"I'm so unloading five rounds of bicuspids into your ass," Mack wheezed between yarking the unsavory contents of his stomach on the ground. It wasn't pretty, mostly brackish bile that carried the sour spoiled scent of something left to bloat in the sun. To be fair, he'd been mostly dead all day, it took time for his system to 'freshen up'. He wiped his sweaty face with the back of sleeve, vowing to burn the garment when he got home, and glared at the nonchalant vampire. His fingers tightened on the bone rifle.

Eugene or Valentinianus or whatever he called himself wasn't paying attention to the irritated barman, his gaze fixed on the open gate of the city. A mix of emotions played across those pale features, the most prominent being resignation. "Please refrain from shooting me full of teeth, I will be most irate." As if it were a minor inconvenience. Mack frowned. This is where his natural policy of leaving the Edgewise patrons to their own business interfered with his duties as guardian and waykeeper. He knew next to nothing about the vampire standing before him, but that ridiculous excuse for a name was tickling the back of his mind, trying to jog an errant piece of information free. Something...

Eugene sighed. "Let's get this over with. Keep the rifle locked and loaded but try not to shoot anyone unless they try to harm her." With that, he transformed.

It wasn't a dramatic transformation. He didn't turn into a bat or some other hack b-horror movie trick. It was a far more subtle and dangerous transformation. The vampire stopped slouching, straightening his shoulders as he swept his unruly hair back from his forehead with one hand. His expression iced over, remote and cold, the face of a vicious bastard. Mack blinked at him; the light bulb finally flashed in his corroded synapses.

"Are you kidding me," Mack hissed, dragging his eyes over the vampires stitched rank on the shoulder of his uniform. There it was, the detail he had missed before, gold embroidery, the signature of the Blood Empire's royalty. "I am so calling in your bloody tab, Eugene."

"You most certainly will not," the vampire sneered. His voice was different, cultured and resonant. Even his scent was different, Mack catching the first hint of woodsy musk the vampire normally hid so well. It was a complete disguise, down to the essence of his being. Eugene became a different person from one moment to the next. "Try to keep up."

Eugene marched forward. If he had a cape it would furl dramatically in the wind. Ready to bring the thunder, Mack moseyed on beside him, keeping an eye on the windowless buildings around them for movement. He knew what he was looking for. Fist sized nodules dotted the buildings, initially invisible to the eye, unless you knew where to spot them. If he listened hard enough he could probably hear the mechanical whir of thousands of cameras, the empire's digital eyes to the outside world. He was certain a few turned in their direction, following their thundercloud of a prince as he marched toward the barracks. 

Here there were signs of life. Soldiers milled around, carousing and relaxing, egging one another on to do something relatively stupid by degrees. Normal soldiery bonding really. Mack almost felt sorry for them, almost, until he realized the vampire who'd speared him to the ground was among them. A big beast of a man who vampirism had not made him any kinder. Mack could see his single blood filled eye from here, lending him a vicious air. It was absolutely worth this whole shit house of a day as the vampires turned toward their visitors. Recognition drained the scant presence of blood from their pale faces, turning them near translucent as they scrambled to form ranks.

That made him raise a brow. From his fuzzy recollections, he knew the Blood Empire royal line was a pretty steep climb. There were dozens in line to the throne, and as a member of the military, Eugene had to be far down the list, but the level of respect and fear that saturated the air at his arrival was noteworthy.

The ranks dropped to one knee, touching their foreheads to one bent arm, a pose they held as 'Eugene' halted in front of them.

"Captain Garrick." His voice cracked through the air, whip fast. The grizzled vampire jumped to his feet as if he'd been struck, both his normal and blood filled eye wide. A drop of sweat slid down his temple. This wasn't Eugene in action, this was Valentinianus. Mack looked between the two, biting down on the urge to whistle in appreciation when Eugene stepped into the Captain's personal space.

He'd never though of Eugene as a tall or particularly menacing specimen of his species, altered genetics or not, he came off a bit soggy around the edges. The readjustment of his posture and bearing made Mack realize that not only was the vampire taller than he looked, at the moment he gave off an aura like an arctic blast. The captain shrank half a foot, sinking in on himself like a great shaggy turtle.

"I have been informed there was an incursion on our soil," said Valentinianus, his voice calm, completely reasonable, but the captain began to shake. "An incursion that gained the attention of the waykeeper. Yet, if I were to hazard an assumption, I can almost guarantee there is no official of the matter." Mack missed the hand. From one moment to the next, the captain was hovering off the ground, dangling by the neck from one of Valentinianus's hands. The calm and collected expression never left his face.

"Is my assumption incorrect, Captain Garrick?"

"Your majesty," the captain croaked. His hands remained slack at his sides despite the look of pure panic in the gruff man's face. His eyes darted around the silent gathered soldiers, all watching and waiting to see what happened. Or was he looking for something else. The captain's glance flickered repeatedly to one soldier in particular who wore a pinched and haunted expression on his lean face. Clods of dirt still clung to his thick blonde hair. Bingo.

Mack casually nudged Eugene with the butt of his bone rifle, catching the vampire's eye. "That one," he said, nodding to the strained soldier. Valentinianus turned to face the young vampire, still holding the captain up by his neck.

"Corporal Alec," Valentinianus's tone was softer, coaxing. "Is there report of the incursion."

The vampire Alec startled at his name, eyeing the captain with something akin to hatred before his jaw clenched. "No, sir," he said, holding the captain's stare.

