Rain poured hard outside of the large and luxery mansion. Candles and chandeliers gave a warm color to the rooms. Most of them anyway. The mansion and the life the hostess lived for the past several years was nothing but a facade. First, for a place in higher ranked Serendipity nobility. Second, the collection of artifacts which the original lord of this household had in his posession.
Anise, one of the leaders from the Yyndrad guild, married with him, had a son and with that an heir to the household. Waited for him to be old enough and a month ago her husband passed away.
The households servants were replaced by members of the very same guild although they were not killed. Instead they were paid rather royally. After all if they went missing there would be unwanted attention.
Right now though, the house was used to host a guild meeting. It had been a rather long time since one had taken place.
Dinner was served as well. A dish for everyone's personal liking. Even drinks were custom. After all. Several people had been tested on themselves or by themselves. At the least though everyone looked human.
Anise was already in her seat twirling some bloodwine in her glass. A nervous servant beside her.
''Very good.'' Anise said which relieved the servant who bowed.
He was late. But that was okay. There were many things, it could be said, that Cadogan Abaraxas obsessed over, although that wasn't exactly the word he used, but the point of the matter was that time was not something like blood or magic. It wasn't life-sustaining or in any way important. As a member of a society that could turn back the hands of time itself to turn death into a form of life again, why should time be an issue of worry?
So he cleaned every speck of blood from his laboratory, the sickly sweet smell of a bleaching substance clinging in the air. When all was silver and white again without a hint of crimson, Cadogan pulled off his mask with a small, crooked smile of content. Taking to his separate, personal office of sorts, the work scuffed clothes became a two piece violet suit, a black cravat and tail coat. It had better look as though he had at least made an effort after being so late.
And what better time than being late than to take a test run of a new extracted magic. Teleportation. He found the small, dark cylinder and clicking his fingers sharply, the gold tendrils manifested from the very, very slight crevice and connected to his bare forearm once his sleeved from rolled up to his elbow. Feeling no pain from the high energy, Cadogan inhaled sharply through his teeth, the mental sensation enough for him. Fixing himself, he focused his energy and thoughts on the mansion. He'd been there, one or twice and to his knowledge, that's all you needed. Bathed in light, Cadogan felt his mass, his matter completely dissolve and the speed and rush that followed. Indescribable. Both something very intriguing as it was utterly frustrating.
When he was whole again, Cadogan's heart was thundering, but he betrayed no exhilaration in his expression. He was in the front hall. Some servants jumped at his sudden arrival and he simply caught one with his eye. The small girl did not dare look away. Cadogan raised his eyebrow and scowled very softly, his speech similar, "To Anise. Now." He clicked his tongue, not wasting his breath on too many words for this child. The frightened servant nodded, shaking as she turned and lead him to the dining hall. She curtsied and scurried out, eyes hazed with terrified tears. He smirked. He had to admit. Even he had to blow off steam by playing now and again.
"Apologies for the late arrival, Anise. Work was particularly arduous." he smiled coolly, taking his the seat to your right, fingers gliding to fix any vermilion hairs out of place.
"The opulence is.. Charming if a little, pedestrian."
''It 's fine.'' Anise replied. ''You are not exactly that late. So you are off the hook. I know how important your research is to you.'' Anise took another sip of her wine. ''Also Helia, grow a bit of spine. You are a part of our guild by blood. No need to be frightened of strong presences.''
''Of c-course mi-lady.'' the servant replied before she bowed politely and left to make sure the rooms for Cadogan and Sophie were in order.
Gradius was at the opposite side of the table and Sophie was present as well. Which meant regarding leaders everyone was here.
''Well then. With everyone here, let's eat and go through the things we need. If you need the help of a servant or one of your direct pupils feel absolutely free to invite them over. The report I can make now though is that me being married off to the former Master of the House was a good succes. A male heir whom is now of age and the collection of artifacts is just astounding. It was exactly what rumours said it was. Of course my late husband sold a few things but we have what we initially wanted now. Gradius can continue his research regarding ascending to become a higher being in this very much unpleasant world.''
Her dark cloak rustled in the wind as she made her way to the meeting. She stood quietly and listened as the other members of the Order spoke of maiming and torture. This was a part of her life, the only family she had ever known.
Her own specialities were languages and forgotten rites. That was why she was here tonight. There was a slight chance that her knowledge of the now forgotten languages and runes would be needed.
Having spent most of her life busy occupied with her studies, Sophie did not know the other people in this order as much as she knew her beloved books. She was quiet and thoughtful during most of these meetings. Her contribution to the group was the sharing of all the knowledge she learned from deciphering the ancient scrolls.
