Onward, My Noble Knights

Ms. Red stamped the documents before handing it to them. "Your thumb print please." She showed them the spot where they stamped their thumbs using their blood as ink.

She then added her thumbprint to the documents before handing one to Ezra and another to Olivia. She placed the remaining two documents into a drawer attached to the desk. After absorbing the printer, she materialized another device.

Ezra stared in amusement. He hadn't known what to expect from a vampire bureaucrat but it sure wasn't the ability to materialize a bloody magical printer. He couldn't help but wonder what this one was.

The square shaped toaster-like machine sat innocently on the table.

"This is a scriber." Ms. Red explained. "It tattoos whatever you want onto the body. While a tattooist is recommended for monster tattoos, this is what is used in the Society offices. Now, place your forearm on the scriber. Whatever happens, do not be alarmed."

Ezra placed his hand on the scriber and watched as it unfolded like a spider, letting his arm sink inside. It closed, encasing his forearm. He watched it like a hawk. Who knew if it'd chop his arm off. He hadn't had very good experiences with vampires so far.

"We shall begin inscribing your identification number."

Ezra began to feel needles prickling his skin rapidly. In two minutes, it was done. The scriber unfolded, allowing him to remove his arm.

On his forearm were dark red, almost black letters. He read his new identification number.

C7V107023

"Congratulations, Mr. Ezra. You are now a legal citizen of The Vampire Society."

The letters tingled and curiously, he directed vitality into the tattoo. He watched as the letters shined slightly from his skin, blinking in a rainbow of colors.

"Your first tattoo." Genesis nudged him playfully.

"Are we done?" Olivia asked.

"Yes." Ms. Red answered.

"Let's go."

As they turned to leave, Ms. Red called out. "Wait!"

They turned to see her staring straight at Ezra. "Mr. Ezra. If you're ever in need of a new wife, I'd like to inform you that I'm fully available."

Ezra blinked. "Err… okay." He nodded, glancing at his wives beside him. They didn't seem to mind. That was when his brain reminded him that he had two wives. Vampires were polygamous not monogamous.

"Thank you for the offer." He nodded at her and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

There's more? He turned back to stare at Ms. Red.

"If you don't need a wife, can I come to you for copulation? I can pay."

Ezra blinked again. She was willing to pay to have sex with him? This was how valuable male vampires are! The other dudes must be raking in cash.

Ezra turned to Olivia with a raised brow.

"We'll contact you when we make a decision." Olivia said to Red.

Ezra grinned. His contract had given him the freedom and if he wanted to be with anybody, they couldn't stop him. But he didn't want to be with anybody for now. The last person he'd been with before all this had left him in crippling debt.

With that settled, they exited the office and walked back into the eyewear store. "Where are we going next?" Ezra asked.

"Let's get your first monster tattoo!" Gen cheered.

Ezra smiled as they turned to leave the store. His very own superpower. Finally!

"Hey guys. Tell me, how do I look?"

They turned sharply to see Y wearing ridiculously big sunglasses on his mask. They all stared at him in shocked silence. First, they've somehow managed to forget the situation they were in. Second, who wears sunglasses over a mask?

"You all must be dumbstruck at how handsome I look, right?" Y sighed mournfully, before placing the glasses back on display. "Follow me."

With a glance at each other, they followed.

Y led them to an elevator which they took down to the parking lot in basement level two. He stalked forward like he was in a spy movie. "Shhh!" He placed a finger on where his mouth should be on the mask. "They're watching."

He peeked around the corner before rolling to the cover of a parked car.

"What are you doing?" Gen asked flatly.

"Hiding from Malachi." Y shuddered with exaggeration. "How can someone that short be so scary? Uh... no offense to short people."

Olivia stepped out into the open. "If Malachi is really here, things won't be this quiet."

"Really?" Y asked eagerly. "Phew! I wouldn't want to face that guy in battle."

"How are you so.... cowardly?" Gen asked. "Don't you have dignity?"

"Dignity? What's that?" He placed his hand on his chin in a thinking pose before perking up in exaggerated realization. "Oh! Dignity! Yeah, I had it but I sold it for two hundred million credits. I'm sure you guys know what I used it for."

They all stared at him, trying to figure out if he was joking or being truthful. Probably a bit of both.

Y straightened up and dusted himself off nonchalantly. "Onward my noble knights! Or I'll blast your heads off!" He led the way to an old battered hover car fitted with wheels.

"What's this?" Gen asked.

"It's a hover car." He answered like it was obvious and it truly was.

"With wheels? Did we somehow transport ourselves back to the twenty-first century?"

"Oh! The wheels are for if the car breaks down in the middle of the road. Don't worry though. That almost never happens. Solomon's a gentle beast." He patted the car before getting in, sitting at the back. "What are you guys waiting for? Get in."

"You named your car after Count Solomon?" Gen stared flatly at him.

"Aren't you guys getting in?" Y drawled.

They sighed as they climbed into the car. Gen took the passenger's seat and Ezra joined him at the back.

"Where to?" Olivia asked from the driver's seat.

"Quantum observatory." Y stretched as Olivia froze. "Oh! You didn't think I knew? Why else would I spend that ridiculous amount of money? Don't bother trying anything. Those chains on your neck do things other than glowing beautifully."

Olivia's hands went to her neck, where the tattoo was covered by the collar of her blouse.

Gen turned in her seat, watching Y. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much." Y answered. "We're just heading to the place where our dear Olivia hid the page from the Book of Nightmares."

Ezra choked. This was why Y had spent two hundred million. "How did you know where she hid it?" He asked.

"I've got eyes everywhere, buddy. That's why you can't see them." He giggled like he just made a great joke.

Ezra reevaluated his assessment of Y. Even Count Solomon doesn't know where the page is and yet, this guy knows.

The jokes and exaggerations were an act to make him look harmless and hide the wolf under the clothing of the sheep.

"Chop chop. Get on with it." Y said.

Olivia sighed before starting the car. The engine sputtered before roaring to life.

He yawned as they left the T-Max building. "Now that's more like it."