Capítulo 41: Vol 2. Interlude, Princess Business.
"Kyuu! (The Smelly Pirate is coming!)" Cath's cry echoed through the room, as he scuttled across the room, before jumping onto my lap.
As he nuzzled into my lap, I idly started threading a few fingers through his fur. "I suppose we're close then," I mused aloud.
Not three seconds later, heavy footsteps could be heard echoing down the hallway.
"Yer Majesty, the Joie de Vivre be in sight!" A gruff voice came from behind me.
Humming in acknowledgment, I gently scooped Cath up in my arms, and stood up from my loveseat.
"How much longer until we are within boarding distance, Fina?" I asked, before turning around.
What greeted me was the picture perfect pirate, something straight out of Alistair's 'Pirate of the Caribbean' movies.
Fina-Blood Svelten had tanned skin, a single green eye, though I suspected a color contact, long braided brown hair, while wearing a fancy pirate getup, eye patch and captain hat.
He gave a confident smile, and used a finger to barely lift his hat in a gesture of greeting. "That's all up t' ye, me lady. We can be there in a blink, or an hour, though I'd reckon we sail 'round 'em a few times," he suggested with a roguish grin. "Always a fine idea t' send 'em a message, it be."
I felt my mood turn frosty at the suggestion, and fixed Fina with a frosty look. "You would dare suggest to me to worsen my already turbulent relationship with Vandelstam, which is all your fault mind you, to send a message?" I bit out, causing the confident pirate to flinch, and rapidly pale.
"Oh?" I questioned while cocking my head to the side. "You didn't think I heard of your theft of one of his 'daughters'?" I questioned with a hint of hostility, causing him to take a step back.
"You've done a terrible job with trying to hide her, I have seen Matari working as a deckhand not two hours ago!" My statement made him visibly flinch, and he seemed to slightly fold in on himself.
He knew exactly how bad this was, after all, stealing one of Van-Fem's precious Demonic Castles, and turning it into a thrall, is insulting at best, and a Casus Belli at worst.
"I have half the mind to hang you out to dry, seeing as this is the result of me giving you a smidge of freedom," I exclaimed while taking a slight step forwards.
Fina could no longer meet my eyes, as his eyes were glued to the floor beneath me. "Ah, I-I'm sorry, mistress... I didn't know who she be when I added 'er to the crew o' the Parade..." he gave his excuse in a pitiful tone, but I couldn't help but not care.
Stepping past him, I spoke harshly. "See if you can dismiss her from your service, I'd rather get back on good terms with Vandelstam, so you better get to it," I said with clear annoyance, before looking behind me, at the still cowed pirate.
"You will stay out of sight when I go to greet him, as I don't need your presence to ruin the mood more than your ship already has. And full speed ahead, I expect to be on Vandelstam's ship within five minutes," I ordered, before moving towards the room's exit.
"Oh, and one more thing," I remarked, stopping my stride, but not bothering to look back at the pathetic man. "Change the ship, as I do not care for this to be turned into some pissing contest on who's ships are larger," I explained, before returning to my stride.
"Aye, milady..." he remarked from behind me.
Moving out of the room, I watched as the metal walls of the cruise melted away, and morphed into wood.
The walls peeled away, giving way to the sea's breeze.
The ship rumbled, as three large masts grew out of the floor, giving way to dozens of sails which sprouted out from them.
Crew members fizzled into existence in a blink of an eye, wearing 18th century sailor outfits, quickly scrambling on deck to handle the ropes, and adjust the sails.
Humming patiently, I moved towards the Bow of the newly formed sail ship, while idly dragging my free hand over the gilded railings.
I felt a small smile find its way onto my face, as I studied the transformed ship. I had always loved 18th century ships, they had so much character…
As much as I felt Fina was a stupid moron, his Reality Marble was a wonder to behold.
Parade, a Reality Marble in the shape of a ship and crew, where one could swap out ships and crew members with ones you have 'acquired', be it by 'swallowing' them or forcing them to sign on to join, it was a most interesting bit of magecraft.