In return money had never been a problem when she needed to travel to find new scrolls. She had news to share with the group today. In her studies she had found an ancient tome. It had taken almost a year to decipher it, this was how complicated the ancient language was.
But what was revealed in the tome was worth the year of hard work. The tome spoke about an ancient curse, the awakening of a hidden evil - and the first sign was that the sky would be red with blood....
As she entered the room, she saw a young woman standing near Lady Anise. She was also draped in a cloak, but she was very pale. Sophie looked at her, could not remember to have seen her before.
"A new member?" she asked Anise and Gradius as she entered the room, her eyes sparkling with excitement over the find she had discovered in her ancient tome.
Anise chuckled and looked at the servant who had served her the wine. ''My my Sophie. You do not even gecognise your far away descendants? Ilya still has to prove herself however but I hear regarding assistant work she is one of the best. There is, a new recruit though whom I will introduce now. The one I asked permission for.'' Anise spoke calmly.
''Flavia my dear? You may show yourself and take place at the table.''
Sophie chuckled with laughter and took a closer look at the young servant. "Ah, Ilya. Now I remember. I guess spending so much of my time with my work really cuts me off from the world. I am glad that my descendant does not bring shame to her family though..."
She nodded when Anise announced the arrival of a new recruit. The recruit had to really be something special when Anise herself had asked permission for her. Sophie wondered what this new recruit could do for their order.
"Of course," she said. "Bring her in please...."
Flavia entered the room when Anise called her name, smiling shyly to those she didn't know already and offering a deep curtsy before she took her place at the table as requested.
Sophie measured the girl. Long, dark hair flowing down her back in curls. Pale skin, sparkling brown eyes, an average and slender body. She seemed to be very young....
"She is pretty of course," Sophie admitted. "But beauty alone is not enough to serve our cause. Can she do something else?"
''Lady Flavia here, is a vampire. Not only has she provided blood for our order to use, that blood seemed to have been rather useful in multiple researches. Glamour magic. Illusions. Enchantments. Hypnosis. Of course she is still learning but she is certainly promising. Passed the test with flying colors as well. I've been teaching her a bit of magic from my side and she learns quickly.'' Anise assured.
''And of course she is eager in many ways.''
Sophie studied Flavia with renewed interest when she heard what the girl was and what she could do. A vampire?" she asked. "Not bad. And the skills you speak of can be quite useful to us. What does she ask for in return for her services?"
She was pleased to hear that the new girl had passed the tests with flying colors. If Lady Anise vouched for the girl she could be quite useful. Lady Anise did not guarantee for just anyone, so this girl had to be special.
Her lips curled in a smile when she heard that the girl was eager in many ways. "Eager you say?" she asked. "Just how eager is she? How far is she willing to go?"
Her gaze went from Anise to Gradius and back to Anise again. The two of them were the ones who seemed most eager to bring young Flavia into the order.
Cadogan wasn't found of eating, so a simple glass of scarlet wine was given to him. Taking a small cylinder and unscrewing the top with a very... Unnatural precision. As he tilted it up to pour, a thick, darker than crimson liquid oozed out and dropped into his drink. After four or five drops, he carefully it back up, hissing gently through his teeth when he thought he had dropped some. His face did not betray his feeling of genuine relief as he twisted the seal back on and put it back in his coat pocket. Such a simple action drowned out what he deemed an unimportant conversation and introduction in his mind. He only heard what he wanted to hear.
"A vampire with such magic is somewhat beneficial. If ever I take a sample of her blood, I expect the taste to be more than just satisfactory if you've been teaching her, Anise. I have no time to bestow extra magic on a creature who has it already in spades and cannot simply utilize it." He said coolly, not even giving the girl so much as a glance, directing his speech to only Anise as he shook his glass, watching the liquid swirl. He took a small sip. The rich taste of wine mixed with the crisp, sweet flavor of glamour magic. Delicious.
''We take blood from her on occasion.'' Anise replied. ''It is beneficial. Although it's raw form is not exactly wise to take. But hey. That is what research is for. See what it does, and if it does not have the desired result, we alter it. It is simple as that. The first initial testsubjects showed significant increase of musclestrength but after a few hours their minds became uncontrolable and went berserk. And after that well. Collapsed. Instead of recovering they turned into goo slowly. Fortunatly we are already beyond that point. It could lead to something or nothing. But do not fret. Even if we can not use Lady Flavia's blood for enhancements she can draw truths out of them. Useful to locate artifacts for example of which we know have been in a particular family.''
