Chapter 7 - Diablerie and Sending a Message

My first drink of magical blood hit me like a truck. All of the power and the essence of the vampire flew into me along with flashes of memories of days past.

I discovered early on that by directly drinking the blood of a victim I would get flashes of their memories. It wasn't like they became part of me or something like that, no, it was like seeing photos or movies. This ability only got stronger and more directed the more powerful I became, that was something normal when dealing with people unaffiliated with the supernatural.

Drinking from a supernatural proved to be different, I didn't get only nourishment and their memories, I got something more. Originally, my goal in cornering these 3 stooges was to drink blood from the highest-ranked one among them in order to find more information regarding the Tepes faction.

I got that and more, I discovered a new facet of my body. Besides the usual, I was now draining the magical power of my victim along with their knowledge.

The feeding continued until what was left before me was a lifeless, drained and mummified husk which, as soon as I released it, turned to ashes and disappeared.

I sat down on a nearby chair, no way I was touching his bed, who knew what he did there and began to gather my newfound knowledge. Once again, using my trusted method, I looked inside. I saw myself and the magic contained in me and then I noticed something. Normally, when one would do what I had done, they would get almost all the power of their victim either permanently or as a temporary buff. My case was different, I gained a small increase in my magic while the rest of the power was devoured by the gaping maw that was present in my soul.

Was it strengthening? Was it growing? I didn't have the answers yet but still, I didn't feel any threat from it, it still felt like me. This would need even further study.

Another benefit that I gained from draining the old bat was that I now possessed a better understanding of vampire physiology and I couldn't better know what differentiated me from ordinary vampires or half-bloods. The basic powers were almost the same, shadow magic, familiar magic, bat form, etc. But my physique was fundamentally different from theirs. You know how humans share 99 point something percent with other animals? Yeah, that was the case here but before I could make any conclusive deductions I would need more samples of both vampires and devils.

Luckily, I was in vamp country, my own all-you-can-eat buffet of bigots.

Anyway, I got what I wanted from the old goatfucker, I had my information about the Tepes castle but I wasn't going to act just yet, no, this needed to be perfect.

I left the now empty room and headed to where the princeling, who was still under the illusions, stayed. Once I was there I looked upon the sleeping ugly's face and smirked.

'Ahhh, you and I are going to make something beautiful' I grabbed his sleeping form and dragged him like the useless piece of shit that he was during his un-life.

Just for shits and giggles, I broke the illusion he was under, not before I enveloped him in my magic field.

'Ah, like father like son, truly a dynasty in the making. Too bad his grandfather is dead. Killed by his father no less.' *sigh* 'We live in medieval times.'

I looked at my now awoken victim, he really took after his father, the same squirm, the same fear in his eyes. Delightful.

I even got to enjoy his fleeting hope when he saw the body of his guard who was still frozen on the first floor. I watched that hope turn to despair when I laughed, grabbed the body and threw it against a wall where its dead eyes would continue to watch what I was about to do.

"Now boy, look at me, I know you can't speak so I'll try to make this brief. No, no, don't look at me like that and don't dare to hope for daddy to come, daddy went to buy milk in the ever after, quick hint, I don't think he'll be coming back" I said as I threw him on a nearby chair and began working on my as-of-yet masterpiece.

"You see kid, I don't enjoy what I'm about to do to you. Hahahaha! Sorry, I couldn't keep it in. I'm not gonna lie to you, what I'm about to do will bring me immense joy." I was beginning to like this way too much.

"It's not you, it's me." *grin* "I mean, what made you cross my path today? Don't you know to double back when seeing a black cat on the road? Well, now that I think about it, you didn't 'see' me, so I guess that's on me" I shrugged.

"Who cares anyway, we're all where we wanted to be. Your guard is sleeping peacefully, your daddy is out to buy milk and you, you my friend, are about to enjoy the greatest penetrative session of your life. Hahahaha!" I looked him in the eyes as countless scenarios went in his head, each worse than the last.

"There, it's done, I outdid myself, I think" I gazed in fake wonder at my first work of carpentership.

What stood in front of me and my unwilling friend slash vampire slash soon-to-be-dead scum was an inverted cross made from the wood found around the house. What can I say? I refurbished some wood ding dongs that were laying around in order to make this beaut.

Who was I kidding? It looked like shit but it was perfect for what I needed.

Look, I might know stuff about physics either quantum or normal, I might have studied the mysteries of life but that didn't mean I wasn't a shit carpenter.

I wasn't Jesus, Jesus probably got mad gains from carpentry in his time.

"Can't be good at everything on the first try, eh?" I shrugged.

"Now then, let's get you nice and prepared." I laid him down on the ground and began disrobing him. Don't think about that perverts, I left him his undies.

(Beginning of torture scene, continue below to skip it if you want)

"Now I know what you're thinking and you're right and you should get a prize! What, you weren't thinking that I was about to reenact the scene of the execution of Saint Peter? You also weren't thinking that I would take some liberties and truly make this shtick my own?! Ah, too bad mon ami, too bad, your father would understand, he WAS there." I sadly shook my head at his lack of knowledge.

I put my charge into the proper position on the floor, gave him a friendly smile, and proceeded to gather my next set of tools.

I turned his head towards me just so he could see what I was doing, I mean, I already explained my plans like a proper 2-bit villain, what's the use for suspense.

I took in my hand 3 big wooden stakes and a mallet.

I warned him, he was about to have his biggest penetrative sesh ever.

I aligned the first stake with his hand and the cross and then…

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

"Pfew, first one done, how you feeling, buddy?" I smiled at him while wiping nonexistent sweat from my forehead.

"Yeah, forgot you can't talk, never mind. I'm not going to let you though, the master needs silence in order to work."

I repeated the same process 2 times for his other arm and his legs. Then, I hoisted the cross up and began the second part of the process.

This time I was a bit merciful, I slit both his wrists and his neck quickly. Well, he didn't die. The process took a bit but I understood why after watching him squirm for 5 minutes, his body was regenerating bit by bit though he couldn't move.

"Oh well" I sighed and broke his neck, sending him to the winter wonderland.

Now, I was almost done, I needed something more. I went around the house and smashed it a bit, just to make it clear that the people who entered did not possess even a fraction of my skill.

(End torture scene)

After everything was said and done, I went back to my muse and proceeded to leave a message for whoever came here.

I mean, of course somebody would check, either the minions who wanted to go on that hunt with their master or somebody else from the Tepes faction. The old man will be missed, his son, eh, not so much. That's why he was the message.

Using my claws I scarred his chest with the following message written in Romanian.

'DEATH TO THE KING'

Wiping my hands, I went outside the mansion while making sure no one was around.

'Ah, I forgot something!'

I went back inside and saw the bodyguard's body.

'Can't leave evidence behind, that would be bad manners'

To get rid of him I simply took him outside with me, and punted him in the sunlight, and watched as his body disintegrated.

Now, just a bit more, and the castle would be vulnerable.

----

A/N

I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of the fic.

Some might ask why did I include a torture scene, if you might even call it that, nobody even screamed.

Well, I wanted to build upon Hiro's way of thinking and for you to see a bit more of the world through his eyes. Hiro's not a good guy by any moral stretch, his mind is always focused on himself and on those he cares about. He might be something of a high-functioning sociopath. He would never give a hand to his enemies UNLESS it served his purposes.

BUT, even with all the possibilities that stand at his feet, he still has a bottom line. He wouldn't hurt innocents or children and he would never force himself on a woman or on anybody he considers to be a friend.

Anyway, feedback, as always, is appreciated.

See you next time.