Upon arrival at the Great Hall, Hadorix was surprised at the number of vampire's present. The entire kingdom had turned out, and while 1,500 was a rather low population, it was much higher than Hadorix's expectations after seeing the devastation the druid order had brought to their populace. There were also many Death Knights present, at the front row near the stage stood Maximus and Zed. Zed is the only living being present in the audience. As a member of Hadorix Kings guard, Zed's presence is mandatory.
Alexus led Hadorix to the stage in the Great Hall. Upon the stage sat two chalices formed from bone. While not very ornate, Hadorix could immediately sense the quality of the craftsmanship via his system. He could also feel the presence of power emitted from them, though admittedly his system revealed nothing of what the power would do. When they arrived by the chalices, a vampire Hadorix had previously never seen began to speak.
"The coven has been called together today for two reasons. First, we will be joining the Spiders heir Hadorix with the queen in waiting Alexus. After today, the coven will never be as it was. You see Hadorix is a human who possesses fantastic abilities, not the least of which is the Spiders absorption talent. With this power back at the head of the coven, we will all benefit as the growth of the king will increase the power of the coven after the binding ceremony is completed. Some of you doubt the validity of such statements, to understand their meaning, you have only to look at the armor of the great Death Knight Maximus. Armor bound to a King with such power grants a powerful crest with a boost to the wearer. As King, Hadorix will eventually generate his own crest. While it may never rival that of the previous Spider, in time, its powers will provide a generous buff to our kind.
Second, as hinted, Hadorix and Alexus will be crowned King and Queen. The great Knight Maximus will be the head of Hadorix royal guard and shall be accompanied by Zed. As head sorcerer of the coven, I, Patricia will personally head the royal guard of Alexus. A tournament shall be held to choose her second guard, the honor will be bestowed upon the winner of said tournament.
Now that everyone present understands the significance of this gathering, let us begin the binding ceremony.
Alexus and Hadorix, step to the chalices beside me."
Alexus and Hadorix obeyed and moved to the chalices. When they each stood at one end of the table Patricia continued to speak.
"Now that you each stand near a chalice you must consider the weight of the decision you are about to make. The binding you will undertake once your blood is shed and shared is a permanent one that may never be repeated. Your lifespan, your fate, and your people will become one. Even in death the binding will remain. Now, Hadorix, for you this ceremony poses an unknown as this has never been done with a human before. There is a chance that you will become a newly turned vampire. If such an event does occur, we are prepared with an ample supply of blood. As such the danger to you is minimal.
If you both understand the risks and the magnitude of the decision you are making, then pick up the dagger that lies beside the chalice and drain your blood into said chalice."
At this moment, Alexus picked up the dagger and began to fill the chalice. Hadorix however appeared to hesitate as his system generated a new quest.
· Quest Received, Wed Alexus. "The vampire coven has long stood on ceremonies and traditions. You are to partake in the most important ceremony in the vampire coven, the binding ceremony. You have a choice, perform the ceremony as requested, or show your true power."
o Required tasks,
§ Perform the binding ceremony with Alexus.
o Optional Tasks
§ Use the dagger provided to fill the chalice with your blood.
§ Transform into a Lion and use your claws to fill the chalice.
§ Use the fangs of the spider to fill the chalice with your blood.
· Quest Reward depends upon the tasks completed.
Hadorix had little time to consider the consequences of his actions. He picked up the dagger and began to fill the chalice. Once it had been filled ¼ full, he retrieved the fangs of the spider and formed a new cut and began to drain this blood into the chalice. Upon filling the chalice by another ¼, he transformed into a spider and bit his leg, he then filled the chalice another ¼. To the amazement and shock of the crowd, he then transformed into a great lion, used his claw on his left hand to cut his paw on his right and filled the chalice the remaining ¼ full.
At this point both Alexus, and Hadorix chalices were filled. The crowd had become rather confused as one would never deviate from the traditional ceremony. The chalices were always filled from wounds created from the ceremonial daggers. At this time, Patricia spoke.
"Hadorix, your decision to utilize methods other than the ceremonial dagger will have unknown consequences for Alexus. You could well be risking her life. Alexus, as Hadorix has deviated from the traditional ceremony, do you desire to continue?"
Alexus allowed a moment of silence for impact and then replied, "Hadorix is a human and as such he is not expected to follow our traditions. I believe this is one of the aspects that will strengthen our coven. It is my honor to continue in this binding with him."
Patricia then continued, "As you are still both willing, lift and exchange chalices."
Hadorix and Alexus did as they were instructed to do.
