Kael Cor: A Vampire's Awakening Chapter 293 Transylvania VI : Zone Bosses

The whole thing seemed weird, but at the very least I think I understood what just happened here. But in other to be on the safe side, and not end up looking like a complete fool when I find out it's something different. I pointed to a vampire with a piggish looking face and asked him.
"Why the hell are you guys bowing?"
The pig like demon seemed unwilling to even look at my face much less even give me an answer. But it seems like it had no choice as it was pushed forward by it's comrades. If the demon pushed his face any closer to the ground, I'm afraid there would not be much of a difference between it and the pavement.
"This is the rule of Transylvania. The strongest shall rule, and you've beaten the strongest in the first zone of the first city. If you want to prove yourself you have to go to the next zone and beat the strongest there, all the way to the central tower where the strongest in the city resides. Once you beat him, you have full and total command of the city."
The demon was trying to get rid of me, seriously how old did he think I was, or so I look like some sort of hot blooded idiot who would be entranced by the idea of a battle to the top, and all for the right to be the strongest in a desolate and dead land. It was a nice plot and a strong made from this would sell quite well, however this does explain the current situation to me.
Whatever is left of Transylvania is made up of cities and their zones, and each zone is governed by a demon each stronger than the last, all the way to the top brass of the city. Beat them all and you become lord of the city, a simple ladder scheme. The more powerful you are, the higher a zone you get to control, and in so doing, have access to more resources.
This was the first city once you step into Transylvania properly. It's dilapidated and falling apart, but it's a good place for Ethernalia Leonis to establish a proper base. It's close to the exit, and we can police the traffic that's sure to be coming from the outside world. This place would end up being a lawless land, with the demons here being preyed upon by the people coming from the outside world, and that was mainly my doing. So the best that I can do is create some strategic safe havens for them. And I will be starting with this city.
"Soren let's go and get the next zone."
And then I sent a signal and had the rest of the soldiers and civilians from Ethernalia Leonis walk into the city and set up shop. Due to our superior technology, and magic, which for some reason the demons all seem to have a very distinct lack of. We could set up a stable base and even clean up much of the zone that I've just won in almost no time at all.
I left a few orders for the demons within the zone to help the vampires set up shop. Meanwhile Soren and I continued forward to go take care of the boss of the next zone. This city was known as the first city, and it had eleven zones in total. Based on the information I've learnt, this city has the most zones and it's also the most populated in all of Transylvania, which means it was a whole lot bigger than I thought.

