FicWad

Chapter 11

As they stood there in their birthday suits, they said, “Is there any way we can get some clothes? We have some in our car. The keys are there in those shreds.”
Jean-Claude, not being one without compassion, signaled for Anjou to find them as Romulus said, “We always keep couple of spare sets just in case.”
Chiyuki, looking at this, said in her normal way, “You act very casual for someone standing literally one half inch from death.”
“Hey, we fight what you fight,” said Remus, “We came to help you.”
“It seems that way,” responded Karin, “We just don’t understand why. What stake do you have in this?”
“You have a dream, right?” asked Romulus.
“A dream that we have realized,” stated Jean-Claude, “or as good as we could manage.”
Remus smiled and said, “Well, actually, you haven’t seen far enough. There is more that could happen.”
Ryuu, suspicious of all this, said, “Explain.”
“Our leader wants the same thing as you want,” responded Remus, “but the scale is a much greater one, and one that would mean true harmony for all of us.”
“The two worlds could never completely mix,” said Chiyuki, “We are just too different for humans to fully accept us. It took me years to get that through Jean-Claude’s head, and I am surprised that he did get as close as we got.”
Romulus smiled knowingly and said, “What we seek would not consist of the complete mixing of the worlds of the day and night, but enough of one where we could live in peace with one another, nor bother one another either.”
Karin cocked her head and said, “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“If you could give us a chance to explain, it would all make sense,” Responded Romulus, just as they were retrieving their clothes and putting them on, “Would you trust us?”
Jean-Claude looked at the two of them for a moment, and then he said, “Alright, there is a coffee shop not too far from here in a safer part of the neighborhood. We’ll go there and talk, but no funny stuff. Anjou, secure their weapons.”
They began to hear sirens approaching, and like a precision team, and without needing to be told, they began to cover themselves, while Chiyuki and Ryuu were using their incredible speed to police up all the spent round cartridges and enemy weapons. Within seconds, they had left the area with nothing but a trace of ash, having even cleaned up the scraps of clothes that had been cleaned up. With that, they got to the car that they others had rented.

After securing all the weapons in the trunk, Jean-Claude more casually said, “We just got a set of the 103s in our armory, but we haven’t had much of a chance to test them.”
Remus, just as casually said, “You are going to love them. They have all the good traits of the AK-47, but under more control. They are far more accurate—up to 500 yards. I would say, though, that those HK-417s are not too shabby.”
“I always like to keep a good and up to date arsenal,” responded Jean-Claude, “although I actually have a Sturmgewher-44 that I like to use from time to time.”
“That will please our leader to know that your group is that well-armed,” responded Remus.
“Who is that?” asked Anjou.
“We’ll explain all,” said Romulus, “Though I would say that all of us would never fit in that car.”
Chiyuki said, “We’ll get there ahead of you and reserve a spot.”
Remus tried to get into the driver side, but Jean-Claude said, “I’m driving.”
He shoved Remus to the middle, and Karin got into the other side, aiming the rifle right at him as she sat there, practically putting the muzzle on his hip. She knew that it would not kill him, but the silver swords would finish them if it came to it, and they had enough room to draw. Anjou got into the back with the other and did the same. Romulus then said, “You still don’t trust us?”
“Reagan said it best:” stated Jean-Claude, “Trust, but verify.”
The pair just sighed, knowing that they would be cautious, but also knowing how frustrating it was going to be to gain their trust.

