other members of my distant family are trying to pawn off my inheritance?”

“Correct.”

Riven scratched chin.  “Doesn’t really bother me that much.  What exactly is it that I technically own?”

“Your inheritance is that of a single high-grade planet, a trading hub in the Vartesh sector named Luteski.  Because your parents have been gone so long the house of Wraithtide has fallen to lesser nobility, and they see your return as a threat to their own wealth.  They wish to sell what they can now before you return before relocating.”

Riven’s eyes widened.  “I own a planet?”

“You do, and you lord over all its inhabitants - dictating what laws are established there as long as they do not conflict with the high queen’s own.  The inhabitants of the planet number at over 50 million vampires and 11 billion slaves, and your net worth is… rather high.  For lesser members of your family to pawn it off is not technically illegal, but the high queen wanted me to inform you that you should take matters into your own hands now if you wish to keep the inheritance.”

Riven’s jaw slightly dropped.  “I see.  That does sound slightly important… alright.  Let’s talk about this inside.”

Kathrine bowed, smile widening moreso than he’d ever seen before.  “As I said, Tupper and I prepared you a meal.  But since you are tired perhaps we can discuss this in your room and bring the food to you as you rest?”

Riven pondered this, grinned, and nodded. “I do believe that sounds rather nice.  Dinner in bed.  I’ll see you up there.”

***

The insides of the manor that’d once been unfurnished were now absolutely lavishly decorated.  Sculptures of different animals lined the hallways, beautiful paintings  adorned the large receiving room, and chandeliers glowed faintly in orange-yellow light.  While waiting for the meal to be brought up to his room, he was shown around by the incubus concerning all the amendments they’d bought.  The furniture was especially lavish, and it looked like he’d just entered a victorian-age mansion out of an HBO TV series.

“My lord.” Tupper said as they approached the spiral staircase leading to the third level.  He turned, black eyes narrowed slightly underneath tiny black horns very similar to his sister’s own.  He glanced back over his shoulder to where Fay and Kathrine had briefly stopped to talk to Luke about the decorations, and then turned his attention back to Riven with a bow.  “I wish to express my utmost gratitude for what you did for my sister… When I heard she might not last, I… I nearly decided to end my life.  Without Fay, I have nothing left.  She is the only family that cares about me, and that you went out of your way to get her back and save her life means more to me than anything else ever could.  Thank you for caring, and I hope the man who took her died painfully..”

The incubus stood up, gave Riven a quivering smile that he quickly calmed down after a deep inhale, and gave a firm nod - extending his hand to shake.  “I know it means little to someone like you, but you’ve earned a life debt from me.”

Riven smiled, glancing over to where his succubus was laughing alongside Kathrine.  Then he took Tupper’s hand and firmly shook it with a nod of his own.  “Of course.  Fay is important to me, as are all the demons I’ve bonded with.”

Tupper stared, tightened his wings closer to his body, then cleared his throat to break his building emotions.  “Indeed.”

“By the way.”  Riven gestured over to where one of a dozen different scantily clad slaves stood at attention, the silver-haired young woman was carrying a tray of refreshments and shooting him wary glances from time to time while putting on a very obvious display of swaying her hips whenever she walked by him.

He followed the elf as she walked by, then glanced back over to Tupper who stood at attention beside him.  “I do appreciate the obvious eye candy you’ve invested in concerning… the slave girls.  God that sounds bad… but why did you do it?  You do realize I have no interest in using them like that.  Right?”

Tupper immediately smirked, and leaned over as if talking about a conspiracy.  “No doubt my sister would be quite jealous if you did, but Allie insisted on it.”

“Allie?”

“Yes.  She said word for word: ‘Riven hasn’t been laid in over a year now, fill up the mansion with a bunch of pretty girls and see what happens.’  She was quite insistent.”

Riven sputtered a laugh, chuckling to himself and rolling his eyes.  “That sounds exactly like what Allie would do.  She should know better though, I’m not going to force myself on someone like she does.”

Tupper opened his mouth to reply, shut it, thought for a moment, then held up a finger.  “If I may, your majesty.  I don’t believe any of them would need to be ‘forced’ into doing something like that.”

“You don’t say.”

“Indeed.”  The incubus gestured over to where another of the collared young elf women clad in a black skirt-bikini was blatantly staring at both of them before being caught in the act, and she underwent a deep blush before going back to cleaning the mantles above a fireplace before shuffling out of the room.  “They might be slaves but that doesn’t mean they don’t find you as suitable.  Did you not see the way they all looked at you when you took off your helmet?”

“I’d thought they were just scared of me like everyone else.”

Tupper paused.  “Yes, that is likely part of it.  No doubt your negative charisma and position of power do intimidate them to a drastic degree.  However, just like my own kind as an incubus - you vampires, especially purebloods have a very enticing figure.  Not only that but they likely see you as a meal ticket out of their current situations.”

“That doesn’t inspire me to act.”

The incubus shrugged and noted a signal from Kathrine - the other pureblooded royal.  “Take it as you will.  I am merely following orders.  Anyways, the food preparations are likely ready now.  As a vampire I know your kind has special interests in blood, and I had Katherine help me prepare what she deemed as an acceptable course for a royal like yourself.  Please, follow me your majesty - Kathrine is very adamant on discussing this subject of your inheritance before the vultures swoop in.”

Following his incubus butler up the stairs, Riven eventually reached the third floor and came out the door that he’d taken as his own room.  Three of the slave servants bowed low and then stood at attention - awaiting orders right outside.

Azmoth and Luke had stayed downstairs, with Luke being shown to his own room by one of the girls and Azmoth having gone to the nearby chapel adjacent to the manor on the guild hall property.

