Ishta almost walked out of the hall when the Moonshadow party arrived. They immediately captured everyone’s attention. There was just something about them. Not just their beauty, but it was like there was this aura around them that drew everyone in. And draw them it did, like bees to pollen.

Rassa Moonshadow must have been the biggest and best flower around, because everyone within the immediate vicinity gravitated towards him in particular. Ishta found it almost comical as they tripped over themselves to get his attention, only to remember that it’d been him in that position not so long ago.

The two women at his back, Iah and Ebony Moonshadow, diverted some of the parties away from Rassa, Mathius Silvermoon taking those who approached from behind. It was like they’d prepared in advance as they spread through the room, talking animatedly with the other guests and networking like they’d been in business for decades rather than just a few years. They achieved quite a lot through the short half hour before they were due to go into the grand performance hall.

Unable to help himself, Ishta sent a messenger after Rassa, and Rassa appeared in Ishta’s private box moments later, unaccompanied by his entourage.

“Ishta, a pleasure,” Rassa greeted, “Thank you for the invite”.

“I figured you were in enough pain to wear such grand attire, you need not mix with the peasants as well,” stated Ishta.

Rassa raised an eyebrow as he sat down, “You should have invited the others up, they network far better and more often than I ever will”.

“Admitting your faults?” asked Ishta.

“Sometimes, knowing more about yourself is the best way to improve,” stated Rassa.

“I’ve always found businessman to be the type to hide their faults awfully well,” said Ishta.

“Well, I am still new, Ishta,” stated Rassa.

“Yes, you are,” Ishta replied.

The performance below began and they watched in silence for a few minutes before Ishta spoke, “So, I have an area in mind for receiving your gift that can be ready in a few days,” stated Ishta.

Rassa glanced at him before turning back to the stage, “Just send a messenger with the time and place, I’ll bring the contracts, shall I?”

“Please do, along with a list of your products,” stated Ishta.

“I’m sure you’ve already got one of those,” stated Rassa, “You probably already have your 10,000 or equivalent charms picked out”.

“I was just curious as to whether there would be any new products any time soon,” stated Ishta.

“I think it should be prudent to expand first, then we shall put more thought into new products,” Rassa admitted.

“The Runes are curious things, makes me wonder how you even came up with them,” stated Ishta.

“You and just about everyone else,” Rassa replied, “But I am no closer to revealing that secret outside of my warehouses than I was when I began”.

“Oh?” asked Ishta, “So do you plan to take the secret to your grave?”

Rassa smiled, “No. Those intelligent enough will figure it out. But they’ll only be able to carve those they have seen before. I am quite confident that I am the only one who can carve new runes”.

“How insightful,” stated Ishta, “I suppose it is a good thing that I enter into this arrangement then”.

“You certainly aren’t incurring a loss, Ishta,” stated Rassa.

Ishta couldn’t help but give a quiet chuckle, “I should hope not”.

***

Ebony huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back in her seat as the performance was ongoing. Still, her eyes were trained on the private viewing box to the side of the stage where Rassa sat beside Ishta Alamone. Their enemy. The man who’d had them hunted down and attempted to kill them, not to mention pulled just about every dirty trick in the book to take down Moonshadow.

“I don’t like it”.

Iah glanced away from the performance towards the box, then patted Ebony’s knee gently as she whispered, “Sit up straighter, you look like a petulant child”.

Ebony gave a small side glare before doing as told, resuming the posture of a young woman, “You can’t say that you don’t like it”.

“No, I don’t. But he hasn’t steered us wrong before,” Iah replied.

Ebony sighed bitterly before she turned to Mathius on her other side, “Tell me you at least see this is nothing more than a farce too”.

Mathius glanced at the box as Iah had done, then to Ebony, “I think it is a mistake to trust Ishta yes, but I cannot deny his business assets”.

“Yes,” Ebony replied, “His assets. The Mines. Perhaps some of his Southern connections. All of which we could just as easily take”.

Iah wacked Ebony’s knee hard enough for her to flinch, and a few of those nearby turned to look over. The three lapsed into a stony silence as their eyes diverted to the play. After a moment, when curious eyes turned back, Ebony turned her head to glare at Iah.

“What was that for?”

