03-03-2015, 06:11 AM
Servants all along the manor moved out just as the sun crested the horizon, curtains being drawn all along the numerous windows, oak and steel shutters being closed over the windows as the manor was prepared for a day of work for their vampire associates. All manner of Undead and demonic servants pouring out from their rooms now that the masquerade was over. Floors were scrubbed and waxed, the steps were cleaned of any stains that may have shown up when some tipsy noble lady dropped her glass of wine after a few too many.
The kitchens were still fired up, but in a far more minor manner in the manor than they had been last night, only the servants meals, a private meal for the master, and a meal for each of the primes being prepared this morning. A pleasant smell and a warmth filling the house as opposed to the near sweltering conditions that the condition had been in last night.
As the servants continued scrubbing, cleaning dishes, waxing floors and taking down tapestries so they could be cleaned and put up again for display the light ringing of a bell followed by the soft laughter of a blonde haired girl would be the wake up call for each of the primes staying there that night. A cart adorned with all manner of freshly prepared breakfast treats loaded high being pushed by a beautiful shorter blonde, a look of disdain and arrogance on her face as she'd place a meal in each room. As she left she'd make a point of turning her nose up at the person in the room, letting them know that this wasn't for them but rather because it would look bad if a manor with a chef didn't at least feed their guests in the morning before they left. After all, she didn't want them getting the impression that she liked any of them or anything.
For Kuuzan there was a hearty meat dish prepared, an array of sausages with eggs and a glass of orange juice. A fairly simple affair all things considered, but Kuuzan seemed so aloof that it was difficult to get a gauge on what he really enjoyed at the party last night.
To Homura, there was prepared a dainty affair. Ceare letting out a little "Fufufufu" as she'd unveil the meticulously prepared meal, she believed she understood Homura and had prepared her a meal of sweets, crepes, pancakes, and sweet meats lined up in a circle with a small parfait in the center.
Aang would find himself presented with a meal not by the gourmet chef, but by the maid, Narcissa bringing him in a simple affair, some miso-thickened broth with tofu and dumplings. It seemed they had some awareness of Aang being a vegetarian and had prepared a dish for him in light of the fact.
Moments later, if Alain was still around even if he was at the door he'd have a sandwich brought towards him by Reaves, The Skeletal Butler pulling out one of his own before taking a seat beside the assassin / information dealer. Whether this was out of an attempt to be polite, or if the skeleton butler was just keeping on an eye on the man who had infiltrated the manor the night before it was difficult to tell. However if Alain had made himself scarce then the Butler would instead take to managing the affairs of the house, heading towards the stable to find a rather grisly affair in the form of a dead horse that had passed sometime in the night.
An hour prior, Dio would awaken with a start in his room. A cold sheen of sweat covering his body as he awoke from a nightmare. The almost audible pounding of his heart in his chest told him it had been something perhaps even worse than the torture he had endured last night, but yet.. he couldn't remember anything aside from a single face, a blue skinned man who had flowing black hair. Somehow, whenever he thought of that face he felt like he was looking at a being who could even kill him.
However, nightmares were not something Dio tended to dwell on for long. He was not a man who had ever been given any reason to believe in things like premonitions, fortune telling, or any other method of street side crooked magic. He had gone his whole life with every single thing having an explanation, and thus. Though in another world Dio cursed himself, he would brush the dream off as merely an after effect of one of the implements Mephisto had used on him last night.
Shifting to sit on the side of the bed Dio would look his body over, after last night's torture session it seemed his whole body was healing much faster now. Wounds that he thought would have taken days to heal have sealed up with only a nights rest, the gaping wounds that had only been bandaged enough to stop infection had healed without a scar. Even the jagged red sewing marks from where his head had been attached to Johnathon's body had begun to heal. A wound that he had believed impossible to rid himself off was gradually beginning to vanish. A fact that Dio thanked that Omnilium in his veins for, it seemed that after the events of The Masquerade and the torture session he had endured his body had been forced to be far more accepting of the omni in his veins.
Yet, he knew that even this was just a fraction of what he was capable of, that brimming core of power within his soul that was always just out of his reach was just a step closer, but now he knew that he had enough strength that even if he were to meet his past self now, he could totally annihilate him. This realization brought him such great joy that he burst out in laughter. He couldn't believe how fate was favoring him, even though all his life he had always had The Devil's Own Luck he had never believed that the universe would go so far as to allow him to gain this kind of power from being tortured.