Though it was somewhat surprising that Fina managed to get Matari as a crew member, seeing as she is technically a golem castle, and I believed that to be a crew member, there was at least the qualifier of being partially human.
But I suppose it just means that Van-Fem is just that good with his golem crafting skills, to fool a Reality Marble into seeing a walking castle as 'human enough' to add it to its crew.
It is most fascinating, and most infuriating at the same time.
Walking up to the bow of the ship, I perched myself atop the railing, and looked into the distance, where a large modern cruise ship was slowly sailing across the sea.
Van-Fem had clearly outdone himself, and had seemingly upped his 'casino' game, as I was sure that it was one of the newer cruise lines on the market.
Knowing him, I would not put it past him to have bought an entire cruise company, just to have access to the newer models when they came out.
"Lower the oars, ye scurvy dogs! Full speed ahead, or ye'll be feelin' the cat o' nine tails!" Fina's voice bleared throughout the ship, despite its lack of intercoms, but the remaining idle crew quickly scrambled under deck.
Glancing over the edge, I could see as the cannons were pulled back from the gun ports, before long sticks of wood were pushed through the empty flaps.
Slowly, and in sync, they hit the water, dragged themselves through it, and lifted themselves up, before repeating the cycle. And with that, the ship picked up its pace, impossibly so.
The wind picked up, the sea split, and the ship on the horizon grew ever larger for each second that passed.
"Fou, (I'm hungry,)" Cath grumbled in my arms. Looking away from the scenery, I brought up my other hand, and gave him a scratch.
"Come now, I'm sure you can chew on some of Fina's crew if you're so hungry," I suggested in a kind tone.
Cath inclined his head barely, allowing my finger to hit just the right spot. "Fuo, (Smelly Pirates don't taste any good,)" he huffed with an air of aloofness.
Humming to myself, I glanced at the slowly encroaching cruise. "Maybe Vandelstam would be inclined to hand over a few rude, and unwanted guests if we ask nicely," I mused.
"Fou! Fou! (Please! Please!)" Cath exclaimed while wiggling in my embrace.
Threading a hand through his fur, I gave a small smile. "Sure, will do."
He gave a contented purr, and nuzzled deeper into my embrace, curling up slightly in doing so.
I watched as the cruise ship got closer, and I could see a figure dressed in a white suit, white tophat and baby-blue waistcoat standing alone on the deck, barely visible over the railing.
As the ship got within a hundred meters of the cruise, its speed suddenly grew to a halt, almost causing me to lurch forward at the sudden change in speed.
Frowning slightly, I pushed myself off the railing, and started walking over to the nearest crew member.
"You," I said imperiously. The man I directed my words towards stiffened, and looked at me apprehensively, while pointing at himself.
Rolling my eyes, I shot him an annoyed look. "Yes you," I huffed out with a hint of annoyance.
The man straightened up, in something that resembled a soldier standing at attention. "How may I help you, ma'am!" He exclaimed.
Raising a brow, I gave a slight hum of approval. After all, this man could at least speak legible English, rather than whatever garbage Fina spoke.
"I'll be needing my briefcase," I explained. "Fetch it for me, or have someone else do it, you have a minute, starting now."
The words had barely left my lips, as the sailor darted off towards the captain's cabin.
Smiling to myself, I quickly moved towards the bowsprit, and jumped onto it.
Methodically putting one foot in front of another, I slowly moved up the makeshift ramp, without displaying any signs of poor balance. I had to admit, heels were not the best option for such a move, but I needed anything I could get in the height department, so I'd have to make do.
Deftly moving past the three sets of jib sails, I stood at the edge of the bowsprit. Looking up, I could see Van-Fem looking down at me from his vantage point on the cruise liner.
"Good evening, Vandelstam, might I have a word with you?" I greeted him in a happy tone.
