As Basil trudged home, she felt a tinge of panic. Something was eerie about the night air.
A howl cut through the moonlit sky. It was distorted and uncanny the warble and intonation was deeply twisted and skewed. She felt pain and loneliness in each note.
She released her cart and instinctively drew her hand cannon.
The cart creaked and hissed with its heavy load of barrels, as Basil ditched it for the treeline.
Another Howl, like a herald. Bright and true. This was the same voice as before but with a tonality that was crisp and sharp, though wielded amateurishly.
“… wait… is that?” She gasped.
Horrified, she realized the sound had emanated from the sanctum.
“Asmo, you did NOT just-“
Another howl, from deeper in the woods. And several more ringing out in chorus.
“No. NONONONONO!” She cried out, as she set her suit to overdrive.
She heard the wind rustle.
Basil, when was the last time you checked on your children? The voice cackled back.
She made her way back to the cart and began running it full speed back to the Sanctum. She heard the hinges in the hardware creak under the strain.
We told you Basil. If you won’t listen. We will find someone who will.
She’d grown used to being swarmed as soon as she crossed the breach, but instead was met with silence.
The shallow and hollow words mean little. The wind howls for you Basil. Will you answer? Or will you let destiny take your children down a different path?
She scanned the property and felt unease.
There were a lot of lights on.
She latched the cart to its hitch without securing its contents and drew her sword. She heard its whispers, calling to feed, calling for blood.
“Not now.” She muttered, ignoring its demands. Her blood boiled. She felt the same foul pulsing in her ears that had haunted her on the battlefield.
Skulking towards the entrance hall, her blade was readied. Her footsteps silent as she quietly triggered the latch for the main door of the sanctum.
As the double doors glided open, she was startled at the sight.
The children were huddled around the base of the grand staircase with a surprise.
Basil dropped her sword in shock. It embedded itself into the slab flooring with a thick chunk.
Basil’s face became one of confusion, disgust, and love mashed together. “Is that… A BABY?”
Vie sprang to her feet and shuffled to Basil’s side.
“So is THIS enough of a sign that something’s wrong, Basil?” Vie asked bitterly.
“...Probably just a coincidence,” Basil muttered.
Vie fumed at her, but Basil gently pushed Vie out of the way.
“Shhhhhh. Talk later, baby now,” Basil muttered.
“Who’s a cutie?” She asked ticking the tiny vampire.
“We haven’t named him yet, but he’s like Lili,” Liszt answered. “He hatched in the garden.”
“What? How did-“ Basil was cut off by a shrill cry of hunger that cut through the room.
“Ugh, it won’t stop crying,” Asmo groaned.
“HE won’t stop crying,” Lili corrected him. “He’s a living being.”
Nyx was silent throughout the ordeal, punching notes and code into a tablet. She glanced up every now and then, before returning to the frantic clicking of nails flicking across glass.
“Has anyone fed him yet?” Basil asked.
“Yeah, Vie and I fed him a little, but we started to get light headed. We tried feeding him some joy bunny blood, but he didn’t take to it,” Lili replied nervously.
“Newborns can’t take so freely. They still need to feed from the vein,” Basil reassured them. “It’s totally natural. This is why a mother Lamia is so aggressive, they need to feed constantly and are always exhausted.”
“Hmm. Alright. I guess I can do the honor.” Basil stated. Basil cradled the neonate in her arms, placing his chin on her wrist. She gently coaxed his fangs, helping him to latch down and begin feeding. She winced as the fang broke skin.
“Babies aren’t the most gentle things.” She said, mirroring Vie’s pained expression. But unlike Vie, she took it in stride. This wasn’t her first experience wet nursing a Fey.
After a few seconds she drew away her arm, the baby crying discontentedly at his interruption. “I don’t have the energy to do it anymore. It’s been a hard week.”
“Let me,” Vie insisted, taking the baby from Basil. Vie gingerly took the child and felt the tearing of her skin. She gasped in pain as the child violently dug into her arm for the third time in one evening.
“Vie, let me-” Liszt cried out.
“I’m… f-fine,” Vie choked out. “This is still his first meal. He needs this, he’s yet to be satiated.”
“He’s just a baby. He doesn’t know what he’s doing hurts.” Vie gritted her teeth through the pain.
“Both of you have already given too much blood. Eat up and rest. You’ll need your strength for the coming days.” Basil reassured them.
“Children don’t hurt you any less when they grow up,” Asmo smirked.
“At least you’ve grown enough to recognize that,” Basil muttered, wrapping up her arm.
“Let me!” Lilith chirped. She grabbed Basil’s arm eagerly and placed her mouth to the wound.
“Ugh, you know how much I hate it,” Basil groaned
Though rarely given the chance to use her natural abilities, Lili was a gifted thaumaturgist; A blood wizard with a prodigious pedigree.
And though separate from the directed teachings of her elders, it was something that came natural to her kind.