As Dio would begin to laugh, a loud, boisterous, laugh that contained more than a hint of mania would burst from his room. Dio dressing himself swiftly in his favored yellow coat and black tank top, donning the heart circlet around his brow once more as he'd exit the room. He had initially planned to wait for Homura, but with the burst of power he felt upon waking this morning he knew that now more than ever he was capable of hunting this Tarrasque. Thus, Dio no longer wanted to waste so much as a single second on things like pomp and decorum, the blood thirst that was currently surging in his veins demanded that he find this monster as soon as possible and show The World what kind of man Dio Brando was.
He'd walk into the hallway with an expression of extreme self satisfaction painted all over his face, the wry smirk no longer containing any hint of self doubt or any faux servile manner, this was the demeanor of a man who considered himself a god. Everything from the way he walked to the light in his eyes telling people who saw him that this was a completely different man compared to the one that had been hosting the event before.
Approaching each Prime's door one by one he'd call them out towards the main entrance hall, a few servants lighting the torches on the wall as they'd prepare the area for a meeting, Dio going towards the center of the stairs as he'd pull up a chair to wait for everyone to finish their meals and arrive. There was quite a bit to do today, so many things to discuss, plans to explain, and finally. A private environment in which they could discuss who had which powers, how they would be used in the upcoming fight. Who would employ the aide of any forces they would hire, if any, and what approach they were going to take in finding the beast's lair and guiding it towards the perscribed areas.
All these thoughts and more ran through Dio's head as he'd mull over what to say, and how to say it. There was no doubt in Dio's mind however that this group was capable of succeeding, after all, not a one here was a fresh prime, and then it was that he remembered that he had asked Homura to speak with him at some point. Well, he supposed there was really no helping it. He had apparently woken up before the others were finished with their meals, he would merely have to dictate his plan to the rest of the assembled members of the group and take her aside once the plan had been explained and everyone had been given their role.
He was still quite worried about the people who had shown up the previous night, that Inlumia could show up again at any time, and he didn't know which members of the Darkshire faction had found out about his plans. If that Veteran Captain had been any indicator of the level of their hunters Dio would definitely need to be careful. Last time he had encountered a man like that he had nearly died, and that was with more than a bit of luck and a meat shield on his side. This would need to be explained and factored into the plan as well. A lie about the forces of darkshire attacking vampires who bear the seal of Dracula on sight should be more than enough to convince Aang, and given how much truth there was to it he couldn't see anyone calling him out on the lie without some sort of compromising factor coming into play.
Then there was the matter of that Homura Akemi, Dio had been quite worried about her initially. Another a being who possessed dominion over time was not one he could take lightly, he wasn't even sure how much of his abilities related to his Stand The World would even be able to effect her, but luckily for him she didn't seem to be angry at him or even dismissive of him like she had been towards most of the nobility at the party. Yes, in fact Dio believed that he could even make her into his closest ally, though for a man like Dio even that meant being kept at arms length. For even though she seemed to be on his side for now he could never count on the loyalty of primes, he had heard rumors of Primes being able to resurrect and thus the amount of loyalty one possessed could not be defined so simply as it had been in the last world where being willing to give your life for someone was the ultimate statement of loyalty. In this world perhaps there was something further he would need to prove and ensure loyalty among the Primes he found deserving of being his followers, but how to do it? He had heard rumors and seen first hand what kind of beings came from The Underverse, perhaps there was some kind of binding oath or threat regarding that realm that he could use to keep people in line?
This was an infuriating problem for Dio, he was not a man who liked to take chances at all, ever. being unable to ensure the loyalty of his followers in any way was a problem that would definitely need to be fixed, and soon. He wasn't sure how he would be able to do it quite yet. He had heard rumor of banishment circles, but that was merely a threat to stop people from betraying him. It did nothing to ensure loyalty in there here and now and there was currently no tool that he had any knowledge of that would allow him to force loyalty. He could attempt to ensnare them in a web of carefully crafted lies, but his experience in the Joestar manor had taught him that lies only lasted for so long before they were uncovered, and that those who usually considered themselves noble or just were unlikely to bend knee even if Dio was overwhelmingly more powerful than them if they found out that they were being manipulated.
