The two men exchanged looks silently for a moment before Nero finally grinned, “A deal? I am not currently in the mood to make deals.”
Suddenly, Xenia spoke to Nero, “John Vand isn’t valuable because of his power. He is valuable because of his resources and wealth. Do you mind if I take over these negotiations?”
Nero was surprised but thought to answer her, “Not at all, my empress.”
Meanwhile John laughed a little to himself before saying, “Would you care to even hear the punch line of my deal?”
Although it was still Nero’s voice, Xenia now had control of the conversation, “The punch line first. Then if I am interested, you can provide the rationale and caveats.”
“Aha! A smart move, Nero. One you will not regret.” John jumped to his feet and began to pace around the back of the couch, “Here is the punch line.” He held his arms open wide to his sides, “I give you all of my wealth. Every penny.”
Nero furrowed his brow and didn’t immediately respond to which John added, “Trillions and trillions of dollars. Favors whenever you would like. Introductions to people who can make things happen without anyone knowing. All very valuable for a man in your position.”
Xenia smirked through Nero and responded, “Okay. If something is too good to be true, it usually is. What pound of flesh are you looking to extract?”
“My pound of flesh?” John began to pace again, “Well let me put it this way. I am a banker. I have survived the demise of many powerful clients. Pope Gregory, Lady Elizabeth Innocente, Warlord Xenia BloodStar, and now actively for Scorched Shadow. My offer isn’t to extract a pound of flesh, it is simply to secure my future.”
Xenia once again spoke through Nero, “And what future do you see with me? I am beholden to Bella Domina for the rest of my days. And you currently have Scorched Shadow at your service. One of the three most powerful underground organizations in the world.”
John paced with his hands behind his back, “Let me give you a little backstory. The Scorched Shadow Generals have a monthly meeting. I am not invited, of course. However, I always manage to get my hands on the briefing one way or another. Do you know what this month’s briefing pertains to? Hmm?”
Nero shook his head ‘no’ subtly, and John continued, “It largely pertains to you and the events surrounding you. It pertains to Miss Sareena Night. And it pertains to a very interesting man by the name of Detective Fincher who has some very farfetched things to say. May I elaborate?”
Nero nodded, “Please do. You have my interest.”
John pulled out a pipe, “May I also…” He motioned to his pipe and Nero simply nodded to give his permission.
John lit up his pipe and began, “This Miss Sareena Night. She killed two high ranking members of Scorched Shadow in a very public way. But you already know that. That is easy to confirm. Did you also know that St. Michael has several readouts of ki surges from Bella Domina that are impossible to explain? They all measure greater than even Jarek Heraklinos. But you already know that too, don’t you?”
John puffed on his pipe several times, “Yes, yes. You do already know. But did you know that last night there were reports of a red rain along with several hundreds of people missing. Several hundreds and counting.”
He stopped his pacing to look at Nero, “No, no. You didn’t know that, did you?”
He began pacing once again, “And did you know that Scorched Shadow has hired a one Detective Fincher? And guess what he has to say? I think you’ll find it quite interesting. I know I did.”
Nero replied, “Keep going. I have not heard of a one Detective Fincher, but I would very much like to hear what he has to say.”
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John smiled, “Yes you would. After investigating the crime scene of the two murders at Shadow Manor by Miss Sareena Night, he came to the wildly unbelievable conclusion that Xenia BloodStar had committed these murders.”
Nero began to speak but John cut him off, “BUT! This theory was debunked when Jarek Heraklinos himself reaffirmed Xenia’s death. He reaffirmed that her dead body remained silent. Remained dead.”
Nero nodded, “That is a very long way to say that Xenia is dead. That is something I am painfully aware of. And yet, you have still not given me a reason why you would commit trillions of dollars to me.”
John stopped pacing, “I am one of the most successful men in the world because I listen to my hunches. Yes, Jarek Heraklinos says Xenia is dead. But red rain, disappearing bodies, tremendous ki surges, and the most famous detective in the world all say otherwise.”