While untrained, she possessed an unimaginable mending kiss. The magic was wild, but a couple of marks wouldn’t need to involve any deepness of the soul nor any leylines.
Her magic followed the traces of the wounds and coaxed them shut. Basil felt a burning as the cells around the wound rapidly began to shift.
In an instant the wound was sealed, Lili wiping away the last traces of blood off Basil’s wrist. She felt a warm glow inside of herself as the wound disappeared.
“I… I know I shouldn’t complain, but that’s always unsettling,” Basil muttered. “It feels like I'm breaking the laws of reality or something.”
“A fair trade for your blood. Strong blood means a fast mending,” Lili chirped. “Equal trade.”
“Love you too kiddo,” Basil said with a wince. “But that still creeps me out.”
“Now about the baby, where did you say you got it?” Basil asked. “I’m pretty sure I misheard you there.”
“It was in the garden,” Vie repeated.
“Great. It just fell out of a tree,” Basil muttered.
“Him. Stop calling him an it,” Lili said with a glare.
“Sorry. It’s not malicious,” Asmo argued, defending Basil. “It’s just that, until he learns to communicate it's weird to just consider him sentient, much less a person.”
He paused to sniff the air. “...Also, I’m pretty sure he just pooped himself.”
“Ewww,” Vie groaned, trying to pass the child off to Basil.
Basil rolled her eyes and quickly scrawled out and handed a list of items for Liszt and Nyx to assemble.
“Good thing we kept the diaper pad settings on the carbon printer,” She sighed.
“It’s alright to cry little one,” Basil said, pinching the baby’s cheek. “We all come into this world crying.”
“And soiling ourselves,” Liszt added, taking the shopping list from Basil and glancing down at it.
“…Not all of us,” Muttered Vie.
“Yeah!” Lili agreed. “That would be a dead giveaway to predators.”
“For mine and mine it’s more of a howl,” Asmo quipped, snatching the list out of Liszt’s hands. “Gotta let the world know that someone messed up when you were conceived!” As he scanned the list his eyebrows furrowed. “And why do we need a bulb syringe?”
“Speaking of which. We need to have a talk later.” Basil said, narrowing her eyes.
Asmo pretended not to hear her and went back to doting on the child.
“Would you consider the collapsing of a dying star to be a form of crying?” Nyx asked with a shrug, and without looking up from punching numbers into an electronic pad.
The room went silent, and Liszt made a point to sidestep further away from Nyx.
Basil blinked twice, still holding the soiled child. “…you children all need to lighten up.”
“So what are we gonna name him?” Basil asked, trying to cheer the room up.
“It should be a proper name!” Asmo declared.
“Something strong and grand. A name fit for a king… Or another form of monarch, should they choose a different gender identity later in life,” He corrected himself.
“Look at you taking an interest~” Liszt said, appearing next to him. She nudged him in the ribs. “For someone who hates kids so much you sure have opinions.”
“…it’s not my kid,” Asmo muttered. “And I just don’t want him to end up as screwed up as I am.”
Liszt glared at him, digging her nails into his arm. “You will be a part of your nephew's life. Or I will show you that tough love you keep talking about.”
“Ow, sheesh. You’re worse than my Uncle Nibirus was when I was a kid,” Asmo muttered. “Family, family, family, obligation, obligation, obligation.”
“It’s just a name,” Vie muttered. “Besides, he can always change it later if he doesn’t like it.”
“Gilgamesh!” Lilith shouted.
“Wha-?” Asmo choked.
“His name is Gilgamesh, the devourer of monsters! Listen to him roar!”
“*burp*” The tiny Vampire gurgled.
“What a cutie, what a cutie little Gilly~” Lili cooed at him.
“That’s…” Asmo started. “That’s so silly, it’s kinda brilliant.”
“Hmm?” Liszt looked at him inquisitively.
“‘Silly little Gilly,’” He chuckled. “Ugh. I was hoping I'd never have to deal with kids again.”
“Tough break, pal,” Liszt said, patting him on the back.
“For what it’s worth, I was going to say Heracles,” Asmo said. “But this name’s better.”
“Can we take a vote?” Vie asked, pointing at Asmo. “I like that one.”
“Nope! His name is Gilgamesh,” Lilith declared.
“Oh dear. I guess that’s gonna stick. Gilgamesh. Or Gil, or Gilly, or whatever,” Liszt sighed.
“I guess it's only fair for the Vamp to get to choose a name for her kindred. Even if it’s just a placeholder,” Vie agreed, though disappointed.
“Well if all that’s settled,” Basil started. “Lili will learn to change a diaper. Vie, go secure the shipment. It’s only a couple of barrels, I’m sure you can manage. I'm going to go make some sandwiches. I think we could all use a bite to eat. And when it’s bright out, we can introduce the new kid to the rest of the old guard.”
As she turned to leave Liszt followed her back towards the kitchen, silently.
“Basil. Do you really think this is such a good idea?” Liszt called out.
But Basil continued on her way without replying.
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