*Chapter 128 - House Rivalries (Will be posting another this weekend to make up for the late post! Work got in the way, my bad.)

Chapter 128 - House Rivalries

There were apparently many markets and shops spread throughout Zekul but the one that the girls had led him to was one of the larger ones.  Blankets, quilts, all varieties of colors of clothes, animals, jewelry, furniture and other things were being sold at vendors.  The largest of the attractions - by far - was the slave auction.

Seemed to be a trend.

There must have been more than 500 slaves lined up waiting to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.  And there it was again - the surprise that he still seemed to have some remnant of himself that cared.  It had bothered Trey the most when a family was split up, the mother being sold to one coven and the children being sold to another.  The father was further back in the line and was knocked unconscious after his protests and yelling began to annoy some of the customers.  As the crying family was dragged into opposite directions Trey averted his eyes and kept walking to follow Osi - who trailed the other girls directly in front of him.  The iron collar on her neck hung loosely about it but Trey could see that a scar had been made of the years of wearing it - he could only imagine how uncomfortable it must have been to wear those things while sleeping.

Coming out of the market and down another busy street the girls did their best to stay out of the vampires’ ways until they stopped in front of a large roofless building with benches to either side of the large room.

Osi pointed it out.  “This is where crimes are dealt with, the priests have the ultimate authority when it comes to law here but otherwise the great houses keep everyone in check if they misbehave.  House Okt has participated in eradicating one other major coven and has executed thirteen criminals in the past year.”

“Would you say the Okt coven is more powerful than most of the other great houses?” asked Trey.

“Of course it is.  Come, let us show you the public bath.”

It didn’t take long to get there, and the scenery was as dark and unholy as ever - with people being fed on in the streets and vampires openly laughing about their hunts outside the city in days past.  The public bath was really a large underground lake with many hundreds of naked vampires currently in it.  It was naturally heated by the dormant volcano and was quite warm at the touch, spanning a couple hundred yards in any direction.  Occasionally there were pieces of land, letting the populace sit atop these islands as places of refuge to cool off, eat and drink.  According to Rusoe there were more than a few of these baths and there was even an underground river that could be found in the catacombs not far from the city.  There was a grand warehouse run by city officials which was cylindrical and five stories tall - this too was shown to Trey.  It had many months’ food storage - namely grain - for both slaves and the vampires.  Other goods were stored there too and a caravan was seen unloading these food supplies taken from the outside.  There were a few small fighting pits that Trey was shown - but the largest of them all was down near the base of the city up against a drop off leading into the magma.  This fighting pit was supposed to be the one that held the grand ‘Tournament’ every year in honor of the vampire numen, and these games were actually supposed to be coming up within a few weeks.

Passing through the streets of the city Trey came to realize that it was very much like the few other cities he had seen recently and the major difference was that slaves were in mass numbers here - and that they were eaten obviously.  If that had been taken out of the equation though - along with Zekul being underground - you’d have a fairly normal city.  Family units and neighborhoods were similar, the difference between poor and rich vampires was pretty much the same as it was in human cities, shops were open all along the streets with people bartering back and forth and all the basic aspects you would think a city should have were present.

When Osi led Trey up to the temple and pointed up to describe the architecture, he took special notice of where this place was.  This is where the vampiric high priest of Aktovan was supposed to be and where he would find Aktovan’s Amulet - the prize artifact he came here for in the first place.

The temple was enormous and took up more space than the Okt coven’s compound did.  Guards were posted at the front entrance and no one seemed to be coming in or out.  Other than the front entrance there were no windows or openings into the large obsidian dome.  The hallway of the front entrance split off to the left and right - out of sight - so that Trey couldn’t even see what lay within.  Statues of gargoyles, runes and designs covered the outer curves of the building and one large white banner hung down to display a black mark resembling fangs he had never seen before.

“Is that Alktovan’s mark?” asked Trey as he pointed to the banner.

Nothel nodded with her hands clasped in front of her.  “Yes it is.”

“Do you mind if we go inside for a closer look at the place?”

“NO!” Osi and Rusoe both said together.  Both pale, brunette slaves looked utterly terrified at the suggestion, and Trey could only scratch the back of his head in confusion at their reaction.

Osi took a moment to clarify after she realized they’d startled him with the forcefulness of their reply, adjusting her thick iron collar nervously as she did.  “Slaves are only allowed to enter as sacrifices, if a slave enters at all he or she is put to death on principle.  The only vampires allowed in there are ones specifically requested of the priests or the priests themselves.”

Trey frowned, tapping his foot and huffing.  He looked down at his arms and legs, feeling a little heavy with his suit of heavy steel armor on.  He hated wearing armor and usually didn’t do it, but wanted to play the part of an aspiring vampire warrior as best he could in order to gain the trust and favor of the House of Okt.  It was just too damn hot to wear it around this place regularly, but at the very least he kept the helmet off.  “How am I supposed to get an invitation then?”

