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 Ten

Acerbus woke from his sleep, feeling a tiny bit better from yesterday. The silvery moonlight shone through the window, but would fade in and out every so often, stating that there were dark clouds looming above in the sky. Acerbus truly loved the feel of moonlight on his skin, as cool and embracing as though he were being hugged by his once loving mother. He grabbed his hooded cape, clicking the silver clasp in place and straightening it to wrap around his shoulders. He pulled the sapphire hood over his head, leaving his deep crimson red eyes glowing in its shadow.

Heading over to the bed, Acerbus gently nudged Jena awake. “Let’s go. We have several hours before the sun rises,” He whispered quietly in her ear. Jena stirred and rolled over onto her back, wiping the crud from her eyes and sitting up on the edge of the bed.

Acerbus looked down to see that Octavian was not lying on his bed roll, or anywhere else in the room. His childish ways are beginning to bother me. He thought as he opened the creaky wooden door and glanced down the dimly lit hallway.

He motioned for Jena to follow and she silently padded along the floor to rest her hand on his back. Acerbus moved forward into the hall, seeing everything as though it were broad daylight.

As they entered the room below, Acerbus caught glance of Octavian, swapping a small bag of gold with a rough looking man who handed him two minute bottles. Skooma! What in Vile’s name is he doing? Acerbus thought as he stormed towards the dealer.

“What the hell is this?” He demanded, Jena standing next to him, looking a bit shocked. As Acerbus neared the dealer, he swung at him with a clenched fist. The dealer fell cold to the floor, all the while Acerbus snatched the bag of gold and the skooma given to Octavian and threw the skooma against the wall, smashing the bottles.

Octavian stood up and took a swing at Acerbus, who dodged the poorly thrown punch. Acerbus grabbed his hand and twisted it behind Octavian’s back. “I’ll not have a friend do drugs under my nose. It is as though you were spitting on the life you have established,” Acerbus whispered forcefully, making sure he made every word sink into Octavian’s head.

“I was just going to AGHH!” He was interrupted as a sharp twang of pain shot through his arm. “I was going to try it, Ace! Calm down.” Acerbus twisted harder, threatening the snap of Octavian’s arm. Acerbus didn’t like to be so violent to someone he has known since he was just a child, but he knew it had to be done.

He gave Octavian a little push, releasing his arm and standing resolute and cold in front of everyone in the village. Acerbus ignored the stares and jeers of the bar patrons and said quietly, “Come on, Jena. He no longer deserves to be a part of this.” He turned and left the tavern, Jena in tow.

Acerbus rounded the corner to the back of the tavern, its shadows enveloping him as he unleashed Fidelis from the stump and scratched him behind the ears, making Fidelis give a warm growl.

As they walked from the edges of the village, the sound of a door being slammed resounded out over the night, shattering the wonderful silence that the night always gives to the people of Nirn. Fidelis began to bark madly and Acerbus had to throw a calm spell at him. Octavian ran up, his eyes glowing with anger. Acerbus stood his ground as Octavian pushed up against him, they stood shoulder to shoulder. “That sort of embarrassment was uncalled for, Acerbus. All you care about is poor Jena! She’s really no better than me, seeing as though she immediately changes her personality whenever you’re not around. Jena has her secrets, that, I can tell you. You’ll see them come out in due time, my ‘brother’,” Octavian declared as he stormed off into the forest, but not before throwing a suspicious smirk back at Acerbus.

This was the time that Jena decided to speak, “Why’d you do that, Acey? I fear that you’ve just made yourself an enemy. He did not deserve the pain and embarrassment that you gave him back there. Sure, he was about to become an addict, but you should have talked him out of it, not scare the living hell out of him.” Acerbus shook his head, too disgusted to say anything.

--------

“Where are we heading now, Acey?” Jena asked after an hour of seemingly undying quiet. Acerbus looked down at the wolf treading lightly next to him, being very calm and content, his tongue hanging from his mouth and his tail wagging in the warm breeze. Then, Acerbus glanced back up at Jena.

“We’re still heading towards Cheydinhal, but we are not going to stop there. I’ll buy all of our supplies, along with food for Fidelis,” Acerbus said, Fidelis giving an approving bark of the word food. “But you can do whatever you please when we get there, just don’t get into any trouble please.” Acerbus laughed, patting his wild dog on the head and re-clasping the sapphire amulet he was given around his neck.

“Yes, sir. I promise on Bal himself,” Jena said jokingly.