Hunt

A separate stoned building within the vicinity of the fortress- Ancient, but not left unused. Rustic, but somewhat maintained to an amount of cleanliness. There knelt the large physique'd male, studying wooden crate parts piece after piece. The general in his uniform without the major armory like his shoulder protector and chest plate of the sort, studied the crate pieces from their raids repeatedly searching for the slightest of clue.

Nothing

He observed beyond the damages from how it was delivered to how it was opened to how it was almost ruined from their own raid but there was nothing.

Xerion let out a long sigh, placing down the wooden piece he observed.

"These where all the crates?" The general stared hard at the wooden pieces that where splayed on the dark cobbled stone floor.

Rion in his grey version of his military uniform was also knelt across the general as they both where trying to look for 'something' from the crates.

"Yes, General" He answered. He himself almost felt a slight distress from having zero lead to whatever the enemy is concocting, not to mention the general's own territory was infiltrated by a mere corpse. Such stealth to sneak the creature in requires an unimaginable skill for the General not to notice the infiltration at all. From what it looks like now is that such incognisant motion from the corpse and the delivery of weapons... the coincidence of their untraceable marks meant it was the same enemy?

As the grey sky darkened outside their small warehouse type of structure, the general stood and took one last long look at the pile.

'One mistake... Just one mistake from the bastard'

The general cursed in his head with anticipation

His blood red eyes squinted at the materials, within the piles, there was one certain part of a wood piece looked as if it... shimmered just now.

Not alot, Heck it was even just a dot of a shimmer.

But that was all he needed.

-

"My lady?" Lui's voice echoed from behind the rich grained wooden doors of Ruviena's quarters.

"Enter"

Bolts clicked followed by an eerie sound from the door as it swung open. Lui held a large pretty black velvet box with a golden ribbon. Calmly walking across the room, Lui gently planted the box on Ruviena's bed mattress.

Ruviena on the other hand— with her one foot prompted atop an ottoman, stared at the gift holding the knowledge that it was from her husband. Probably a dress based on the box's size. Ruviena was in her lace black underlinen, she had been... ever since she couldn't find anything to wear that was not going to hinder her from accessing her weapons. All the dresses the general had piled for her before where gaudy and thick... too thick at the wrong places and the ones she brought from home where barely enough to be for a soirée.

She removed her left foot from the ottoman after attaching two thin silver blades on her black thigh belt that stunningly went well with her laced undergarments, click was the sound that followed when she locked her retractable silver stake at the left side of her firm calf. The silvers where in sync with the charismatic glow of Ruviena's hair. Gorgeously... Deadly.

Strutting towards her bed, she eventually released a frustrated sigh as she began opening the present. It was going to be gaudy— that was a fact. It was also probably going to have dozens of expensive, heavy, thick fabric in a generously number of layers. Most of all—

"...This is going to be annoying."

In her hand, she pulled out a soft and heavy fabric of black velvet. Surprisingly, it was not large and puffy... It was long and had a sort of chiton style where several golden chains strapped to it. Right now Ruviena knew not how to wear it as she studied where her limbs would go through— rather... which enormous hole should her limbs go through, not to mention there was a slit somewhere on the dress which got Ruviena nervous in what area that slit would expose!

"Allow me, Mistress"

"You've seen one of these before?"

"The slave house trained slaves on how to serve different lords and ladies from different continents. I happen to come across learning how this particular dress works"

Ruviena's eyebrows furrowed when Lui brought up the word 'slave'. Ruviena would remember her times at the Vandarkstein household how she would dress up her half sister Angie, at that moment Ruviena was imagining the idea of just cutting off her half sister's arms since she thought they where of no use.

Lui took the fabric from her Mistress' hands, swiftly motioning the fabric up and around her Mistress' temptress of a body. The fabric where turned and wrapped then fastened by the waist. Later Lui would attach the golden chains on velvet. The dress was floor length that had a slit cutting all the way up till it reached the right side garter area of her underwear. Around her waist wrapped a wide area of her abdomen with the same velvet but was hugging her curvaceous physique horizontally. The cloth that covered her chest splayed vertically, creating a deep V-cut opening where as the rest of the fabric dropped down to the front and back of her shoulders towards the floor. Atop her shoulder where golden clasp that held the dress together had small golden chains attach to it that would dangled on her completely exposed back.

