"Jack!"

"Hmmm?" Jack wondered what Emily screamed his name for...

"Why did you tell my Royal Mother that?" Emily said with a mixture of misery and speechlessness.

"Because it will gnaw at her a bit... No offense, but your mother is kind of a... Hmmm, what's a good wording here?" Jack rubbed his jaw bone.

"Hush! Just hush!" Emil shook her head.

"Well, if you don't want to hear it. Now do you want to walk with me, or do you want me to carry you to my office? We are going to meet with Lucius, Leslie, and Julia." Jack asked.

"You call her Julia more now."

"She's a friend."

"Just friends?"

"For now."

"Hmph..."

"Walk or carry?"

Emily looked away but still walked up to Jack. He knew what she wanted, so he bent down to scoop her up, into his embrace, as he floated down the halls, with a loli in his arms. If Jack could smile, he would split his mouth.

[Lucius are you busy?] Jack mentally messaged.

[Not for my lord!]

[Meet me in my office, then...]

[As the God-King decrees!] Lucius messaged with zeal!

[Lucius, just call me Jack...]

[Of course, God-King.]

[...] Jack felt the connect break... [Haaaa~]

[Julia are you busy?]

[MMmmm... I can be available.] A soothing voice was heard.

[???]

[We're having a meeting in my office, so I would like you to come.]

[Of course, see you soon.] Verruca's tone faded from Jack's mind, that left him with question marks... Many... Many question marks, as his connection with Verruca, broke, as well.

[What... the hell...] Jack thought in his mind, as he got to his office before everyone with Emily. He waved his arm, and the door opened.

He went inside, as the door closed behind him, he spoke, "Alright Emily, last question. Do you want to stay in my arms for the rest of the meeting, or you can sit anywhere you like?"

"...I like where I am..."

"Are you sure?" Jack checked to be positive.

"Yeah... I like this better."

"Alright." Jack went to his desk to sit down as he put Emily on his left thigh bone to talk.

They chatted while waiting for the others.

*******

High above the land that was once Zitergall, flew nine large Dark Crimson Blood Bats. Perched onto the backs of these bats were Princess Eris, Captain Fairfield, his crewmates, and Obsignator Jacob.

These blood Bats were three meters long with a wingspan of seven meters. These large beasts held long thin ears that sat high on their head like horns and wore manes around their necks before their backs were harnessed with saddles. Their large leathery wings were dull, but the veil between each digit of the Bat's wing contained vivid bright red veins, that stood out while it flew, flashing red in the sky as they beat their wings. They occasionally emitted shrieks and high pitch eeks.

"This was Zitergall, your Highness," Jacob said loudly so his voice could be heard over the great wingbeats of the bats, as they flew over the ruin fork of the red rivers.

Princess Eris looked down, and smiled weakly, as she saw a large gash in the land, where lava was still pouring in slowly to fill the place where a City once been.

[My god... Your pet is so hungry...]

"How much longer?" The princess asked her Captain.

"I'm not saying! Just know it will be soon!" The captain said behind the princess as the Captain's bat hung back... In case a certain weak vampire fell from her saddle.

"Why, good captain?"

"Every time you ask that! YOU GIVE MORE BLOOD! STOP GIVING BLOOD!" The Captain howled, forgetting his place.

The princess felt too weak to argue back, so she let it slide... For now.

[I'm coming... I'm coming for you, my god... Your pet needs you... So hungry... I should have fed at the party daddy threw... six hundred years ago... But...] Princess Eris was having a hard time keeping her thoughts coherent and decided not to waste any more energy thinking until she met her god.

"Just keep following the Coast! The pearl of Deagoth will be here shortly! Look in the sky, you can see the Skull Star! That's where the God-King resides!"

Princess Eris nodded weakly, as she decided to nap on the back of her Blood Bat. She gripped onto the fur of Bat's mane and laid her head against the bat. She could hear the beating of the bat's heart and the rushing sounds of the blood in its body... The temptation to... Just take a bite... Just a small bite... Perhaps a nick here, and just lick up a bit...

[No!] Eris screamed in her mind! She did not come this far to fail at the gates! She weakly slumped back in her saddle and laid back onto the bat. She again gripped onto the mane.

[My god... Your pet needs you.] Eris weakly turned her head and ignored the symphony of decadence sounding from the heart of her bat. [So hungry.] Eris closed her eyes, as a few tears of starvation leaked at the corners of her eyes.

*******

Verruca was the first to arrive after Jack. She walked in wearing her fatigues, and sat in her usual seat, on Jack's right-hand side, and closest to the couch.

Jack looked up from Emily, the moment Verruca walked in, "Welcome Julia. It's good to have you here."