Then what could he use? One couldn't hand over Omnilium, and even if one could Dio would be out there robbing everyone blind of that omnipotent substance. Perhaps land? No, odds are most primes were interested in returning to their home universe anyways. Protection or wealth would be no good anyways as Dio had no interest in doing anything more than eliminating his enemies and rising to the top of every universe. Then perhaps he could manipulate them with his current strategy of moral obligation? Yes, he could probably rope Aang into helping him overthrow Dracula. However, to do so it was likely that he'd need a powerful holy weapon to take advantage of the weaknesses that Dracula had that he didn't, and that likely meant killing Paladin Argento. There was no way that Aang would allow him to do that. Even if he hid the fact initially it would come to light sooner or later that Paladin Argento had died and his weapon had gone missing. If that happened then even if it never came to light that Dio himself would have done the deed Aang would still know or at the very least harbor suspicion that he was the one behind it. If he continued to lie from there or claimed he got the weapon from Abraham Van Hellsing he may be able to continue it for a little bit but as it stood at the moment there would be no way Aang would stick with him past the slaying of Dracula, and the same could be said of Kuuzan.
Lies were good for now, but later on he would absolutely need to make a convincing platform for him to operate on. He knew that under his rule conditions would probably even be improved compared to how Dracula ran things. Dio was a cruel monster who enjoyed torturing others and the look of terror in a child's eyes before their last moments, but he was not someone who was going to let anything he did be anything less than the absolute best. This included things he was forced to do, and organizations he ran. So perhaps he could deliver on an actual promise to improve conditions in The Moors for the undead? While humans would have to end up being cattle he believed that he could deliver the promise of making things better for the undead without it being too flimsy a premise to work with.
Dio's lengthy introspection would be interrupted here by the arrival of a plate with a rather annoyed looking Ceare looking down at him, a cup filled with a freshly prepared blood tea on it. Seeing this, Dio was surprised. As far as he was aware she had taken great glee in seeing him tortured last night, so why was she bring him this now? Broken from his concentration now Dio would take the cup off the plate with a nod and a question.
"What brings you to me this morning? Just last night you seemed to take some pleasure in seeing that I, Dio, experienced as much agony as possible."
The rage Ceare felt at hearing this was readily apparent, the girl staring death down at the seated vampire before she'd turn her head up and away from him, speaking with her eyes closed as if to tell him that she definitely did not even want to look at him after that comment.
"As if! I was just getting back at you for being such a jerk when you showed up. However, seeing how you spent the whole night being tortured by Master it's my duty to ensure that you're at least well nourished after taking a beating like that. After all, no normal vampire could just be up and walking about after being tortured like that."
She said her cheeks tinted red by a blush, it seemed as though she had at least garnered some genuine respect for Dio after seeing him endure that entire night, and while she had initially been a little disturbed by his ability to handle pain it had formed into a veneration.
Dio chuckled, he had spent his entire life surrounded by women like Ceare. Women who initially held him in contempt, but then upon seeing a combination of his looks and the lengths he was willing to go to for accomplishing his goals they suddenly found him far more interesting. It had been the same even back when he was nothing more than king of the small slum he was born in, bar maid's who had treated him as nothing more than a kid began to make advances on who they saw would one day definitely rule that little place. However, Dio had little interest in things like love and romance, so he would merely look up at her with a smirk as he'd say.
"I, Dio, am indeed far beyond the ken of any other vampire in The Moors except for Dracula himself .As for the torture, pay it no mind. In fact I really must thank you and your master for last nights events. You see, that flaying and torture seems to have forced my body to adapt to the conditions here in this world. Thus, even though I will definitely pay that slight back one day one hundred fold, for now. I hold no ill will towards Mephisto and you. In fact, if anything I'm grateful for the powerful lesson that I have been taught."
He'd say, taking a sip of the blood tea, sighing in relief as he felt that much needed sustenance fill his veins. Last night had indeed been draining, and blood was truly the only tonic that could salve the deeper wounds inside his body. Ceare meanwhile was astounded and recoiled back at bit after hearing Dio. Thanking them for torturing him?! What kind of horrific masochist was Dio that he would not only endure the master's most horrific tortures but that he would then go on to thank them for allowing him to reach a new level of power because they happened to keep him from dying during it. However, Ceare could not deny that Dio seemed different, the wounds that hadn't been able to heal at all last night were now closed and hadn't even left a scar. A few of the burn wounds on Dio's body that she was sure would be an eternal reminder of Dio's mistakes during The Masquerade had even begun to vanish completely as he would polish off the cup of blood tea.
