Venatores Noctis: Consequences of Compromise: Chapter 1 – All for Love and Her

Chapter 1 – All for Love and Her

In the early minutes of the night, an engaged couple on a cliff overlooks a castle that’s sat near the shore with their forces behind them ready to attack. The young man is dressed in a black and gold shirt and pants made for the most respected of princes, steel-toed boots, and carries a rapier and single-shot pistol in their respective holsters. Unlike the man’s battle-ready appearance, the young woman is dressed in her typical purple and black princess dress with a purple bow on her head, heels on her feet, a purple rose choker around her neck, and seemingly no weapon on her to speak of.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Thaddeus?” the young woman asks.

“I am. Your brother and my sister deserve to be together like we are, Tinuviel,” Thaddeus says.

“But what about your family?”

“They’ve already disowned me and I’ve set my heart on doing what’s right.”

As Thaddeus says this, he begins his approach toward the castle. Tinuviel grabs his hand.

“And I’ve set mine on being at your side in everything that you do.”

Thaddeus smiles before they approach the gates of the castle together with their forces not too far behind them. A captain and his soldiers look at the young couple from atop the walls with disdain.

“So, you’ve come here to die together. It’s the wisest choice you’ve made in a while, Thaddeus,” the captain says.

“We didn’t come here to die. We came here to save my sister,” Thaddeus says.

“She’s another fool like you. If this doesn’t prove to the rest of you that the vampires are deceitful and corrupting creatures, then I don’t what will.”

“My fiancé, her brother, and family aren’t vampires. They’re Corpus.”

“Regardless of what you think. You have already chosen Hell over Heaven.”

“And you have chosen hatred over love. Attack!”

Out of the wilderness come the couple’s forces, which are Corpus. They leap on and over the castle walls as if they were nothing but a short fence and fight against its defenders with ruthless speed and strength as even armored soldiers are torn in two with two strikes from their hands. Once the main gate is clear, the Corpus open the gate for the couple so they can join the fight. Thaddeus draws his rapier that pierces the armor of his foes while Tinuviel uses her undead strength just like the others decapitate and dismember. The overwhelming number of Corpus overwhelms the castle’s guards and allows quick access to the castle’s inner rooms where Thaddeus and Tinuviel find Thaddeus’ sister. His sister is guarded by many elite soldiers that have already cut down many of the Corpus with hardly a scratch on them.

“Thaddeus! You shouldn’t have come here,” his sister says.

“No, you deserve to be with the one you love just like me,” Thaddeus says.

Drawing his single-shot gun, Thaddeus points his gun at the soldiers who hide behind their shields and slowly walk toward him shoulder to shoulder.

“Your bullet will just bounce off their shields!”

“That’s what I’m hoping for.” Thaddeus shoots the round part of one of the soldier’s shields to make it bounce off it then another part of the room and finally through the necks of the soldiers to bring down all three in one shot. “Have you already forgotten about my bestial perception?”

Tinuviel’s brother comes in and embraces Thaddeus’ sister before kissing her.

He then gets on his knees and says to Thaddeus, “I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done for me. I owe you my life.”

“You don’t owe me anything other than making my sister happy for the rest of her life,” Thaddeus says while taking his brother-in-law’s hand and lifting him off his feet.

“That goes without saying. No one else makes me happy like she does. I promise you and her that I’ll do everything possible to return the happiness she gives me.”

“You don’t need to promise me. I know you’ll do your best, brother.”

“Hey, one of them is still alive,” Tinuviel says while looking over the bodies of the soldiers.

One of the soldiers has a part of their throat torn out and is hardly clinging to life.

“He’s basically dead with that hole in his throat. Finish him off.”

Tinuviel steps on the barely surviving soldier’s head and crushes it into pieces. After which, she says, “They’ll be coming at us even harder now because of this victory. We should show them not to mess with us by impaling the corpses of their dead on spikes to show them our strength.”

For a few seconds, Thaddeus considers Tinuviel’s suggestion until he agrees with it.

“We’ll do it to deter them from further conflict.”

“Won’t it enforce their view of us as monsters by not giving their dead a proper burial?” Thaddeus’ sister asks.

