It is a rarity for a vampire as old as him to be happy. Happiness is so rare to come by since his emotions have been dulled. The message is so good that he can smile right now but he kept his face devoid of any emotions. He remained calm as he addressed the Vampires waiting for him.
He said to his subordinates, "I have good news and great news. The good news is that tonight will be the last night of our mission. Word has passed down from the primogenitors to stop looking for the Emperor. Our mission is over."
Then he allowed himself to smile a little, "As for the great news, we are to wipe out this settlement and be on our way."
The Viscounts and the Baron couldn't help the smile that appeared on their face. It really is great news. They have immortal lives but it is not good to spend it on fruitless endeavors. Count Desmond saw the expression of happiness on their faces.
He thought to himself, "Ha, the excitement of youth. How I long to be young. I wish I wasn't a Secula."
He was selected for this mission because he is of the lineage of the Secula. Every vampire here is of the same lineage. They have the ability to remain intensely focused and attentive to a single activity for a period of years. Those of the Lineage of Secula have unparalleled determination. They never give up. But it also affects their other emotions. It causes their repertoire of emotions to deaden faster than the other vampires.
Their lineage makes them immune to pain and torture. And it makes them completely reliable when bestowed with a task. You can trust that they won't be distracted during a mission, become bored, or lose control over their thirst for blood. They will be faithful hound dogs that you can always count on. Tonight, these hound dogs will finally be let loose. It is a long time coming.
He said to them, "Let us feast gentlemen and ladies. Tonight we celebrate."
The Vampires returned to the city in glee. They remained silent as they crept into the houses. Some entered through windows and others through openings in the roof. They didn't need to but they did to maximize the utility of food. They have found out that the more work is put in to acquire food, the more satisfying it is.
The Vampires crept up to their oblivious prey and sank their fangs into them. Everyone they bite becomes alert immediately. No amount of sleep can mask that stab of pain. But their prey can't do anything but struggle uselessly.
The awakened Warrogs will feel too weak to move their limbs much less fight back. So they have to watch completely aware and in pain as life is drained out of them. The initial weakness increases slowly until it becomes too much for them to remain awake. They will then fall asleep again. The feeding on their life force will forcefully lull them back to sleep and further into the embrace of sweet death.
As for the Vampires, they savored the feeling of life-rich blood swirling in their mouth and swallowed it down their throat. They could have dulled the pain of their victims and even made the bite pleasurable. But they didn't. They wanted to feed on both the pleasure of their blood and the pain in their prey.
It is a joy unlike any other to drain the sweet life out of someone and watch them die. Many vampires lose themselves to it. They become ravenous beasts with unlimited cravings for blood. But never the vampires of the Secula. Control and focus is the advantage of their lineage. Their focus is so sharp that it can cut everything in their path if given form. Even their fledglings don't have any problems controlling their thirst.
So this Baron can surely stop anytime she wants. She can decide not to kill the person that she is feeding on. But she didn't stop at all because tonight is the night of celebration. She fed on blood until the last drop just as she had always done to the inhabitants of the settlements that Lamplard has visited in the past. This will be the last settlement so there is even less need to spare the lives of the inhabitants.
As for Lamplard, he was taken alive for interrogation by Count Desmond. The rest of his party were slain in their sleep. Lamplard was sleeping when he felt a cold touch on his face. He opened his eyes to see a fair maiden with glowing blood-red eyes looking down on him.
Her eyes glowed with a mesmerizing radiance in the dark. She has golden hair the colour of wheat that reaches her feet. The black cloak she is wearing does not cover up the beauty of her form. She is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. She also looks like a wood elf so he knows that he is in deep trouble.
His eyes shot wide open immediately. He tried to speak but his intentions suddenly disappeared. His mind blanked out. He couldn't form coherent thoughts anymore. Trying to think was like grasping at straws. He doesn't even know who he is or where he is anymore. All he can see are two beautiful glowing red eyes.
An intrusive force delved into the depths of his scattered mind and imposed an external will on it.
"Tell me, what is your name?" Count Desmond asked him.
He answered without hesitation. "I am Lamplard."
"Where are you from?"
"I am from the Warrog settlement of the ice mountain range close to the north."
Count Desmond went on to ask several more questions. Lamplard answered every one of them truthfully to the best of his ability without holding back or hesitating. The questions were harmless at first. They were about him and where he came from. He was glad to answer them. He would do anything to please this fair maiden. So he didn't notice the deviation of the questions in his eagerness to be obedient.