"W..What?! Thank us for that? What kind of world did you come from where torturing you makes you stronger?!"
She'd say, completely aghast at Dio's response to being flayed alive. She had heard rumors of the ridiculous powers primes were capable of attaining but to see a vampire prime grow so much stronger from something like torture was simply too much for her to believe. After all if that was so then why didn't Lord Mephisto spend more time torturing people or attempting to gain strength himself? No, the only answer was that Dio was simply too strange a prime to be considered within the normal definitions of power.
However, Dio didn't seem bothered at all by her reaction. In fact, he seemed to be rather entertained. Well, he was in an educating mood anyways, the girl wasn't a prime so she could never really grow to become a threat to him as he was now. Pulling down the collar of his shirt he'd show her the ring of red crisscrossed stitches that completely encircled the base of his neck. Dio letting her get a nice long look before he'd speak.
"Normally you would be right. A prime shouldn't grow stronger from being tortured. However I, Dio, exist outside the bounds and laws of normality. For you see, my body is not my own. In my home world I had a feud with a man known as Johnathon Joestar, and in that feud he hit me with a sun based attack known as Hamon. My body was so damaged by the attack that I had to decapitate myself to survive, and from there I went on to take Johnathon's body. That is why I gained so much strength from being tortured. My body was simply unsynchronized with the Omnilium in my veins, and by flaying it you forced it to accept en masse the only thing that was even remotely capable of keeping me alive. That is why I thanked you, but make no mistake. I, Dio, will not forget how you helped him."
He'd say, finishing it with an icy glare thrown the vampire gourmets way as he'd place the beautiful china cup back onto the silver platter in her hands. Ceare panicked a bit hearing this. Decapitated?! Even cutting his head off enough had not been enough to kill the monster of a man before her, and when faced with that he had still been able to kill that man Johnathon and went a step further as to take his body for his own. Dio was simply too bizarre a being. Far too bizarre for her to want to be associated with anymore, and with a panicked expression she would run off back towards the kitchen plate in hand, resolved to never speak to Dio again if she could manage it.
Seeing the girl panic and run away over something so trivial Dio couldn't help but laugh a little as he'd turn back to his own introspection, planning out in his mind what steps would need to be taken in the future if he were to claim the Pale Moors for his own. However, seeing Ceare so terrified did remind him of a specific girl, that girl he had offered up to Dracula. He wondered how her little boyfriend was doing. He did so enjoy ruining young love, and from what he had seen those two had been in the passionate throes of that naive little experience known as first love. It was why he had captured the girl.
Dio's internal musing would be interrupted again however as the first of the doors would open, whomever was out of their room first signaling Dio's time of self introspection and planning would be cut short here, and that he would need to begin the planning and explanation phase now. Standing up from the plush chair he would greet the first prime to leave their room with a bow. Straightening himself as he'd stand before speaking he would say.
"First I would like to say that I hope you slept well in the past night. I do hope that I was able to keep the noises of me and my employers disciplinary meeting quite enough that it did not disturb your rest. I also hope you enjoy the meals prepared for you this morning and that you're all ready to get to work. Allow me to detail the plan so far.
As I am unable to go out during the day Aang, Kuuzan, and Alain will be assigned to an out door scouting party to try and track down The Tarrasque. I give you full leave to use what permissions I have as a member of Dracula's faction where appropriate in your efforts to track down the beast and acquire the necessary explosives.
During this time I, and Homura will be training here and formulating our plan of attack using some of the available maps in the library when we get any information on the beast's location. Our goal will be to handle the logistics portion of organizing the fight as well acquiring any and all information we can regarding the Tarrasque from the books here at Mephisto's Manor. If we can find some hidden weakness, or some secret to stopping it's regeneration then it will make the process of slaying the monster that much easier.
Finally, I must remind you to be careful using my name. While you may not have any enemies in Dark shire, I do. If you throw around that we're searching for The Tarrasque too much we may draw unwanted attention from treasure or monster hunters looking to steal the prestige from us. Always attempt to disclose as little information as possible to get what you need.
With that said, we have little time to waste. Every hour we spend here is another hour where our names are not the most famous in The Moors. Move out!"
