@PuRe DaRkNeSs@Kurai Assassin@BurningCold@Wraithblade6@The Grey Dust@Legion-114Gabriel briefly nods at Chantelle to acknowledge her presence. Whilst she was not as well-known as many of the others in this room, her psychic capabilities were certainly impressive. She would be an important ally in the battles to come. For Gabriel suspected Bedivere would continue to be a problem, obstructing his plans for the future. It was important to gather as many powerful Oldbloods as possible under him, so as to solidify his divine right to rule.
"There will be no need for that, Church." Gabriel smiled at his eldest as he pronounced his loyalties. "The Purge thrive on desperation, the more of a threat you pose the more power they gain. For every man they lose, ten more are recruited. The recent vampire swarm has revived the fear of us in the hearts of man, and I believe the Purge are more powerful now than ever. Should you continue to grant them a target, to pronounce you vampire terrorists, they will continue to garner the support of the people." He raised a hand, and the curtains opened themselves (Mithias noticed Gabriel had simply mind-controlled a nearby servant into opening them, and then prevented the others from seeing the servant). Outside stood an army of vampires in organized lines, hands raised in salute. They were fledgelings, and yet they were perfectly organized into a fighting force.
"I have arranged a small army of my own. Our two forces will join, and share strengths. I will use my own powers to grant your soldiers experience they could not have lived in a hundred lifetimes, multiplying their combat capability. And you will provide my men with power armour, vastly increasing their defence and survivability. This armour will further protect them from the Holy Vapour and conventional fire employed by the Purge." Gabriel gestured, and the curtains closed once more. "In order to kill a serpent, you must crush it's head. We will destroy the Pope of Flames and Kami no Kage, the two leading figures of the Purge. Without their leadership they will fall apart, and will no longer form a threat to us. It is only through one, decisive strike that we may win this way."
"Now, Adam. I think we can all agree that it's more than fair for you to share your toys with the class." Gabriel's smile took on an element of malevolence, a sadistic glee in potential future events. "After all, it is your failure that has thrown my plans into disarray. For your army of fledgelings has caused the humans to unify behind the Purge, and vastly increased their combat potential. Your did not protect them from the Purge's specialist weapons, and as such they were doomed from the beginning. Even those cities you managed to conquer were destroyed through a combined effort of the Purge and Hive." Gabriel's eyes narrowed, and Adam could feel his hands trembling as they moved independently from Adam's own wishes. They seemed to move towards his own throat, before once more dropping to his sides.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm a friendly fellow, am I not? And if you can agree to play nice, and share your toys, we can all agree to let you keep your favourite organs. Because as you suggest, even great failures can be forgiven, right?" Gabriel's gaze was cold and threatening. Adam would join in their efforts, or he would die right here. Betrayal was not an option, even the thought of betrayal might get him killed as he stood under the gaze of Gabriel. Not a single secret could be kept from the self-proclaimed Vampire God. "Furthermore, do not doubt my capability to retrieve your little friend. After all, Bedi here has the key. And I have the means to control anyone into retrieving it."
After having dealt with these issues, Gabriel turned his gaze to Bedivere, who seemed to be smugly enjoying the situation. Gabriel chuckled softly as Bedivere spoke of his secrets. "My oh my, bragging so smugly of your own failures? Truly, the pride of a knight is nothing more than a word, easily lost in the face of defeat." Gabriel's grin disappeared as he glared over at Bedivere. "Like an infant with delusions of grandeur, you place yourself above those your elder, far wiser than you. And even as you lose the silly war you yourself initiated, you throw your little temper tantrum, striking out at those around you. You truly are nothing more than an angry infant, unwilling to accept his own faults and placing the blame on all those around him. It is your own foolishness and your own incapability that lead us to defeat, and the failure of the war rests on your shoulders, child."
Gabriel gave a moment for his words to sink in, in this unusually serious tone. Of course, in reality he did not think so harshly of Bedivere, nor did he believe that the old knight was solely responsible for their failures. But those who think themselves to be above others must be taught to be humble, and Bedivere's ego threatened to generate it's own gravity well. "Your power in this world is second only to three others on the planet, and yet you continue to squander it as a fool would. You are lucky that I'm a big fan of forgiveness, after all, the mistakes of an infant cannot be held against it. For if I were to judge as harshly as you do, then I would strip you of your title and power. I would leave you nothing but a delusional wreck, doomed to relive his own failures for eternity in his own broken mind." Bedivere might be proud, and Gabriel knew such insults would anger the knight. However, there was no mistake who was in power here. In other circumstances, perhaps the Knight of Avalon might have defied him. But in a direct confrontation, there was no hope for victory. Bedivere's physical prowess were nearly unmatched in the world, but he could not stand up to Gabriel's psychic capabilities.
In his momentary anger, Gabriel had managed to forget about Victor. He had of course realized the shadow walker was present, as he sensed all thinking minds. However, he had chosen not to act on this knowledge. The boy would come forth when he felt like it. "Ah, another hungry guest has emerged. Allow me to extend my hospitalities, Victor. There is blood and wine if you wish it, of whatever flavour you might prefer." Gabriel smiled at his new arrival. "And then, I might have a mission for you to perform. After all, every vampire has their part to play for the new world order, do they not?"
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