I watched his red eyes skeptically look over me, before he gave a light sigh. "It would be my pleasure, your majesty," he said in an almost tired tone, before stepping away from the railing, disappearing behind it.
I felt my expression falter slightly at the tone he had used, but it was to be expected… He was clearly not stoked that I was on Fina's ship, and had used it to greet him, but there was little I could do when he was out at sea like this.
"My lady!" I heard a voice yell at me from behind, causing me to turn my head towards it.
The sailor I had ordered earlier was holding a black metal suitcase in his hand, and was looking at me with apprehension, clearly not sure how to go about handing it over to me.
Sighing, I extended my hand, and directed a bit of focus to the contance of the case. Feeling the blood inside, I gave it a slight tug, and the suitcase flew out of the sailor's hands, and landed in my own outstretched one.
"Thank you, you're dismissed," I remarked calmly, before glancing back up to the cruise's open deck.
Bending my knees just a tad bit, and readjusting my grip on Cath, I kicked off from the bowsprit, cracking the wood under my feet while doing so.
In the blink of an eye, I had jumped just high enough to softly land atop the deck.
With a soft clink of my heels, I landed in a slight curtsy directed at Van-Fem. "Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice," I thanked him with a small smile.
The old vampire smiled in return, and tapped his cane on the deck, before falling into a low bow. "It's always a pleasure to interact with you, your highness," he explained modestly.
The two of us straightened ourselves up at the same time, and Van-Fem used his free hand to gesture towards the doors leading into the cruise. "Shall we get to brass tax, then?" He suggested.
I gave a slight smile and nodded. "Do lead the way then."
Nodding at my words, he tapped his cane once more, and started heading in the direction he gestured.
Walking beside him, I followed him patiently, while looking around at his ship.
The ship reeked of luxury, with red carpets on the floor, gilded railings and lamps, with the ever odd expensive item on display.
"So," Van-Fem began. "How may I help you today?" He probed calmly, while idly looking at his own artwork decorating the halls.
I gave a slight hum, before handing him a half answer. "I came across some rather… interesting information recently, and I'd like to initiate a trade for some more information, in regards to what I've just learnt," I explained casually.
Van-Fem gave a light hum, as if mulling over my words, neither finding them too interesting, nor something too uninteresting.
"I see, might a secure private room suit your needs?" He probed.
Glancing to the side, I gave a smile showing only teeth. "Yes, that would suit our needs just as well."
Humming at the sight, he gestured towards a set of large doors a bit further down the hallway.
Understanding his meaning, I gave a small nod, and stayed quiet for the rest of the walk.
As we reached the doors, Van-Fem opened them, and shot me a smile. "Please, make yourself at home," he remarked kindly.
Nodding, I walked into the lavish room.
It was gilded with gold, much like the earlier hall, though this one had a giant ornate chandelier hanging over a large round mahogany table, which had a dozen fancy chairs surrounding it.
I quickly made my way to the table, and dropped Cath on it, causing him to give a low grumble of displeasure at the sudden loss of his comfy spot.
Pulling out a chair, I sat myself down.
Van-Fem closed the doors, which was followed by the feeling of a slew of privacy bounded fields springing up in the room.
Seemingly satisfied, he walked over to the table, and seated himself on the other adjacently to myself. "So, how may I be of service to my princess?" He asked with a casual smile.
Smiling in return, I leaned more into the seat, while eyeing him with interest. "A little birdie told me that Ortenrosse is planning something big," I stated casually.
Van-Fem didn't react at all to my statement, which was a given, seeing as he was one of the Elder Apostles, among the first few that sprung into existence, so his poker face is arguably as good as it gets.
"I didn't hear a question there, you highness," he responded amicably.
Drumming my fingers on the table, I cocked my head to the side, while giving an easy going smile. "Oh please," I said while rolling my eyes.
"I'm fairly sure you know what I want to know about just from that," I huffed out dismissively. After all, it was best to ask in a roundabout way, and hopefully have him spill some extra information free of charge.
Van-Fem's smile didn't drop, and he merely gestured for me to continue.
