400 The king

"I'm told going from a warrior to a politician tends to do that." Nick said reassuringly. Jesseph smiled "I thank you for your understanding in this matter , I am embarrassed at my blunder despite my claims." He said apologetically. Nick shook his head "It is clear from the familiarity you have with the weapon that you were not idly boasting. You did make a very large mistake though by relying on your power as a vampire to try and make up for how rusty you were. Take it slow at least until you get the hang of it again." Nick recommended helpfully.-

"I see the Ravenclaw name suits you well as you speak wisely." Jesseph complemented. "Perhaps , now come and try again." Nick said as he took his stance again. Jesseph nodded and dashed forward once again though considerably slower this time. He went for an upwards slash this time and Nick brought his own blade into a horizontal strike deflecting the offending blade away from himself. Jessephs hands shifted on the handle and his blade didn't slow down but shifted from upwards to downwards in a tight curve while Nick rotated his hips and met it with another horizontal strike.-

"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!" the sound of wood striking wood rang out loudly as they danced around each other looking to land even the smallest of blows. Jesseph made a few more mistakes that gave Nick the opportunity to land hits but the royal was rapidly regaining his edge creating longer and longer periods between each hit. Nick was breathing heavily and had a thick layer of sweat covering him from the intensity of the exercise. Jesseph may have been in better shape since as a vampire his stamina was nearly inexhaustible but unlike Nick he was sporting several new bruises on various parts of his body with the most notable on the left side of his neck.-

"While I can appreciate the show of skill , I do believe we still have business to discuss." A heavy male voice says after they separated once again. Both of them look towards the source of the voice and Jesseph immediately bows deeply. "I apologize for not greeting you upon arrival your highness , I had assumed you would not arrive for another day at the earliest!" he said genuinely respectful of this newcomer.-

 The man was not very tall but very stocky with wide shoulders and strong form along the rest. He had a thin reddish face with a long straight nose wide cheekbones and piercing red eyes. The man had long black hair and a thick mustache on his upper lip that were both well maintained. The man was by no means ugly but he had this sort of coldness to him that made him seem unapproachable. "Vlad Dracul the second I presume?" Nick guessed easily. "Indeed I am , Nicholas Iron Ravenclaw." the king of vampires said with a small smirk. "I take it then that you were informed of the situation via whatever method Jesseph used to communicate with you then?" Nick asked calmly.-

"Oh? And what makes you think I didn't receive the message via owl?" Vlad asked with while Nick put away the practice swords that were looking very worn. "Too easy to track , no one who doesn't want to be found would ever leave such an option viable. Well at least not the smart ones and I've been told you are something of a genius so it stands to reason that neither have you." Nick said calmly. "All that from a simply sentence , yes I think we will get along splendidly." Vlad said with an approving look.-

Nick tapped his wand against his chest and all the sweat and dirt on him came off in an orb that he then banished leaving him clean. "Maybe , but we will have to see how this discussion goes first." Nick said seriously. "Bah , It is best to keep business and personal matters separate in my experience. A lesson I learned the hard way as history will attest." Vlad said dismissively. "The ring Jesseph if you would." Vlad added while holding out his hand.-

Jesseph took the ring off without hesitation and shuddered as he lost access to his newest bloodline ability. To be more specific it was locked away in the new veins as they were disconnected from the rest. The king of vampires looked the ring over before smiling in a amused manner. "A double edged sword this enchantment , but it does as advertised so that is fine." Vlad said while handing the ring back to Jesseph. "What do you mean your highness?" Jesseph asked while eyeing the ring suspiciously. "The enchantment allows access to the other extra bloodline abilities by converting ones magical circuits into extra veins thus increasing the blood in the body. Basically you lose all hope of regaining normal magic in exchange for the ability." Vlad explained casually.