The servantgirl poured in bloodwine for Flavia. ''Mi-lady, if you wish to feed on blood, we have a fine specimen for you. Do keep in mind he must not survive but he is yours to do with as you please.'' she spoke to Flavia.
''But Sophie, Cadogan, how are your reasearches going? And your preperations for Coastal Serendipity? The dragons are ready. The boneships are tricky but soon perfected.''
Cadogan frowned at her. He had a mind to tell her that she had no need to explain what was, quite frankly, his field of expertise to him. But he did agree with her nonetheless, so he kept his mouth shut by taking another mouthful of his drink. Tonight was not the night for petty clicks of the tongue on such trivial matters. Especially when a much more pressing matter was at hand.
"Ugh.. It is such a hindrance when test subjects are unable to take the enhancement." Cadogan sighed, half pouting and half smirking. Honestly, thinking back to their pleads and screams did give him a sense of amusement.
Ah finally, the reason he had bothered to leave his lab, "Procedures are in place and progress is being made smoothly and precisely. I've had the opportunity to taste the magic of Coastal Serendipity. Fascinating, honestly. A local with hardly any magic power still had a... Unique flavor. I trust you had some scouts see to the geographical factors, but from what I saw, there is only one route from which any interruptions in the form of reinforcements can strike. If things go to plan, which I know they will, within a few hours the sea will have practically turned red." With particular on his last, somewhat hyperbolic phrase, Cadogan punctuated his speech with a smirk and sip from his glass.
Flavia, being new in the order didn't say much, She smiled friendly to the other members and listened in on the conversation. She was here to listen and learn. She only spoke when she was spoken to, and she only did what she was told, to not step on anyone's toes.
She was glad to hear that Anise was able to use her blood for something, and she hoped to be able to do more for the order when asked. She smiled to the servantgirl pouring bloodwine for her, meeting her gaze when she spoke of her wish to feed on blood.
"Thank you, dear," she replied gently. "I am not hungry at the moment, but I will remember your offer for later...."
Sipping her wine, she listened as Cadogan and Sophie spoke of their researches. Sophie listened to Cadogan's information with interest and gave him a glance of appreciation. He had done his task well. Then it was her turn to speak.
"I have deciphered the entire tome," she said, placing the dusty old tome on the desk in front of her for everyone to see. "It reveals that an ancient evil is hidden in the first City we plan to attack, and it will be awakened again when the sky is red from blood. The humans are hiding another book of spells they will use to turn this evil force against us if we attack their town."
She looked over at Anise when she spoke of the preparations for Coastal Serendipity. "I know that I am no use as a warrior," she admitted. "But I do know how to break the magic spell hiding the other book of spells, and I know what runes to use to get through the protection barrier and steal the book. Please, allow me to go with you and at least get the book for our order. I think we may find many spells inside that could be of use to us."
''All three of us will be here Sophie. Do what you are good at and we will make sure to cover you. I never cease to be amazed by what you do although I wonder how you increased your knowledge faster then normal lately.'' she did not go further on the matter. She did not know about Jasorus. After all. Any word about him and he would stop giving Sophie any help or knowledge she desired.
''Sophie then can get to the time and be in charge of the magic spells. Cadogan. Gradius should be strong enough to raise a wall of thick dragonbones but it takes a while to cast and it will litterly drain him from everything he has. If you have something temporary regarding the way out, Gradius will have time to cast before everyone escapes our clutches. I will need to cover him though, preferably with a bit of help. It is hard to make bones erupt from the ground and form a wall. I do not mind if some civilians escape. They are useful to carry a message. '' Anise finished her wine and asked the servant for a refill.
''Is there anything the both of you still require?''
Sophie smiled gratefully when Anise promised that the order would cover her. The order had always covered her. Perhaps that was why she devoted her entire life to them. Everything she did - her entire research - was to help and to be of use to them. She hoped and believed that some of her work had been useful.
A secretive smile appeared on Sophie's face when Anise spoke of how she increased her knowledge faster than normal. Perhaps she would introduce Anise to Jasorus one day - but now was not the time.
She nodded briefly when she was ordered to be in charge of the magic spells and steal the book. She could do this without problems, knowing that the order would kill anyone standing in her path. She perked her ears when Anise spoke of Gradius possibly being drained after raising the wall of thick dragonbones.
"Perhaps he may feel a bit stronger if he drink some of my blood," she offered, knowing that her father was a rare type of demon. "And... perhaps if we mix my blood with the blood of the vampire..." she threw Flavia a glance, "the strength may last for a little while longer?"
