Chapter 290: Hessiana's Genealogy
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
If we went through the "wondrous" nature of Vivian's bloodline, it would probably take forever to complete. Heck, it would take a bucket load of time just to talk about the history of this odd bunch of vampires, who worked in the church for a living. Hessiana had inherited a few of Vivian's special abilities too and of course, there were the usual mutations as well.
Vivian could not turn a man into a vampire like a normal vampire could; anyone she "turned" still remained a human. At the very most, they were stronger, healthier and had increased longevity, but vampires they were not. Hessiana on the other hand, was a perfected bat familiar and she had inherited a small part of Vivian's powers. Surprisingly, she was not constrained by the limitation and not only could she turn others into Trueborns, she could forcibly turn other vampires into her thrall with her superior bloodline. To most Blood Clan members, these powers were a step forward, but it was not without it's cost. Her inheritance of Vivian's powers was not complete; Hessiana and her bloodline as well as her servants were still vulnerable towards holy water, blessed silver and other anti-demon weaponry.
However, their resistance was way above all other unusual creatures and this maniacal bunch even went as far as fighting using holy weapons. It would take a few hours before their bodies were directly harmed by the holy energy while most vampires or werewolves would take critical hits everytime a holy weapon striked them.
Thus, Hessiana's family wreaked havoc throughout Athens with their half-baked demon slaying (or perhaps, holy resistance?) ability. Truth be told, their offensive capabilities were not at a point where they could steamroll all of their opposition as it was rather difficult to procure holy weapons. Even with smuggling and back-channels, they could only equip a good half of their men with it. Not to mention, they only had a limited time before the holy weapons harmed them as well. But the most crucial factor was the shock and awe their combat tactics inspired within the Divide. Imagine seeing a group of vampires fighting with blessed silver and clutching a cross going, "Jesus give me power!" Most "normal" vampires would simply be too stunned to even react. Heck, when most of the vampiric families got wiped out during Hessiana's assault, it was all down to them being too stupified to react...
Of course, whatever remained of Vivian's reputation also helped Hessiana's cause. All unusual creatures knew the legend of the Countess of the Crimson Moon and her ability to fully nullify the effects of holy weapons. They also knew of her inability to create her own bloodline thus, leaving only herself with such an enviable ability. Then came, Hessiana who had managed to create a bunch of oddball vampires that could go about spraying others with holy water. Many fell under the impression that Vivian had managed to overcome her inability and they were fighting against her direct descendants. This sapped their morale quite a bit and resulted in Hessiana's blitzkrieg simply sweeping all opposition aside.
By the time anyone had the presence of mind to react to Hessiana's assault, only the Lucas and Bethanos Families were in shape to contend against Hessiana and her bunch of misfits. Hessiana's family was a smart one; just before the final battle, they signed a peace accord with the Lucas Family and declared their peaceful intentions towards the otherwordlings within the Divide. This was simply a revenge attack against those who had wronged them in the past and nothing more. When the accord was signed, those under Hessiana who were wronged by Lucas also openly declared that they would no longer seek revenge against their former tormentors and things were left at that.
Even since her sudden assault, Hessiana did not seek to harm the Lucas Family's interest. She had things well planned out. The entire final attack would take only three days, enough for her to achieve her objectives and prevent the Lucas Family from reacting in time, thus avoiding any conflict; conflict that Hessiana could not afford in the coming discussions. After the dust had settled, she declared that she was forming a new house that would peacefully co-exist with the rest of the otherworldlings. The head of the Lucas Family back then decided that fighting with this bunch of crazy misfits would only bleed his men and resources. Not only that, he would be handing the control of the city over to the Bethanos Family. Hence, he agreed to the formation of the new household. Besides, the Lucas Family did not take any losses from the attack, and the demise of the smaller familiars had instead consolidated his control. While he needed to share the territory evenly with Hessiana, it was the best call at the time.
And so, the Hessianite Family was formed from the ashes of battle.
Not long after, the little "Vivian" used both clever politicking skills and rogue, underhanded tactics to expand her powerbase. It would take forever to detail what she did to lead her family from a semi-cadet branch of the Lucas Family into a full-fledged family of her own. But one thing was sure, the little lady was ruthless. You needed to keep your eye on her or else, she would stick a blade into you when you were not looking.
Also something else was made awfully clear: Fighter who were considered cannon fodder died because they were too slow to react.
The Hessianite and Lucas Families were now what you would consider... allies. It was pretty much an alliance of convenience where they would fight together if threatened by demon hunters and a little more than that. As such, both of the leaders did not keep a facade of formality when they met. After regaling all present with her family's history, Hessiana quickly eyed the new head of the Lucas Family as she gave a satisfied nod. "Hope you don't mind the messy place. Lady Vivian arrived yesterday and we held a party in her honour. The meeting room has even more people laying there. Those who became rowdy after a drink or two are all locked in there. They will remain there until they are sober."
By then, Vivian was done dressing and she came down the stairs. She saw Hao Ren hanging out by the staircase and greeted him before heading down to join the rest. The new head of the Lucas Family saw a face that he had not seen in two centuries and quickly got up to greet her. "My Lady Countess, it has been a while indeed. I'm so glad to see that you are all hale and hearty. Zeon Lucas, the new head of the Lucas Family has come to—"
"Please spare me the formalities, I'm not your grandmother." Vivian was apparently very uncomfortable with the over-the-top formal speech and frowned even before she took her seat. "I haven't been here for about a hundred years or two... It's stilll the same here—dark and dreary all the time... There's literally no improvement at all... Goodness, do you bunch still muck around in the dark doing nothing?"
Hao Ren thought to himself. "It was better if Vivian had not spoke at all. The moment she spoke, she turned into a different character, like a senior scolding her juniors. Clearly this was on purpose, the lass would never speak like that normally."
But it clearly worked on the young vampire as he looked on grimly with a nod. "Your stern advice is well noted, My Lady."
As Vivian cleared her throat to ask about the ruins, an alluringly dressed female vampire beside Zeon (the new head of the Lucas Family) gave Vivian a surprised look, exclaiming, "My Lady... you are wearing a dress that I designed..."
Hao Ren was stunned as he turned to look at Vivian. The latter was wearing a new long, black dress that he had bought for her last month. It was said that the dress was designed specially for vampires. This was Vivian's best dress in her wardrobe and she brought it along for the journey. Hessiana threw an almost spiteful look at the lady. "Andrea... don't you dare use this to get close to Lady Vivian!"
"I'm telling the truth!" The look on the vampire named Andrea was of pure surprise but her voice was sure. "This is a limited edition release. If it's the real thing, you can have a look inside the cuffs. My signature is written there in Latin..."
Vivian took a peek at the cuff of her dress and muttered, "What a coincidence... but the handwriting is hideous..."
Andrea was nonplussed. "...It's not easy writing on silk..."
Hao Ren remembered Hessiana mentioning that the supernaturals in the Divide had business dealings with humans. Additionally, he heard that the Lucas Family had clothing factories as part of their business. But the way Hessiana described things was slightly misleading; the Lucas Family were in the luxury market, not your common tees.
Now that's rather rich isn't it? Andrea the vampire was also a fashion designer...
Hao Ren felt that the atmosphere lightened up with the small talk and while Hessiana was rather displeased by it, it seemed a bit easier for them to talk business now.
"Andrea, leave the clothes for another time." Zeon Lucas looked at his underling sternly as he turned towards Vivian. "What do we owe the pleasure of the countess' visit in Athens today?"
Vivian was straight to the point. "I want to see the newly discovered ruins; the one at the Parthenon."