But that was just one inconvenient aspect, because if it was the most crowded, it also meant it had the highest crime rate, sickness, and a very distinct lack of resources. This city was on the brink of tearing itself apart, and it was this way mainly because the leaders of every zone all turn out to be greedy, evil and selfish bastards.
Every city is built on a strategic ground as it provides a certain amount of resources for the city to survive. The resources go up the chain starting from the workers in the lower zones, who bust their ass to get said resources, and then it goes from zone to zone, picking up more resources until it gets to the top brass, and then it's up to the top brass to take what he needs, and send the rest down for his city to survive. It was a rather weird system, but it works. And the most surprising part of the whole thing might have to do with the fact that the demons are fiercely loyal, so none of the zone bosses skim out of resources once its going up to the big dog. However the same can not be said when it's coming down.
They respect their hierarchy of power and the chain of command they were a part. And that would probably be the only commendable thing about them. They were still greedy selfish bastards, and all the way from the top brass the resources would be taken in excess before it's distributed to the lower zones. The top five zones always get the best part of those resources, and the remaining six zones get scraps and sometimes nothing at all to show for their effort.
I guess it was the same story everywhere, bad leaders, hungry subjects, a revolt, blah blah. But over throwing governments and taking over cities is slowly turning out to be more and more my specialty. So this fucked up land was right up my alley.
News of what had happened in the first zone had spread to the second, so in light of that their boss of the second zone was already waiting for me the moment I got there. He was afraid of me, and I knew he wanted nothing more than to just give up his position and hit the road with the wind on his back, but they had a strict rule to adhere to here. All fight for a ownership of a zone was a fight to the death, and no challenge can be refused, except on holidays.
I could spare him, and show them what kind of person I was, but I was not feeling all to generous about pardoning him. If I was going to make a complete restructure of the societal way of life of this city and the demons in it, it would be better to eliminate anything that might tie them to their old rules. This people responded to strength, and in their eyes mercy was not a strength. Of course I never really cared what people thought about me, as long as I was doing the right thing it was okay with me, but this time I just wanted to kill them all until I got to the top.
And so that's just what I did, heck I didn't even have to raise my pinky finger as Soren took care of the Zone boss for me. And then we moved on to the next zone, and just like I had envisioned, news about my defeat of two zone bosses had already traveled ahead. The third zone boss still fell to Soren, and for some reason he put up even less of a fight than the previous two zone bosses. And then we fell the fourth, and the Fifth was a woman who offered her body, Soren killed her too, maybe a little to fast for me to even get a look at her face, and then he growled at me. We got to the sixth only to discover that the boss had packed up and left town.
The very idea of it seemed to shock the rest of the demons as they could not envision someone breaking their strict code of law and running away from a challenge. But I couldn't blame him, when death begins to stare you in the face, the song you sing is always a lot different than when it's not. It was a test of will and a measure of courage, and he failed. Or he was smart and knew that there were just some battles you can't win, especially when your opponents and a giant golden lion with control of lightening, poison, blood, fire and wind.
Heck even I am so surprised by the amount of elements Soren could command, if I was in his shoes, I would also have ran for my life. Because dying here for an almost dead city and completely worthless post would be incredibly stupid. At the very least he can take his chances out there in the world and hope everything turns out well for him. Me I was fine right where I was, I had six zones under my control and I was going to get more.
Finally I set foot into the fifth zone. It was getting closer and closer to the central part of the city, and it was a whole lot cleaner and more refined than the previous zones. The zone boss was waiting for me, he was regal looking demon with a horn growing from the center of his back, like some sort of weird freakish dinosaur. His fangs were longer than normal for a vampire, extending so far down his jaw he gave me the impression of a sabretooth tiger.
"I have heard of your exploits Mr. Kael. As pure blooded vampire I welcome you back to the land of your ancestors. But Transylvania no longer belongs to the vampire clans of old, we the demon clans have evolved into something better. So take my warning, return back to the zones you have conquered and rule as you see fit, any other step you take from here on out would mean death for you and your people."
I looked at Soren and he looked back at me. This whole speech was funny to us, and it was in that moment I realized how someone with power looked down on someone who couldn't measure up. This demon vampire was convinced that he had the power to beat me, and that he was doing me a favor by warning me to go back, however! I knew different and due to that this whole seems like one big joke.
"You seem confident and sure of yourself. You're a good liker and your ability to bluff could be just as good as my wife's Asha. But I can smell your fear, as demons you're all more alive than we could ever be, and your body functions normally whilst ours is dead. I can smell your sweat, I can feel your heart pound from right over here. I see your red knuckles turning white from the strain of holding that spear of yours too tight. And you've swallowed more times in the past 2 minutes than you would when drinking water for five. You're going to die demon, just make your peace with it."
And the I proceeded to walk towards him, and then past him, much to his shock. He looked at my back with uncertainty for a moment, before he called out to me.
"You said I'm going to die, then why are you walking away. Aren't you a man of your word, or are you afraid of facing me in battle. Be a man and face me, come kill me like you said you would!" he shouted at me with a maniacal gleam in his eyes. I turned back at him with a smile and said.
"First of you're much to weak and unworthy to face me. And yes I said that you were going to die today, and that you should make your peace with it….I never said I was going to be the one to kill you now, did I. Nice knowing you dude."
"What do you mea….!"
"Rarrrrrgggghhhhhhhh!"
I walked away humming a tune as Soren went to work. Even without looking behind me, I knew Soren had chosen to go the messy route, letting his animalistic tendencies take over as he literally ate the demon alive, stripping him of his flesh, piece by piece and under the gaze of his subjects.
That gory sight was sure to give some people nightmares, though I can't really be sure. The demons around are already a brutal and bloodthirsty bunch, so a show of savagery than intense might not be enough to cower some of them into submission. But either way that was seven zones in my hands, the lucky number seven. Maybe I should stop and take a break, but where's the fun in that. I'll just keep on coming for them one after the other until this city is well and fully mine. Besides this was a fun game I'm playing, why would I want to hit pause.

Chapter end