Thread: Masquerade (V_M & Google)

It was strange how some things changed over time while other things didn't change at all. Lucian had been a vampire for hundreds of years, less then a hundred years until the thousand year mark was reached, making him one of the oldest and most powerful vampires on the planet and he had long ago left behind many of the traditional weaknesses of his kind. The first to go had been the crossing of open water and then about a century later the symbols of the great religions no longer inspired any revulsion in him... silver hadn't been a problem since his fifth century, even direct sunlight held no threat so long as he only was exposed for short times... and he only needed to be invited into the homes of the most powerful and influential anymore because only they had the money to ensure spells were cast to keep his kind out... But an invitation could be many things Lucian learned that over the years, it could be verbal, it could be a coy look from a pretty young woman, or in this particular case it could be a letter printed on thick paper and chased in gold leaf. Oh it hadn't been addressed to him, the person who had received it had handed it over to him to ensure the safety of his family... but the invitation did say that whomever carried it was to be granted entrance to the party and that was enough for Lucian. It was a plan that he had put into place years ago, finding the right moment when all the pretty young princesses of the local kingdoms to be gathered in one place, his armies were ready for a moments notice... and as soon as he could he would strike, enter the party, take those who fit the prophecy hostage while those who didn't fit into the proper perimeters would be released... a way to ensure that outside forces didn't get involved. Some would be kept but many would be released... giving the families of those that were kept hope that their own children would be set free. His armies had been in place for a few days, some of them outside of the kingdoms capitol but others hiding in the sewers and cellars, waiting for the moment to come when they would rise up... Lucian had arrived like any of the other guests, dressed in his finest black and silver, a black domino mask over his face to disguise his features and fit the theme a little bit, and a swagger in his step. Handing the invitation over to the guard standing at the door he had felt a bit of a tickle for a moment as he passed over the thresh hold of the palace, the invitation had been just what was needed to get him in. As he entered the coupe started, not all at once of course but instead the infiltrators began to go active, one at a time they would snatch up the different patrols of the guards or open up different gates into the city... it had to be done quietly but effectively to ensure that everything went off smoothly. He trusted his men, many had served him for decades and they had never failed him before... before the sun rose the city would be under his control and his men would be manning those gates to ensure no one could take it back from him. He entered just as a dance was starting, he was familiar with the way the Fairies did things, the dance was one he had seen before or at least variations of it... a fun way for them to move around the room and experience different partners until couples of comparable skill ended up avoiding being separated again. Lucian was not a particularly skilled dancer, he was more then capable of moving with the proper grace but had little patience for it most of the time... he was however very quick and right now saw no reason not to have a little bit of fun before the night began for him properly. A few moments observation and he was able to see the princess of this kingdom and a few of the others that could fit into the prophecy, it didn't take much effort to insert himself into the flow of the dance, discarding two partners in rapid succession before he was holding the fairy princess close to himself, inhaling deeply, enjoying the scent of her, working to keep his fangs hidden for now... the time to feed would come soon enough... It wasn't hard for him to move through the assembled dancers, seeing others attempting to cut in and avoiding them with ease... knowing that every moment he spent with her the coup would progress a little further and it would soon be time to reveal himself to the assembled party goers.