Do You Know Whose Face You Wear?
After hearing a rumor that the church is harboring an angel, and being gifted a vial of what is claimed to be angels blood, Dracula decides to pay the church a visit. He didn't expect however, to find a familiar face waiting for him in the cellar under the cathedral.
This is a rough draft that I've decided to post as a way to motivate me to keep writing, so please excuse any errors.
-- Part One
One of the many things Dracula had to do as the dark lord was managing his court, which was why he was currently hosting an event at his castle. With these events came tributes gifted to him by members of the court and updates on the state of the world.
"I had intercepted a delivery of goods to the capital, my lord, and found something you might find interesting." One of Dracula's generals presented him with a golden box. The box was engraved with with foliage and feathers, and when the general opened the box to show its contents, nestled in the center of a red velvet lined interior, was a glass vial containing a deep red liquid.
"I heard them refer to it as 'angel's blood', and have heard rumors of the church keeping an angel under lock and key." The general added, placing the box in the Count's hand. "Apparently the blood is quite popular and sells well to selected elites."
"So the church claims to have an angel, and they're happy to bleed it dry for money. Hypocritical as usual."
The count took the vial to look at it closer, setting the box to the side. The vial was wrapped in a gold ribbon and decorated quite fancily.
"This convoy, do you know where they had departed from?" The Count asked, holding the vial up to the light.
"My guess would be on the village by the border. It is small, but the church has a heavy presence there. The rest of the cargo were also church relics and materials. " The general responded, pleased that the Count was intrigued by his gift.
"Thank you, both for this and bringing their activities to my attention." The count smiled, dismissing him.
"Of course, my lord." The general bowed before returning to the festivities.
Dracula admired the vial for a few more seconds before returning it to its box, he would be analyzing the contents of the vial after his guests had departed.
---
Dracula headed to his study after the festivities had ended. He popped the cork of the vial, as soon as the blood was exposed to the air, the intoxicating scent hit his nose. He had to restrain himself from immediately taking a sip, instead taking the vial to his alchemy table and pouring a bit into a separate container. Dracula had sensed no holy energy, but the intoxicating smell made him suspicious. He hadn't smelt blood this alluring before, had the church added something?
All the tests he had conducted had concluded that the liquid was just blood, no additional substances, though it was exceptionally healthy. The count separated the rest of the blood into two vials, one for further research and the other to taste. If the blood tasted even half as good as it smelt, he might have to find this so called 'angel'. The moment the first drop touched his tongue, he knew he would be paying the church a visit. Dracula considered himself someone with high self-control, and he was. However, if you had spent all of your life simply feeding on scraps and finally got a bite of a fresh feast, you wouldn't want to go back. He realized that the comparison was extreme, but it tasted that good.
The vial was quickly emptied. Finally, he had found something interesting to occupy his time.
---
The moon was bright and the air warm. It was a lovely summer night. Dracula looked at the village from afar, but more importantly the cathedral. It was quite strange for such a small village to host a cathedral now that he thought about it. "Maybe they do have some poor creature locked up here." He noted. Though he was leaning towards the idea of the church simply marketing human blood as an elixir to make money. He would check the cathedral first, perhaps they could tell him who they drew from, if not he could check the village.
Dracula had waited until a young page had returned to the cathedral, grabbing him before he reached the door. The man froze, about to scream before the count covered his mouth.
"No need to panic, I just have some questions regarding the "services" that the church provides, Will you not invite me in?" Dracula prompted, lightly digging his claws into the man's face as a threat. The man hesitated before the count moved his hand around his neck.
"Ok- ok- come in!" The young man panicked as a claw traced his throat.
"Thank you." The count entered the building, before releasing the man who scrambled away against a wall.
"Tell me, whose blood has the church been selling? Is there a list?" Dracula eyed the man "I advise you don't lie to me."
"Not selling- for the most part. It is gifted to the pope." The man nervously replied.
"What need would the pope have for human blood?" Dracula asked, annoyed that his first question had been ignored, but curious about the new information.
The man looked confused, "It's angel blood?"
"Do you seriously expect me to believe that you have angel whose blood you have been taking?" Dracula hissed. "The light has no place here and the divine doesn't grace this land with its presence, so what does the pope need blood for and whose blood is it." He grabbed the man by the collar.
"It is- It has healing properties- They keep it in the cellar-" The man cowered.
Dracula dropped the man with a growl, "Show me, and if you are wasting my time, I will make your death painful."
The man lead Dracula down into the cathedral's lower levels. The air was cooler here, and the corridor was dimly lit. The count noticed a cool light coming from the end of the hall.
They entered a room with small windows that allowed moonlight to leak in, Dracula froze as he realized what he was looking at. In the center of the room, illuminated by moonlight, and surrounded by silver chains, was a cocoon of feathers. He stepped forward eyes scanning the two large wings wrapped around the creature.
"So even the church would commit such an act of blasphemy, chaining a supposed holy creature." Dracula turned back to the cowering man, who was attempting to sneak down the hallway. Dracula narrowed his eyes and in a flash had slit the mans throat before returning to the center of the room.
"Now let's see you." Dracula's claw traced one of the wings.
The wings flinched at the touch and eventually the wings opened slightly, allowing a curious blue eye to peek out.
Dracula smiled sharply, "So tell me, if you are an angel, what is a creature like you doing in my domain? Did the others not inform you that the mortal world now belongs to me?"
The wings closed before opening a bit wider revealing a face that Dracula had never expected to see again. The face of a man whose grave he had visited, a man he had mourned, even if he had no right to. It was the face of Leon Belmont.