Patricia then spoke, "Now that you possess the lifeblood of one another, you have reached the point of no return. By consuming the blood from the chalice in your hand, your lifeblood will be bound together. As one you shall both become stronger. If your mind is resolute, drink from the chalice and become one."
Hadorix and Alexus began to consume the blood. As the chalices began to empty, they both began to glow. The more they drank, the more they glowed. When the chalices were empty, Hadorix glowed with a light that could light a cave underground. Alexus on the other hand glowed with an intensity that rivaled the sun. None in the hall could stand to look at her.
Patricia had to resist the urge to go to Alexus. To go to her at this point in the ceremony would be disastrous and could ultimately result in the death of Hadorix, Alexus and Patricia. Hadorix on the other hand, had no such reservations. He moved to his new wife's side and grasped her hands. As soon as he did, his glow began to increase in magnitude until matched that of Alexus. The power that began to radiate off the two of them forced all but Maximus, Zed, and Patricia to their knees.
After what felt like an eternity to those present, the glow began to dissipate into the bodies of Alexus and Hadorix. Once the glow dissipated, the robes and armor on Hadorix, Alexus, Maximus, Zed, and Patricia began to change. Their emblems became that of a Lion standing on a Spiders web. The web covered the entirety of their gear and glowed with a white light.
· Quest Complete. Hidden objective complete. "You managed to incorporate all your forms and facets of yourself into the chalice. As such Alexus has gained an affinity with the Druidic and Assassin arts and will now be a part of the Druidic order. The repercussions of this event remain to be unknown."
· Quest Received, "Bring Alexus to the throne in the Mystic Orchard and insert her soul stone and that of the Vampire kingdom that the two of you rule."
· Quest Reward, Unknown.
· Gained passive ability, Bound to Alexus. "Your binding ceremony was a sight to behold. An unfathomable amount of power was generated by your binding. As such the passive ability generated from such an event must also be unfathomable."
o +100 to max of all attributes.
o +100 to all attributes.
o +1000 energy
o +2 levels in your primary class.
· Power level exceeds the requirements of a grade D super.
o Energy gain increased to 200 per level. This is retroactive.
o HP gain increased to 35 per level. This is retroactive.
· Crest gained. "You now have ample titles to receive your own family crest. All members of your family or family guard will be linked to you. As such they will bear your crest. Bearing your crest will grant a portion of your power and abilities. If armor bearing your crest is stolen, the crest will immediately dissipate."
o Current crest abilities include:
§ +10% to all attributes.
§ +500 energy.
§ Immortal life force. "As long as your patriarch remains linked to the Druidic power of the Mystic Orchard, you will never grow old."
§ Basic system integration. "As long as your patriarch remains linked to the Druidic power of the Mystic Orchard, you will enjoy the benefits of a system interface. This will allow you the opportunity to undertake quests and easily view the statistics of any gear or creature you see. You will also easily see the benefits and levels you receive and be able to make choices in some instances when you level.
§ Venom immunity.
§ Improved night vision.
§ Immunity to disease.
§ Hardy, "+15 hp per level over what your normal hp gain would be. This will vary by class.
When the glow on Alexus and Hadorix dissipated, Alexus, Maximus, Zed and Patricia began to glow. As they gained the powers from the crest emblazoned on their gear, their power grew significantly. This would be greatly beneficial in the future. For Alexus, this meant her power had now grown by an unfathomable amount. Prior to the ceremony she was deemed weak by the standards of the vampires. Now she would rank near the top of those that were awake.
Patricia slowly regained her composure after such a surprising outcome and spoke, "Now that the binding ceremony is completed, you will be bound for life. It has become obvious during this ceremony that this binding will be extremely beneficial for the entire kingdom. I can feel the power from the crest of your family. I officially pledge myself fully to the lady Alexus and will be honored to protect her for the remainder of my life. With the binding ceremony completed and the outcome being far superior to anything we could have fathomed and if there are no objections, it is time for the crowning ceremony to begin."
After the explosive power surge in Hadorix and his new family and guard, even if there were objections they would no longer be voiced. The crowns were brought forth and Patricia again spoke.
"Alexus, I place this crown upon your brow to symbolize your commitment to the betterment of our people. The entirety of our lives and livelihood are now in your hands. Hadorix, your crown will be a bit different than your predecessors. You shall wear the crown of the Spider that you already wore, but now you will receive the top portion, with it, your enemies will know you the moment you enter the battlefield for none could mistake the red glow from the skull like helm of the Spider king. Now rise King and Queen of the vampire coven. Choose your guards and path well."