The captain's face crumpled with rage. "You sniveling little–"

Valentinianus's hand squeezed. Mack jumped out of the way as a head rolled past him, frowning down at the captain's surprised final expression. Honestly, He hadn't expected this turn of events either. Neither did the other vampires, jumping back to a man with a yelp. The only two who didn't move were Valentinianus and the young soldier, who stared down at the headless former captain with a shade of satisfaction on his face.

Valentinianus addressed the boy as if his face wasn't splattered in blood. "Report, Corporal Alec."

The young soldier swallowed and straightened with his hands clasped behind his back. "We responded to a reported incursion in the early hours of dayshade. When we arrived, we happened upon two individuals already on the scene, a male and a female. We were under orders to destroy the evidence of an inter-realm breach and leave no witnesses. The captain dispatched the male..." It was here the soldier's eyes slid to Mack, widening as he recognized him. His words faltered.

Mack sighed. Valentinianus snapped his fingers, reclaiming the boy's attention and causing the collective group to flinch.

"What happened to the female?"

The youth twitched. "The captain brought her to Recruitment and Research."

Valentinianus didn't react beyond flaring his nostrils. The other vampires held their breath.

"You are officially promoted," he told the young soldier. He nodded to the decapitated vampire. "Clean that up. I expect a full report on my desk by the end of the truenight."

He turned to the gathered vampires. "Remember whose orders you follow."

With that, Valentinianus spun on heel, stomping across the grounds. Mack finally slipped an appreciate whistle, giving the newly minted vampire captain a wink. "Talk about a field promotion, right?"

The youth blinked at him. "Pardon me sir, but weren't you dead earlier?"

Mack clapped a hand on the soldier's shoulder. "I get that a lot," he said. He nodded to the shell shocked group of vampires. "Gentlemen."

Valentinianus had passed several buildings, heading for a forbidding boxy structure when Mack caught up to him. "Are they still watching?" The vampire muttered to Mack out of the corner of his mouth.

"I rather think they are trying not to piss themselves, your highness," Mack shot back. The vampire stopped walking, bracing himself against the side of a building. His fingers dented the metal panel as his shoulders shook.

"Do you have a rag or something I can–" He gulped, closing his eyes. The facade slipped, revealing Eugene once again. Mack understood why the vampire now spent so much time on an Edgewise stool. He quietly handed the vampire a handkerchief from his pocket.

"It's not the cleanest but it will do in a pinch."

Eugene nodded his thanks, dabbing at the captain's blood coating his face. Mack considered him.

"If you hadn't killed him, it would be a weakness," he said, sucking on his teeth. The vampire glanced at him, eyes dark and empty. "I know how the Blood Empire runs, you highness. It is a machine oiled by the blood of its underlings."

Eugene nodded, the muscles of his throat tight. "This encounter isn't going to be so smooth," he warned. "Our scientists have little respect for any authority but their own."

"I didn't expect everyone to fall over themselves for you. I borrowed Munch's rifle intending to use it, though the royalty bit was a shocker." Mack chuckled. Eugene glared at him. "You still have a bit of Captain Garrick under your ear," the barman said.

Eugene wiped it off with a grimace. He pointed at the ominous building that had to be Recruitment and Research. "Let me get us through the door," he said, "and for the love of the realms, do not mention my status to anyone at the tavern."

Mack rolled his eyes. "Lead on, your majesty."

The vampire hissed at him as he passed, adopting the mantle of Valentinianus once again. He slammed a hand against the solid outer wall. Mack tried to keep his expression neutral as they waited, though he had to admit, he was impressed when the wall slid inward without a whisper of sound. Some quality tech there. The two of them stepped into a dimly lit entrance. Mack had the foresight to shut his eyes. Vampires did love their tricks, even on each other. The blinding light that flooded the entry way blazed against his closed lids. He waited a moment before opening them, taking in the scene.

Being a guardian of the between places meant many things, but he was in no way an authority figure in the realm of Sanguinheim. Nor did he have a say on how they handled their populace. That did not mean he found their practices any less unsavory. He was careful to keep his face blank as he followed the vampire prince down the hall, blocking the screams of the new recruits from his mind. He was here for Calponia. It was the idea of her in this place, alone and afraid that really unsettled him. He was a massive jerk.

"I shouldn't have brought her here," he muttered. The prince didn't acknowledge his words, but the vampire's steps picked up speed as they made their way further into the building. No one dropped to a knee in here. The vampires they passed in tight white coats did nothing but nod to their prince. Mack wondered how they would react when the shit hit the proverbial fan.

He had a feeling they were about to find out when Valentinianus paused before another opaque wall and knocked. Minutes ticked by. The wall remained. A couple of the white coats stopped to watch them. Mack's shifted the bone rifle off his shoulder. He could feel the hum of tension pouring off the prince who raised his hand to knock again and paused. Mack could hear the vampire's teeth grinding.

"What is it?"

"I can smell her blood," said the prince, glancing at Mack. The vampire's irises blazed a deep crimson.

"Time for a less polite knock," said Mack, raising the bone rifle at the wall. The prince stepped aside glaring at something behind the barman. Mack had no doubt the white coats were getting restless. He fired.

Bone rifles didn't work like regular guns. Oh sure, they made a terrific bang and all, but the rifle contained a bit of magic that went beyond most known science. Which is why the teeth performed the duty they had in life and chewed. They continued to chew until they penetrated steel and wire. They chewed through the wall until they reached the other side. The hidden door screeched like a wounded animal. Valentinianus reached into the jagged hole and shoved the wall open with a guttural snarl.

Mack got an eyeful of the Blood Empire's true dark side.

"I hate this realm," he muttered, cocking another round in the chamber as the two entered the Research half of the structure. "Let's get our girl."