Nightmare System

"Are you guys sure you don't want to kill me now? What about your djinn leader or whatever? You will attack me, right?"

"We will inform her of the event transpired, my lord. I'm sure she will gladly crown you," the vampire said.

"Okay," Hell answered in a boorish tone. He felt like crying at this moment, he only wanted more trouble to find him this time instead of evading it, and even that was not gonna happen, now?

Hell could see some vampires closer to him trembling before him as he had a chance to ponder with the encompassed silence around him. Was it that easy to give up on your leader? Even if it would be a losing fight for them, would anyone be fine with losing their leader, along with their footing in the region?

He was unsure of what to do, but he didn't like to attack these creatures now that there were so subservient. After around 30 seconds of contemplation, Hell heaved a sigh of relief, seeing Virgil at the doors.

"What is this commotion?!" Virgil yelled, all vampires surprised once more. This was a surreal day for themselves. They had first seen the people they considered to be invincible, taken out in a matter of minutes without any of them even realizing something was amiss, there were even other casualties newly reported from the other side of the base to top it off, all the while Virgil, who is rumoured to be among the strongest Vampire Lords had appeared to perhaps save them from this plight.

They were conflicted as to what to do; would they ask for help from a strong and renowned vampire or stick with the man they just crowned as their leader? If they asked for help and Virgil lost, the ones who did so would probably be executed by their new leader. But if they stuck with this new man as he was killed by Virgil, they would be branded traitors and would be disposed of just the same.

"We welcome the Vampire Lord Virgil!" One of the vampires respectfully bowed toward Virgil, telling him with a cracking voice filled with anxiety and stress that this was the crowning of their new leader as your rank was decided according to your strength in this base. The current turn of events stupefied Virgil who could only look at Hell, seeing him callously shrug. The plan had successfully failed, it seemed.

"What is this farce?" Virgil roared with some quick thinking, striking terror into the hearts of the vampires in the scene now rising to hundreds as almost all of them had gathered. "Only another vampire can be dubbed the Vampire Lord! You, who has falsely claimed my dear friend's throne, should be executed!"

"Cut the theatrics!" Hell yelled and motioned vampires to open up a path for him. They quickly obliged.

Virgil was livid. "Cut the theatrics?" he involuntarily murmured. Coming from Hell, he didn't really know whether to get angry or laugh this off, but he would not imagine Hell of all people to say such a thing. Perhaps they could still stick to the plan and fight. He grew his claws, activated his skills as he boosted his stats and was ready to go for a bout with Hell.

Other vampires agreeing to his rule was a surprise to Virgil indeed. Vampires accepting a non-vampire amidst them was something new. But then again, he had forgotten to equate the other vampires' view of their lords. Dmiria was a Vampire Lord that treated his subjects as if they were his toys and cared not about the weaker ones, only keeping them in high numbers and would wreck the minds of any that seemed suspicious among them. It would make sense their fidelity would be weaker compared to the ones under himself. Even if the bond they have were stronger, Virgil was thinking, the will to survive would likely prevail after they had no one left to fight for them with both the elite guards and Dmiria himself gone.

"I will save you from this evil man if you wish to be saved!" Virgil said, summoning his team of elites with a snap of his fingers as they emerged from the shadows. Vampires had an affinity with shadows, and most of them could manipulate them to hide their existence. Nero, for example, had trained this skill to such an extent that he could sink into shadows almost as soon as he willed it.

"Anyone who wants vengeance, step forward, don't be afraid of him!" Virgil added, trying to salvage the situation according to their original plan. He still had justification if he shooed Hell away from here, but he wasn't sure if his rule would be accepted by others.

Hell was feeling conflicted at this point and began entertaining the idea of owning a base more, having hundreds of servants and subordinates that would also be his army. An army of almost undying soldiers… He liked the idea, so he yelled, with a change of heart: "If anyone wishes to leave, he or she can leave! You will not be killed for leaving, but once you are gone, that is it!" Hell yelled.

"Anyone else aiming to be on the side that will dominate these lands can stay with me, and we shall absolutely prevail. What Queen? What djinn?" He roared. "They are just there to pave the path for me!"

There were murmuring all around, and Hell was incredibly excited for having given such a speech. He didn't know he would even say those words, speaking without a proper thought process or a plan. Virgil realised what Hell wanted to do, but seeing some vampires wishing to leave, he at least thought of playing along in his own way, bolstering his own numbers.

"If you are such a gracious ruler, you don't mind if they join me, do you? Otherwise, you are a savage I thought you to be!" Virgil addressed the crowd. "All of you should know every subordinate I have is under my care, and as long as you follow the rules, I will have all of you under my protection!"

"Sure." Hell simply said with a smile. "What kind of a leader would I be if I didn't find that much mercy in my heart!" The plan seemed to have changed, but Virgil was a smart man, Hell was thinking. Gathering any leftovers would be the same as occupying this place, his base was large enough to accommodate higher numbers in any case, their presence was sufficient.