Flavia nodded. "I will do anything I can to be of help," she replied humbly. "But since I am new here, just let me know what to do..."
Sophie mused when Anise spoke of anything they still required. "Perhaps one thing, though it has nothing to do with this Invasion," she said. "I need fundings for another expedition to Thanatos. My research have showed that there may be rare, magical artifacts there that may be of use to the Order."
''Consider the fundings done.'' Anise replied. ''My late 'husband' left enough. Also there were rumours about a so called Sorran dragon being used for harvest in Thanathos. Illegal practises. See what they are up too while you're there and see if you can get any blood, scales or even organs if it is not alive. If it is alive, according to the rumors it is male. I personally am rather curious what happens if he'd make a woman pragnant. It has a human form. Maybe you can take someone with you to try it out. Seeing as I doubt you'd want to be the first to know what happens if things do not go so well.''
She paused. ''Regarding the blood. I recommend testing it on someone first as well. If it indeed strengthens the consumer then it might be an idea to let Gradius take in the blood. Maybe a few days prior of the assault.''
"Thank you," Sophie replied with a light bow of her head when Anise promised fundings for her new expedition. She could always trust Yyndrad for help when needed.
She listened to Anise's request to find the Sorran dragon, nodding when she was told to get blood, scales or organs if the dragon was dead, or try breeding it with a human female if it was alive. "Of course," she said. "I will be happy to bring with me anyone you want for the eventual breeding. Do we have anyone available here, or should I set up a meeting in the human village where I settle down? I could pass for a matchmaker you know... And I will be happy to record anything that happens and give you full report. Maybe even we could bring the child with us when I return..."
She nodded again when Anise recommended testing the blood on someone before giving it to Gradius. "Of course, I am certain that both Flavia and I will be happy to help," she replied, then turning to Cadogan with a smile. "Perhaps our esteemed Cadogan will be willing to tap the blood for us and perform the tests? I am eager to hear how it turns out, and I am quite certain Cadogan is qualified enough to do the job."
The discussion turned to blood, piquing Cadogan's interest and for once, he actually was attentive to what others had to say. Cadogan leaned back, a small almost unsettling smile of amusement and curiosity stretching across his lips, "Mixing magic elements in blood? My studies in that have not proved fruitful as of yet, magic being so unique to the individual that it is hard to find compatibility. It is not as easy as finding the same type as you can with transfusions of blood. " Cadogan mused, more to himself. He had needed sufficient motivation to go back to his research on further enhancement of raw magic itself and this could be it.
Cadogan grimaced, "Ugh, I'd sooner rush my joint research to create offspring with a sample. Huamn breeding is such a messy affair." He stated in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone, sighing and running his finger around the rim of this glass.
He gazed at Sophie, face expressionless bar a small smile. Smile thinking of his research, not of claims he was esteemed. He already knew that. He shrugged, hiding his intention to grin, "It'd be not my pleasure, but my duty and responsibility to partake in such an admittedly intriguing task." He looked to Anise, raising his glass slightly in a motion of 'cheers', "Improvements to the seemingly perfect is how we achieve perfection of course. By any. Means. Necessary." A low, throaty chuckle escaped him as he took an almost triumphant sip.
''I did not find it that messy, it is just that it takes long.'' Anise replied regarding human pregnancy. Cadogan, surely there will be a difference in actual transfusion and consuming. You all know I've been drinking demonblood on occasion. It had some side effects. Good ones at that.'' she said with a smirk and licked her lips.
''Gradius. Regarding the bone fleet how much more time do you think you need?'' Anise asked.
''At the moment I have managed to make 17 large ships and 53 smaller ones. Still large. They are equipped with siegeweapons and can move over the ocean floor with the speed of a normal surfacewater ship. They are sturdy though but not invincable. It is possible we lose a few if the pirates decide to engage in battle. But with a few more we have enough to cover the entire shore of Coastal Serendipity. We do need to find an alternative for the dragons. With other Yyndrad mages I've restored dragonbones so they have flesh and skin but if Dragonriders from Adela unite and assault us from the sky we will lose that advantage.''
Anise nodded. ''Yes dragonriders could be a potentional problem. Hopefully the Sorran dragon in Thanatos cooperates. A living dragon functions better then an undead one. Regarding the dragon Sophie. I will give you a bottle of succubus pheromones after the meeting. It is still in Hell. Just do not inhale it yourself.''
Flavia, being a doctor, or rather an unofficial doctor, herself, listened with interest to what they said about blood. She had read of methods that could be used to make transfusions of blood successful. And after she had been turned into a vampire, she had often used her own blood for various tests.