“You’re being an idiot,” said Iah.

“What? It’s a valid point, I can’t help but question why we don’t take things more often,” said Ebony, “We should not be held within the confines of Order. He taught us that”.

“He also taught us to carefully weigh the consequences of our actions,” snapped Iah, “Exactly what do you see happening if we were to ‘take’ Ishta’s assets as you say? Do you think everyone will just roll over and let us? That they won’t question it? We’re already a business growing at unprecedented rates, we don’t need the extra attention that will come with taking what we want in obvious ways. Besides that, who is it that rules the Southern Continent by far?”

Ebony pursed her lips in thought as she turned back to the performance.

Mathius sighed, “He is still Rassa Moonshadow. He should not have to wait for what he desires”.

Iah and Ebony both turned to Mathius, protest dying on their lips as they weighed his statement. After all, they both felt the same dedication to him.

Iah sighed, “We will do as our Sire commands. He is doing what is best for us all”.

The three lapsed into silence once more, turning their attention back to the performance.

***

Rassa retracted his fangs from the supple neck of the young woman who’d thought to corner him and licked along her wound to close it. Her eyes were dazed from when Rassa had first used his allure on her, and now he held her chin to face him again.

“You were feeling unwell and went to the bathroom. You did not see nor hear me”.

Rassa stepped back and the woman walked past him in that daze, disappearing around the far corner that led to the bathroom.

Rassa sighed, “What is it, Mathius?”

Mathius stepped from the shadows to the side, “Forgive me, Mr Moonshadow”.

“A meal is a meal, Mathius, there are few I can enjoy uninterrupted,” said Rassa, “Something is bothering you”.

“It is bothering all of us, Sir,” Mathius replied, “We just do not understand the benefit of partnering with a man like Ishta Alamone when you could take what you desire so easily”.

Rassa turned to look at Mathius, his eyes revealing nothing as he looked at the young Vampire on the verge of becoming unsealed, “You’ve shown great loyalty, Mathius. Even when leadership of Moonshadow changed with my return, and when you were turned, and of course let us not forget your work in Barday. Loyalty is something I value, not just as a businessman, but as the head of a burgeoning Coven”.

Mathius remained silent as Rassa stepped forward, placing a hand on Mathius’ shoulder, “Your loyalty is valued, but when you question me so, I can’t help but think that loyalty is conditional”.

Mathius’ eyes widened in surprise as he turned to look at Rassa.

“Never, Mr Moonshadow,” Mathius insisted.

Rassa raised an eyebrow, “I hope not”.

Then Rassa moved away, back towards the theatre. Mathius stood for a moment in surprise. He had not felt such an aura from Rassa in a long time. The aura of something that could swallow him whole without a second thought.

Mathius released a breath and turned away as he thought about Rassa’s words. Only, Rassa had never answered his question. Why not? Rassa always answered his questions. He answered every question. But now…

Could it be that Rassa himself was unsure of the answer?

Mathius frowned. In such a situation, being unsure was not the best course of action. It could jeopardise them all. Mathius gritted his teeth in indecision before he stood tall and resolute.

If their leader was unsure, it was the job of those below him to push him towards the right path. To a firmer path.

Mathius disappeared from the corridor.

***

“Sel”.

The communication charm in Rassa’s hand glowed for seconds before there was a response.

“Master”.

“Where abouts are you?” asked Rassa

“At the docks with Talo and Will, Master, do you need me?” asked Sel.

Rassa turned towards the dock yards and proceeded their swiftly, moving up onto the loft apartment of the main warehouse where Will, Sel and Talo were all busy playing a card game with two guests that looked vaguely familiar. They stood upon his entrance, and Sel placed his communication charm away.

“What is the game tonight?” asked Rassa.

Talo huffed, “As if you don’t have enough wins under your belt, you want to take more of our wages from us?”

Rassa grinned as he sat, “Why else would I continue to come, Talo? You make such a good Captain I fear if I pay you too well, you’ll flit off somewhere with one of my ships and never come back”.

“Your ships?” Talo bristled.

“Is the symbol on the sail not indication enough?” asked Rassa.

Will snorted. Rassa turned to the two other men at the table, one an older gentleman who looked to be in his forties, and another a young man around Talo’s age.