“They’ll think we’re monsters regardless. This’ll scare some of them from fighting us at least. It’s not like they don’t display the bodies of their fallen foes to do the same,” Tinuviel says.

Once the Corpus impale all the corpses of their enemies, they leave to go to a city where they are accepted. Here, Thaddeus and Tinuviel finally marry and their siblings marry each other in the same ceremony. While the celebration is going on, Thaddeus and Tinuviel step outside on the balcony that overlooks the city.

“This is just like we envisioned when we were kids. After all our hard work, I hope I’ve made your dream come true,” Thaddeus says.

“It has even though the world hates us. Just this moment together with you is worth it,” Tinuviel says.

The newlywed couple then kisses before looking out at the city with the moon’s light shining on it.

“Still, it’s not perfect enough.”

“What’s wrong?”

“We have company. I can see a group of soldiers from my family approaching.”

“I still don’t know what’s wrong. We prepared for this. Our friends will protect us from them.”

“Send a messenger to get our friends to bring as many as they can alive.”

“I see. Maybe if we break their mind, they’ll make the others fear us to stop others from attacking or at least make them think twice.”

“No, I just want to talk and have them send a message to the rest of my family.”

“That could be just as effective depending on the message.”

“Trust me. I have a good message to send.”

After Tinuviel and Thaddeus’s friends intercept the soldiers, they bring the two they managed to keep alive to them to be talked to in the streets of the city. There, the citizens of the city berate the soldiers for trying to ruin the wedding and for not leaving the Corpus and their supporters alone.

“You’re the ones who should be shamed! You support the wedding between men and corpses and the vampires who have enslaved humanity time and time again!” one of the soldiers says.

“Let me make it clear that it isn’t the fault of the Corpus here they were turned undead and I was already engaged to her before it happened,” Thaddeus says to the soldier and crowds surrounding them as he approaches them with Tinuviel behind him.

“According to them. How can you trust them?”

“Because the Umbra family, have been faithful to God, the Church, and their country without a single sign of betrayal.”

“That’s what you think. They’re just as corrupt and focused on money, power, and influence as the other countries and greedy families that focus on it rather than being faithful to the Church. Your childhood meeting and marriage were planned by them. The Umbra family has a history of being opportunistic.”

“And our family isn’t? We’ve gone from being protectors of the world to mercenaries for the Church who enforce secular laws to uphold its power rather than uphold the laws of God.”

“Don’t you dare talk about the Meridies family as if you know anything about the family you’ve been expunged from!”

“You’re right. I don’t know anything about my own family. I used to think that we protected the world from the vampires and forces of Hell, but now, we just fight whoever we’re paid to for whatever reason.”

“The reason is to keep the Church in power.”

“Even at the cost of keeping corrupt leaders in power?”

“Even at that cost because the vampires enslaved the world many times because the Church wasn’t in control.”

“But you forget that it was through a powerful Church that the vampire wolves took control of the world under the curse of the Eternal Sun.”

“Regardless of that. I will not change my mind. I am only telling you everything that I have to change the minds of everyone around us and even you because I am a faithful servant of the Church.”

“And I spared your lives because I wanted the crowds to know both our positions because sides will be picked. Today, I declare war on my own family.”

“You what?!”

The crowd around them speaks to themselves about what this means and if this is the right thing to do.

“You attacked us when the Umbra family became Corpus without even attempting to hear us out and we’ve been cast out of our family and friends because of who we are. If you think we are deserving of death, then we have no choice but to defend ourselves and claim a home for ourselves where we will be safe and live in peace without the conflicts and the oppression of the Church.”

“You’re madder than I thought. If you do this, you’ll bring an unbelievable amount of suffering to the world.”

“Look around you. Do you see suffering or sin? You don’t even see beastmen or serfs that are known to be slaves to them.”

“They’re slaves all the same.”

“They’re worshippers of the same God and family like you and me.”

“You’re no Meridies. You dishonor your family’s legacy with your unforgivable sin.”

“Then to you and the rest of my family, I’ll be known as Thaddeus Umbra from now on. The Umbra name is a last name I proudly take and the name among many others that will humble the Church. Go back to your masters and tell them the news. They’ll need to bless their weapons if they still do that.”