They arrived at the shop about 20 minutes later, and the other two had the spots reserved, though the group found it odd that they still had their blades. The others kept their weapons, and flashed the badges, which kept questions from being asked. They put in their orders and sat with the other two. Karin then asked, “How did you get those blades past?”
Ryuu smiled and said, “You aren’t the only ones that know how to play mind tricks.”
At this, Jean-Claude said, “Okay, we’re here, so spill it.”
Romulus and Remus then looked at each other and nodded, and Romulus said, “It’s like this: there is another breed of the undead that exist, but their state is different than what you may have ever seen.”
“What do you mean?” asked Ryuu, his head now swimming.
“The source of these has nothing to do with your stock,” said Remus, “They are from an entirely different source.”
“Go ahead,” said Jean-Claude, paying close attention.
Remus then added, “You DO know who you chase, right?”
“Maria back there kind of confirmed that for us,” said Chiyuki.
“Then you have to understand that how he became how he is had nothing to do with the normal way,” queried Romulus.
Ryuu stiffened a bit, as if he already knew the answer. They then gave a brief explanation, and Ryuu said, “Thus, he got the mark of the Vagabond as I, correct?”
“As you?” asked Romulus, all surprised, “What do you mean by that?”
“Let’s just say that I have that mark,” said Ryuu, and instantly the pair knew with whom they talked. Then Remus said, “Then you understand that another realm of the night was created by him.”
“I hope they are not like the others we have faced,” said Anjou.
“Far from it,” said Chiyuki, holding knowledge of what Vlad may have made, “Tell me, do they have the ability to day walk?”
“Actually, no,” said Remus, “I know what you are saying, but, due to the nature of his curse, this was not given them.”
“It seems that how myth and popular culture have known from the vampire is a culmination of all the worlds we have faced,” said Jean-Claude, “But I don’t get how it is that you want to help us. You act like someone of that stock is your boss. I thought that alliances outside the kind that the Clan has with the lycanthropes of this area were not what you would have condoned.”
Remus smiled and said, “In fact, what we are was specially bred for the purpose of hunting the kind of vampires of which we speak. Yet, because of the efforts of the daughter of Vlad, our stock was won over to the Tepes’ side, and now we are the royal army and guard. We are the Beowulf.”
Thunderous silence filled that corner of the coffee shop when that name was stated. Jean-Claude then knew that, if these two wanted, they could cause some major destruction. He knew of the legends, but he was not sure how much was myth, and how much was truth. Yet, after pondering it, he knew that the two could be stopped, but not at the cost of a few of them. He then said, “If you are with Vlad…”
Romulus cut him off and said, “Trust me: we want nothing more to do with Vlad now. We are just biding our time as to when we can get rid of him. We two are of an elite eight that have the job of guarding his granddaughter, and the heir apparent to the Kingdom of the Night.”
“She’s the queen?” said Karin quizzically, “I hate to break it to you, but…”
“We know of your kids,” said Remus, “and there is much to be made good about that.”
“Wait!” snapped Jean-Claude, “How do you know about that?”
“Actually,” said Romulus, “We have been tracking this Clan of yours ever since you put the hurt on the 12 houses here. It affected Vlad, because he had his hand in some of that. He had since been trying to establish something directly controlled here, but you stand in the way.”
“Then how do I know you are not out to destroy us, considering that you work with the crown princess of your world?” demanded Jean-Claude.
“Hey, whoa, slow down there, chief!” exclaimed Remus, “You have all the cards right now! Look, we have no love for Vlad right now. He has been doing us dirty for a while now, and he has gotten just as bad as Ceausescu was before we felled him.”
“That was you!” spouted Anjou.
“Hey, it was hard to conceal things with the commies in power,” said Romulus, “He was okay for a time, but he just went nuts! Vlad is just as bad.”
“Are you telling me that your princess wants her own grandfather dead!” said Karin, all shocked.
“You have to understand something here,” said Remus, “They are so disjoined that he barely recognizes her, and thought her a threat long before she became one. They are so estranged that they might as well not even be related.”
“Yet, how do the kids play into this?” asked Chiyuki, all concerned now.
“She recognizes your royalty as just that,” said Romulus, “If the top one is your empress, then for your kind, she is that. However, our princess is going to be the queen of our world. However, if things go well, she would have your empress second in authority over all the world of the night only to our queen’s own. In fact, once things are established, and our niche is set, they will represent the new nobility, the old being something of Vlad’s creation, and just as power hungry. Once they are out of the way, then your empress can be the empress of the western hemisphere, as one of the kids can be leader of the eastern, and our princess as the Queen. If she is not able to have any offspring, then your empress would rule the world of the night. Because the four are unfamiliar with what it means to be royal, our princess—Mina—would teach them all they need to know. Because of the relation between Mina and your kids as the new nobility, it would unify the world of the night as one force that would work peaceably with the rest of the world who would want peace with us, and be able to defend itself against those that would not.”
Ryuu said, “You sound like you are trying to make a vampire nation,” but made it sound sarcastic, like it sounded ridiculous. However, the two Beowulfs were not laughing, and they said, “That is exactly about what we speak.”
The silence hit like a medicine ball to the gut. There was a mix of emotions and thoughts about this, and Jean-Claude said, “Are you saying you would gather all those of the night under your wing as a sovereign people? If that’s the case, would you…we…have enough to ward off an attack?”
The pair smiled and Remus said, “I don’t think you realize the pull that the Tepes have. Because they have been around for quite some time, the wealth they have accumulated is astronomical. They could build a castle with gold bricks and not have it hurt them. Moreover, their wealth it tied up in investments and companies worldwide. In many nations, if they pulled out their support, they could collapse whole nations and throw the world of the day into chaos, with the world in the night sitting back until they all beat each other senseless in the chaos, and then step in when they are weak, and we get what we want anyway.”
Karin gave them this odd look and she said, “You sound like the Yakuza!”
The two then laughed with a deep belly laugh and said, “Are you kidding? They, the mafia, and any other syndicate are rank armatures compared to what she could do! It’s not that she operates like that, but she also knows how to bargain like that if the need called for it. You see, Jean-Claude, the way you wanted to do it would not have worked, because it would have taken too long, there is no way you would have fully mixed, your wealth, (which is great, but is a pittance compared to ours,) would not support you, you have no great influences enough, and you would have brought about your annihilation. The way we plan to do it would put us on the map as a sovereign people, a world power with which to contend, and a people which the world would have to accept. We would mix with the world, and yet be separate and strong enough to keep the humans either happy, or at bay—whatever works.”
Another space of silence sat in the room, and then Jean-Claude asked, “Where do we play into this?”
“You join us,” said Jean-Claude, “and you would never have to fear anyone ever again. Let us help you, and we ask your help against Vlad in return.”
After some thought, he said, “I have to run it by the royalty. If they give the green light, you have a deal.”
“Could we meet them?” said Romulus.
Anjou got right into their faces and said, “Remember: we know into what you can change, but we also have ways of tending to you that your kind never knew possible. One slip in front of them, and we kabob you on silver rotisseries!”
The pair looked at her, and they did have to acknowledge that they held all the cards at that moment. Remus then said, “Lead the way.”