“And who do we have here? You look familiar,” Rassa admitted.

“This is Alistair and Eon, they fought with us and Aegin in the Warrior’s Arena,” stated Will.

“Ah, returned from the South,” said Rassa, “I hope your brother’s burial went as planned”.

Eon nodded gratefully, “Thank you for your well wishes, Mr Moonshadow”.

“Please, call me Rassa, I left Mr Moonshadow behind in that boring Theatre,” Rassa replied.

“That’s a shame, they did come here to enquire after jobs,” said Will.

“Jobs you say? I did promise that you would have them if you came didn’t I,” Rassa sighed.

“Well, there’s no need to bother with it now, we-”

“Nonsense, from memory, you were a bowman, weren’t you Alistair?” asked Rassa.

“A hunter, yes,” Alistair replied, his earlier protest falling silent.

“Good with your eyes then, perhaps you would do well to watch our transports on the Eldovian Mainland,” stated Rassa, “Or you can guard the main Crafting House. I’m sure Layton is chomping at the bit to get out these days”.

“Layton? On guard duty?” scoffed Eon, “How did you pull that off?”

Rassa extended his fangs, “I flashed a smile and asked nicely”.

Eon’s eyes widened and the table lapsed into a sudden silence before Talo, Rassa and Will all burst into laughter.

Eon relaxed slightly as he sighed, “As long as its affective I suppose”.

Rassa grinned, his fangs retracting as he looked across at Eon, “There is plenty to do. You can go with Alistair, or if you’re the stealthier kind you can follow Sel. If you want to look at management you can follow Will, or I can ask Iah or Ebony to take you in. Considering where you came from though, I assumed you would want a more hands-on job. Talo is always looking for apprentices or crew as well, be warned though, I hear he bites worse than I do”.

Eon gave a small smile at that, “Actually…Sel was telling me about how he went with you across Eldovia last year. And about the crafting houses you have…if any of your crafters are taking in apprentices, I should like to try my hand at that”.

“Ah,” Rassa stated, “A visionary in the making. It’s rare I meet one of those. They are all so eager to see what I come up with next that they don’t dare propose much to me. If that is what you desire to do, I shall support it so long as you promise to use your imagination. To dare to think of what more the Charms could achieve”.

“I am not a Magician though, and rumour has it that a magician is required to carve the charms,” Eon replied.

“The rumours are not wrong, but they are not entirely right either. After all, I am not a Magician,” said Rassa, “You need only the ability to see the Mist. That can be accomplished easily should you desire what I can give”.

They all looked over at Rassa in surprise. Rassa shrugged, “You are, all of you, even Layton, loyal without fault, strong-willed and highly disciplined. It is likely why Aegin valued you so. It seems wrong of me not to offer. It seems even greater of a disservice to let you grow old and turn to dust with the passage of time”.

“There will be others like us,” Will interjected.

Rassa smiled, “Perhaps. Eventually. But even with eternity there are times I grow impatient. The offer is there. Now, as Talo so elegantly proposed, I should like to take back some of your wages. So, deal out the cards. Perhaps with Alistair and Eon you may fair better”.

Talo scoffed, “I fair just fine”.

“That’s not what your wages say,” Sel sighed, “Or should I say lack thereof?”

“Are you sure you want to bring to the table what we lack?” Talo jabbed at the Eunuch.

Sel raised an eyebrow, “Straight to the Eunuch jokes tonight? How tactful of you”.

The group played long into the night, even after Talo lost his wages.

***

*Eldovian Era 1714, 8th day of the 12th month*

Mathius watched from the upper branches of one of the great pine trees on the edge of the estate. There was frankly nothing else you could call Ishta’s home on the Island. Situated on the outskirts of Port Cresh, it was not frequented by anyone but the Golden Sands Progenitor and his immediate staff. Mathius had watched him arrive home late in the night, his arms around two young women who looked more than thrilled to attend to his every want and need. They had indeed, enough that Mathius had let him be just so he could have one last enjoyment.

Mathius looked down at the contract scroll he’d had written up, clutching it tightly. This was it, this was the thing that would sway Rassa and make him the strong-willed, visionary leader he’d always been once more. Mathius was sure of it, and he was more than willing to do what it took to ensure it.