He'd say with a flourishing gesture at the end before he'd move to his assigned partner, appearing beside her with a flash. As he would appear in front of her the smirk on Dio's face would be more than enough to tell her that his plans for them today were going to be magnificent to behold.
The kitchens were still fired up, but in a far more minor manner in the manor than they had been last night, only the servants meals, a private meal for the master, and a meal for each of the primes being prepared this morning. A pleasant smell and a warmth filling the house as opposed to the near sweltering conditions that the condition had been in last night.
As the servants continued scrubbing, cleaning dishes, waxing floors and taking down tapestries so they could be cleaned and put up again for display the light ringing of a bell followed by the soft laughter of a blonde haired girl would be the wake up call for each of the primes staying there that night. A cart adorned with all manner of freshly prepared breakfast treats loaded high being pushed by a beautiful shorter blonde, a look of disdain and arrogance on her face as she'd place a meal in each room. As she left she'd make a point of turning her nose up at the person in the room, letting them know that this wasn't for them but rather because it would look bad if a manor with a chef didn't at least feed their guests in the morning before they left. After all, she didn't want them getting the impression that she liked any of them or anything.
For Kuuzan there was a hearty meat dish prepared, an array of sausages with eggs and a glass of orange juice. A fairly simple affair all things considered, but Kuuzan seemed so aloof that it was difficult to get a gauge on what he really enjoyed at the party last night.
To Homura, there was prepared a dainty affair. Ceare letting out a little "Fufufufu" as she'd unveil the meticulously prepared meal, she believed she understood Homura and had prepared her a meal of sweets, crepes, pancakes, and sweet meats lined up in a circle with a small parfait in the center.
Aang would find himself presented with a meal not by the gourmet chef, but by the maid, Narcissa bringing him in a simple affair, some miso-thickened broth with tofu and dumplings. It seemed they had some awareness of Aang being a vegetarian and had prepared a dish for him in light of the fact.
Moments later, if Alain was still around even if he was at the door he'd have a sandwich brought towards him by Reaves, The Skeletal Butler pulling out one of his own before taking a seat beside the assassin / information dealer. Whether this was out of an attempt to be polite, or if the skeleton butler was just keeping on an eye on the man who had infiltrated the manor the night before it was difficult to tell. However if Alain had made himself scarce then the Butler would instead take to managing the affairs of the house, heading towards the stable to find a rather grisly affair in the form of a dead horse that had passed sometime in the night.
An hour prior, Dio would awaken with a start in his room. A cold sheen of sweat covering his body as he awoke from a nightmare. The almost audible pounding of his heart in his chest told him it had been something perhaps even worse than the torture he had endured last night, but yet.. he couldn't remember anything aside from a single face, a blue skinned man who had flowing black hair. Somehow, whenever he thought of that face he felt like he was looking at a being who could even kill him.
However, nightmares were not something Dio tended to dwell on for long. He was not a man who had ever been given any reason to believe in things like premonitions, fortune telling, or any other method of street side crooked magic. He had gone his whole life with every single thing having an explanation, and thus. Though in another world Dio cursed himself, he would brush the dream off as merely an after effect of one of the implements Mephisto had used on him last night.
Shifting to sit on the side of the bed Dio would look his body over, after last night's torture session it seemed his whole body was healing much faster now. Wounds that he thought would have taken days to heal have sealed up with only a nights rest, the gaping wounds that had only been bandaged enough to stop infection had healed without a scar. Even the jagged red sewing marks from where his head had been attached to Johnathon's body had begun to heal. A wound that he had believed impossible to rid himself off was gradually beginning to vanish. A fact that Dio thanked that Omnilium in his veins for, it seemed that after the events of The Masquerade and the torture session he had endured his body had been forced to be far more accepting of the omni in his veins.
Yet, he knew that even this was just a fraction of what he was capable of, that brimming core of power within his soul that was always just out of his reach was just a step closer, but now he knew that he had enough strength that even if he were to meet his past self now, he could totally annihilate him. This realization brought him such great joy that he burst out in laughter. He couldn't believe how fate was favoring him, even though all his life he had always had The Devil's Own Luck he had never believed that the universe would go so far as to allow him to gain this kind of power from being tortured.