Tupper came to the door, opened it, and bowed again with a swooping gesture of his hand to let Riven in.  “After you, your majesty.”

“Call me Riven.” He replied, stepping inside and coming to a quick halt only a few feet in the room.

His quarters had definitely changed.  Allie no doubt had pinned up a bunch of posters concerning different anime and manga he’d been into pre-system integration, which he thought hilarious, and it was a stark contrast to the red-gold sheets and draped bedding on what had to be an emperor-sized fluffy bed.  Two couches, an ornate wooden table, a long mirror and two dressers were inside along with the adjacent bathroom.  There was even a TV that actually worked - which was very surprising to him.  It was playing out a news story concerning some kind of bandit activity along the outskirts of Milwaukee, where a human reporter was interviewing a group of skeletal skresh body-hunters assigned to track the bandits down.

But what really caught his attention was the food display.

“Do you like it?” Kathrine asked as she came inside, standing next to Riven who was stunned into silence.  She grinned rather proudly, then looked back over to the display that’d been brought in.  “We usually dine like this in the Blood Moon Requiem, though ours are a little bit more exotic than even this.  I was told you don’t like eating humanoid meat if you can help it, and that you like to treat your slaves well, so we didn’t butcher any of the slaves and included only pork and venison.  I hope it is to your liking - I did the artwork myself.”

He didn’t know how to reply or what to say to that.  In front of them and at the center of the room between two couches, on top of the table was Genua - and Riven wasn’t sure whether or not to be turned on, impressed, or utterly sickened.

The elf was certainly alive, but was stripped down to no clothes and hogtied while kneeling on a large platter made of solid gold - surrounded by brilliant red flowers.  A bright green apple had been stuffed into her mouth that very much resembled how medieval kings would display a butchered hog for their feasts.  Her long blonde hair was tied in a knot to tightly attach at her bound wrists positioned at her curvy lower back, cranking her neck backwards at an awkward angle as her nostrils flared while staring ahead and exposing her chest.

Some kind of sauce, no doubt infused with blood by the smell of it, was slathered onto the naked woman’s entire body below the neck.  There were also patches of artwork using hardened chocolate along her skin in a very thin layer, creating various depictions of mythical creatures, warriors, and cities with incredibly intricate detail.  A tower of stacked fruit surrounded by flowers had been placed in a bowl on her back as well - stabilized on either side by the hair tightly tied to her wrists, with four hot wax candles having been melted onto her skin on either side of the fruit bowl - burning and flickering with yellow light.

On either side of the kneeling, hogtied slave were other displays of food.  Three large bottles of blood-infused wine, a cabbage salad display cut into the shape of flowers, numerous slabs of meat, cubes of different cheese, and loaves of simmering fresh bread were all there as well.  Plates and utensils, enough for two, were placed on one side of the table as well.

“She volunteered.” Tupper quickly stated when Riven shot him a cold look.  The incubus raised both hands.  “Genua volunteered for this.  She’s been taking her training very well, and wanted to show you that she’s submissive, subservient to your will - and she’s ready for you to feed on as live cattle right here on the table, instead of the more stale options otherwise presented if you wish it.  I know you vampires like your blood fresh.  Her previous attitude problems have completely vanished over the time you’ve been gone, enough so that we’ve even started to keep her here in your room - as she is your personal attendant and a source of blood for your feeding after all.”

Tupper guestred over to the other side of the bed where a large cage had been placed, collar and chain included.

Riven blinked, noted how Fay had abruptly stiffened on his left, and merely sagged his shoulders.  “...Fine.”

He was surprised at his own lack of caring.  Once upon a time, a sight like this would have infuriated him.  Once upon a time he’d also never have considered laying waste to an entire city to meet his own ends either.  Once upon a time he’d been more trusting and compassionate, and he’d have been infuriated at the mere idea of slaves even if they had been criminals of war.

Now however, he just didn’t care.  He was physically and mentally exhausted.  He was constantly on the move trying to figure out what to do next, was involved in world-ending events - many of which hadn’t even presented themselves yet, and had been hunted down for what he was.  He’d been betrayed by Jalel and the elves, he and his sister had nearly been assassinated by other nobility of the Blood Moon requiem, they’d had a holy war waged against them by the man called ‘Prophet’, he had some kind of strange entity called Chalgathi always fucking with his life… Riven simply just couldn’t find it in his heart to give a shit anymore.

Sighing with true exhaustion, he only shrugged and proceeded to the bed where he set his spear-staff down on the thick covers.  Then he peeled off his armor, which did so merely at his bidding, and laid it next to the weapon before glancing down at his bare chest.  He’d become rather athletic, admired his own abdomen for quite a while and then noiselessly approached the table.

Kathrine went around to the other side and sat down, only to raise her eyebrows when Riven pulled his own chair out and gestured for Fay to come sit.

The succubus wordlessly paused, blushed, and smiled before taking his invitation and sitting down in the chair he’d presented her.  Pushing the chair in as Fay sat down, Riven went out to the balcony where another set of chairs were and he brought one in.  Glancing at the TV which was still talking about the current events surrounding Milwaukee, he faintly smiled and pulled his seat up to the table at the end between both Fay and Kathrine - reaching over for a bottle of blood-wine and popping the cork before chugging.

He belched, grinned at Fay when she rolled her eyes, and set the bottle down.  “Alright Kathrine.  Let’s talk about this inheritance of mine.”

Kathrine smiled widely across her pale face, displaying her fangs underneath her bright red eyes.  “Yes, of course.  I’d also like to discuss the tutoring proposition as well, and potential training.  We want you to succeed even more than you know, Riven Thane.  If it is within my power to help you do so, then all the better.  Now, as for the inheritance…”