Chapter One: Fencing

Two figures clad in white garments and sleek, face hiding helmets stood on opposite sides of the great ballroom. They were inside a gargantuan castle in Paris, France. Each held a rapier, pointing it at the other with determination. Then, without warning, the man on the left advanced, commencing the battle. The swords collided with a loud clack again and again until the sound had a steady beat. With dazzling speed and strength the blades and their fighters turned into blurs and before long acrobatics that defied description were presented to a nonexistent audience. One fighter would jump onto a wall only to ricochet off it and hit his foe with a kick. The other fighter would slide on the ground and jump back at his foe, his sword ready to slash at any moment.

Eventually the dual returned to the ground and, with a thunderous clack, the swords broke in unison. The fighters looked at their stumps which had once been lethal weapons and began to laugh. They dropped their weapons and shook hands, laughing congratulations and babbling about how well the fight went. They then changed out of their fencing uniforms and returned to the ballroom in very different attire.

One of the swordsmen was named Tremere. His skin was an extremely pale shade of white which drowned out his eyes, an odd yet beautiful mix of blue, gray and green. His hair was reddish brown and messy, as though he just woke up and left it as is. Actually, that’s what he did. A long black coat, flowing like the capes which were more common in this era, covered most of his body, assisted by black dress pants and a gray shirt which reach up to where his neck met his head. The shirt was important; it hid two small, fang-like birth marks on his neck which would reveal to people that he was truly a vampire.

Tremere did not become a vampire in the same manner as most of his race. There are three ways to become one of the creatures of the night. The first and most common way was to go through a vampire baptism, in which a vampire forces its victim to drink its blood before drinking theirs. The baptism robs the victim of their soul and gives them half of the strengths of their vampire sire, along with all the weaknesses.

The second and third methods were much rarer. In the unlikely event of a demon having intercourse with a human and allowing them to live afterwards a vampire would be born. These vampires would have the strength of twenty men of their size and stature, the ability to change shape, teeth which could turn into fangs, and the birth marks mentioned earlier. They would also lack souls and the ability to create blood that can sustain their bodies. These vampires were most often the result of rapes, giving them very unstable and wicked personalities.

It is highly unlikely for the third way of becoming a vampire to occur. It requires that an angel has intercourse with a human, and act frowned upon by the forces of creation, which results in a child that has all the abilities and weaknesses of the demonic vampires, though with a soul. They also inherit one power from their angelic parent.

Oddly enough, both of the swordfighters in the ballrooms were creatures spawned from the third and rarest way of becoming a vampire. Tremere’s mother had been an angel of dreams who, while guarding his father, fell in love and took physical form to be with him. By doing this she inadvertently cursed Tremere, but his father loved him all the same.

Tremere’s companion, on the other hand, had a less fortunate birth. His father was an angel, but he was also the most infamous demon known. He had been named Tepes by his caring (and rich) foster family, as his real mother abandoned him at birth. They raised him as their only son. He inherited a great amount of wealth when they died, which he used to travel the world. Before that, however, he had traveled to Scotland where he met Tremere, forming a life long friendship. They shared many common interests, sword fighting chief among them. Eventually their friendship became more of a brotherhood, and before long they built the castle they were now in.

This day was the fiftieth anniversary of that day, and like every year Tepes held a party to celebrate. From every corner of the world vampires, werewolves, and other things that went bump in the night would gather at the castle for one night of jubilee. Tremere was not fond of the event, though he did his best to conceal that from Tepes. Because of his lineage Tepes was idolized by most vampires, since being the son of Satan was as bad as bad could get. Tremere was also popular amongst the vampire crowd, because of his skills as a warrior, but unlike Tepes he did not embrace it. In fact, Tremere loathed other vampires. They always had grotesque and disgusting personalities, often hidden under veils of beauty. Every time this day came he would have to endure hours upon hours of them talking of their violent and gory exploits. The only part of the night he looked forward to was the swordfight with Tepes, a show they put on every year for the crowd of monsters.

Tepes looked at Tremere, his red eyes filled with excited anticipation. “So, excited for tonight?” he asked with a wide, toothy grin. It was obvious that Tepes was, as his great feelings of happiness had made his teeth into fangs.

“Thrilled,” Tremere replied with forced enthusiasm.

“Think of it, my friend. There will be a crowd of our own kind, hundreds of intellects that are on our own level!” he paused to add emphasis to his next sentence, a trick he often used in conversation, “Think of the women.”

Tremere feigned another smile. Though the boastful male vampires were annoying, the females were even worse because they though that talking about mutilations was sexy. Since Tremere and Tepes were two of the most eligible vampire bachelors, they were often surrounded by female vampires. Tepes was, again, the only one who liked that fact. Deep in his heart Tremere longed to find a woman with the inner beauty they lacked, but the only ones he knew were mortal and thus headed for a tragic end.

“Oh, and I have a surprise for you tonight,” Tepes cooed with a smile. Tremere looked at him, waiting for him to continue. Instead Tepes walked out of the room, grabbing his broken rapier.