The mighty King of Darkness sat on his sister's throne, his sharp golden eyes locked on a pathetic, groveling figure that stood several feet from his throne. Since he had taken over, Elzier had fallen under his complete control, with guards stationed everywhere to enforce order after the war, make sure that Elzier could not be easily retaken after the king had put so much effort into capturing the grand city. The man standing before the king was a Magistrate, a man who he had appointed to govern the people he had left behind. As it turned out, the Magistrate had begun working behind his back, stealing money and using the peopleâ??s taxes on himself. Men like this gave Vayne's empire a bad name, and Vayne was very willing to make an example of such scum. The man's face was cold, his golden eyes locked on the magistrate that stood before his throne.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000">"Do you know why I have called you here?"</span>The man shook his head innocently, making the king only a little more angry.<br/><br/>Standing in the shadows to each side of the King's new throne stood an armored, cloaked figure. The blackguard that guarded the king personally were terrifying visages, and only seemed to make the man who stood before the king more nervous than even before. The blackguard never left the king's side, and no one outside the king's inner circle even knew what they were. The guards glowered at the man, hidden away from within their hoods, watching his every movement with hidden glares.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000">"Don't try to lie to me, I know what you have been doing. Vayne frowned and leaned forward slightly. </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000">"Tell me, Magistrate, do you know how I punish such corruption?"</span>Vayne leaned forward in his throne, his steely expression not giving way to the anger, this man's actions resulted in the deaths of a number of his soldiers, he would not let that go without punishment. The man's eyes widened, Vayne knew exactly what he was doing, of course he did.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000"> "Do you think I am stupid? That I would not notice the little leaks in information, the gold going missing. You leech wealth that could go towards the goals of the empire, hoarding it to yourself to increase your own wealth and satisfy your own greed?"</span>Vayne would not tolerate anyone stealing from him.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000">â??No one steals from me and gets away with itâ?</span>Vayneâ??s voice turned deadly cold when he spoke that last sentence, a chill moving through the room as the Dark Kingâ??s wrath turned deadly.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#8000bf">"Bastard!"</span>The man, realizing he had nothing to lose pulled a hidden dagger from his cloak, his last resort. Vayne didn't even move, but the shadows followed his mental commands, and he simply frowned. In a split second the man's body was suspended into the air by several shadowy spikes that leapt from the ground, impaled through his heart, and several other locations, his blood spilling to the floor. Vayne turned his head, noticing that his blackguard had moved their hands on their swords in case something was to happen.  The dark king looked back to the mortally wounded spy lying on the floor, bleeding all over his carped and scowled<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000">â??Patheticâ?¦ Get this scum out of my sight, if he survives, take him to the dungeons for interrogationâ?</span>It wasnâ??t likely, but he would at least get the money the man had been hoarding back.<br/><br/>When the Turncoat Knight barged into the room Vayne was sitting on his new throne in a rather relaxed pose. Even in this pose, even though he was practically more relaxed than he was before was still even in itâ??s posture. His previous fury had faded quickly enough that he was able to sit back in the throne and the guards had calmed down. Two servants were already moving to dispose of the corpse before it bled too much over the queen's expensive carpets. The servants hustled past the fallen knight and left the room. "Ah, good to see you Gandrian, you took your time getting here" The king noticed the state of dress he was in, and that he still smelled like coitus.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000">â??Did I interrupt a personal moment?"</span>Vayne's words were almost teasing; his voice was gentle, that to Gandrian would shine through as sarcasm. Gandrian was obviously upset with his master summoning him at the time, and Vayne was big on those he summoned arriving in a timely manner. Vayne didn't care for Gandrian's feelings on that subject, he knew what he was doing, and knew what he did.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000">â??riseâ?</span>Vayne gave Gandrian the cue to stand from his kneel, satisfied with the obedience that the simple gesture showed. Vayne knew what Gandrian had been doing before he summoned him.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000">"Gandrian, Soldiers take years to train, even if they are just regulars"</span>The king chided Gandrian, he had killed yet another soldier in his army, one who was perfectly good at commanding his regular troops.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000">"Please don't make a habit of killing them..."</span>Vayne didn't sound angry, he wasn't really, and Gandrian could likely get off free if he informed the king of some failing of the officer's However Vayne didn't want Gandrian slaying his own troops at his own whims, except the irregulars of course, Vayne really didnâ??t like those fools. Vayne hated mercenaries, but he was wise enough to realize the opportunity they presented, the fact that they could spare the lives of his own soldiers by weakening an enemy that would otherwise cause problems. The male leaned forward in the throne, correcting his posture, he got very few chances to relax, and now was not one of them<br/><br/>Vayne glanced at Gandrian from his throne, the young male had gone far, and from the traumatized little boy that he had found him as to the warrior he was now.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000">â??Gandrian, it has been some time since we have conquered this land, and the shards of the Amulet have finally begun to awaken. I can feel their power sifting in from multiple directions, from all over the Marosia and with the survivors still free, there is a chance that they will be searching for them as well.â?</span>Vayne had been a busy man since that night, things had gone perfectly well until the queen died, the Amulet would have been his, but it shattered instead, and the three individuals who actually posed a threat got away from him. Since then Vayne had been a very busy man, Vayne had taken care of Kaliâ??s body, burying her in the family crypt and placing members of his blackguard to prevent anyone from disturbing her final resting place. He had conquered Elzier beginning with itâ??s capitol, stopping rebellion with Gandrianâ??s aid as he conquered the rest of the country, utilizing brute force and masterful tactics to ensure he now controlled the entirety of Elzier, and was now preparing to continue his invasion further into the northern land.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#800000">â??I have called the other commanders, before we begin our little meeting, we shall wait for them to arrive."</span><br/><br/>The king didn't mind waiting a little longer, he had summoned his other generals, and they were not located as close to the throne room as Annie had.