Verruca looked at the loli in Jack's lap and knit her brows. Her brows only knitted for that moment, before going back to normal. She smiled brightly, "It's good to see you again, even if it was yesterday."

As Verruca was going to ask something, Lucius stepped in, with a censor smoking. He walked in, and spoke, "I've been told that the God-King expects offerings. Please enjoy this Holy Dust." Lucius brought it to Jack's desk on the left-hand side and left it while taking his seat to the right of Verruca.

"Where did you learn that and who said that about me, Lucius?"

"I must know everything about my God-King," Lucius said with a smile and nodded.

It was Jack's turn to facepalm today.

After a bit of chatter between the three, Leslie finally entered, despite being the first to know of the meeting.

She walked in with a new Qipao. Her waterfall flowing hair was dazzling as always, but her black and golden Qipao, with a slit on the side to her high thigh, served to drive Jack. It was good that Jack didn't have flesh or a face, else he would be hard press to control a bodily reaction.

With a familiar gait, she made her way to her couch, and sat, tucking her legs under her, as she smiled to Jack.

Jack nodded to Leslie, as Leslie mentally messaged the complete report to Jack. Jack felt his mind buzz slightly, in the same way, that Lucius had done when informing him of how to bone.

Jack received the information and processed it. He again nodded to Leslie understanding her intention of not wanting to be the one to report this. She wished to remain anonymous.

He then spoke, "I'm please We are all here, so not to waste time, as We are all very busy undead. I received a report this morning concerning Jakahn."

Jack waited for dramatic effect, and then continued, "It seems that Jakahn had some visitors. Our intelligence tells Us that they received ships from the Kingdom of Blood and were graced by the presence of Vampires."

"Vampires?" Emily looked to Jack and asked.

"That's right. Not just any Vampires, but one was of royalty. This is where the report starts to break down. We know that Vampires landed and that a royal Vampire went to speak with the King of Jakahn... But We don't know anything beyond this. We have dispatched agents to collect more information, but this information alone is to cause concern for Us." Jack rattled on, as he took in his first take of Holy Dust.

[Oh, this has a slight buzz to it.] Jack liked the feeling but felt that Crag's was the best.

"How?" Lucius asked.

"What do you mean?" Jack looked at Lucius.

"Can't you just... I don't know, use your God-Form to slap these Vampires into the light?" Lucius commented.

Verruca and Emily nodded. Leslie remained silent.

"While I think that would be great, We also have to remember some things. Do the Vampires have a god? And if I kill a royal Vampire will this stir the ire of their kingdom? A kingdom that We don't know anything about? One that could dwarf Us?"

"You have made your point. I apologize." Lucius lowered his head. His zeal got the best of him.

"Nothing to be ashamed of... There is a time and place for everything. If We knew We had the biggest stick, then force is almost always the answer. The golden rule is if force doesn't work... You're not using enough of it. I just don't want to be caught in a situation where I'm not using enough force." Jack took in more burnt offerings.

"I understand, my lord."

"We do need more information on the Royal Vampire they have. Royal makes me think of a prince or princess... More than likely sent out to gain experience or learn more about the world, with a slight chance of looking for new lands to conquer. Considering it's Vampires, if it's a guy they must be a pretentious prick that thinks he's better than everyone, or if it's a lady, then she will be a snob that's nice to your face but thinks you're shit for not being a vampire... Male or female, they will be extremely calm and refined. Crafty and full of schemes."

"How do you know?" Verruca asked.

"Just guessing," Jack replied.

"Does anyone have any suggestions," Jack asked looking around.

Emily spoke up, "We could send an agent to covertly make contact with the Vampires, and offer them more than Jakahn... It's not like We aren't rich, right?" Emily looked over to Leslie.

Leslie shrugged as if say 'don't bother me.'

"This isn't a bad idea." Jack thought for a moment.

Leslie was shaking her head. She did not want to give up the coffers.

"What else can attract the Vampires to Us than riches?" Jack asked, humored by Leslie's reaction.

"Well... We have a god." Lucius raised his head.

"A god of light Lucius... Last time I remembered Vampires hate the Light."

Lucius lowered his head again... Today wasn't his day.

Emily spoke again, "That's right. Vampires loath the Light, and when the Lich King was in power, his Blood Army only fought at night during the crusades for the Overworld. I do remember that there was one Vampire that had a suit of black armor that blocked the Light, but I forgot their name..."

"Vampires hate light... They must hate me to death!" Jack waved his right hand in the air as if warding off the suggestion.

Jack's meeting went on, as massive wing beats were sounding on the horizon of Saigunrai.