Most vampires sided with Virgil as he offered his protection who is known for his care of his underlings. He was the only Vampire Lord with even bottom-feeders of his subjects not complaining much. Some would hear even the ghouls were a small legion of their own, not killed off or banished as most other bases did. Hell only had around 80 people with eyes burning with determination on his side. These were the vampires abused and poorly treated by both Dmiria and his team of elites. They were eternally grateful to Hell for killing them all, so much so that they wouldn't mind even if this man killed them all after they stayed. They would pass on in peace now that they were avenged.

"Happy?" Hell asked, looking at Virgil.

"Letting these vampires leave without a fuss, I commend your gracefulness." Virgil replied and added: "Seeing you were strong enough to kill all his guards and Dmiria himself, although my heart bleeds, I can offer an alliance."

Virgil could sense that some of the vampires that were on his side now had exclaimed with an emotion of horror and surprise. As legendary as base leaders could be, they were still only the servants of the Djinn Queen. He turned around and addressed the crowd behind him to ease their hearts as much as he could.

"This man may be seen as a heathen by some of you with what he just said! But isn't it true that, just as Dmiria, we are all used by the one we dubbed queen and crowned? Isn't she just ruling us with her power and using us as cannon fodder at times against Lucifer? Thousands of vampires have been killed in her meaningless crusades, and we have achieved nothing so far, am I wrong?"

Vampires were agreeing, nodding their heads as they listened. They trusted Virgil, for some reason they quite couldn't tell, perhaps their initial impression of Virgil was simply too high, coupled with him having an ally as strong as the man who was crowned to be the next leader of this base, a seedling of hope was growing inside their hearts.

Hell, just in case, he thought, added: "I won't ask for Virgil's help in the events to transpire in this next period of a month. There are 10 Vampire Lords left aside from the dead Dmiria and my new friend Virgil. If I can't handle Vampire Lords myself, I won't ask you to follow me, I will return to Virgil and ask for his help only after I have shown the abilities of my newly acquired stronghold!"

What little concerns the vampires had in their hearts began to diminish. None of them knew the terror of someone like the Djinn Queen. There were stories, but what they were experiencing today was real. Also, as long as they sided with Virgil, they had nothing to complain. If he were a man who could defeat multiple strongholds by himself, it would be an immense assurance having him as an ally, but if he died on his crusade, they would also be unaffected.

"My name is Helleborus, call me Lord Hell, just as the hell we'll rain on the fools standing in our way." Hell roared to the 80 vampires on his side, trying to intimidate them while encouraging them. Sons of Shadow didn't know things would develop as such, some had a resolute look on their faces, the younger ones were enjoying the show while Nero had dozed off again.

The 80 vampires stuck with him all believed him with their lives and began chanting "Lord Hell," until he shushed them after an appropriate amount of time.

"Now, Virgil, we have work to do here, I'm sure you can notify any other friends who may wonder my whereabouts while giving us some time to fix this place up."

"Of course," Virgil said with a smile. "We shall meet again when I hear the good news from you." And he left, the large crowd of vampires following himself. Even if some felt something was amiss, no one would dare speak up and went along with the crowd.

"Well," Hell turned to the vampires under his wing soon after. "Is there a large 'conference room' type of place here?"

"Yes, Lord Hell!" A vampire with a dignified demeanour immediately answered. His eyes were screaming his gratitude to Hell. "Please let me show you the way!"

Hell was, even with everything happening, was taken aback by his fervour. "O-kay…" He said, motioning him to bow no longer.

"Thank you for the opportunity!" The man yelled. This was definitely a man of passion.

"Everyone else can go and do whatever they wish to do as long as you meet me there in 30 minutes," Hell said. No one left, however, following Hell. They were all burning with passion to follow this man's orders to their deaths if need be, while all Hell felt was an awkward silence along the way.

"Alright, then," Hell said, his eyes darting around the large room. They had arrived in a large hall, enough to accommodate a thousand vampires at once. Hell, realising what to do, used his Quickening and he was on a slightly raised platform after a moment. The vampires lost sight of him for a moment and baffled in the next, this was an impressive show of Hell's skill.

"Stand before me!" He commanded, and all vampires suddenly rushed before him, not daring to take their time.

"Who is the strongest among you?" Hell asked. They were all scanning their surroundings, these vampires were the bottom feeders of the bunch, although they seemed to have spirit, they lacked the physical abilities to back it up. Vampires who didn't turn, or born strong were considered to be servants in most bases, nothing more.

"You won't die unless someone rips your heart out, correct?" Hell asked as he looked at the vampire with a prince-looking face as he would definitely answer without delay.

"Yes, Lord Hell. Or if someone pulverises it!"

"Good. I will have you fight one another in 1v1 fights. Don't kill each other but continue until one side gives up or can no longer fight. Show me your spirit. We'll continue until there are only 5 of you left. But before we do that…" Hell said and suddenly yelled, asking:

"Do you swear your allegiance to me?! I ask each one of you! Answer immediately!"

"Yes, Lord Hell." Each of them simultaneously yelled without a pause. They would even fight against their kin with him if he were attacked by them, this was what they decided in their hearts when he first announced the death of Dmiria, displaying his body without a heart.

"Do you accept me as your Lord from this day forth?!"