He took his seat on the couch across from Nero, “What I am saying is that I don’t know if Xenia is alive or if she is dead. But I have a strong hunch that she could be alive. Now, if she is alive… I have so much to gain by being in her service. And if she is dead… I have so much to gain in being of the service of you… someone whose ki surges as of late indicate you are the most powerful man in the world.”
He puffed on his pipe a few times before saying, “So you tell me. What about my offer no longer makes sense?”
Xenia was quite impressed with John Vand as she smirked at him via Nero’s body, “You are, as you say, a very smart man Mr. Vand. I accept your deal.”
John clapped his hands together, “Fantastic! I will add you to all of my accounts at once. You will have access by the end of the day. Spend as you see fit.”
Nero nodded, “Perfect. A supply of funds such as yours is most welcome. But your connections are even more useful. I would like to ask a favor of you right now if it’s not too soon.”
John happily agreed, “Just say the word.”
“I’d like for you to escort General Mallory Preston back to Scorched Shadow and ensure she is cleared for the monthly meeting. She has important intel to offer on the upcoming whereabouts of Miss Sareena Night.”
Nero snapped his fingers, and Mallory walked in to the room, “Mr. Vand, always a pleasure to see you. I see we have similar interests when it comes to powerful friends.”
John looked to Nero, “It would be my pleasure BloodStar Immortal Nero.”
John held his arm out for Mallory to grab ahold of, “Let us take our leave. The meeting starts in only a few short hours.”
Mallory grabbed his arm and walked out of the room with John. Meanwhile, Xenia maintained her meditative lotus position deep within Bella Domina as she bloodbent Mallory to her every whim. She was soon to gain direct access to the Scorched Shadow General’s Meeting.
___________________________________________________
Within a dark room at an undisclosed location within the Holy Light Empire capital city, thirteen Scorched Shadow generals sat around a large, circular table with an empty fourteenth seat.
First General Ulysses Curtis started the meeting off, “Let the record reflect that for the 81st meeting in a row, our Shadow Master is unable to attend.”
He then took his seat, and began, “I trust we have all read the briefing materials, even those of us who have only had a couple of hours to catch up.” General Curtis shot a look of disapproval towards Mallory.
He then continued, “We can be quite sure based off of St. Michael’s intel that Xenia is in fact dead. What we can also be quite sure of is that Miss Sareena Night is some sort of BloodStar Mistress of Nero’s. We cannot confront him directly as it would cause too many problems; however, we do need to find and take care of Miss Sareena Night promptly before she strike at us again. The media coverage is also exploding as they have dubbed her ‘Jill the Ripper’.”
Another general spoke after Curtis, “Detective Fincher remains steadfast that Xenia BloodStar is not ruled out. He would like to set up a sting of sorts to lure this ‘Jill the Ripper’ out into the open. While I don’t think his hunch is correct, I do think a sting is a decent idea.”
Another member of the meeting chimed in, “How do you find someone who likely resides in Bella Domina only coming out to surreptitiously murder in the night?”
Ideas were thrown out by various members though none of which were convincing. As the voices started to clamor over one another, General Mallory Preston raised her voice, “Gentlemen! Ladies!”
The bickering generals suddenly turned to Mallory.
“Do you think my time at Bella Domina with Nero was all for naught? I heard a great deal many things including information regarding Miss Sareena Night.” Mallory smiled as everyone looked on.
The smile was a devious one which mirrored Xenia’s own as she bloodbent Mallory to her every whim from within Bella Domina.
Mallory then said, “The girl is a partier just as much as she is a murderer. And I overheard she will be enjoying herself tonight at one of the capital’s most notorious raves… Holy Trinity.”
The congregation was silent and stunned; however, General Curtis eventually picked up a phone and dialed Detective Fincher, “We have obtained some intel that you might find quite useful. Are you free for a stakeout this evening?”