For You, It’s a Price That is Never Free

[Mother: "Matthew, what's going on outside?"]

Now that mother mentions it, it is quite loud outside, but London is loud, it always is. Mother never pays it any mind, contrary to my belief the sound was indeed strange. To find what was there would possibly be a boon to mother's mental state, so I'll find out for her. I opened the door, to find not a person in sight.

[Matthew: "Who are you?"]

There weren't necessarily no humans there, in fact there were many, this part of the street had nearly double in number, but the people here didn't feel quite human.

[??? "This place isn't too quaint, have the duke from the East live here."]

Nobility?

[Matthew: "Please excuse my informality, but if you would grant me a chance to speak, I'd be much obliged."]

The 'person' took a glance at me for the first time, a flicker of interest dancing upon his eyebrows.

[???: "Granted, you may speak."]

[Matthew: "Where does this gracious being come from? And on what qualms do you seek to evict me from my home?"]

[???: "I, am the twenty-third prime minister of the great line of Delgare, serving the King of our people with utmost loyalty."]

He cocked his head forwards.

[Delgare: "And I, shall evict you from this home upon my authority as prime minister, but don't think I'm so devious as to not give you a gift in return."]

His head snapped forward, and he was biting me?!

[Matthew: "You...! Get off my neck! Do you want to have my jugular burst?!"]

I tried shaking him off, and even punching him, but it did nothing, what disgusted me even more was the fact that he enjoying it. Then, he suddenly stopped, his eyes glaring into mine.

[Delgare: "You dare be able to reject my gift?"]

[Matthew: "What?! You bit my neck! This is an attempted murder!"]

[Delgare: "a mere mortal...dares reject my gift...?!"]

[Matthew: "isn't there an officer around here?!"]

[Delgare: "it seems...the prey here are much more fascinating!"]

I stopped calling for the officers and looked into his eyes, I want to forget the sight I saw, the sight of a deranged man. Clawing his eyes out and screaming for his lord and calling him vain.

[—]

I don't understand why I've come here. I only just woke up on the street from I presume was a detour to the pub, and I might have also got into a fight as there's a gash near my abdomen.

[Matthew: "I don't even remember going to the pub."]

The man who had intruded upon my home left without a word, mumbling to himself as he was carried away by the rest of his men. Then, in due time, the streets of London were back to normal.

I went to the pub, asking if any of the regulars had seen me there yesterday, most them said they were too drunk to remember, but a few had retained enough of their memory to tell me that I wasn't.

On closer inspection, the wound couldn't have been from a fight in the pub, as there were teeth marks, but it was beyond the size of a humans mouth. Possibly a dog, but even that seemed a little outrageous. I did need a drink this time.

[Matthew: "Honey ale."]

I slid a few pounds across the counter, the barkeeper, Frank would know. He slid a pound back.

[Frank: "You want anything else to go with that? Maybe like fried pumpkin or something? Goes well with ale."]

[Matthew: "Is the seasonal brew in?"]

Yes, he would know.

[Frank: "All the time."]

He scrunched up the bills into his pocket, and gave me a great bit of advice.

[Frank: "You were here last night, not in the pub, but I saw you walk to the post office.]

[Matthew: "After that?"]

[Frank: "I woke up under the morning sun, and what's strange is all the people on the street that day woke up nearly the same time I did, when I came back to pub, these drunkards were still here sleeping."]

[Matthew: "So then...the whole city blacked out."]

[Frank: "Every customer who knows the code came to ask me what happened and that's all I know."]

[Matthew: "Thank you, Frank, this was very beneficial."]

I told him goodbye, and left the pub.

So I wasn't drinking last night, and I wasn't the only one to have passed out that day, in fact it was me who woke up later than the rest of London. I can't remember what happened either, but there's always a clue to be found, the man from this morning said something about a lord. Perhaps one of the members of the court of King Edward VII was responsible for this, the street was empty this morning, they were the only ones there.

There's no way to win against a noble unless I have concrete evidence, my father won't support me in any way, so I must do this myself. But where do I start? I couldn't just waltz into the royal palace, I most definitely could sneak in, but that's the best way to get my head lopped off.

[Matthew: "Do you need something?"]

[???: "Yes, if I could have a little of your time, I'd like to question—interview, you on a little something."]

[Matthew: "What do I have that the paper wants?"]

[???: "Paper? Oh, no it's for my brother, he was quite distressed this morning after you refused his gift."]

It seems my opportunity has come.

[Matthew: "Of course, mister Delgare."]

[Delgare: "It seems you know of me, I am count Delgare's twin brother, Baron Delgare, but the names are so commonly intwined that we get called the same thing, so you may call me Victor."]

[Matthew: "What was it that you wanted to ask me about, Victor?"]

[Victor: "Are you perhaps in possession of a gemstone? Blood red."]

[Matthew: "I've never heard of a blood red gemstone."]

[Victor: "Then all is well, second question; do you or any of your relatives have strange or peculiar teeth?"]

[Matthew: "besides my slight overbite, and Sherlock's slight underbite, nothing."]

[Victor: "Hm, then last question; how did you reject his gift?"]

[Matthew: "Forgive me for saying so, but I'd assume he was trying to kill me from the way he bit my neck, it was an inch away from my jugular."]

[Victor: "And so it would seem, I apologize on his behalf, and I appreciate your time, as a reward, I will allow you to ask me just one question."]

[Matthew: "Who is your Lord?"]

[Victor: "...how do you know about that?"]

[Matthew: "I heard your brother say something this morning, he was talking about a Lord, but I've never seen either of you in King Edward VII's court the last time I went."]

[Victor: "it was supposed to be pleasant meeting, you know."]

Victor snapped his fingers and the world went pitch black, no it turned the sky dark, and the sun was replaced by the moon, all in one instant.

[Victor: "You can still move. You...intrigue me, you resist the gift, and you resist our innate ability."]

[Matthew: "What is this...?"]

[Victor: "it is a plan, a wish. That soon it will be like this eternally, so that we may never need to hide again."]

[Matthew: "What are you?!"]

[Victor: "Rulers of night, and terror to all, your kind calls us, Vampire."]