"My experiments has showed that vampire blood can be adjusted to mix with other transfusions of blood," she said humbly, almost apologizing for having to speak in such a noble gathering. "You only need to add a couple drops of vinegar to the mix... I found out this by pure accident..."
Sophie smiled at Cadogan, glad to have his help to perform the task. She was not a doctor or had his knowledge of such experiments, so she would leave all such tasks to him. She was happy to stay focused on her forgotten languages and ancient runes.
"I am glad we have a man like you for this type of tasks," she smiled. "I will be willing to give you a sample of my blood any time you wish, and I am certain that young Flavia will be helpful as well."
Sophie listened to Gradius reporting about his tasks, smiling reassuringly when Anise told her about the Sorran dragon in Thanatos. "Rest assure I know better than to inhale succubus pheromones," she grinned. "I wouldn't dare to think of what would happen if I did - me being part demon and all... No, I will give it to the dragon, and then send the female in his path."
''Pick out a few. As long as they are expandable or are ambitious enough to fuck a dragon. More then once. It is not like women get pregnant at the first time often. Would they not be able to get pregnant we will just tame the beast.''
''Alright. Sophie, Flavia and Gradius, you will go with Cadogan for the blood. I will get the pheromones. They should be bottled up by now. We will meet at headquarters in what shall we say. Three days? I think that should be enough to determine wether drinking blood or transfusing would have a significant difference. I will check on the mages in charge of the undead army.''
"The method, the time, all of the unnecessary factors are just messy to me." Cadogan drawled, his voice dripping with apathy. Cadogan looked at the young Vampire, a genuine sign of interest shown in the way he frowned and raised his eyebrow, "Yes.. Perhaps with the right concentration.." he murmured, setting his glass down, his mind swirling and focusing purely on work now.
He waved his hand dismissively, standing up, his eyes glazed, not watching or looking at anything in particular, all his attention on formulas and calculations in his head, "But of course, of course. Demon and vampiric blood.. Yes, yes.." A small grin appeared on Cadogan's lips, his first since he arrived, "Three days? Almost too much time, but I'll take it. All we be prepared."
''Good. After those days Sophie can get to Thanathos with the girls she selected at Head Quarters. Gradius will then resume with the ships. Soon the world will remember who we are. We can not fail our invasion. In the worst case would things go wrong, you Sophie, Cadogan and Flavia leave first. Then Gradius, and then me. Before I forget though there is something that requires permission of the both of you.'' Anise looked at Cadogan and then Sophie.
Would Flavia be permitted to have an inside order marriage and carry Gradius' child or children. Outside of the order she is married to a nobleman though. One we unfortunatly due political matters can not take care of. But seeing as my son is of age, I think a wife will suit him just fine. Right now there is not a noble family in our interest for a so called public wedding.''
Flavia and Sophie both smiled to Cadogan when he agreed to help them with the mixture of blood. Flavia as a doctor was used to working with herbs, seeing the effects it had on her patients and their sickness. Perhaps she and Cadogan could get to work together with lab work and she could learn more lab work from him? He seemed like a very talented man. Sophie had other expertise fields, but she of course knew Cadogan from the order and respected his talented work. There were few others she would trust with tapping of her demon blood.
"Both Flavia and I will be happy to help with blood to the Order," Sophie said, and the younger woman nodded in agreement. She was glad that the more experienced Sophie took the lead.
Both women listened when Anise spoke of the invasion, nodding in agreement when Anise told them to leave first with Cadogan if things would go wrong. They hoped for the success of the Order though, and victory in the upcoming battle.
Sophie listened with a smile when Anise asked for an inside order marriage and carry Gradius' child or children. Flavia had to be quite a woman for Gradius to be so interested that he wished to marry her - even if it was inside the order. But there was a problem - the girl was a vampire, and as far as Sophie knew, vampires could not have children.
"I have no problems giving my permission of course," she said softly. "But I have a question, if you forgive my curiosity. How can a vampire give birth? Of course I am sure you are capable of coming up with a solution..."
She looked over at Cadogan with a smile. "What do you say, Cadogan? Do they have your permission too?"
Cadogan tapped his fingers by his side, slight twitches running through his body as he grew more impatient. He wanted to leave and start this work, it was rare that he wait for others to get to his pace. Although, normally, he did not appreciate taken orders as he was one of the three used to giving them, but in this case, even he could set his ego aside and realise that it was important for them to understand. However, he rolled his eyes and simply frowned, "I know the protocol Anise, it's common sense.." He ran a hand through his hair, wondering if the two would slow him down and also taking the time to despise the fact that he could not simply leave them behind.. Ugh. There were downsides to working in a such a unit. But, much like everyone else in the room, for Cadogan such a situation of retreat was hypothetical. They would succeed. They had no other choice.
