Chapter 147
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THE GREEN DISTRICT
THE NEXUS
GUS TERSOLON
In a normal world it would be nothing short of insane for a twelve or thirteen year old boy to walk into a bar, especially one as reputable as the Nexus. However I was on a mission, and vampires did not give a shit about age, especially since this was the pit.
Prison or no prison, it was a lawless place wasteland. Asha and Asare sent me here, and while I was grateful for the trust they placed on me, this was the first time I've had to act on my own without anyone of them close by. I guess you could say I just got kicked out of the nest.
The Nexus was not the only bar in the pit, but it was the bar whose name lingered on the lips of everyone. Based on what I found out, not just from Asha and Asare, but from the dozens of people whose minds I've read in the ten minutes I've been inside the bar, the Nexus was an information market. And it's currency were secrets.
If you want to find out something, then you have to have a secret of equal value to trade for it. That was how it works, and it has been this way for almost four hundred years, it was surprising to me, that such an establishment has been able to last this long.
It was hard to believe, that no one got so greedy that they wouldn't want the wealth of knowledge and the secrets held by the mysterious bar keep Bob. The only explanation would be that there are forces working behind the scene to keep this place running for so long.
I picked my way through and past tables, ignoring the staring eyes as I made my way to the counter. The Nexus did not just serve as bar, but it was also a hotel for new travelers coming into the pit, or a place where secret meetings are held. Every corner of this place is filled to the brim with secrets, and to be honest I felt like moving here. Being unable to speak since childhood has forced me to be observant, both with my eyes and my ears.
I remember the looks of pity people would give me, but their lips would sometimes tilt in mockery of my situation. The times when as a kid, I was not allowed to join in on games with other vampire children, because I was the weird kid who couldn't talk. The only friends I've ever had were my elder sister and brother.
They protected me, made me feel less alone, but in the end they couldn't protect me from everything. I became withdrawn, what was the point of getting along with people when they would never be able to hear your voice and consider your opinions.
Life wasn't fair, so all I could do was sit back and watch, to wonder why Henry's eye twitched every time he brought back half of his weekly supplies to our neighbor Mrs. Jaret, and why is it that he only comes when her husband is away, and they spend quite a bit of time 'talking' to each other from her room.
Or maybe try to understand why Nika always seemed to be nervous when that werewolf guard with the colorful smile comes around.
Everyone thinks he's different since he's so nice, which means they don't notice the fear in Nika's eyes, or notice how his eyes lingers on her body a moment longer than was needed. Secrets; I've learnt to deal with them from a young age, I found them out, and I kept them.
And used them, after all Mrs. Jaret already had a husband and son who worked hard for her and her other kids, she didn't need the extra bottles of blood, not when my little sister was hungry. Blackmailing her would have seemed wrong, but who asked her to keep secrets, or to believe that because I couldn't talk, that I couldn't be heard either.
I made my bed from a young age, at this point this was the only thing I truly knew how to do, deal in secrets. Besides who would ever be secretive around a mute twelve year old.
I reached the counter and took one of the seats, shifting my gaze to the big and well muscled guy behind the counter. He had a full head of sliver white hair, and his skin tone was a startling shade of yellow bronze that seemed to gleam in the lights of the Nexus.
I couldn't place his face though, no matter how hard I tried I had no idea what he looked like. I was about to read his mind, when a powerful mental force forced it's way past my defenses and into my own mind, then I heard a voice.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you try to read my mind, you're only going to end up frying your young brain to a crisp. So don't attempt to poke around in my head, it's sealed shut young telepath. Now tell me what can Bob and the Nexus do for you today?"
I couldn't see through this man, if he's even a man. According to eye witness accounts, he looked different every single time you met, it was as if he had multiple faces.
Or it could be that a hundred different people were taking turns playing the same guy, if that was the case then it would be impossible to know who the real Bob was. This man was seen by everybody, known by them, and some of them even have a personal relationship with him.
But through and through, Bob was a ghost. I was so impressed that for a moment I actually wished I was him. Having the gift of many faces, made it even more conducive to find secrets. But I was here for a reason.
"I need information on a number of people and their dealings with Adein. Also there has been rumors of an essence stone, capable of getting rid of the seal. It's currently being circulated through black market connections, and mainly between the gangs and criminals in the pit. I want to know where it came from, who has the monopoly on it, and if possible everyone who's bought and used it."
