Realm of Monsters

Chapter 596: Dinner with the Katags Part 3

  Dinner was a quick affair, or at least it felt that way to Stryg. The night passed in a blur as he ate and let Tauri do most of the talking. Her parents had an endless amount of questions about his heritage, his purpose in Hollow Shade, and his plans for the future. Tauri shielded him from most of their interrogation and evaded their questions, only giving the minimum of information.

  Stryg didn’t have to say anything for Tauri to catch on that he was somewhat out of his depth. He wasn’t used to being asked so many personal questions, by anyone really. Especially when it came to his parents. The more he learned about those two the more he realized how little he knew about them. 

  As midnight rolled around, Tauri announced it was getting late and that Stryg needed his rest. It was a lie. Stryg preferred being awake at night, whether it was because of his vampiric blood, being a child of the Stars, or simply being a night owl he didn’t know. Either way, he wasn’t going to bother correcting her.

  Evelyn clearly didn’t believe her daughter either, judging by the skeptical expression on her face, but when Stryg didn’t speak up, she reluctantly agreed with Tauri. Dinner finally ended with several promises on both sides, most importantly the Katag’s support in the upcoming political bid for power among the nobles that everyone but Stryg seemed so certain would happen.

  Various names of noble Houses were flung about, some that would be loyal to their cause, others that would no doubt be enemies and a list of twice as many whose loyalties had yet to be decided. Stryg recognized only a few, the rest he doubted he’d recall. He made a mental note to have one of the Veres scribes bring him a list of these Houses and their allegiances. 

  His attention was brought back to the orcs lord and lady in front of him when they stood up from the table.

  “Thank you for accepting our invitation to join us for dinner, it was truly a pleasure, Lord Veres,” said Evelyn with a curtsy.

  Stryg hastily stood to his feet and bowed his head, hand over his chest, as Gian had taught him was expected of noblemen. “The pleasure was mine, Lady Katag. Thank you for the invitation.”

  Evelyn stared at him for a long moment, her expression thoughtful. “I hope we can meet again like this soon, we have much to discuss.” She glanced at her daughter, “Such as a proper wedding date.”

  “Indeed,” Krall laughed and picked his daughter up in a bear hug. “You had us worried there for a while, but you’re finally getting married, and to an Ebon Aspirant no less! Well done!”

  “Dad, stop,” Tauri managed to gasp before he finally let her down. Her red cheeks grew a shade deeper and she sent a furtive glance at Stryg before hurriedly looking away.

  Krall placed his massive hand on Stryg’s shoulder and grinned, “I look forward to the wedding, it’ll be the greatest one of the century. Soon our two Great Houses will be united in the most sacred of alliances. Until then, know that you still have House Katag’s support.”

  Stryg tilted his head up, practically to the sky, to look straight up at the giant orc. How this man wasn’t a dire, Stryg would never understand. “Thank you, Lord Katag. On behalf of House Veres, I appreciate your sincere support.” And that time, Stryg knew he had recited Gian’s teachings perfectly.

  “If you need House Katag’s aid, just let us know, we will be there,” Krall winked.

  “I may need it sooner than you think,” he admitted wryly.

  “Oh, you have something in mind?” Krall whispered conspiratorially. 

  “Something like that.”

  “Okay, honey, I think it’s time we call it a night before we get into another set of plans,” said Evelyn as she grabbed her husband’s arm and pulled him away. She glanced at her daughter with a no-nonsense look, “Treat him well.”

  Tauri stood her ground and crossed her arms but waited until her parents were out of sight before muttering to herself, “I’m the one who needs to be treated well.”

  “I don’t treat you well?” Stryg said off-handedly as he grabbed his fifth slice of pie from the table.

  “Do you have any idea how irritating it was to sit here for three hours?”

  “If you hate your parents that much you don’t have to eat with them, but if you do, I’ll still be here. See? I’m nice.”

  “You’re not nice. And I wasn’t talking about eating dinner with them, I meant literally sitting down for three hours.” She rubbed her backside with a wince, “It’s still sore from last night. You’d think with titanic strength you’d hold back a bit more.”

  Stryg blinked. “Oh, I forgot to heal you afterwards.”

  She gave him a deadpan look. “You don’t say?”

  “I mean, I was a bit distracted.” His gaze wandered down to her wide hips and her voluptuous butt that she kept massaging.

  “Oi, eyes up here! And how are you still eating? Is your stomach an endless pit?”

  “Lunae says it’s normal for titans to eat a lot and with my powers awakening recently, my body is still adjusting to its new— body?”

  “It must be nice, having a body that heals in minutes or hours at most. Must. Be. Nice.”

  Stryg grimaced, “I’m sorry. I am. I’ll heal you right now.”

  “Here? Are you kidding me? We’re in a restaurant.”

  “We’re on the roof and all the servants have already left.”

  “And what if they come back up? You know? To clean up?” she said as if it was obvious.

  Stryg waved his right hand and channeled Green. The flower pots standing near the wall sprouted giant vines and wrapped around the door handle. With his left hand, he channeled Purple and the air shimmered around the edge of the roof.

  He smiled. “There, now no one can get up here and anyone who tries to look up from below won’t see us.”

  “Multicasting comes so easily to you now, huh?” 

  “Well, I have been told I am a magical prodigy,” he smirked.

  “Has anyone ever told you you’re a dumbass?”

  His smirk cracked. “...Once or twice.”

  Tauri’s eyes went alight with interest. “Oh? By whom?”

  “You, for one.”