As they left the café, Jean-Claude was already on his cell, and said, “Make sure the rest of the Hand is in the throne room. It will be close quarters, so have them with MP-5 10mm sub-guns with silver rounds. We have guests coming.”
Because their hearing was what it was, they heard the whole thing, and they realized that these guys were not amateurs. They may not have had the reach that Mina had, but indeed, they could strike hard and do a lot of damage before they would be stopped. They all got into the car, save for Ryuu and Chiyuki, who ran there in a flash, the same way as before, and took them to Clan tower. Once there, the four came in through the service entrance of the restaurant, and then snuck to the back as not to scare the customers. The pair then had their suspicions confirmed when the elevator opened up. “We thought there was something there,” said Romulus.
“How did you get past the ward?” asked Jean-Claude, but Karin said, “Because of what they are, such things don’t work on them. The wards don’t work on animals, or anything with enhanced senses like that of an animal—a wolf, in their case.”
“Glad to know that,” said Jean-Claude, who then thought, “…after the fact!”
When they got to the throne room, the four were there, and Keelin stood off to the side, still not sure she wanted to be included in the whole royalty thing. Romulus and Remus then stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Your majesty, we send you greetings from Princess Mina Tepes, the crown princess of the world of the night.”
“Arise,” she said, “We were informed of all that was going on before you arrived. Is it true that there sits someone in greater authority than I?”
Nervous, and worried about how they should answer, they gave a moment’s time, and then Romulus said, “The only reason she would is the fact that she has been around longer, and has far more experience.”
“I like your honesty,” said Sophia, “It is true, I am called an empress in name, but I have yet to fully solidify that. I am recognized amongst our world, but we still have yet to gain more influence in the world to truly say we have anything.”
The pair stood there amazed at the maturity of the child before them, and Remus asked, “How is one so young so wise?”
At that, Mickey informed them about the prophecies, and their history. After a bit of thought, Remus then said, “It sounds like that our union would then be inevitable.”
“How so?” asked Jean-Claude.
Before either could answer, Sophia then said, “In order for my crown to mean anything, it has to have backing.”
“But I thought an empress was a higher rank than a queen,” said Jean-Claude, all confused.
“Empress…queen…it is really the same, dear Jean-Claude,” said Sophia, “We would be equal, but I would put myself under her so that I could learn. I would love to meet her.”
“She would love to meet you,” said Remus, “And if all goes well, you shall.”
Sophia then looked at Jean-Claude and said, “Form my Hand, and travel with these two, and prepare the way for me.”
Jean-Claude wasn’t sure about this, but she said, “Mickey and Sheila will go with you as my ambassadors. There may be another, but I must think about that one for a bit.”
“Begging your pardon, your majesty,” said Romulus, “Part of our mission is to see how much of an influence Vlad has here. With your permission, we would like to gather that information.”
“Then I shall lend you the use of the Hand, as well as Chiyuki and Ryuu,” responded Sophia, “They are all fine warriors, and they shall serve you well.”
“Thank you,” said Remus, “There is a place we can check tonight. If it is what I think, we can get some more information out of it.”
“What will the conditions be,” asked Jean-Claude.
“Close quarters,” answered Romulus.
“Then the rest of you, arm with MP-5s,” said Jean-Claude, “And I am going to try out the new one. Since there is only one right now, I can test it.”
“Test what?” asked Remus.
“You are going to love the name of this weapon!” exclaimed Jean-Claude, “Beowulf!”
The pair smiled and said, “We love it already! Let’s go bust some heads.”