Nothel’s brow furrowed while still looking to the ground as they most often did - avoiding eye contact with any vampires as much as possible.  “Do you have a reason to want to go?”

Chuckling, Trey put his hands on his hips and arched his back.  He definitely had a reason, but not one he could talk about.  “I was wanting to meet with the high priest, the one who turned me said I should and that he’s quite the character.”

“Then I would suggest asking Lady and Lord Okt about how to do so, being a slave I wouldn’t know if it is possible or not.”

Somewhere from behind them, Trey heard a rather rude comment directed at none other than the three women who were showing him the city.

“Well if it isn’t a bunch of Okt slaves ready for the picking!  Those brands on your necks must really cause you three such shame!”

Osi, Rusoe and Nothel all turned even more pale in the face - if that was even possible.  None of them save Trey turned around to face the origin of the voice.  Coming about Trey saw three vampire men alongside one vampiress looking scornfully at him with noses held up proudly, snidely even.  They wore fine silver-grey garments with cloaks upon their backs and he could tell by the way people were looking at them that this encounter likely didn’t bode well.

“And who might you be?  I can only assume one of Okt’s new recruits as these slaves are following you around.  They never fail to drag and flaunt their trash about the city.”

“How true.” agreed the vampiress with a toss of her hair, bundled into a ponytail.

Well, this didn’t look good.

“Who are they?” said Trey looking back to Osi.

Osi quietly murmured back, still looking at the ground and beginning to quiver in fear. “Members of the House of Ithisel…”

House Ithisel… where had he heard that name before.

Ah.  Yes.  It was the same house that Trey’d heard Lady Okt talk about concerning her husband’s killing spree before they’d even entered through the gate into Zekul.  Apparently, they weren’t on good terms… and that was putting it lightly.

“Do not ignore me, meat!” screamed the vampire most openly antagonizing Trey.  He was a scrawny vampire, stick thin but still probably far stronger than any normal human given his vampiric heritage.  His face turned into a dark sneer, and his fangs began to protrude with the hissed words he spoke.

“Meat?  Is that supposed to be an insult?” asked Trey with open contempt.  “But no, I am not yet designated to the House of Okt.  I am a new blood.  They are interested in what I am capable of and might want to recruit me.”

People, mostly other vampire civilians, were beginning to gather and watch on the outskirts.  The three vampires of House Ithisel he was conversing with exchanged looks.

“Ahh, well then things are different than I had thought.”  The foremost vampire smirked under his silver hood.  “Let me give you a word of advice, new blood.  Stay far away from the Okt coven.  They are nothing but filth and rabid dogs, if they keep up their current actions the priests will see to it that the House of Okt is torn to the ground along with all of its members.  If you value your life, do as I say.”

One of the other robed vampires stepped forward, a burlier man with a clean-shaven head. “Does this mean that we have three Okt slaves out and about with no one from their coven to protect them?  I believe it does!  What a catch!”

“And we do need to repay Lord Okt for the favor he did us by killing some of our own…” said the vampiress with the ponytail slyly.  She eased forward, hand on a knife at her hip.  “I could use a meal now anyways… the guards won’t interfere, they don’t dare leave their posts at the temple doors.  What say you Horag?”

Osi began to tremble next to Trey and the others stood like statues, all three of which just stared blankly at the ground.

“I do believe you’re both right!” agreed the first vampire, “Well then new blood, now the question becomes whether or not you’re stupid enough to stand in our way!”

Lunging forward the vampire’s eyes glowed blue and his fangs sprang from his mouth.

Some things just couldn’t be helped.

The vampire sprinting forward was only five feet from a still trembling Osi when Trey swiftly spartan-kicked him in the face to send him back the way he came - crashing through his friends and sprawling out with one fang broken.  He began to scream and cover up his broken tooth while the others turned angrily back to look at Trey - who began to loudly laugh with high amounts of amusement.

Together the three Ithisel vampires drew knives and began to advance rapidly with fanged teeth bared.  Realizing they all intended to kill him, Trey’s heart began to beat faster in excitement.  Then he began to giggle.

“LET’S PLAY A GAME!” screamed Trey as he smiled widely to show his lines of straight white teeth with bloodlust overcoming him.  Balls of chaos mana erupted over his open palms as he summoned the magic to him.  The ground immediately beneath him began to tremble and crack while mana swirled up about his body.  Osi, Nothel and Rusoe all fell back to avoid the destruction as did many of the vampires and slaves in the street nearby.  The three opponents coming at him began to slow.  “IT’S CALLED THE ‘HOW LOUDLY YOU CAN SCREAM BEFORE YOUR LIMBS ARE RIPPED OFF’ GAME!”