  “That’s a given.”

  “Loh.”

  “Not surprised.”

  “My mother.”

  “Seen it.”

  “Plum, many, many times.”

  “It takes one to know one.”

  Stryg scratched his cheek. “Sigte used to always call me his sweet, stupid child.”

  “Sigte?”

  “Yeah. It never really bothered me. He wasn’t being mean about it, not really.” Stryg shrugged, “I don’t know, when he called me that it felt like I was his son. It was nice, I guess…”

  Tauri stayed silent and instead of responding, she glanced at the illusion wall that was wrapped around the entire roof. “You can just keep the illusion up, without concentrating? It won’t fall apart?”

  “It takes some concentration, but it’s like holding a cup. You don’t really think about it, but you’re not going to drop it either.”

  “You really have grown more powerful.”

  Stryg sighed, “And it’s somehow never enough for when I need it.”

  “...Fine, you can cast your healing magic, but don’t try anything.”

  “Understood.”

  It was one simple, sincere word, and yet she doubted it very much. Tauri turned her back to him and slid down her pants and undergarments. Stryg admired her plump bottom for a moment before channeling White and casting a healing spell.

  Tauri glanced back at him and frowned, “Do you really have to touch?”

  “Healing spells are more effective with physical contact, you know.”

  “Yes, but when did that include fondling my ass?”

  “...It’s very effective?”

  She rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

  “I’m sorry you were in pain. I didn’t realize it,” he said softly.

  “You didn’t seem sorry when you were biting my ass last night.”

  “You were biting me too.”

  “Not the same. I don’t bite through your skin. I woke up to find bloody bite marks all over my ass and thighs!”

  Stryg smiled sheepishly, “Your blood is tasty.”

  “Fucking vampires,” she grumbled. 

  “I’m not a vampire.”

  “You bite like one. You do realize your fangs secrete venom, right? It makes the minds of those you bite hazy. We don’t feel the pain until afterwards. You can’t just keep on biting someone over and over.”

  Stryg touched his canines, the points were small but sharp. “I see… So what you’re saying is I should heal you afterwards before you start feeling pain.”

  Tauri turned her waist around and flicked his droopy pointed ear. “Are you even listening?”

  Stryg stared at his hands plastered over her bottom, before meeting her amber eyes. “Are you serious?”

  “Okay, that’s enough healing.” She stepped forward and pulled her pants up. She couldn’t help but smirk at his disappointed expression.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “You already are.”

  “What?”

  “Never mind.” Tauri sat on his lap, eliciting a smile from him. “So, what’s the question?”

  “When you cut my palm earlier in front of your parents, how did you know my blood would be purple? I didn’t even know that.”

  “Oh, I had a chance to talk to Holo when she visited the Veres manor a few days ago. I asked her a bunch of questions about titans and you. She told me that, unlike other titan hybrids who inherited chaos, you didn’t have any chaos at birth. Your body was essentially ‘mortal’ growing up. You didn’t really begin to exhibit a titan physiology until your chromatic magic awakened, which isn’t normal, since a titan’s power is present since birth. Anyways, Holo said that your powers fully manifested the night of the siege and that your body was no longer mortal.”

  “So you thought my blood would have changed too?”

  “Well, you’re immortal now, so it’d make sense.”

  “You do realize that not all immortals are titans, right? In fact, most of them aren’t.”

  “Meh, I took an educated gamble.”

  “By cutting my hand with my own claw?”

  “I knew you’d heal, you big baby.” She leaned into him and yawned. “I’m tired.”

  “Chromatic healing spells recover your wounds by accelerating your body’s own regeneration. It takes a lot out of someone.”

  “Well, maybe you can learn to heal with your elemental chaos then?”

  “I’m pretty certain gods of death don’t do much healing.” Stryg cradled her in his arms and stood up. “Shall we go home?”

  “Mm…” She closed her eyes and snuggled into him.

  A sword suddenly stabbed through the door and sliced downwards, cleaving the wood and the vines covering it in half. Gale jumped through, sword in hand. Her scarlet eyes darted around the rooftop, searching for enemies.

  “Hi, Gale,” said Stryg nonchalantly.

  The vampire warrior stopped at the sight of her ward carrying the Katag woman. “Is she alright?”

  “Just sleepy.”

  Gale sheathed her sword. “I take it dinner went well?”

  “No thanks to you, my oh so ‘loyal’ Shield.”

  “Hey, I am the Shield against your enemies, not your future in-laws. Besides, I’ve never had much taste for politics.” Gale made a sour expression at the mere thought.

  “Hungry?” He gestured at the several untouched dishes on the table.

  “No, I got a drink earlier.” She licked her lips.

  Stryg noticed a few drops of blood on her shirt and nodded in understanding. “Hey, by the way, why does orc blood always taste so sweet?”

  Tauri twitched but pretended to be asleep.

  “I take it you're talking from experience?” Gale said pointedly. “I never thought orcs were particularly sweet.”

  “Really?” said Stryg.

  “Blood tastes somewhat different for each vampire and we all have our preferences. Man. Woman. Old. Young. Orc, human, dwarf, etc. While Veres blood runs strongly through you, you’re only part vampire at the end of the day. Your tastes are definitely skewed compared to the rest of us.”

  “Right. Hybrids,” Stryg muttered thoughtfully. Just one more thing that made him different from the rest. He was used to being different, but he never wanted to be.

  Gale shrugged. “Callum always preferred human blood, a bit cannibalistic if you ask me.”

  Stryg cracked a smile at that.