It was worth a try I suppose.
Sighing, I raised a hand, and glanced at my nails, while idly rubbing at them.
"Fine, I will spell it out for you," I huffed out, before locking eyes with him. "I wish to learn more about Ortenrosse's plan to revive the Dark Six," I said in a grave tone.
I watched as the smile on his face stretched, and I could see the amusement in his eyes. "Oh please, how would little old me know anything about his plans? I recall defecting from his faction not too long ago," he stated matter of factly, which caused me to roll my eyes.
"Don't mince words with me, Ortenrosse is a pauper in terms of actual physical currency, and is incapable of funding the required materials needed for such a ritual to take place. Nor do any of those in his faction," I said while glaring daggers at the smiling Vampire.
"So," I ground out, while idly tapping the table. "Why have you chosen to sponsor such a thing?"
The two of us locked eyes for a minute straight, causing the tension to thicken.
Van-Fem didn't break eye contact for a moment, and neither did I.
After another minute, he seemed to have had enough, as he gave a slight shrug. "I am sad to inform you, but I do not know of this rit–"
I cut his lies off, by slamming the briefcase on the table, startling the old man at my sudden action.
Smiling at him, I flicked open the case, revealing two wine bottles, and two wine glasses.
Slowly, I brought out the two bottles, along with a glass, and placed it in front of me, before closing the briefcase, and putting it back down.
"It's such a shame that you know nothing," I remarked with fake sorrow, as I picked up a bottle.
The bottle had a label with an image of a red dragon wearing a black crown.
I gave a slight smile at the sight, before flicking off the top, sending the neck of the bottle flying into a wall, shattering into glass shards.
"I was hoping to trade the two of these for information…" I mused, before slowly filling my cup with a thick red liquid.
Van-Fem's brows furrowed at the sight, before the scent of my drink met his nose.
I watched as his eyes widened comically, before he vanished from his spot.
Knowing what was about to happen, blood formed out of thin air, just in time to skewer Van-Fem, who had flashed to my left.
Black blood had punctured his heart, arms, legs as well as joints, causing him to hang in the air like some puppet.
Glancing up at him, I continued filling my glass. "Come now, such poor manners is unbecoming of a man of your age," I taunted, before filling the glass half-full.
"What is that?" He questioned with a tone of utmost seriousness.
Looking away from him, I fixed my eyes on my glass, and started swirling the liquid around for emphasis.
"Oh this?" I exclaimed with fake surprise, while looking back at him with confusion. "I don't know," I lied in the same tone he had, before taking a small sip.
The familiar rush of pleasure flooded my body, and the slight feeling of my being edging closer to beginning whole, almost made me give a moan of ecstasy.
Say what you will about Alistair, but his blood was special. It was like a mix of a drug and steroids, only if drugs and steroids were good for you, as there was no downside to drinking it.
Weak as he may be, drinking his blood for the better part of a decade was almost responsible for a two percent increase in my strength, which should be impossible.
But I can only theorize that his origin is stimulating the effects of his already mystery dense blood, to a degree that is near impossible for most mature phantasmal species to hold.
Making it something too alluring for any Apostle with a nose to resist.
I watched as he strained against the constraints at the sight of me drinking the blood, all frowning all the while.
"Release me," he said in a no nonsense tone.
Quirking a brow at the man, I gave a coy smile. "Will you behave? You were quite rude, you know? Dashing over to steal a defenseless girl's drink," I said in a weak and frail tone.
Taking another sip, I gave him a scared look. "I fear for my safety and my items if I let you go, after all, you acted like a rabid dog," I explained warily.
Van-Fem seemed to gather himself, and his face became as relaxed as it had been before I had opened the bottle. "I am sorry," he apologized with a slight bow of his head.
Smiling, the blood pinning him in the air vanished, allowing him to land on his feet as if nothing had happened.
The only proof of our little scuffle, was the slight blood splotches on his chest and extremities.