With a crazed cackle, Trey unleashed his attacks.

He had no weapon after leaving his mace back at the Okt compound, unless he wanted to summon Talshy out.  That was a no-go for now as he wanted to keep it on the downlow for as long as possible - even if people may or may not be able to identify him for what he was simply off the weapon.

But did he need a weapon?  No.  He did not

The chaos balls torpedoed into the two closest incoming demons, shredding them apart in a violent mesh of screams and body parts until they simply evaporated into the air with craters underneath the spots they’d been a second before.

The other remaining duo of enemy blood suckers, he cackled and met them halfway through their abruptly interrupted charge.

The result was catastrophically one sided.

His left arm clothes-lined one of them, wrapping the vampire’s body around his protruding limb before being flung twenty feet back the way he’d come.  His right hand at the same time smashed down into the man on his right, crushing his entire body flat into a pancake with an explosion of dark mana and body parts.

Surprisingly enough, a fifth enemy attacked him from the flank - a member of their group that hadn’t shown himself up until then.  The fifth vampire had been lunging into him, knife drawn, only to hit a brick wall and flatten against the charging juggernaut as he was carried backwards.  Trey felt the crunch of the vampire’s face against the grown as he flung the man downwards - and then briefly stopped his assault, laughing profusely at the vampire’s bloodied crumpled corpse while the blood sucker struggled to breathe.  He finished off the pathetic fool with another chaos ball spell, pieces of earth ripping from the ground and  becoming skyborn in an explosion of energy.

Trey felt something bounce against his steel armor chainmail in a joint space underneath his left arm, and looked down to his left where the vampiress had tried stabbing him.  She was missing half her face, was torn and bloody, and his eyebrows raised in surprise to see that she was still alive after his first blast of chaos magic.  Perhaps vampires were more resilient than he gave them credit for…

With a swift backwards stroke of his left arm: he smashed the woman’s head, crushing it and killing her with a single blow; sending her teeth and fangs all across the road.

“Pathetic.”

There was only one left alive now, it was the guy he’d clothes-lined earlier.  Again, Trey was rather surprised that the guy was still alive… and he made a mental note about how vampires were far more able to survive his attacks when compared to regular humans.  The man was still picking himself up off the ground and heaving, trying to take in air with a pair of broken ribs.  Trey confidently and arrogantly strode up to him as his bloodied fists clenched.  Still encased in a shroud of swirling chaos mana, he undercut the vampire’s legs from behind with a kick and flipped him onto his back.

It knocked the breath out of his enemy and he didn’t wait to slam his foot into the vampire’s shoulder, pinning him to the ground.  With a cackle, he screamed directly into the bloodsucker’s face.  “I ASKED ABOUT HOW LOUD YOU COULD SCREAM RIGHT?!”

With that, Trey took the man’s left arm in both hands - pressing down on the shoulder with his left foot - and heaved.  A snapping sound was heard as tendons ripped and tore.  He heaved again, easily dislocating the arm amidst the screams and begging of his enemy who flailed under his weight while trying to push him off with the free hand.

The screaming became louder and louder as Trey tugged until eventually the arm actually did rip off under Trey’s abnormal strength.  Blood pulsed from exposed arteries and the last sinewy tendons still holding on tore apart.  Panick, flailing and begging was all tuned out as Trey laughed and laughed while beating the vampire to death with his own arm.

The beating continued an entire minute, with Trey cackling the entire time as he killed the man with the end of the arm he’d ripped off.  Tossing the appendage unceremoniously, he finally acknowledged his notifications.  None of the Ithisel vampires had made it out alive.

“You have gained XP.  You have gained 1 overall combat level.”

With a disappointed look at the wreckage strewn out before him - he sighed and shook his head.  The street now lay in ruins from the aftershock of his attacks and the barrage spell ripping up pieces of it to bury one of his kills.  “Can’t say they were very good sports, didn’t scream even half as loud as I would have liked them to.”

Many of the people surrounding the area murmured softly in astonishment as Trey trotted happily over to the three breeder girls assigned to him, his swirling storm of chaos deteriorating and falling off in waves to dissipate into the air.  “Well, now that I’ve had my fair share of fun for the day let’s go home hmmm?”

“M-Master…” stuttered Osi, “... How… Why did you help us?  You could not have known if you were able to beat them.  Why risk your life for slaves?  We are not even yours...”

Trey grinned, raised one eyebrow and leaned over to meet her eye to eye.  “Oh don’t think this comes free.  I’m bending all three of you over when we get back and we’re going to have a great time in payment for my services!  A man has needs you know!”  Snickering to himself Trey motioned for them to continue.  “Lead on!  I don’t know the way back so you’ll have to show me.”

Bowing immediately and turning around, Osi, Nothel and Rusoe began to lead Trey out into the vastness of the city - back to Okt Manor.