The dress was despicably perfect. Other than it complemented Ruviena's over all appearances with her hair done into an updo, it hid her silvers flawlessly seeing as the slit was to the right whereas the stake and daggers where on the left... not to mention easy access. Unfortunately the only thing the dress could not hide where her love marks. Well... not that she had not prounced around in a room full of vampires with visible ownership marked on her body before - In remembrance of her welcoming soirée

"Milady, the carriage is ready." Yoran on the other side of the door knocked softly

"And the general?"

"The general rides his steed separately, right ahead of your carriage, Mistress"

Ruviena nodded to herself before turning to face her unbelievable reflection once more, Lui behind her at the reflection then began with words so soft that matches her doll like expression.

"Mistress thinks the culprit for the attack yesterday could be one of the guest in the party tonight?"

Ruviena's cold gaze reflected in her eyes. Chilling yet determination filled her

"I will find out soon enough"

Her husband, was a tactful man indeed. He was a general not only because of his immeasurable power but also because of how his scheming mind works. Tonight, he plans to narrow down possible suspects in the party. The sight of his wife beside him 'unharmed' from the creature will send a warning to their unknown suspect. He was planning a trap, and Ruviena knew it the moment he invited her— although she still lacked the specific idea on what her husband is plotting inside his mind, she will gladly play whatever part he will give her tonight.

The attack on HIS garden was already a clue the enemy oh so clumsily gave away- Nothing goes unnoticed when it has something connected to the general, yet there it was... even dared to attack HIS wife during the day. The corpse gave away the clue that it was a pureblood manipulating it and for it to surpass detection, not to mention the master was fearless enough to trespass in the general's territory meant the enemy was in equal standing to the General Xerion Hellsworn... or even possibly of equal power to the emperor.

Pureblood

-

"You look Beautiful, Wife"

"And you look... Stiff" Soft hands fell on calloused once that where in fingerless gloves. Her general was in his strict uniform with thin iron chest plate and what not.

"I thought this was a party?" She said in a low soft voice that only Xerion could hear. Ruviena stepped down from her carriage, Her dress flowing perfectly in areas that hid her silvers well.

"It is."

"Then why are you in your military apparel?" Right... She entered into her carriage first in the dead of night before she could see her husband mount on his stallion.

"Formality, Why are you stacking silvers in your dress?"

Ah... Only a few days of closure is what they had and he already knows how she works with her weapons. That explained the dress style. He already expected she would arm herself.

"...Formality" She whispered. Unsure but confident either way. Formality it was— True. Since she is a vampire huntress and back in her violent days, meeting vampires meant always bringing silver with her.

The couple waltzed through the entrance, Ruviena's hand held Xerion's bulking bisceps through his uniform as he escorted his silver beauty.

"Smart, bringing with you your trinkets" Xerion smiled softly yet a slight of mockery as he stared straight to the direction of their destination

"You are a general, the party is filled with higher up pure blooded vampires. You will unavoidably mingle with half of them as a sign of respect and I will be left alone in the bats nest to fend for myself this evening. I need my 'trinkets'... Just in case"

"No, you brought them because you know I am laying you out there as bait."

"That too... I came to realise dear husband...Just the other day you where worried so much for my safety and now I am being thrown into a pit of snakes by you"

"The difference is i'm purposely throwing you into the pit of snakes, where as I can pull you out just as easily" Ruviena smiled at his logic. True— The garden mishap was when he was far away and didn't sense nor expected enemies to shamelessly go against him indirectly. This time, the perimeter of the entire palace will barely even hinder him from keeping an eye on his wife.

"Ruthless" Ruviena said, her gaze warm and impressed though it kept its look towards the direction they where headed

"Thank you, I do think we match each other quite well" Xerion chuckled before he brought her to turn down another hallway

"Good to have goals..." Ruviena muttered sarcastically. Which caused Xerion to face her with his eyes squinting in annoyance

The endless hall of Gold and more gold lead them to large rich grained double door. Ruviena could hear muffled soothing music from behind.

"One more thing" Xerion then leaned down to speak in her ear. Low and Sonorous voice almost made her voluptuous body shiver in delight. Xerion though... sent a clear warning

"This is not the usual party"

As soon as his words ended and raised himself back to his proper posture. The double door elegantly swung open. Beyond it was nothing Ruviena had ever expected. There was a sweet stench but what stupefied her... Where the guests.