"Yes, Lord Hell!" They again yelled in fervour, this time even louder.

"You are now my subordinates, men and women. I shall not have you hurt by others, and you shall not do evil deeds on your own either! Remember this, you are Hell's immortal servants, from now until the end of time!"

"Yes!" They yelled once more, and as they did, the vampires began feeling changes in their bodies. Suddenly their muscles seemed tauter and denser. They felt they had gotten stronger somehow, which only helped fuel their newly found devotion. Each one took it as a sign.

Hell also noticed the slight change they went through, it seemed what he was thinking was right, as long as both sides agreed, they would benefit from the 60% bonus, which would be furthered as they trained themselves.

"I have blessed you all, now, decide on a system and fight. Top 5 shall report to me, the rest of the top 10 will report to the top 5!" Hell said and found a chair to sit down. The vampires began discussing and created small arenas for themselves in the hall. Each one of these 80 vampires wanted to be one of the top 5 or at least top 10 in the service of this man that saved them all.

The fighting began after around 30 minutes of planning. The handsome vampire Hell spoke to before, who is called 'Porter' helped a lot with organisations. The noise of fighting covered the hall and blood was splattered all around the room. Although none of them seemed to have any special abilities, Porter's vigour had helped him win two fights already. Hell was guessing this guy would be one of the top 5, comparing his fighting to other vampires.

The door to the main hall, soon after, opened and 4 people were seen at the entrance as all fighting stopped. The vampires were about to inquire what business they had here when Hell spoke up: "They are my friends, continue your fighting," raising his hand as he motioned that it was alright.

"Hello, boss," Vaun said. "Will you be the leader of this place now?" He was the first to rush at Hell's side.

Leon and Leila soon came up to him right after and Leon patted his back: "Now this is what I call a luxury suite fitting for my party!"

"Is that so, Mr Party Leader?" Hell asked in a joking manner as the fighting continued.

"Are they all your subordinates now?" Leila asked faintly.

"They are. I'm determining the strongest among them."

"Then what?" Leon asked.

"Just for hierarchy. I'll organise these tournaments once every 2 months, it'll be a great incentive for them to train and earn a spot or keep their own."

"I guess that's rather smart, very unlike your usual strategy," Leila said with a smirk.

"I knew you had the disposition of a king," Theperes said as she approached from behind Hell's chair, c.a.r.e.s.sing his c.h.e.s.t, followed by him getting up immediately after.

"Well, my great personality must have charmed them," Hell said with a blush, laughing in a silly smile. He was a lot more conscious against Theperes now, who always replied by coming up to him without hiding her intentions at all. Her actions made everyone slightly uncomfortable and would always result in a slight quietness.

"Come on Hell, what should a girl do for you to give her some attention, at least allow Theperes to stay next to you as you watch the fights!" Leila said playfully. She had warmed up to her, who turned out to have a myriad of hardsh.i.p.s, but she survived with her wit and planning. She also looked m.a.t.u.r.e, albeit not older than 20-25 at the same time. Leila felt she was somewhat like a big sister to herself, one she never really had, no matter how good his big brother was to her, he was a big brother after all. A sister was different.

"Of course, why would that be a problem?" Hell said. He didn't think he was the shy type against girls before, but a woman of such beauty coming so keen on him turned out to have revealed such a side of him. Hell couldn't deny Theperes was a beauty in both face and body, she also lacked the usual repulsive behaviour he saw in most people. He had an odd feeling, but he also felt ashamed for shying away from Theperes.

"Let's watch it then," Theperes said and held Hell's arm, squeezing it between her b.r.e.a.s.ts.

I'll definitely die, Hell was thinking as all he could do was relax his arm, whispering Theperes, "We'll talk later about this, can you not arouse me while I'm about to choose my elite soldiers?"

"My, are you calling me to your chambers?" Theperes said louder, enough to be heard by all Hell's friends, who burst into laughter.

"Yes," Hell said in a solemn tone, also enough to be heard by everyone. What was there to be afraid of? So what if Theperes wanted him, he could only supply then.

Surprised by his reaction. Theperes also blushed and stopped teasing him any further for the moment. Hell sighed an immense relief. He would be a joke If she kept at this further and he had to address his soldiers while erect. Even thinking about it made him die inside a bit. Trying to focus on the fight, he dispersed such thoughts, managing to succeed as Hell's friends were chatting as the matches continued, they felt like the aristocrats watching duels in the Colosseum.

Vaun was also now more involved in conversations, it seemed the time Hell was gone, no matter how small, was enough for him to be more comfortable with the siblings at least.

The fighting lasted for a few hours and the top 10 vampires were finally determined. Hell said the remaining 5 would organise the others for cleaning, making dinner as well as the preparation of rooms for Hell and his friends for now. They would station some troops and shut down all gates leading in and out of this base other than the main entrance. The top 5 stood before him. And just as Hell thought, Porter was one of them.

"State your names, my knights!" Hell yelled, somewhat baffled as he couldn't come up with anything better.

"Porter Mollani!"

"Kelly Famnus!"

"Brett Lawson!"

"Annette Mayer!"

"Alfie Smuggler!"