A Mutant Collector Quest

"Don't worry, Eric. I wasn't speaking to you for so long in vain; I was just waiting for the stage to be set," Deacon continues, his tone dripping with amusement.

At that moment, Racquel enters the room. "Sir... Deacon, she is ready for you," she says, bowing respectfully.

"Ah, perfect timing, sweetie! Let's open the curtains!" Deacon responds, gesturing to the lackeys standing by. One of them nods and presses a button on the wall.

With a soft whir, a hidden door on the left side of the room swings open, revealing an enormous space beyond.

Blade squints in disbelief at the expansive room before him, its size rivaling that of a sports stadium. "What... is all this?" he questions, his senses awakening to the sight of countless people sprawled across the floor. Though weakened, he can still smell the unmistakable scent of blood—human blood.

"Hehehe, curious, are we? Don't worry; everything will be revealed soon. Just wait patiently here... not like you are going anywhere, hahahaha!" Deacon cackles, his laughter echoing as he strides confidently into the vast spacious hall.

Racquel casts a sympathetic glance at Blade, fully aware of how exhausting it must be to endure Deacon's endless monologues. With a resigned sigh, she follows after him. As she steps into the hall, a shiver runs through her; the atmosphere is thick with an unsettling energy that makes her skin crawl.

"Deacon, you snake! Release me!" A woman's furious shout makes Deacon pause, a twisted smile forming on his face as he turns towards her.

"If it isn't my lovely Nyssa," he sneers, strolling toward the left edge of the hall, where several vampires were chained to the floor.

"You lied to us, Deacon! You used me, you used my Clan!" The dark haired woman yells, her eyes blazing with hatred.

"Oh, my sweet Nyssa Damaskinos," Deacon chuckles, "Even after all these years, you remain the same pitiful, weeping child. You can't deny that your Damaskinos clan didn't want to use me, to leverage my connections with Frost International? You and your clan just have such a narrow outlook compared to mine—your minds are also just as small. So, all I can say is, grow up, sweetie," He cups her chin with a mocking grin.

"Don't touch me, you filthy lowblood!" she snarls, her eyes flashing red, fangs baring in fury.

Deacon laughs, backing away slowly. "Ah, I do like feisty girls like you. Even now, chained and helpless, you purebloods cling to your arrogance. We will see how long it lasts... A beautiful girl like you will make quite the appetizer after the ritual." he says, licking his lips as Nyssa glares at him in disgust.

"I am, however, eternally grateful to your clan, Nyssa, for being one of the two key pieces in my grand plan," Deacon says, glancing back at Racquel with a sly smile. "Did you know, sweetie, that this entire ruin—this entire facility—belongs to the Damaskinos clan?"

"Oh?" Racquel feigns interest, her gaze shifting to the chained girl, though she already knows everything.

"When I was searching for a way out of my predicament, I first turned to science. But it was failure after failure… until, just a few years ago, a brilliant student of mine, Morbius, came to me with an idea—creating artificial blood. The concept intrigued me, so, of course, I funded it. I also had him delve deeper into the mysteries of vampirism, hoping that his genius could finally unlock the solution to my chains." He grins, savoring the memory, a flicker of pride in his eyes.

Racquel forced herself to nod along, inwardly rolling her eyes at Deacon's love for his own voice.

"And then, the Damaskinos clan approached me, having caught wind of my project. Big clans had never deigned to talk to me before, always looking down on me because I was turned into a vampire, not born into the Bloodline like they were," he sneers, his gaze flicking to Nyssa and the crowd of vampires behind her. "Such pretentious snobs, all of them."

"After I accepted their offer, they graciously allowed me into their 'treasure chamber'. They even said I could take one item from inside. The very same room you just called me from, Racquel," he adds, and she hurriedly nods in acknowledgment, clearly uninterested.

"In that room, buried among useless trinkets, I found a Book. A Book so grotesque that it would haunt your nightmares. At first, I thought it was just a history book, written in some unknown language. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I spent a small fortune to have it translated," Deacon continues, his eyes gleaming with hunger. "And that's when I realized I had stumbled upon something far more powerful—A Magical Tome, filled with Forbidden Rituals and Spells, just waiting to be unleashed!" His red eyes sparkle with malicious excitement as he relishes the moment.