He gently patted his now stained outfit, and moved back to his seat, and flashed me a smile.
"I could see myself amenable to granting some information in exchange for the blood you have brought with you," he proposed.
Humming, I gave the glass another slight sip, and I watched as his brow gave a slight twitch at my action.
"How's this," I said while placing my glass down. "I will continue to drink from this glass and bottle, until I am satisfied with the information provided, no lies allowed naturally," I proposed.
"In return, you will get the remaining blood," I raised a finger. "However, you are not allowed to use the blood for anything other than consumption," I explained while fixing him with a hard look.
Van-Fem pursed his lips, seemingly mulling over my proposal.
Seeing his hesitance, I lifted the glass, and took a larger gulp, draining it in a single gulp. Reaching for the bottle, I started filling the glass, all while looking at him.
"Deal," he spat out, and I smiled, as I felt the contract take hold.
Raising the glass, I gave him a smirk. "Get to it then."
"Ortenrosse is planning to revive the Dark Six," he started off, and I could only roll my eyes. "Obviously," I huffed, before taking a sip.
"He has named it Aylesbury Valesti, in honor of it being in Aylesbury, England," he continued, causing me to focus more on his words.
If it was being held in England, Rosalind and Alistair would need to be informed as soon as possible, or at least after the Grail War.
Taking another slow sip, I watched as Van-Fem's face grew a slight smirk.
"The plan is to drain the intersecting leylines dry, resurrect the Six, and hopefully restart the Age of Gods."
I almost spat out my drink at the proclamation, causing me to move the glass away from my mouth.
Wetting my lips, I fixed him with a harsh glare.
What he had just said was impossible, hell, maybe improbable at best, but realistically it was stupid.
He had all but told me that the ritual would be swarmed by Counter Guardians and perhaps a few high end heroic spirits.
If such a thing were to fail and go unchecked, the English leylines would connect to the many leylines they cross, effectively draining them as well, causing a domino effect, essentially draining all the world's mana, meaning that everything would wither and die, if they fail.
"You're insane," I stated matter of factly.
To this, Van-Fem only smiled. "Please, don't give me all the credit, I am merely the financier, though I shall inform Ortenrosse of your opinion of him," he remarked with clear humor.
"But please, you most of all should understand the allure of restarting the Age of Gods," he replied cryptically.
I felt my face contort into a frown at the disrespect, and I quickly drank the rest of my glass, before refilling it.
His comment had hit too close to home.
After all, I was meant to be born during the Age of Gods, only for me to be born on the same day as it vanished.
It had all but crippled my strength. I was unable to tap into the powers I should have had from being part True Ancestor, causing me to be unable to fully manifest my Marble Phantasm.
In truth, I was 'weak', crippled if you will. If it wasn't for the fact that I could grow stronger from drinking more blood, I'd have ended up on some Magus or Apostles research table.
All the strength I had gathered was from desperately killing as many as possible, or draining corpses from their blood on fresh battlefields, to reach the heights I had reached today.
And I know for a damn fact, that if my True Ancestor side manifested, I'd be able to kill my current self with ease, and I might even be able to kill Arcueid…
I can only periodically manifest my 'true' form, or even summon the Millennium Castle in its truest form at random intervals, and I haven't been able to do it since the 1800's.
For as much as I had boasted to Alistair, I knew for a damn fact that my fight against Arcuid was certainly one sided, but not in my favor.
But how was I supposed to know that Gaia had figured out a way to allow Arcuid's True Ancestor blood to bloom in an age devoid of powerful mysteries?
I felt my grip tighten, as I downed the glass to show my irritation at his words.
This is why Alistair was such a godsend. His blood was something capable of deepening my connection to my True Ancestor blood.
He was effectively my ticket to becoming 'whole'.
Had he not been so interesting or fun to be around, I would have probably tied him up in a high security dungeon, and drained him consistently of his blood.
Luckily for the both of us, he's fun to be around, I like him, Cath likes him, so he gets to be a free man, easy as that.