Bob was silent, from the look on his unseen face, I could tell he was quite surprised. Just like everyone else, he underestimated the mute kid.
I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing reactions like that, the look on their faces when they discover there was more to me than a boy with a tragic fate. It gave me a sense of achievement, it gave me pride that even with no voice, I was still capable of being heard, and in a variety of ways.
"You're quite the resourceful little vampire aren't you?" he said to me.
"Underestimating me because of my age is the first mistake you ever made, whether you make another one is up to you, but you're right. I am a resourceful little vampire."
"Hahaha Hahaha! Impressive. I've not come across a kid like you in ages, and even then, not one as confident and mature as yourself. But since you're here, you should already know the rules. A secret for a secret, and because you've impressed me so much, I'll give you a secret for free."
Well he's certainly very 'generous' but either way it was an advantage that worked in my favor. Time to get to work.
"The great elder of the Warren bloodline Coven is fucking the head warden Adein, the young master of the Inferno coven is gay, and to make matters worse he's actually sleeping with his uncle. The great elder of the Bediako coven is planning to start a civil war. He aims to subjugate every other bloodline coven, and be crowned the first vampire king in well, like forever. He's been secretly outfitted with weapons by Adein himself, also he's impotent."
I spat everything out without stopping for air even once. I was laser focused and I wanted to leave here as soon as possible. I still had other connections to establish, and an orphanage to visit.
"You are a marvel young vampire. Before I pay you back, can you do me the honor of telling me your name young friend?"
"It's Sugus." I answered him.
"You're lying aren't you?" he asked me with amusement in his voice.
"What if I am?" I answered his question with another.
"You've taught yourself well, in this line of work, what truly works best for us is anonymity. If no one knows who you are, what you look like, or what your name is, you can keep your cover for a very long time, and protect your loved ones from any retaliatory action. I guess that explains why you're under a hood with a face mask over your face. Though everyone here can still tell you're a kid."
I was in awe, this man or being was known as a master of secrets. He has been doing this a whole lot longer than I have been alive, and I could only imagine the depths of his wisdom. He was indulging me, and from the looks of things he wasn't going to push me to be truthful.
I didn't mean to impress him, it's just that, everything I've done so far, I did because it felt natural to me, and was the best possible way to keep my identity a secret. I wouldn't be able to get secrets if everyone suddenly knew who I was and what I could do.
"The essence stones you're talking about are real. The guard tower is responsible for the distribution and are both the middle man and seller. I can't get you a list of the people who have purchased it, but a majority of them, are from the Warren and Bediako coven. Of course on his orders, Adein had quite a few of those essence stones leaked into black market, and the gangs control the black market. Of course some of these gangs are not fully populated by vampires, which means with the unsealing, comes the power to take turf wars to the next level. It's going to be chaos and a blood bath. The essence stones were sent here on the orders of the council of light, they're training soldiers from the vampires here, unsubstantiated rumors say that they're preparing for an inter planetary conquest. They aim to build an empire and the vampires would be their war dogs. Also the council are funding the Bediako coven's campaign for war, and in three months, after hard training and receiving weapons and supplies, just after the coven conference is over, they will attack."
That was some shocking news, I can't say that the blue district would be safe from the chaos that's about to burst out, but we should be relatively fine. But this fight will come to our doorstep eventually, and things might turn out harder for Kael now, because he was no longer the only person or thing capable of unsealing vampires. He would loose a lot of the vampires around the tower, as most of them would choose freedom without the option of serving or fighting for him.
If all they had to do was buy the stone should it get mainstream, they would prefer to work hard towards that goal, than having to owe Kael anything. This truly was a disaster waiting to happen.
"Is that all you have to tell me?" I asked.
This might already seem like a lot, but I'll make sure I get my money's worth, well secret's worth.