Nyssa glances back at her clan members, but even they look confused, none of them recognizing the book Deacon is referring to.

"But I hit another roadblock," Deacon continues, his tone taking on a theatrical edge. "The translation was barely moving forward, and all the translators I hired kept dying—one way or another. As a man of science, I couldn't make heads or tails of the mumbo jumbo, so I needed someone who specialized in the mystic arts." He gestures dramatically, as though recalling a grand revelation.

"And that's when I arrived." A woman's voice, magnetic and commanding abruptly interrupts, echoing from the far side of the vast hall.

"Yes, you found me and solved all my problems all at once, Voodoo Queen!" Deacon grins widely, extending his arms toward the rapidly approaching figure.

The woman seems to be surrounded by a shifting aura of darkness, floating across the floor as candles orbit around her. As she draws closer, the dim glow of the candles reveals her features. Beneath a black hood, a young, striking blonde woman with glowing blue eyes steps forward, exuding an eerie yet captivating presence.

As soon as the woman arrives, Racquel backs away from her.

"Why are you running away from me, my little white rabbit?" The woman's voice drips with a teasing tone, her smile widening as she raises a hand. With a flick of her fingers, Racquel freezes in place. "Hihihihi, why don't you come a little closer?" The woman laughs eerily, her big breasts jiggling with every movement. She wags a finger playfully, and with a helpless pull, Racquel floats towards her.

"Why not accept my offer and give me this lovely white rabbit, Deacon? Trust me, you won't suffer for it," the woman purrs, her finger tracing a slow line through Racquel's pale hair, taking in a deep breath of satisfaction as she inhales the scent.

"Stop toying with her, she is important to me," Deacon says, shaking his head in mild frustration.

"Hihihihi, alright, alright, go on and run away, little rabbit," the woman teases, her voice laced with amusement. As the spell breaks, Racquel stumbles back in a panic, her fangs bared and eyes wide with terror. The floating woman merely smirks in response.

"As I was saying, this is the Voodoo Queen," Deacon continues, his grin returning. "She has many names, and her legend casts a long shadow over New Orleans. She found me while searching for this very book. We... came to an understanding." Deacon's smile widens as he glances at Nyssa. "And then, well, you know how things unfolded, don't you, my dear?"

Nyssa's amber eyes blaze with fury. "You used Magic! Sorcery! You betrayed my clan, the very ones who took you in! You openly kidnapped so many humans, even converting dozens of them! You allowed outside vampires to feast on our soil, our city! You have violated countless Blood Laws, Deacon! Just wait—you will answer for this. The Blood Lord will hear of your treachery, and you will be punished for your insolence! You will be staked through the heart!" Her voice drips with venom as her gaze burns with pure hatred.

"Hahahahhaah-" Deacon bursts into laughter, his mad cackle filling the air. Without warning, he vanishes and reappears in front of Nyssa, his clawed hands gripping her throat with terrifying ease. He lifts her off the ground effortlessly, "You think you are in any position to make threats, princess? Your father isn't here to save you, and neither is the fucking Blood Lord!" He snarls his eyes shining red in anger!

"Hahaha…" Deacon laughs again, his grip loosening as he lets her drop to the ground. Nyssa's feet touch the floor, but she remains unfazed, her posture still defiant."You are lucky you are such a beauty and I quite like you," Deacon says with a twisted grin, reaching out to touch her pale cheek. Nyssa jerks her head away from his hand. "And you don't have to worry about that pompous Dracula," he continues, his grin widening. "After tonight, the Blood Laws won't apply to me. A new era is coming—a new beginning for the Vampire race. I will be the new Blood Lord—Lord Deacon Frost!" He spread his arms, head tilted back as if already basking in his imagined glory.

Nyssa sneers at him, her eyes full of disdain. "You are a fool. You lowblood know nothing of the Blood Lord's power. Dracula has lived for centuries. Even the Ancient Vampires, my father included, can't stand against him. He is a God—the Blood God!"

Deacon clicks his tongue in mock disapproval, still smiling. "You will see soon enough, sweetie. Rejoice, for you are about to get a front-row seat to my ascension!" His eyes gleam with manic excitement. "Shall we begin?" he asks, turning to the Voodoo Queen.