As Dio would begin to laugh, a loud, boisterous, laugh that contained more than a hint of mania would burst from his room. Dio dressing himself swiftly in his favored yellow coat and black tank top, donning the heart circlet around his brow once more as he'd exit the room. He had initially planned to wait for Homura, but with the burst of power he felt upon waking this morning he knew that now more than ever he was capable of hunting this Tarrasque. Thus, Dio no longer wanted to waste so much as a single second on things like pomp and decorum, the blood thirst that was currently surging in his veins demanded that he find this monster as soon as possible and show The World what kind of man Dio Brando was.
He'd walk into the hallway with an expression of extreme self satisfaction painted all over his face, the wry smirk no longer containing any hint of self doubt or any faux servile manner, this was the demeanor of a man who considered himself a god. Everything from the way he walked to the light in his eyes telling people who saw him that this was a completely different man compared to the one that had been hosting the event before.
Approaching each Prime's door one by one he'd call them out towards the main entrance hall, a few servants lighting the torches on the wall as they'd prepare the area for a meeting, Dio going towards the center of the stairs as he'd pull up a chair to wait for everyone to finish their meals and arrive. There was quite a bit to do today, so many things to discuss, plans to explain, and finally. A private environment in which they could discuss who had which powers, how they would be used in the upcoming fight. Who would employ the aide of any forces they would hire, if any, and what approach they were going to take in finding the beast's lair and guiding it towards the perscribed areas.
All these thoughts and more ran through Dio's head as he'd mull over what to say, and how to say it. There was no doubt in Dio's mind however that this group was capable of succeeding, after all, not a one here was a fresh prime, and then it was that he remembered that he had asked Homura to speak with him at some point. Well, he supposed there was really no helping it. He had apparently woken up before the others were finished with their meals, he would merely have to dictate his plan to the rest of the assembled members of the group and take her aside once the plan had been explained and everyone had been given their role.
He was still quite worried about the people who had shown up the previous night, that Inlumia could show up again at any time, and he didn't know which members of the Darkshire faction had found out about his plans. If that Veteran Captain had been any indicator of the level of their hunters Dio would definitely need to be careful. Last time he had encountered a man like that he had nearly died, and that was with more than a bit of luck and a meat shield on his side. This would need to be explained and factored into the plan as well. A lie about the forces of darkshire attacking vampires who bear the seal of Dracula on sight should be more than enough to convince Aang, and given how much truth there was to it he couldn't see anyone calling him out on the lie without some sort of compromising factor coming into play.
Then there was the matter of that Homura Akemi, Dio had been quite worried about her initially. Another a being who possessed dominion over time was not one he could take lightly, he wasn't even sure how much of his abilities related to his Stand The World would even be able to effect her, but luckily for him she didn't seem to be angry at him or even dismissive of him like she had been towards most of the nobility at the party. Yes, in fact Dio believed that he could even make her into his closest ally, though for a man like Dio even that meant being kept at arms length. For even though she seemed to be on his side for now he could never count on the loyalty of primes, he had heard rumors of Primes being able to resurrect and thus the amount of loyalty one possessed could not be defined so simply as it had been in the last world where being willing to give your life for someone was the ultimate statement of loyalty. In this world perhaps there was something further he would need to prove and ensure loyalty among the Primes he found deserving of being his followers, but how to do it? He had heard rumors and seen first hand what kind of beings came from The Underverse, perhaps there was some kind of binding oath or threat regarding that realm that he could use to keep people in line?
This was an infuriating problem for Dio, he was not a man who liked to take chances at all, ever. being unable to ensure the loyalty of his followers in any way was a problem that would definitely need to be fixed, and soon. He wasn't sure how he would be able to do it quite yet. He had heard rumor of banishment circles, but that was merely a threat to stop people from betraying him. It did nothing to ensure loyalty in there here and now and there was currently no tool that he had any knowledge of that would allow him to force loyalty. He could attempt to ensnare them in a web of carefully crafted lies, but his experience in the Joestar manor had taught him that lies only lasted for so long before they were uncovered, and that those who usually considered themselves noble or just were unlikely to bend knee even if Dio was overwhelmingly more powerful than them if they found out that they were being manipulated.