"As a matter of fact, no. There are two versions of the stone, each unsealing different percentages of a vampire's abilities and power. I don't know the exact ratio of either stones, but I know its not up to even 90% much less a 100. Which means only your lord is capable of fully unsealing any vampire at the moment. Also for the past few weeks, Adein seems to have been loosing his mind and strength. He has insomnia and has had treatment multiple times for fractures on his bones, he thinks Kael and Asha placed a curse on him, so he's planted a few agents of his in the blue district, so you have to be careful of them. Now I'll give you that free secret you earned yourself, and this is urgent and of the utmost importance. The adopted sister of Kael, one lady Rhea Tinutaes of house Cor is currently being held captive in sector 3 area 9 tower 17 of the blue district, along with two of her bodyguards. Right under your noses I might add. She's been captive for a week, so you might want to launch a rescue operation as soon as possible, I hear Adein has plans to show the little girl some love. And let me tell, it's not going to be pretty."
I almost lost my composure, I was so shocked by that last piece of news I almost cried out and ruined my cool image. I was hoping to make more of an impression on Bob, but even he knew that this was something capable of shaking me.
I had to get this to Kael and Asare as soon as possible. I stood up to leave, but before I did that, I gave Bob a bow in thanks and turned away from the counter. But he called after me.
"Sugus, when you're done rescuing the princess, come back. And I'll teach you how to be a real master of secrets, a spy that everyone see's but no one knows. A man of many faces, many names, many lives. A master spy, a master thief, a master detective, a master of interrogation, master of lies and deceit. A. King. Of. Secrets and Shadows."
I felt my heart skip a beat. This was an opportunity I could not say no to. But there had to be a price. I turned my body halfway back and asked him.
"What's the catch?"
"Oh nothing much, you just have to work at the bar two days a week, and do my laundry while you're at it. See easy right?"
I left the Nexus with a question in my head.
"Seriously, that's it."
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THE GREEN DISTRICT
THE NEXUS
GUS TERSOLON
In a normal world it would be nothing short of insane for a twelve or thirteen year old boy to walk into a bar, especially one as reputable as the Nexus. However I was on a mission, and vampires did not give a shit about age, especially since this was the pit.
Prison or no prison, it was a lawless place wasteland. Asha and Asare sent me here, and while I was grateful for the trust they placed on me, this was the first time I've had to act on my own without anyone of them close by. I guess you could say I just got kicked out of the nest.
The Nexus was not the only bar in the pit, but it was the bar whose name lingered on the lips of everyone. Based on what I found out, not just from Asha and Asare, but from the dozens of people whose minds I've read in the ten minutes I've been inside the bar, the Nexus was an information market. And it's currency were secrets.
If you want to find out something, then you have to have a secret of equal value to trade for it. That was how it works, and it has been this way for almost four hundred years, it was surprising to me, that such an establishment has been able to last this long.
It was hard to believe, that no one got so greedy that they wouldn't want the wealth of knowledge and the secrets held by the mysterious bar keep Bob. The only explanation would be that there are forces working behind the scene to keep this place running for so long.
I picked my way through and past tables, ignoring the staring eyes as I made my way to the counter. The Nexus did not just serve as bar, but it was also a hotel for new travelers coming into the pit, or a place where secret meetings are held. Every corner of this place is filled to the brim with secrets, and to be honest I felt like moving here. Being unable to speak since childhood has forced me to be observant, both with my eyes and my ears.
I remember the looks of pity people would give me, but their lips would sometimes tilt in mockery of my situation. The times when as a kid, I was not allowed to join in on games with other vampire children, because I was the weird kid who couldn't talk. The only friends I've ever had were my elder sister and brother.
They protected me, made me feel less alone, but in the end they couldn't protect me from everything. I became withdrawn, what was the point of getting along with people when they would never be able to hear your voice and consider your opinions.
Life wasn't fair, so all I could do was sit back and watch, to wonder why Henry's eye twitched every time he brought back half of his weekly supplies to our neighbor Mrs. Jaret, and why is it that he only comes when her husband is away, and they spend quite a bit of time 'talking' to each other from her room.
Or maybe try to understand why Nika always seemed to be nervous when that werewolf guard with the colorful smile comes around.
Everyone thinks he's different since he's so nice, which means they don't notice the fear in Nika's eyes, or notice how his eyes lingers on her body a moment longer than was needed. Secrets; I've learnt to deal with them from a young age, I found them out, and I kept them.
And used them, after all Mrs. Jaret already had a husband and son who worked hard for her and her other kids, she didn't need the extra bottles of blood, not when my little sister was hungry. Blackmailing her would have seemed wrong, but who asked her to keep secrets, or to believe that because I couldn't talk, that I couldn't be heard either.
