Transmigrated as a Ghost

"That's fine, I only need you and your friends to deal with the Umbrashnuls' leaders." The Vampire Empress said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Now, on a completely unrelated note, would you mind if I have a taste? I've been holding back, but you smell absolutely wonderful."

Marcus' eyes went wide when he saw the hungry look in the empress' eyes as she stared at his neck and licked her lips.

This brought him back to a memory that he would rather not recall, when Vesairous had said something similar.

His answer was not going to be any different this time, though he did want to clear up some confusion on his part.

"Sorry, that's not happening. The only one allowed to bite me is my wife, and I'm already happily married." Marcus said, putting his foot down.

"A shame. I almost want to change the payment for the favors you owe me."

"It's not happening even if you do. But why are you even interested in me in the first place? I don't have any blood to drink."

"Ah, vampires drinking blood is a bit of a misnomer. What we actually consume is the essence of other beings. For most entities, that is their blood, but not all. You may not have blood coursing through your veins, but the essence inside of you is tantalizing in a way I've never smelled before. Such rich darkness, and something taboo as well. Powerful light energy also resides in you, something very uncommon. The two opposite forces rarely come together, and never in such perfect harmony as inside of you." The Draayer Empress said, her hungry gaze becoming more intense.

For a moment her eyes flashed, and Marcus felt a sharp pain in his head.

He knew that she had just tried to use some sort of mental control ability on him. Thankfully, his Still Mind unique skill protected him from its influence.

"What the hell was that?!"

Marcus stood up from his chair immediately, ready for battle.

Roxene, Lyra, and Quillon followed suit, and the room was suddenly awash with hostility.

Relia stood in front of her mistress, ready to throw herself at Marcus and his companions despite not really standing a chance against them.

"Stand down, Relia. That was my mistake. I let my desires get the better of me."

The empress grabbed and pulled her blood kin back and then did something shocking.

She bowed her head and apologized to Marcus.

"I'm sorry. I did not mean to try and Mesmer you. It was a… reflexive reaction. When a vampire finds something that they want, we can become a bit obsessive. Often times to our own detriment."

"I'll let is slide this time. Just don't do it again. For a moment there, I thought that this was going to devolve into a fight. That's something none of us want." Marcus said, his tone a bit threatening.

The empress nodded her head in agreement before bringing an end to the meeting.

She told them that someone would deliver what information they had collected on the Umbrashnuls to their rooms.

"Memorize it well and be prepared. There is no telling when war will finally breakout."

After saying that, the Empress took her leave along with Relia.

Not even a minute later, one of the vampires acting as servants int eh castle came to get them and led the four of them back to their rooms.

"Well, that could have ended better." Lyra commented as she plopped down into one of the plush chairs in Marcus' room.

Instead of going to the individual apartments, they had decided to stick together to discuss what just happened and wait for the intel on their enemies to be delivered.

"It certainly was. I nearly chopped both of their heads off when I noticed the mental attack against Marcus."

Quillon's statement might have sounded like an extreme reaction, but he clearly was not joking.

All of them had been on edge waiting for something bad to happen, and when the Empress had used her powers on Marcus, inadvertently or not, it had almost set them off.

Fortunately, she had expressed her regret swiftly, before anyone made in a moves that they might have regretted.

"I just hope that wasn't really some test to see what she can get away from and probe my resistance. For all we know, if her power had taken hold, she might not have let me go." Marcus said, bringing up an ominous prospect.

Of course, speculating on worst-case scenarios would only cause them to be paranoid. For now they would work under the assumption that the empress did not mean them any harm, though they would all remain cautious just in case.

"I'm wondering if we might want to enlist the help of a priest or priestess." Lyra said, sighing and titling her head in contemplation.

Everyone turned towards her, wondering what she was getting at.

"Uh, why do you think we need someone like that? This isn't Earth where holy people have power against vampires. The religions on Mirrion are centered around the Great Spirits. I doubt any of them would have any specialized skills that are useful for us in this situation."

"No, you misunderstand. We don't need them for that, but to lift whatever curse has been cast on you. First, it was Forlorieous, now the Draayer Empress. I'm starting to think that there's something wrong with you that attracts dangerous and obsessive women. I mean, your wife is a dragon girl who apparently bites you. If that's not a toxic relationship, I don't know what is." Lyra said, shaking her head and putting on an exaggerated expression of concern.

For a few moments, the room was deathly quiet.

Until all of them burst out laughing expect for Roxene.

Though, try as she might to not let her amusement show, she could not hold back a smile on her lips and a few giggles.

Lyra's joke was just what the group needed, and it helped to ease some of the tensions that they were all feeling.

Regrettably, their brief respite of levity did not last for long.

It was only a couple of minutes later that someone dropped by to deliver documents detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the upper ranking Umbrashnuls.

With this information in hand, the four of them began studying for the upcoming and inevitable battle.