After letting the soldiers go and letting them retreat, Thaddeus turns to face the concerned crowd, which has grown larger in size after news of what is being said has spread.

He says, “For those who support the corrupt Church, you are allowed to leave or stay here and continue to think and believe as you do as long as you do not harm anyone. As for those who support us, you do not need to fight in this war. You don’t even need to spread the word about why you should support us because many across the world already know the corruption that has overtaken the Church, but if you do fight and actively support us, you will carve out a place in this world safe from brother wars. Safe from persecution, safe from the iron hands of corrupt clergy, kings, and queens who want to keep themselves rich and in power, and safe for those who want to live a life that they think is right. If you fight with us, you’ll make an unerasable mark on the world that will remake the world in a better way for future generations.”

Thaddeus’ words inspire the crowd to join him as they cheer out his name, the name of the Umbra family, the name of Jesus, and a cry for freedom and peace.

While walking back to their home, Tinuviel says, “That was a wise choice. I’m proud that you made it and can’t wait for the world we’ll make together. It’ll just be like the one we envisioned as children.”

“I hope it will be,” Thaddeus says.

Just like Tinuviel, Thaddeus’ father-in-law along with the rest of her family praises Thaddeus for his decision and ready themselves for war. It is only after Thaddeus brings up the tragedy of a family civil war does his new family console him.

“It is sad, but this has to happen,” Tinuviel’s father says, “Your family will not accept us nor will they forgive you for following your heart. Hopefully, we will convince them to repent or at least repent at the end. Nevertheless, I am proud to call you my son and we will support you in everything that you do. You need only ask and we will obtain it for you.”

“You don’t need to say that. I already have everything I could ever want with the people around me being my greatest treasure.”

The Umbra family and their supporters go back to preparing for the war and start to plan it out. Meanwhile, Thaddeus goes upstairs where his infant brother is just now waking up as if he sensed his older brother’s presence. This little infant is swaddled in a cloth of the finest material and surrounded by many animal plushies that Thaddeus picked out for him. The infant’s skin is pale just like his brother’s with rogue lines of dark, beige, and olive skin colors on him and green and blue eyes.

Picking his brother into his arms, Thaddeus says, “Hello, little brother. I’m sorry if I woke you up. I’m also sorry to say that we’re going to be fighting against our own family. It feels wrong and I feel that I should’ve done something different, but this seems to be the best course of action. I wish I was in your place. Innocent and unable to do anything other than enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Please continue to smile and be happy for me. I’ll need it for the coming battles.”

Thaddeus then lays his brother down before seeing Tinuviel at the door.

“You always seem to wake him up when you enter his room,” Tinuviel says.

“It’s probably his bestial ability showing. Perhaps he’ll be even more perceptive than me when he grows up,” Thaddeus says before leaving the room with Tinuviel.

“I always was jealous of the bestials and their superhuman abilities. I guess my prayers were answered in a way when I became a Corpus.”

“The bestials will be less impressive as time moves along since all the beastmen are extinct. They used to share an aspect of their beastman parent’s appearance and abilities, but after so many years of reproducing with normal humans, a bestial may only appear slightly strange or share one or rarely two unique abilities.”

“Perhaps our… never mind.”

Tinuviel appears to be saddened and hangs her head low at the thought of something disappointing.

“Were you going to suggest something about our child? Even though you're a Corpus, we can still try to have children.”

“It’s never been done before.”

“Still, we can try.”

“Let’s try after we carve out a home for ourselves. I wouldn’t want to be pregnant on the battlefield.”

“I doubt the war will last that long, especially with the support of your family, your supporters, and the supporters we’ve gained today. We need only to take advantage of the powder keg of anger and distrust of the Church and my family to cripple it and then finish them when they’re scrambling to pick themselves up. Your father and mother already know this and should be sending out their forces now.”

“I like the way you think. Perhaps we should start trying to have children tonight then since our work is already being done.”

“If you wish.”

The newlywed couple lies with each other as their family sends out its agents to cause chaos in an already divided Church.