I made my bed from a young age, at this point this was the only thing I truly knew how to do, deal in secrets. Besides who would ever be secretive around a mute twelve year old.
I reached the counter and took one of the seats, shifting my gaze to the big and well muscled guy behind the counter. He had a full head of sliver white hair, and his skin tone was a startling shade of yellow bronze that seemed to gleam in the lights of the Nexus.
I couldn't place his face though, no matter how hard I tried I had no idea what he looked like. I was about to read his mind, when a powerful mental force forced it's way past my defenses and into my own mind, then I heard a voice.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you try to read my mind, you're only going to end up frying your young brain to a crisp. So don't attempt to poke around in my head, it's sealed shut young telepath. Now tell me what can Bob and the Nexus do for you today?"
I couldn't see through this man, if he's even a man. According to eye witness accounts, he looked different every single time you met, it was as if he had multiple faces.
Or it could be that a hundred different people were taking turns playing the same guy, if that was the case then it would be impossible to know who the real Bob was. This man was seen by everybody, known by them, and some of them even have a personal relationship with him.
But through and through, Bob was a ghost. I was so impressed that for a moment I actually wished I was him. Having the gift of many faces, made it even more conducive to find secrets. But I was here for a reason.
"I need information on a number of people and their dealings with Adein. Also there has been rumors of an essence stone, capable of getting rid of the seal. It's currently being circulated through black market connections, and mainly between the gangs and criminals in the pit. I want to know where it came from, who has the monopoly on it, and if possible everyone who's bought and used it."
Bob was silent, from the look on his unseen face, I could tell he was quite surprised. Just like everyone else, he underestimated the mute kid.
I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing reactions like that, the look on their faces when they discover there was more to me than a boy with a tragic fate. It gave me a sense of achievement, it gave me pride that even with no voice, I was still capable of being heard, and in a variety of ways.
"You're quite the resourceful little vampire aren't you?" he said to me.
"Underestimating me because of my age is the first mistake you ever made, whether you make another one is up to you, but you're right. I am a resourceful little vampire."
"Hahaha Hahaha! Impressive. I've not come across a kid like you in ages, and even then, not one as confident and mature as yourself. But since you're here, you should already know the rules. A secret for a secret, and because you've impressed me so much, I'll give you a secret for free."
Well he's certainly very 'generous' but either way it was an advantage that worked in my favor. Time to get to work.
"The great elder of the Warren bloodline Coven is fucking the head warden Adein, the young master of the Inferno coven is gay, and to make matters worse he's actually sleeping with his uncle. The great elder of the Bediako coven is planning to start a civil war. He aims to subjugate every other bloodline coven, and be crowned the first vampire king in well, like forever. He's been secretly outfitted with weapons by Adein himself, also he's impotent."
I spat everything out without stopping for air even once. I was laser focused and I wanted to leave here as soon as possible. I still had other connections to establish, and an orphanage to visit.
"You are a marvel young vampire. Before I pay you back, can you do me the honor of telling me your name young friend?"
"It's Sugus." I answered him.
"You're lying aren't you?" he asked me with amusement in his voice.
"What if I am?" I answered his question with another.
"You've taught yourself well, in this line of work, what truly works best for us is anonymity. If no one knows who you are, what you look like, or what your name is, you can keep your cover for a very long time, and protect your loved ones from any retaliatory action. I guess that explains why you're under a hood with a face mask over your face. Though everyone here can still tell you're a kid."
I was in awe, this man or being was known as a master of secrets. He has been doing this a whole lot longer than I have been alive, and I could only imagine the depths of his wisdom. He was indulging me, and from the looks of things he wasn't going to push me to be truthful.
I didn't mean to impress him, it's just that, everything I've done so far, I did because it felt natural to me, and was the best possible way to keep my identity a secret. I wouldn't be able to get secrets if everyone suddenly knew who I was and what I could do.
