AN:
BEFORE THE WHOLE CAHPTER STARTS.
I AM HEAVILY AGAINST DRINKING AND EVERYTHING. PERSONALLY STOPPED FEW YEARS AGO AND RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO DO THE SAME.
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"Eh" sighed the first customer of Cain's bar after taking a long drink. After appreciating the quality of the liquor he placed the now almost empty glass on the bar counter.
"Give me some more" he demanded as if he did not care who was serving him.
Cain raised an eyebrow and obliged by pouring another shot of whisky.
Money is money he thought while mentally calculating how much he had already earned thanks to Azazel who had downed five of those already. He wondered whether it was simply that good or whether it was the satisfaction of having his suspicions about the identity of the vampire he had been searching for confirmed.
Without a word the fallen angel downed the next portion before speaking.
"You know vampires all over the world are losing their shit because of you. Can you do something about it. Everyone is overwhelmed and that is not even mentioning the victims" he said bluntly.
Is it really that bad Cain thought before closing his eyes and reaching out through his connection to his countless descendants.
Before him a map of connections appeared resembling a spider's web with him at the centre. From him extended countless threads leading to inactive individuals. Some of them ended abruptly without branching which meant those vampires had never created offspring.
Ah. Those two he thought sadly remembering the loving couple he had turned first. He wanted them to be together for eternity but when they learned they could never have children they walked hand in hand into the sunlight. Normally that would not have killed them but as newly turned they could not control their power and perished under the burning sun.
Others however like Enoch despite also being dead had successors. Thirteen in total later known as the Antediluvians founders of most clans.
After several dozen seconds he noticed the problem. The blood of the later generations was highly awakened as were their disciplines which now reacted differently than before. Many were left confused as to why powers they had possessed for centuries suddenly worked in entirely new ways.
Not wanting his race to become the world's number one enemy Cain decided to act. Using his connection and his supremacy over other vampires he first sent out a powerful signal meant to shock vampires out of their frenzy through sudden stress. Then he weakened the threads connecting the eldest vampires to him creating the illusion that he was still asleep.
That should return them to normal he thought and opened his eyes again.
"Done. They will not do anything stupid anymore. At least not because of me" he explained to the fallen angel before him.
"So fast. I never understood that weird mumbo jumbo you lot have with blood connections or whatever it is" Azazel replied gesturing with his glass to signal another round. Cain of course as a man in need of mon… I mean a good and respectable host grabbed another bottle and poured.
"Is it not enough? You already drank a whole bottle" Cain asked while pouring.
"I spent a few months in Russia. This is barely a warm up" Azazel remarked with his trademark grin.
"I assume the others will show up as well to see what is going on" the vampire stated confidently as the conversation grew more serious.
"Yes. Without a doubt. If I had to guess Leviathan will come first and then Gabriel" Azazel replied his smile fading as if he had not been drinking at all.
"Gabriel?" Cain asked. Leviathan made sense since the current holder of the title handled external affairs but the most naive and kind of angels.
She acts that way but I still cannot forget she has the highest kill count of all angels. Possibly even higher than all the others combined he thought recalling how she massacred both armies and civilians during the war leveling entire devil cities without sparing even children. He may have been asleep then but so much magic and so many vampires were involved that even in that state he picked up fragments of information.
"She is the only angel you do not try to turn into dust" Azazel said plainly pulling him from his thoughts.
"Fair enough. And if anyone asks my name is Karl now" After what they did to him he would not have listened to anything they had to say and would have tried to destroy almost all angels. The only reason he did not attack Heaven was because those there were very weak.
The old bastard knew how to protect himself he thought ironically.
The vampire decided to drink as well. He pulled out a wine bottle filled with nothing other than blood.
He took a clean wine glass poured with the grace of a professional and gently swirled it in circular motions as if aerating wine.
Completely unfazed Azazel took another sip of his drink and stood up.
"Alright I should be going now" he said but before he could finish the bar door opened and the trio Cain already knew well stepped inside.
"Why did I expect this" Blonde Blazer said in a tone more exasperated than surprised.
"Eh. Better this than anything else" Alucard added having returned to his usual form.
As they approached they noticed the fallen angel who had sat back down and was drinking yet another glass.
