I posted this a while ago and I re-found it.

I enjoy re-reading my work - and I hate it too...

I can see so many thing in this that I enjoy and so many that I want - need - to change! My writing brain is evolving constantly and the desire to ignore everything that came before is tempting.

@danielles found this at her house and gave the page to me yesterday. I thought I'd type it up and share it with you.

A little background to start.

Edited for accuracy on the timeline Back in the early 2000s I was asked to be involved with the development of an online game. A company had pulled the rug from under us where one of our favourite games was concerned, over on Facebook, and because I'd spoken out about it all, I was asked to be part of the dev team.

I wrote a story involving the characters from the old game and I integrated them into the new game. Here it is, with character names unchanged. I think maybe Clark Kent will have to go... he's perhaps a little too obvious.

Images from Google

And so the Elders came. They arrived one by one, none showing alliance or allegiance to another. These legends, these mythological creatures whispered of in tales to frighten youngsters into keeping to their studies. These powerful and awesome Vampires at last brought together in one place in a tenuous treaty of truce - for now at least.

Clark Kent spoke. "I have gathered you here in order to bring our society back to a semblance of order. We battle amongst ourselves and our numbers are depleted year on year. It is time we stopped killing each other. There are not many of us left."

"I shall not be happy until there are only two of us," Hollywood snarled. "Me and my queen!"

"Nice attitude from someone that can still be killed!" Princessa said.

"You have no room to talk! You are the strongest right now, but we all know how things can change," Glade said, his voice quiet and calm.

“Enough! Let Clark speak! We have all gathered to hear what he has to say, so let him say it and we can be gone!” Dark Lady Gina raised her voice so that all stopped their muttering to hear her.

Clark nodded his thanks to her and continued. “We are killing each other for no good reason other than that is what we have always done! It’s time we stopped and turned our attention to other sources of food.”

He held up his hands to stop the protests that had begun anew. “Yes, I know Vampire blood is far more potent than human blood and I am not advocating that we stop killing Vampires, just that we stop killing Elders.” He paused to allow the congregation to think on what his words meant.

“There are new Vampires appearing on the scene. I have it on good authority that there will soon be a few hundred trying to infiltrate our mass and they will try this very soon – as soon even as tomorrow! We have to be prepared for their arrival. There will be a battle, there will be blood – it will be theirs!”

“How do you know this?” Xypher asked.

“Just be satisfied that I do know.”

“I believe him,” Erzebet said from the back. All eyes were on her as she walked forward. “I too have heard this rumour. Something wicked this way comes.”

“The rumour has been circulating for decades, since the break-down of the last Council. Why should we believe you now?” Hollywood’s queen, Desiree de Poitiers spoke.

Erzebet looked at Desiree and said, “Because I said so.”

Desiree snarled at the challenge and Hollywood pulled her back.

“Tell us what you know,” he said.

“I know this much,” Erzebet said. “The old Council lost its authority when they tried to put constraints on our natural Blood Hunger and our thirst for the kill. I know that they tried to appease the peace-makers who want to be more fashion-oriented than blood-driven. I know that when we broke away from that Council – or were banished – that the Council began to lose their grip on the order of all things Vampire and I know that dissension and disaffection is rife. We are not the only ones to have dropped the ways of the old Council, there are many of us. Some found their way here, but relatively few. The rest have wandered the wilderness seeking out Blood Wars and attempting to regain what was lost, only to become quickly disoriented once more. Now they have heard of us and our battles, and they want in!”

Erzebet paused to allow the group surrounding her to mull the information over and then she began again.

“Tomorrow night, three hundred of their best warriors will descend upon us. They do not come in peace but they have not yet learned what we know. We have the advantage. We have new knowledge that they want. They will gain this knowledge slowly. They will be allowed in – but only as far as we want them to come. And they will only get there gradually – as we all did. That is not the reason Clark called us here tonight, though, is it, Clark? You have bigger news for us, don’t you?”

Clark nodded. “The rest will follow the three hundred,” Clark said.

“The rest? How many is ‘the rest’?” Cory asked.

“Many thousands,” Clark said before he turned and left.

They heard his voice from a distance, yet still crystal clear as he withdrew further into the darkness. “We have battles ahead of us. If we are to remain at the top of our game, we must work harder than we have before and we must prepare. Gather your clan around you. Build your weaponry and hone your skills – you will need them all. There are battles ahead of us… and blood – much blood – plenty for even all our needs.”