"The essence stones you're talking about are real. The guard tower is responsible for the distribution and are both the middle man and seller. I can't get you a list of the people who have purchased it, but a majority of them, are from the Warren and Bediako coven. Of course on his orders, Adein had quite a few of those essence stones leaked into black market, and the gangs control the black market. Of course some of these gangs are not fully populated by vampires, which means with the unsealing, comes the power to take turf wars to the next level. It's going to be chaos and a blood bath. The essence stones were sent here on the orders of the council of light, they're training soldiers from the vampires here, unsubstantiated rumors say that they're preparing for an inter planetary conquest. They aim to build an empire and the vampires would be their war dogs. Also the council are funding the Bediako coven's campaign for war, and in three months, after hard training and receiving weapons and supplies, just after the coven conference is over, they will attack."
That was some shocking news, I can't say that the blue district would be safe from the chaos that's about to burst out, but we should be relatively fine. But this fight will come to our doorstep eventually, and things might turn out harder for Kael now, because he was no longer the only person or thing capable of unsealing vampires. He would loose a lot of the vampires around the tower, as most of them would choose freedom without the option of serving or fighting for him.
If all they had to do was buy the stone should it get mainstream, they would prefer to work hard towards that goal, than having to owe Kael anything. This truly was a disaster waiting to happen.
"Is that all you have to tell me?" I asked.
This might already seem like a lot, but I'll make sure I get my money's worth, well secret's worth.
"As a matter of fact, no. There are two versions of the stone, each unsealing different percentages of a vampire's abilities and power. I don't know the exact ratio of either stones, but I know its not up to even 90% much less a 100. Which means only your lord is capable of fully unsealing any vampire at the moment. Also for the past few weeks, Adein seems to have been loosing his mind and strength. He has insomnia and has had treatment multiple times for fractures on his bones, he thinks Kael and Asha placed a curse on him, so he's planted a few agents of his in the blue district, so you have to be careful of them. Now I'll give you that free secret you earned yourself, and this is urgent and of the utmost importance. The adopted sister of Kael, one lady Rhea Tinutaes of house Cor is currently being held captive in sector 3 area 9 tower 17 of the blue district, along with two of her bodyguards. Right under your noses I might add. She's been captive for a week, so you might want to launch a rescue operation as soon as possible, I hear Adein has plans to show the little girl some love. And let me tell, it's not going to be pretty."
I almost lost my composure, I was so shocked by that last piece of news I almost cried out and ruined my cool image. I was hoping to make more of an impression on Bob, but even he knew that this was something capable of shaking me.
I had to get this to Kael and Asare as soon as possible. I stood up to leave, but before I did that, I gave Bob a bow in thanks and turned away from the counter. But he called after me.
"Sugus, when you're done rescuing the princess, come back. And I'll teach you how to be a real master of secrets, a spy that everyone see's but no one knows. A man of many faces, many names, many lives. A master spy, a master thief, a master detective, a master of interrogation, master of lies and deceit. A. King. Of. Secrets and Shadows."
I felt my heart skip a beat. This was an opportunity I could not say no to. But there had to be a price. I turned my body halfway back and asked him.
"What's the catch?"
"Oh nothing much, you just have to work at the bar two days a week, and do my laundry while you're at it. See easy right?"
I left the Nexus with a question in my head.
"Seriously, that's it."
THE GREEN DISTRICTTHE NEXUSGUS TERSOLONIn a normal world it would be nothing short of insane for a twelve or thirteen year old boy to walk into a bar, especially one as reputable as the Nexus. However I was on a mission, and vampires did not give a shit about age, especially since this was the pit. Prison or no prison, it was a lawless place wasteland. Asha and Asare sent me here, and while I was grateful for the trust they placed on me, this was the first time I've had to act on my own without anyone of them close by. I guess you could say I just got kicked out of the nest.The Nexus was not the only bar in the pit, but it was the bar whose name lingered on the lips of everyone. Based on what I found out, not just from Asha and Asare, but from the dozens of people whose minds I've read in the ten minutes I've been inside the bar, the Nexus was an information market. And it's currency were secrets. If you want to find out something, then you have to have a secret of equal value to trade for it. That was how it works, and it has been this way for almost four hundred years, it was surprising to me, that such an establishment has been able to last this long. It was hard to believe, that no one got so greedy that they wouldn't want the wealth of knowledge and the secrets held by the mysterious bar keep Bob. The only explanation would be that there are forces working behind the scene to keep this place running