"Hello. I guess you know each other?" Integra asked curiously though those who knew her understood she was simply collecting information for later.
The only one who recognised him was Alucard. They had met years ago when Dracula still used his real name.
"Let us say we are old acquaintances" Azazel replied.
"Whatever. Screw it. I am off duty. Give me something to drink" Mandy said asking for an entire bottle of strong alcohol while ignoring the blood the vampire was drinking.
Blazer took a bottle of vodka and started drinking straight from it while the others stared in disbelief.
Fuck it the bartender thought.
He transformed into a woman and in one smooth motion poured pure alcohol into the bottle of blood and then quickly finished the remaining contents of the wine glass.
She glanced at the glass with disgust set it aside and then began drinking straight from the bottle herself.
"Is it just me or is he more elegant in male form and in female form the opposite" Integra said.
"I was thinking the same"
"Alright. Another round" Azazel shouted clearly already drunk.
And so the party escalated and continued late into the night.
During it aside from the predictable condition of the participants several interesting situations occurred.
Azazel quickly decided that flirting with women was his sacred right as a fallen angel. It made little difference whether they were human women vampires or vampires currently in female form. He treated them all with the same cheeky grin and tone of someone who clearly forgot that not every being responds enthusiastically to his charm.
Karl and Alucard seeing how far it was going decided to take advantage of the situation. At perfectly chosen moments exactly when Azazel was sure he was making progress both of them changed into male forms without warning. The effect was immediate and repeatable.
"Wait. What the fuck" he shouted horrified that he had nearly made out with a man.
"Hahaha" everyone burst out laughing at his misfortune.
"Stop it. This is not funny"
"It fucking is" Alucard said wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
After the third time Azazel decided it was a deliberate conspiracy and offended he drank in silence for a good ten minutes muttering that he drank better with Odin since that old god did not mess with him.
Mandy meanwhile clearly under the influence stopped pretending to keep her distance. From time to time she glanced at Karl and then at his female version lingering longer each time than was socially acceptable. Finally after another drink she muttered something under her breath.
"You know what is the worst" she said in barely understandable speech to Integra.
"I have no idea" came the reply in a broken British accent accompanied by the smell of alcohol which at that point no longer made a difference.
"That I like both versions"
The eyes of her listeners widened and she received no answer.
Karl pretended not to hear. Alucard heard far too well.
Integra however despite also drinking retained a surprising amount of clarity. At one point Alucard stood threw his coat over his shoulder and said casually.
"I am going for a walk"
"What walk now?" Azazel asked.
"Very enthusiastic walk" the vampire added.
He did not take two steps before a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Sit"
"Damn" Alucard sighed heavily like someone who knew he had lost the fight before it even began and obediently dropped back into his chair.
"See" Blond Blazer muttered taking another sip. "Like an old married couple"
The party continued growing less organised louder and more absurd. At one point someone suggested karaoke. Fortunately no one found a microphone.
At some point under the heavy influence both Alucard and Cain felt something.
The elder vampire recognised it. A vampire had awakened because of him. When he had sent out that powerful signal earlier to calm the young blood he must have awakened one of them.
"Which one" Alucard asked barely able to stand. Even drunk he knew the return of one of them could be very bad.
"I think hic I think that one. What was her name. Ah yes the sculptor. And I think she is heading this way. Probably to me" Cain replied.
"Then fuck her"
"You would not say that to her face"
"Bet" Alucard proposed in a surge of false courage.
"Oh. And for what?"
"Oh shit" the younger one shouted as his book fell from his coat and hit the floor.
He picked it up and read the passage it opened to.
In quiet you will know beauty
in beauty you will know truth
in truth you will know love
in love you will know quiet
Beautiful children
beautiful creations
Gold is not as precious
Honey not as sweet
Milk not as pure
Like the tiger you bite
like the hawk you dive
like the cat you stalk
Beautiful predators
Sweet succubi
Daring incubi
Taste virgin's blood and find bliss
Find your greatest part of joy
Follow your greatest part of joy
and know that I watch you
enthralled my children
my creations
my beautiful ones
"Coincidence? I think not"
And so the night passed completely ignoring the newly awakened vampiress.