Cadogan sighed. He held a great deal of hostility for many aspects of the normal, mundane world and politics was definitely one of them. He grimaced at Sophie and simply sighed again, "Although I have no interest in such matters, what I do have an interest in are matters that are of importance to the Order, so of course, I give my permission without question."
''Good. Now let's get to work. Regarding the fact vampires can normally not become pregnant Sophie, I will discuss that with you another time. Cadogan seems very eager to leave. He is just like you, not being able to last long without studies.'' she jestered.
Gradius got on his feet and bowed. ''Thank you respectfull leaders for granting permission.'' he said. He was not actually the marriage type but still. Getting a child was actually quite interesting. Already would he have a good marriage present for Flavia when the day would be there. Knowing his mother it would actually be rather soon. If Flavia was ready anyway. Yyndrad marriages were never with celebration. It was discreet. A short ritual and the bedding. Although the latter had actually already happened several times.
He held out his hand to Flavia once he got to her seat and offered to help her stand.
''Would mi-lady wish for her meal to be delivered?'' the servant asked.
Cadogan snorted, half caught in a pout and a smirk, "Well if my eagerness means the difference between a much more effective success for the Order, I take my over abundance of such an element to be a blessing." he drawled. Only Anise could joke with him like that.
Cadogan frowned, thinking of such things as relationships. They were a very alien concept to him, but he had to admit, he had always like the subtle way in which the Order conducted such a ceremony. Short, simple, ritualistic, nothing unnecessary. Nonetheless, he was happy to have not had to have gone threw at anytime. Cadogan had his duty and his responsibility to the Order and as long as he fulfilled that, that was what he was necessary for. There were plenty of other male and females who could create children to keep the Order going.
Sophie nodded, smiling when Anise joked about Cadogan and her not being able to last long without studies. "Ah, that is all too true," she laughed, winking at Cadogan. "I know your pain, dear Cadogan, and I promise to not let you wait for much longer..."
She did not worry for vampires being unable to breed. If she knew Anise correctly Anise would find a solution to that problem already before she allowed her son to marry a vampire.
Flavia blushed and smiled when Gradius rose to his feet, glad that it was him who would be her husband in the Yyndrad order. She did not know the other men yet, and she had always felt well with Gradius. He knew how to please a woman in bed, and he knew how to please her outside the bed. She felt ready to marry him as soon as the time was right. She knew that outside the order she would still be married to Rasul Syron and be named as Lady Flavia Bathory-Syron. But here, in the order, she was just Flavia.
When he held out his hand to her, she lifted her own hand and placed it in his before standing up. "Thank you," she smiled and kissed his cheek. "I will be with you as soon as I have helped Cadogan and Sophie with the blood they spoke of..."
She turned to the servant and nodded in appreciation. "Yes please," she replied gently. "I can eat as soon as I am done in the lab..."
Sophie listened to the young couple and smirked, patting Cadogan's arm friendly when he spoke of his life-long duty to the Order. She felt they had lots in common since also she had spent all her life working to serve the Order.
"Ah, it seems we are ready," she said as Flavia joined her and Cadogan. "Lead the way to your lab, my friend, and let's find out if this new theory of blood can be sorted out.... You are the only man in this order that gets to flash your needle at me..."
Grimacing and trying for the slightest of smiles, stiffening slightly when he felt contact on his arm. Hmm. It seemed he was getting a lot better at controlling his reactions to touch. Sometimes Cadogan had the bad habit to forget that his disdain for humans shouldn't really seep into the Order and he was very good at controlling his disgust and focusing it outside his Ynydrad "family" if one could truly call it that.
Cadogan nodded, a genuine small smile coming across his lips at the thought of actual work. Spinning on his heels, he called back to Anise with little care as to what she thought, "My old lab is still here correct? I'm using whatever I can find." Almost.. Like a sibling would. Hmm. He wondered why the out of place comparison came into his head.
He skillfully navigated his way around the hallways, down stairs until eventually, the silver, immaculate clean door was in front of them. Cadogan pushed the door open and the labroatory seemed to drone and hum to life. Silver and pristine, large tankers practically purring against the wall with the concentration of collected magical energy. This lab acted as a sort of storage area, but it could be used for a simple extraction procedure.
