The Vampire Prince, The War That Started It All. Options

[Lord Veneficus]

Hey you guys. This is my new fan-fic. Comments and critiques would be the most welcome. Oh, and don't tell me this is cliche', as I already know that. Just give me some pointers and advice, please.
------------------------

“Praise be to Lord Vile and the blood patron, Molag,” Acerbus whispered in the darkness as he stood from the obsidian pedestal in the chapel. The glass windows were stained with the color of blood. The moonlight poured through them, casting the crimson rays all across the room, bathing him in the light. He turned and headed for the hidden trap door into his home below the chapel.

Acerbus Occisor was born an Imperial. His hair was as black as the Void itself and it fell to his wide shoulders. His eyes were of the deepest and darkest crimson, seduction and cunning flowed from them. His face was pale and very gaunt due to the lack of blood he drunk. A long, crooked scar ran diagonally down his back. Acerbus wore a tight black leather suit and a dark sapphire blue hooded cape.

He climbed down the ancient oak ladder and into the cave that surrounded him. The walls of the old place had fresh pickaxe cuts into them for more room and walking space. The amount of recruits who had joined the Esoteric Fangs had stretched the cavern to several levels below the chapel. It was an astonishing amount of vampires in one location. Over three thousand had joined the guild over a one hundred year span. But a thousand are there under the chapel, as it is the place where the guild was founded.

The guild of assassins has prospered over the span of one hundred years and now rivals the power and fear of the Dark Brotherhood presence in Cyrodiil. The Fangs have been taking most contracts from the Dark Brotherhood, almost crippling the ancient guild from under its foundations.

Acerbus nodded at the vampiric children roaming about the halls of the expansive cavern. The uppermost level of the cave was the market, with several other sections ranging from fletchers to bladesmiths and general goods to large bottles filled to the brim with human blood, ever so sweet blood. He moved towards the back wall of the top level and to the vendor sandwiched in between two larger stalls.

“Hi, Peter. What do you have with you today?” Acerbus asked with questioning eyes. The vendor, a gray headed Nord taller than his stall, stood there swaying to some music that no one but he could hear.

“I have just come back from High Rock. It seems that they have been performing illegal experiments and doing research there. I was lucky enough to steal a few books from their alchemy labs. Here have a look,” he answered politely. Acerbus could tell from the tone of Peter’s voice that he had just recently fed, as he is usually irritable after a missed feeding. Acerbus grabbed the red leather bound book and began to flip through the pages. The script it was written in was a beautiful one, curvy letters and the perfect slant of them. Acerbus immediately recognized it as a woman’s; no man could write like that.

He finished flipping through the first one and put it down. He picked another up, this one was bound in a blue cotton cover and was embedded with blood red rubies. Acerbus opened it up to the first page.

Porphyric Hemophilia: The Vampires

He began to read it. It told of the many different clans of vampires of Tamriel and their abilities and weaknesses. This was the perfect book to further increase his studies of his kin. He looked up from the book and queried, “I’ll take this one. How does twenty septims sound?”

Peter nodded and Acerbus placed the gold on the table and walked away. He moved downstairs to his room and began to drink a bottle of blood, all the while reading his newly acquired book.

EDIT: Changed seductive to seduction

This post has been edited by Lord Veneficus: Jul 7 2008, 05:57 PM

[Lord Veneficus]

Chapter Four

“Yes, I do. What exactly is in that sword?” Octavian asked. A group of people had gathered around them, whispering about the ivory blade in Acerbus’ hand.

Acerbus looked around the room, seeing the looks he got. Some were those of disgust and hatred, others were full of happiness. Then, he saw Jena. The effects of vampirism had been kind to her angelic face. She was not absolutely gorgeous; she looked just like any other Imperial woman. Her personality was what got him the most. Jena’s joking nature kept him happy, even though he did not want to be. He shook his head and returned back to Octavian. “Ralas told me it contained the soul of a powerful vampiric mage who broke our most sacred of rules,” Acerbus answered.

“Well, chap, I’m not fightin’ you with that thin’,” Octavian said. He sheathed his sword and walked over to him. “Oh, and nice amulet, mate.”

Acerbus nodded put his blade back into its scabbard. He turned and left the room, angry that he did not get to use his new weapon. Jena ran up to him. “Hey, nice sword. Don’t worry about Octavian; he’s just a scaredy-guar. Anyway, do you want to go to dinner?” She asked, chuckling at her own joke.

“Sure, but I’d rather eat in my room. I don’t like the mindless chatter that goes on in there. They would rather talk about things they don’t know about and not what they do,” Acerbus answered. They made their way over to the dining hall, all the while Jena joking the whole way.

Acerbus wasn’t hungry, so he grabbed a bottle of bloodwine and headed towards his room. “You aren’t hungry?” Jena asked as she pulled an apple from a sheepskin bag and began to eat it.

“No, this blood will do just fine, thanks anyways,” he answered.

They arrived in his room. Acerbus sat opposite of Jena. She took a bite of the dried beef and took a drink of her mead. As Acerbus drunk the last of the bloodwine, he could feel his facial features coming back. He strong jawline inched back into place and his cheeks regained some of the lost fat they once had in them.

“How come Ralas gave you that sword?” Jena asked, breaking the peaceful silence. Acerbus looked up from his lap, wondering whether he should tell her or not.

“He said that with my recent assassination, that I deserved it. I don’t feel as though I do,” Acerbus lied. He knew she would overreact to something like leading a war against werewolves so he kept that to himself.

“Strange, that doesn’t sound like Ralas at all. Are you telling me the truth, Ace?” Jena questioned, this time seriously. Acerbus swallowed the heavy lump in his throat, looked up at her and smiled; even though it looked more like a grimace than a smile.

“Well, Jena, I have been chosen for something dangerous and it could possibly be my demise. I have to lead the war against the Lycanthropes.”

“Acerbus, you can’t! Those things’ll kill you. How could they do this to me?” She asked, looking as though she was going to shed tears. “I’ve known you too long for you to die. Let me come.”

“I will have to discuss that with the Council. I cannot promise anything as of now,” Acerbus answered softly. The only crying he ever wanted to see would be when his victims were on the verge of becoming his next meal; he felt pity for Jena. “I’ll talk to them tomorrow night.” She nodded, stood up, and left the room. Acerbus could tell she would not be the same for a long while.

+++++

“Acerbus can complete his assignment. Do you recall the assignment he was on several years ago?” Ralas asked the Council. The pitch black confines of the Forbidden Room, felt warm to his flesh. “He butchered every expertly trained Orcish warrior on the payroll of Lord Ugak-gro-Haglack. I, for one, have never seen so much blood spilled to kill a single man. That proved his prowess in combat, nonetheless.”

Every member of the Council nodded in approval. Then, the Khajiit ancient, J’Keri, spoke up, “Why did you give him the sword with which his father was trapped in? You should tell him, Ralas. I know we are cold creatures but no man should go without knowing his own father. Tell him before he leaves on his journey.”

Ralas was very concerned. The powerful blade that Acerbus was given did indeed have the soul of his father trapped inside, not the insane vampiric mage he had told him. Finally, Ralas broke the silence and said, “He will be told when he returns. It is my decision not yours, J’Keri.”