for so long.I picked my way through and past tables, ignoring the staring eyes as I made my way to the counter. The Nexus did not just serve as bar, but it was also a hotel for new travelers coming into the pit, or a place where secret meetings are held. Every corner of this place is filled to the brim with secrets, and to be honest I felt like moving here. Being unable to speak since childhood has forced me to be observant, both with my eyes and my ears. I remember the looks of pity people would give me, but their lips would sometimes tilt in mockery of my situation. The times when as a kid, I was not allowed to join in on games with other vampire children, because I was the weird kid who couldn't talk. The only friends I've ever had were my elder sister and brother. They protected me, made me feel less alone, but in the end they couldn't protect me from everything. I became withdrawn, what was the point of getting along with people when they would never be able to hear your voice and consider your opinions. Life wasn't fair, so all I could do was sit back and watch, to wonder why Henry's eye twitched every time he brought back half of his weekly supplies to our neighbor Mrs. Jaret, and why is it that he only comes when her husband is away, and they spend quite a bit of time 'talking' to each other from her room.Or maybe try to understand why Nika always seemed to be nervous when that werewolf guard with the colorful smile comes around. Everyone thinks he's different since he's so nice, which means they don't notice the fear in Nika's eyes, or notice how his eyes lingers on her body a moment longer than was needed. Secrets; I've learnt to deal with them from a young age, I found them out, and I kept them. And used them, after all Mrs. Jaret already had a husband and son who worked hard for her and her other kids, she didn't need the extra bottles of blood, not when my little sister was hungry. Blackmailing her would have seemed wrong, but who asked her to keep secrets, or to believe that because I couldn't talk, that I couldn't be heard either. I made my bed from a young age, at this point this was the only thing I truly knew how to do, deal in secrets. Besides who would ever be secretive around a mute twelve year old.I reached the counter and took one of the seats, shifting my gaze to the big and well muscled guy behind the counter. He had a full head of sliver white hair, and his skin tone was a startling shade of yellow bronze that seemed to gleam in the lights of the Nexus. I couldn't place his face though, no matter how hard I tried I had no idea what he looked like. I was about to read his mind, when a powerful mental force forced it's way past my defenses and into my own mind, then I heard a voice."I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you try to read my mind, you're only going to end up frying your young brain to a crisp. So don't attempt to poke around in my head, it's sealed shut young telepath. Now tell me what can Bob and the Nexus do for you today?"I couldn't see through this man, if he's even a man. According to eye witness accounts, he looked different every single time you met, it was as if he had multiple faces. Or it could be that a hundred different people were taking turns playing the same guy, if that was the case then it would be impossible to know who the real Bob was. This man was seen by everybody, known by them, and some of them even have a personal relationship with him. But through and through, Bob was a ghost. I was so impressed that for a moment I actually wished I was him. Having the gift of many faces, made it even more conducive to find secrets. But I was here for a reason."I need information on a number of people and their dealings with Adein. Also there has been rumors of an essence stone, capable of getting rid of the seal. It's currently being circulated through black market connections, and mainly between the gangs and criminals in the pit. I want to know where it came from, who has the monopoly on it, and if possible everyone who's bought and used it."Bob was silent, from the look on his unseen face, I could tell he was quite surprised. Just like everyone else, he underestimated the mute kid. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing reactions like that, the look on their faces when they discover there was more to me than a boy with a tragic fate. It gave me a sense of achievement, it gave me pride that even with no voice, I was still capable of being heard, and in a variety of ways."You're quite the resourceful little vampire aren't you?" he said to me."Underestimating me because of my age is the first mistake you ever made, whether you make another one is up to you, but you're right. I am a resourceful little vampire.""Hahaha Hahaha! Impressive. I've not come across a kid like you in ages, and even then, not one as confident and mature as yourself. But since you're here, you should already know the rules. A secret for a secret, and because you've impressed me so much, I'll give you a secret for free."Well he's certainly very 'generous' but either way it was an advantage that worked in my favor. Time to get to work."The great elder of the Warren bloodline Coven is fucking the head warden Adein, the young master of the Inferno coven is gay, and to make matters worse he's actually sleeping with his uncle. The great elder of the Bediako coven is planning to start a civil war. He aims to subjugate every other bloodline coven, and be crowned the first vampire king in well, like forever. He's been secretly outfitted with weapons