"If you have any questions or concerns, for one, you'd best get them off your tongue now, but do try to think of them before vocalizing them." Cadogan murmured, getting his equipment ready, not even actually checking if he was talking to air or if the ladies had actually managed to keep up with him.
Sophie smiled when she noticed the grimace on Cadogan's face and his slight stiffening when he felt the contact on his arm. She knew of his disdain for humans, and hoped that he would remember that she was also the daughter of a demon.
When he navigated his way around the hallways and downstairs to the laboratory, Sophie and Flavia followed him without questions or remarks. They were both eager to do something to help the Order, and would go through anything the members of the Order asked of them.
Both women entered the lab and looked around with admiration in their eyes. "Nice lab," Flavia cooed. "You are clearly an expert in your field..."
"Yes he is," Sophie confirmed. "This is why I won't allow any others to flash their needles around me..."
The women shook their heads when Cadogan spoke of questions or concerns. "I don't think any of us have any questions or concerns about this," Sophie replied calmly. "We are ready for the tests required from us..."
While Cadogan prepared his equipment, both women pulled up their sleeves, getting ready for the blood tests.
Once everything was sharpened and sterilized, Cadogan actually began to smile. Well, if the almost unsettling look of contentment on his lips could be called that. Taking over two cylindrical objects, he was happy to have the fiddling part of the work done for him. Common sense was so rare, he couldn't help but feel a little spark whenever he saw it in practice. He placed them flat on both their fore armsm but instead of slipping away once he removed his hand, they glowed a dim golden color and tendrils of this aura leaked from small slit openings in the side and wrapped themselves around the skin, almost lazily.
"Now, a lot of needles will be going into you at once, altogether, so the pain is neither intensified nor diminished from just a normal needle." He drawled, used to doing this procedure with very little consent from the other party. Normally they were gagged, sniveling and he thought it was quite amusing to "reassure" them. The rare sound of a chuckle escaped from his throat as he pressed down on the cylinders, the pressure encouraging the little needles to pierce the flesh, the clear part of the tube slowly turning crimson. The golden tendrils also throbbed as they absorbed the magic separately, glowing brightly.
"Just a few minutes.." He muttered thoughtfully, going to his desk and rifling through some documents. Perhaps he had something to aid him in this matter.
Sophie and Flavia watched with interest when Cadogan started working with the two cylindrical objects. They did not protest when the objects were placed flat on their forearms.
"Oh this is exciting," Flavia said with sparkling eyes. She was a doctor, or at least she would have been if the universities had accepted female students. She worked hard to finish her education and become a doctor, and she was quite skilled within surgery and patching up regular wounds.
Sophie was not a doctor, but she was interested in seeing how Cadogan's experiments worked. She was glad to offer her blood if needed, hoping that hers and Flavia's blood could be useful in the experiments.
"You know very well that I am not afraid of a little pain," she replied. "And I don't think Lady Flavia is either... Please feel free to whatever it takes to make the experiments successful."
Flavia watched the clear part of the tube turning crimson when he absorbed their blood and some of the magic separately. "This is fascinating," she smiled. "I hope our blood will help your experiments..."
Cadogan cleaned his worktop furiously, having seen what he though to be speck in the corner of his eye. It was a little unsettling to not be surrounded by screams of pain or damning curses. But he would not complain, he liked the quiet just as much.
"I can't afford to hope it will Flavia, I need to know it will. I have other preparations I could me making, but if Anise's is confident, I too am confident." He muttered, walking back over to the two woman and checking the containers. The golden late was beginning to dim and in a few seconds, once the see through part was totally deep crimson in colour, the golden colour disappeared in the cylinder and Cadogan smiled, satisfied. He grabbed both tubes and tugged gently, encouraging the needles to withdraw quickly and then, he took them away.
"It'll need to study the blood and the magic separately and then fuse them if appropriate." He murmured, more to himself, as he pulled out a large, heavy morgue-like cabinet and clipped the tubes into the specific slots. He looked to the woman, frowning as he begrudgingly gave his thanks, "The offering for study is much appreciated." This was the best he could do while his mind was preoccupied.
Flavia nodded when Cadogan said he needed to know the experiments would succeed. "If there is anything I can do to help you with your projects, please let me know," she told him. "I would have been a doctor outside the order if the universities had allowed women to finish their educations with taking the final tests there. I find your work very fascinating... And your lab is magnificent."
Sophie watched the blood in the containers, smiling as she heard Cadogan thanking them for their help. "You are most welcome, friend," she replied. "I will help you too if I can. As you know I am part demon, and I am quite certain that you'll find some of my traits useful in your work."