Consequences? They were Vampires. Those who walked a path of Chaos, what need did they have to adhere to Order’s rules? To not seek revenge nor take what they desired? It was ridiculous to even contemplate otherwise. This was what they were, what they would always be.

Mathius sucked in a breath suddenly as he felt something click deep within him. For a second he felt nothing, then in the next, he could feel an entire world just beyond a final barrier, just waiting for him to do the right thing. No, to speak the right words.

They came to him now like the answer to all of his problems, “I hereby consent to allow my being to be changed wholly. My body, my mind, my soul, all shall be rewritten. I submit to the grace of Chaos, and in turn shall relish in its darkness. Marr my body, mind and soul with your Seal, and from the time of my acceptance, let its power fill me. So shall it be, so shall I never regret".

The barrier broke like a dam and power thrummed through Mathius, along his Life Lines and through his body, circulating with a thrumming power as his fangs extended. His claws followed suit, and Mathius caught the tree branch beside him to catch himself as he felt the muscles beneath the skin of his back shift and grow before power filled them, and two huge wings burst forth, through his skin, shirt and jacket, tearing them to shreds.

Mathius groaned, somewhere between an initial thrill and pain, then the itching of his skin as it stitched itself back together.

Mathius looked towards the East where the sun was on the verge of rising as he began to straighten. He looked out before him towards the manor, breathing deeply as he came down from the initial high of his abilities, then he dropped from the trees, the shadows shifting beneath him before they swallowed him whole.

The shadows were just as blood thirsty as he, just as chaotic and aggressive. Mathius was thrilled at it, and he pushed them to take him where he wanted to go. It was strange, but the way he called and it responded felt so right. So normal.

Mathius emerged from the shadows in a lavish bedchamber. Ishta Alamone lay sprawled, naked on the huge bed, his arms around two equally naked women. Mathius reached his shadows for the door, blocking out the sound. He had no desire to be disturbed here. He had a job to do.

Mathius approached the bed, his claws dragging along the mahogany surface of a dresser and drumming along it before they flicked a glass vase. The tinkling sound caused the humans in the bed to stir, and one of the women let out a low moan of protest as she opened her eyes. They scanned the room before they settled on Mathius, first in confusion, before it quickly flitted to terror as she opened her mouth to scream. Mathius felt the power within him as he lifted a finger to his lips.

“Sshh”.

She froze, her hand rising to her throat as if realising she could not make a sound. Her frantic actions quickly woke Ishta.

“Urgh, leave if you’re not going to be useful,” he groaned as he began to roll over. His movement woke the other girl, who upon noticing the first woman’s terrified miming, turned to Mathius and received the same treatment.

“Get out of the bed,” Mathius uttered. The women moved, responding to the Allure immediately as Ishta sat up in surprise upon hearing the other man’s voice in his bedroom.

Ishta turned to Mathius, his eyes narrowing as he looked between the women and Mathius, then slowly his expression morphed to fear as he took in Mathius’ appearance.

“What do you want?” asked Ishta, “I have already made a deal with Rassa, I-”

“Yes, a deal,” said Mathius, “But Rassa Moonshadow should not have to make deals with lowly humans such as yourself. He has grown hesitant over time, and that is never a quality one of his calibre should have”.

“I don’t understand what-”

Mathius threw the scroll onto Ishta’s bed, “I’m here to correct that”.

Ishta looked at Mathius, then turned to the scroll, he lifted it as he sat back, barely bothering to cover himself as he began to read the scroll. Mathius knew he was barely halfway through it before he scoffed and chucked it aside, “This is ridiculous, I’m not signing this. Moonshadow hasn’t the right nor the means to overtake Golden Sands”.

Mathius spread his arms, “Yet here we are”.

Ishta scoffed, “I’d like to speak with Rassa-”

Mathius moved forward, and was before Ishta in an instant, “That is Mr Moonshadow, to you. And you do not request for his presence, if you are lucky, he deigns to request yours”.

Ishta hesitated, his eyes hardening as he spoke, “Rassa Moonshadow is powerful, but he is no King”.

Mathius grinned, “It would have been easier if you’d agreed, but oh so boring”.

Ishta frowned, “Wha-”