Then what could he use? One couldn't hand over Omnilium, and even if one could Dio would be out there robbing everyone blind of that omnipotent substance. Perhaps land? No, odds are most primes were interested in returning to their home universe anyways. Protection or wealth would be no good anyways as Dio had no interest in doing anything more than eliminating his enemies and rising to the top of every universe. Then perhaps he could manipulate them with his current strategy of moral obligation? Yes, he could probably rope Aang into helping him overthrow Dracula. However, to do so it was likely that he'd need a powerful holy weapon to take advantage of the weaknesses that Dracula had that he didn't, and that likely meant killing Paladin Argento. There was no way that Aang would allow him to do that. Even if he hid the fact initially it would come to light sooner or later that Paladin Argento had died and his weapon had gone missing. If that happened then even if it never came to light that Dio himself would have done the deed Aang would still know or at the very least harbor suspicion that he was the one behind it. If he continued to lie from there or claimed he got the weapon from Abraham Van Hellsing he may be able to continue it for a little bit but as it stood at the moment there would be no way Aang would stick with him past the slaying of Dracula, and the same could be said of Kuuzan.
Lies were good for now, but later on he would absolutely need to make a convincing platform for him to operate on. He knew that under his rule conditions would probably even be improved compared to how Dracula ran things. Dio was a cruel monster who enjoyed torturing others and the look of terror in a child's eyes before their last moments, but he was not someone who was going to let anything he did be anything less than the absolute best. This included things he was forced to do, and organizations he ran. So perhaps he could deliver on an actual promise to improve conditions in The Moors for the undead? While humans would have to end up being cattle he believed that he could deliver the promise of making things better for the undead without it being too flimsy a premise to work with.
Dio's lengthy introspection would be interrupted here by the arrival of a plate with a rather annoyed looking Ceare looking down at him, a cup filled with a freshly prepared blood tea on it. Seeing this, Dio was surprised. As far as he was aware she had taken great glee in seeing him tortured last night, so why was she bring him this now? Broken from his concentration now Dio would take the cup off the plate with a nod and a question.
"What brings you to me this morning? Just last night you seemed to take some pleasure in seeing that I, Dio, experienced as much agony as possible."
The rage Ceare felt at hearing this was readily apparent, the girl staring death down at the seated vampire before she'd turn her head up and away from him, speaking with her eyes closed as if to tell him that she definitely did not even want to look at him after that comment.
"As if! I was just getting back at you for being such a jerk when you showed up. However, seeing how you spent the whole night being tortured by Master it's my duty to ensure that you're at least well nourished after taking a beating like that. After all, no normal vampire could just be up and walking about after being tortured like that."
She said her cheeks tinted red by a blush, it seemed as though she had at least garnered some genuine respect for Dio after seeing him endure that entire night, and while she had initially been a little disturbed by his ability to handle pain it had formed into a veneration.
Dio chuckled, he had spent his entire life surrounded by women like Ceare. Women who initially held him in contempt, but then upon seeing a combination of his looks and the lengths he was willing to go to for accomplishing his goals they suddenly found him far more interesting. It had been the same even back when he was nothing more than king of the small slum he was born in, bar maid's who had treated him as nothing more than a kid began to make advances on who they saw would one day definitely rule that little place. However, Dio had little interest in things like love and romance, so he would merely look up at her with a smirk as he'd say.
"I, Dio, am indeed far beyond the ken of any other vampire in The Moors except for Dracula himself .As for the torture, pay it no mind. In fact I really must thank you and your master for last nights events. You see, that flaying and torture seems to have forced my body to adapt to the conditions here in this world. Thus, even though I will definitely pay that slight back one day one hundred fold, for now. I hold no ill will towards Mephisto and you. In fact, if anything I'm grateful for the powerful lesson that I have been taught."
He'd say, taking a sip of the blood tea, sighing in relief as he felt that much needed sustenance fill his veins. Last night had indeed been draining, and blood was truly the only tonic that could salve the deeper wounds inside his body. Ceare meanwhile was astounded and recoiled back at bit after hearing Dio. Thanking them for torturing him?! What kind of horrific masochist was Dio that he would not only endure the master's most horrific tortures but that he would then go on to thank them for allowing him to reach a new level of power because they happened to keep him from dying during it. However, Ceare could not deny that Dio seemed different, the wounds that hadn't been able to heal at all last night were now closed and hadn't even left a scar. A few of the burn wounds on Dio's body that she was sure would be an eternal reminder of Dio's mistakes during The Masquerade had even begun to vanish completely as he would polish off the cup of blood tea.
