[h2]Saber - Castle Tepes[/h2]

"It's not a fake, you don't have to worry about that," clarified Queen Tepes, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning forward slightly with a smile. "I'm an honest queen, not some weirdo who thinks they need to build their rule on lies! Besides, I don't even know if I could move it."

With that, the Queen turned away, beckoning for everyone to follow. Naturally, Saber proceeded without a word. The Queen headed to the left, through an ornate doorway into a room with one surprisingly anachronism. In spite of their surroundings, it seemed that not only did the castle possess working electricity, but also a massive TV equipped with a variety of what the blonde knight recognized as video game consoles. She was surprised to see such a thing in a place that, while seeming more developed then the time she originally hailed from, was far behind the modern world she now lived in. Still, she followed without comment.

There were red velvet couches, frilled curtains, bat plush toys, elegant candles burning on desks and tables... and maids. The variety of maids was rather notable. A home such as this surely required extensive care. All of the maids, however, exhibited unusual features. There were curving horns and batlike wings, skin so pale the one it belonged to had likely died at some point, and a plethora of beings that, while certainly resembling human females, were likely not.

The vampire Queen's maids were something of a monster menagerie. Granted, none of them were too distant from human in appearance, but very few of them appeared to actually be human, and many of those who were human appeared to be undead humans.

Their path took them deeper, down a spiral staircase into the depths of the castle. Here it was stone, not furnishings. To Saber, it resembled some form of dungeon, torches lining the walls and wooden doors with faint glimpses of chains and... skeletons...?

"Ah, don't worry about that," said Queen Tepes, waving her hand dismissively to one doorway. "No-one's been tortured down here since I ascended to the throne. I can't stand treating people like that. Now it's just where Clark lives."

Without any explanation of 'Clark', the childlike vampire continued on, leaving Saber to attempt to speculate on who Clark was. At least, until the reached it.

"My family jewel," declared the Queen, gesturing to it with a smile, "The Eye of the Serpent."

It was, to put it simply, enormous. It was at least as big as a house, the size of the chamber vast enough to hold it. A huge, perfectly spherical gem, crimson and seemingly putting off a slight glow.

However it would be possible to steal it was a mystery, but there must have been some way for the Queen to be so concerned.

[h2]Shadow Eternity Headquarters[/h2]

All operatives assigned to the Eye of the Serpent mission were swiftly ordered to report to the hanger. A plethora of soldiers, as well as several more powerful figures, made their way there.

Soon the mission would proceed.