But if the Age of Gods returned… I'd not need to drain him so often… as I'd probably be able to grow my connection to my True Ancestor part passively, thanks to the mysteries in the air.
Placing the glass back down, I fixed him with a hard look. "When will it start," I demanded, only for him to give a slight shrug.
"In twenty two years, give or take a year or two," he explained casually.
Reaching for the bottle, I poured the rest of the bottle into my glass, fixing him with a look.
I watched him wince at the emptying of the bottle. "You, and the rest of the 27 will get an invitation, along with a few influential figures," he explained, before releasing a sigh.
"That is all I can give at this point in time," he explained, almost defeatedly.
Craning my neck, I swirled the glass a bit, before giving a content nod.
This would do for information, for now.
Grabbing the bottle, I slid it across the table, and Van-Fem snatched it with zeal.
"Pleasure doing business with you," I remarked, before knocking back the glass.
Van-Fem was too busy uncorking his own bottle to bother responding, only giving a slight nod once confirming it had the same blood as my own.
Looking back to me, he raised a brow. "Might I inquire where you acquired this?" He probed while raising the bottle. "I am more than willing to compensate you for knowledge on its source."
His question almost made me scowl, but I barely managed to hold myself back.
Like hell I was going to rat out Alistair, merely using his blood as a bargaining chip was distasteful, but seeing as this was about the Dark Six, I had to make do with what I had.
"Do I look stupid?" I retorted with a huff, only for the man to give a shrug.
"I'd be stupid if I didn't ask," he remarked dryly.
He wasn't wrong… But it was still distasteful.
"Fou? (Can I eat?)" Cath squeaked from the table, causing me to flash him a smile.
Looking back to Van-Fem, I gave him a sly smile. "How about you let Prim play for a bit, as he is hungry, and I'll tell you where you can find more," I suggested lightheartedly. After all, Alistair wasn't technically the only source in existence.
And to be honest, after what he had said, I didn't care to stay in his good graces, Fina could keep Matari for all I cared. The bastard had dared to disrespect me.
Van-Fem gave me a pensive look, while glancing in between myself and Cath.
"Ten minutes," he bartered.
"Twenty," I countered.
"Fifteen," he spat.
"Deal," I said with unmasked glee.
I felt the restrictions of the deal encompass us, and I flashed him a smile.
"You can find more of it in Avalon, specifically in Arthur, or rather Artoria Pendragon's veins," I explained slyly, and I watched as the annoyance grew on his face.
After all, Avalon was close to impossible to enter, unless given permission from the Lady of the Lake herself, or through the power of the second true magic, neither things Van-Fem had in reach.
Tapping Cath, he looked up at me with his beady purple eyes, ready for some fun.
"Go play," I affirmed, and his tail started furiously swishing from side to side.
Not a second later, the table broke, as he used it as a springboard to smash through the doors.
I could only giggle at the sight of his eagerness.
Pushing myself off the chair, I didn't bother picking up the suitcase, after all, I could afford to give him it as a keepsake.
"I'll be roaming the halls, might even find myself a snack while I'm at it," I said before moving towards the broken doors.
Turning my head, I was met with the annoyed gaze of Van-Fem
"A pleasure doing business with you."
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A/N
Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and Reviews, as it would be much appreciated.
What do you guys think of the interlude?
A bit different I know, but I hope you all found it interesting none the less.
I felt that I needed some extra time to fill in my imagination for the next proper chapter, so I thought it wise to lay the foundations of the overarching plot of later volumes with this chapter.
And I suspect that a few of you have missed our dear Altrouge, as well as learning a thing or two about her, and the world she lives in.
Was it nice to see Cath again? I think so, I miss Prim, AKA Primate Murder <3
Btw, I have made a Discord server for the fic, come on and chat with me!
https://discord.gg/kdd5mnXc
Now I'm tired and have a fuck tone of Uni stuff to do, so have a nice day, and send me some stones or some shit, I need motivation, or some shit like that.
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