In a state of only half listening to the woman, Cadogan simply nodded along. Since the work surrounding took up a lot more room than the two women, his mind was much more focused on what he could do with the rare opportunity with being back in this particular lab. He couldn't help but smile, speaking, but as if talking comfortably to himself.
"It is one of the much more sophisticated labs I have throughout the domains that are property of the Ynydrad. I'm happy Anise knew well enough to keep it in good working condition.."
The word of help from didn't even strike one chord with him. He had never worked with anyone. Before he was the position he was now, he worked under many with higher authority, but even then, he was trusted to work alone. He raised his eyebrow at the two of them, as if they were just coming into focus in his line of vision.
"Yes.. Perhaps.." He said dismissively, but not.. With as much of a sneer that was very characteristic of his speech. Anise had been telling him to "play nice with the family" recently. Perhaps it would be beneficial to not stare anyone down when such a crucial moment in history was just one turn of a corner away.
"Feel free to rejoin Anise, I'm sure you can find your way. Or stay. As long as you're not in my way, I don't care what you do." He shrugged, tinkering with a certain adapter gadget whose purpose he couldn't recall, "If you genuinely need something, a certain power, an certain "upgrade" to existing powers, now would be the time to ask. Sharpened artillery is necessary in war you know."
Flavia nodded when Cadogan allowed the women to rejoin Anise. "Please let me know if you need my blood or anything else to benefit your work," she said. "I promised Gradius to join him when I was done here. I will come back if I need to improve my skills. Lady Anise will know what I need. I am still so new here, so I mainly follow Anise's orders."
Sophie smiled and waited until Flavia had retreated to find Gradius, while she lingered behind. She was interested in the kind of work Cadogan did, even if her own specialities were ancient runes and hidden languages.
"I think there is a skill I might need to improve," she said. "As you know I travel a lot to find the runes we need for the Order. I may need to improve my fighting skills. I am a researcher, not a warrior. Do you have anything that may help?"
Gradius was waiting with Anise in the dining room enjoying another glass of bloodwine.
''Welcome back dear.'' Anise said after Flavia had returned. ''Hopefully it did not hurt to much. Some already feel the pain when they just as much see needles. Can I interest you in a drink? Or your meal perhaps.''
Gradius had gotten on his feet making his way to Flavia. ''Whatever happens I do hope that you will find yourselves at home here and in the order. Many things we do are easily seen as cruel by those who are not used to it. But we have no problem at all to make sacrifices for the later greater good. A world where everyone who is not human, has to hide.''
It genuinely took a full minute, perhaps a minute and a half for Cadogan to tear his eyes away from his work and realise that he was still being addressed... And he was less than ecstatic about it. Hearing was one thing, but now Cadogan actually had to listen. He ran his tongue along his teeth and tried to remember something Anise had told him about family or about how his misanthropy shouldn't carry on to the rest of the Order, who by that placement, were already entitled to being treated with a higher regard the the humans who could not open their minds and eyes to their aims... Was that how it went? Was that even Anise who told him that? Must have been, anyone else to have made that comment would have been slaughtered, for lack of a "gentler" term... But he hadn't exactly listened to that either, no short of a miracle that he even stored it in memory. Sighing, Cadogan yielded to the request with a shrug.
"I've never had a need to know about such things, but.. I hear Anise's talk of your work often and... Well.. She seems pleased." Cadogan cleared his throat. Was this how family treated family? By not being cruel? Yes? Perhaps? How did humans live like this everyday? It was excruciating tedious and an almost physical strain on the mind to find the right words to say.
Swiftly walking to a large silver cabinet like drawer, Cadogan pulled it open and after the white breeze of ice cold air faded away, it revealed nothing in it but pitch black padding protecting a small rectangular tray slotted into a small cut out section for it in the middle. The small circular groves were filled with dark, crimson pills and a film of plastic covered the top. Taking them out with an almost surgical precision, he turned and walked back to Sophie, offering them to her.
"A collaborative invention; Blood Pellets. They're infused with a rare manipulating magic that enhances physical attributes such as speed, agility, dexterity and strength. Perhaps you are intelligent enough to know how to use them yourself and provide yourself with necessary training. The effects should last a 48 hour period and never under any circumstances take more than three under that period of time. You'll be dead." Blunt, to the point, simple. Like how all conversations should be.
Cadogan raised an eyebrow to the woman, hoping she was satisfied. Not much else he could do for her. He was but a scientist too. He could almost relate to a.. A certain lack of fighting skills.