"W..What?! Thank us for that? What kind of world did you come from where torturing you makes you stronger?!"
She'd say, completely aghast at Dio's response to being flayed alive. She had heard rumors of the ridiculous powers primes were capable of attaining but to see a vampire prime grow so much stronger from something like torture was simply too much for her to believe. After all if that was so then why didn't Lord Mephisto spend more time torturing people or attempting to gain strength himself? No, the only answer was that Dio was simply too strange a prime to be considered within the normal definitions of power.
However, Dio didn't seem bothered at all by her reaction. In fact, he seemed to be rather entertained. Well, he was in an educating mood anyways, the girl wasn't a prime so she could never really grow to become a threat to him as he was now. Pulling down the collar of his shirt he'd show her the ring of red crisscrossed stitches that completely encircled the base of his neck. Dio letting her get a nice long look before he'd speak.
"Normally you would be right. A prime shouldn't grow stronger from being tortured. However I, Dio, exist outside the bounds and laws of normality. For you see, my body is not my own. In my home world I had a feud with a man known as Johnathon Joestar, and in that feud he hit me with a sun based attack known as Hamon. My body was so damaged by the attack that I had to decapitate myself to survive, and from there I went on to take Johnathon's body. That is why I gained so much strength from being tortured. My body was simply unsynchronized with the Omnilium in my veins, and by flaying it you forced it to accept en masse the only thing that was even remotely capable of keeping me alive. That is why I thanked you, but make no mistake. I, Dio, will not forget how you helped him."
He'd say, finishing it with an icy glare thrown the vampire gourmets way as he'd place the beautiful china cup back onto the silver platter in her hands. Ceare panicked a bit hearing this. Decapitated?! Even cutting his head off enough had not been enough to kill the monster of a man before her, and when faced with that he had still been able to kill that man Johnathon and went a step further as to take his body for his own. Dio was simply too bizarre a being. Far too bizarre for her to want to be associated with anymore, and with a panicked expression she would run off back towards the kitchen plate in hand, resolved to never speak to Dio again if she could manage it.
Seeing the girl panic and run away over something so trivial Dio couldn't help but laugh a little as he'd turn back to his own introspection, planning out in his mind what steps would need to be taken in the future if he were to claim the Pale Moors for his own. However, seeing Ceare so terrified did remind him of a specific girl, that girl he had offered up to Dracula. He wondered how her little boyfriend was doing. He did so enjoy ruining young love, and from what he had seen those two had been in the passionate throes of that naive little experience known as first love. It was why he had captured the girl.
Dio's internal musing would be interrupted again however as the first of the doors would open, whomever was out of their room first signaling Dio's time of self introspection and planning would be cut short here, and that he would need to begin the planning and explanation phase now. Standing up from the plush chair he would greet the first prime to leave their room with a bow. Straightening himself as he'd stand before speaking he would say.
"First I would like to say that I hope you slept well in the past night. I do hope that I was able to keep the noises of me and my employers disciplinary meeting quite enough that it did not disturb your rest. I also hope you enjoy the meals prepared for you this morning and that you're all ready to get to work. Allow me to detail the plan so far.
As I am unable to go out during the day Aang, Kuuzan, and Alain will be assigned to an out door scouting party to try and track down The Tarrasque. I give you full leave to use what permissions I have as a member of Dracula's faction where appropriate in your efforts to track down the beast and acquire the necessary explosives.
During this time I, and Homura will be training here and formulating our plan of attack using some of the available maps in the library when we get any information on the beast's location. Our goal will be to handle the logistics portion of organizing the fight as well acquiring any and all information we can regarding the Tarrasque from the books here at Mephisto's Manor. If we can find some hidden weakness, or some secret to stopping it's regeneration then it will make the process of slaying the monster that much easier.
Finally, I must remind you to be careful using my name. While you may not have any enemies in Dark shire, I do. If you throw around that we're searching for The Tarrasque too much we may draw unwanted attention from treasure or monster hunters looking to steal the prestige from us. Always attempt to disclose as little information as possible to get what you need.
With that said, we have little time to waste. Every hour we spend here is another hour where our names are not the most famous in The Moors. Move out!"
He'd say with a flourishing gesture at the end before he'd move to his assigned partner, appearing beside her with a flash. As he would appear in front of her the smirk on Dio's face would be more than enough to tell her that his plans for them today were going to be magnificent to behold.