by Adein himself, also he's impotent."I spat everything out without stopping for air even once. I was laser focused and I wanted to leave here as soon as possible. I still had other connections to establish, and an orphanage to visit."You are a marvel young vampire. Before I pay you back, can you do me the honor of telling me your name young friend?""It's Sugus." I answered him."You're lying aren't you?" he asked me with amusement in his voice."What if I am?" I answered his question with another."You've taught yourself well, in this line of work, what truly works best for us is anonymity. If no one knows who you are, what you look like, or what your name is, you can keep your cover for a very long time, and protect your loved ones from any retaliatory action. I guess that explains why you're under a hood with a face mask over your face. Though everyone here can still tell you're a kid."I was in awe, this man or being was known as a master of secrets. He has been doing this a whole lot longer than I have been alive, and I could only imagine the depths of his wisdom. He was indulging me, and from the looks of things he wasn't going to push me to be truthful. I didn't mean to impress him, it's just that, everything I've done so far, I did because it felt natural to me, and was the best possible way to keep my identity a secret. I wouldn't be able to get secrets if everyone suddenly knew who I was and what I could do."The essence stones you're talking about are real. The guard tower is responsible for the distribution and are both the middle man and seller. I can't get you a list of the people who have purchased it, but a majority of them, are from the Warren and Bediako coven. Of course on his orders, Adein had quite a few of those essence stones leaked into black market, and the gangs control the black market. Of course some of these gangs are not fully populated by vampires, which means with the unsealing, comes the power to take turf wars to the next level. It's going to be chaos and a blood bath. The essence stones were sent here on the orders of the council of light, they're training soldiers from the vampires here, unsubstantiated rumors say that they're preparing for an inter planetary conquest. They aim to build an empire and the vampires would be their war dogs. Also the council are funding the Bediako coven's campaign for war, and in three months, after hard training and receiving weapons and supplies, just after the coven conference is over, they will attack."That was some shocking news, I can't say that the blue district would be safe from the chaos that's about to burst out, but we should be relatively fine. But this fight will come to our doorstep eventually, and things might turn out harder for Kael now, because he was no longer the only person or thing capable of unsealing vampires. He would loose a lot of the vampires around the tower, as most of them would choose freedom without the option of serving or fighting for him. If all they had to do was buy the stone should it get mainstream, they would prefer to work hard towards that goal, than having to owe Kael anything. This truly was a disaster waiting to happen."Is that all you have to tell me?" I asked.This might already seem like a lot, but I'll make sure I get my money's worth, well secret's worth."As a matter of fact, no. There are two versions of the stone, each unsealing different percentages of a vampire's abilities and power. I don't know the exact ratio of either stones, but I know its not up to even 90% much less a 100. Which means only your lord is capable of fully unsealing any vampire at the moment. Also for the past few weeks, Adein seems to have been loosing his mind and strength. He has insomnia and has had treatment multiple times for fractures on his bones, he thinks Kael and Asha placed a curse on him, so he's planted a few agents of his in the blue district, so you have to be careful of them. Now I'll give you that free secret you earned yourself, and this is urgent and of the utmost importance. The adopted sister of Kael, one lady Rhea Tinutaes of house Cor is currently being held captive in sector 3 area 9 tower 17 of the blue district, along with two of her bodyguards. Right under your noses I might add. She's been captive for a week, so you might want to launch a rescue operation as soon as possible, I hear Adein has plans to show the little girl some love. And let me tell, it's not going to be pretty."I almost lost my composure, I was so shocked by that last piece of news I almost cried out and ruined my cool image. I was hoping to make more of an impression on Bob, but even he knew that this was something capable of shaking me. I had to get this to Kael and Asare as soon as possible. I stood up to leave, but before I did that, I gave Bob a bow in thanks and turned away from the counter. But he called after me."Sugus, when you're done rescuing the princess, come back. And I'll teach you how to be a real master of secrets, a spy that everyone see's but no one knows. A man of many faces, many names, many lives. A master spy, a master thief, a master detective, a master of interrogation, master of lies and deceit. A. King. Of. Secrets and Shadows."I felt my heart skip a beat. This was an opportunity I could not say no to. But there had to be a price. I turned my body halfway back and asked him."What's the catch?""Oh nothing much, you just have to work at the bar two days a week, and do my laundry while you're at it. See easy right?"I left the Nexus with a question in my head."Seriously, that's it."
