Sisters of Saint Benedict

Prologue

By the year 1783, The Brothers of Saint Benedict had operated out of their monastery in Norcia for nigh on seven centuries. From the outside, any would be forgiven for assuming that the order of monks was nothing more than that of the usual Benedictine sect.

And, they'd be correct. But the monks were not the notable order of this monastery; it was in fact the Sorell di San Benedetto. The townspeople knew of the order, but their only viewing of the nuns was during mass and the occasional times one or two of the sisters would be spotted outside. The townspeople noted that the order seemed to be made of disproportionately younger women; with the oldest being the Mother Superior, and even she appeared no more than fifty years of age. Observant eyes would've noticed that from time to time, a sister would disappear from mass; never to be seen again, much less acknowledged by the other nuns.

Of course, these sisters were not simply an ordinary convent.

Shortly after the monastery was built, the sisters' order was formed. But not to pray and serve the townspeople as might be expected from other nuns of various sects. No, these nuns had pledged themselves to the hunt and eradication of Vampiri.

Blood feeders had plagued humanity for as long as history could recall. They lurked in the shadows; coming out to charm and seduce humans so that they may feed on them. It was said that their bite was wholly addictive; and that after being bitten only once a human would gladly heed every want and wish of the creature; going so far as to happily allow the monsters to leave them bloodless husks.

Many orders like the Sister's existed across the rule of the Church; each tasked with keeping their respective Dioceses parishioners safe from the threat of vampiri; even if it meant the sacrifice of their own life. And to this cause, they were dedicated wholeheartedly.

And it was here, in a secret network of underground catacombs beneath the monastery, that the sisters carried out their holy purpose.

Amaia hissed, baring her fangs as she lunged toward Mother Superior. The air stank of her burning flesh; having been subject to a brand of the crucifix as means of torture for the last hour. They had been trying for weeks now to force the vampire to reveal her fellows, and the Mother Superior's patience had apparently worn thin enough to resort to less... pleasant means of interrogation.

"Tell us, vampira," The older nun all but spat the word at Amaia, "Where your associato hide, and this pain can come to an end."

"Idiota!" Amaia swore, spitting at the nun not for the first time. "I've told you, I don't know where any other vampires reside! And even if I did, I wouldn't tell the likes of you!" Amaia hissed again, cursing the chains that kept her from reaching the eldest nun of the order. If she got the chance to feed, she could tear through the convent without issue. But in her starved state, she was hardly stronger than a human.

"I've heard enough of your lies for tonight." The Mother Superior handed off the brand to the nun just behind her on the right; one of the two that accompanied her inside the blood feeder's cell.

"Perhaps you'll decide to be more cooperative tomorrow. Come sisters, it's almost time for evening mass." The eldest of the nuns turned, exiting the cell with the other two close behind. The door had been opened for them on approach, and shut immediately after. A heavy groan of metal on metal signified the doors locking.

Now alone, Amaia found some respite. Her range of motion was limited by the chains that bound her, but she was still able to inspect the various marks that adorned her body. The rags they had clothed her in had been lifted in order to brand her torso. She counted three marks on her stomach, one on her breast, and what seemed like a dozen scattering her back.

"And they call me the monster." Amaia scoffed, wincing slightly as the rough fabric rubbed over the burns they had left her. She was not impervious to pain, although a human surely would've been fully crippled by the sensations she was subject to. Had she been fed, the brands would've already healed, but there was no such luck while her stomach was empty.

Remembering her capture had the blood feeder gritting her teeth. The entire interaction infuriated her. Never in her life had she experienced such disrespect. She had seen civilizations live and die; watched bloodlines start and end; existed for centuries before the formation of their silly order. Had they come across her at her full strength, she would've torn those sisters to shreds. But, they didn't play fair as far as Amaia was concerned.

She had spent the last half decade in a deep hibernation in a cave outside of the town. After the last of her previous harem had been drained, she had fallen into the slumber; well fed and pleased. The nuns had come across her cave by accident initially, but it was her own vanity that had ultimately led them to deducing she was slumbering within. One of the women in her harem had painted a large portrait on the cave walls, so that she might capture her deity's beauty, she said.

The nuns had come face to face with the larger-than-life portrait of Amaia, nude at the insistence of the artist. Her body was lithesome, with full breasts and wide hips. Her lips an unnaturally dark crimson, a perfect contrast from the paleness of her skin. Her face was sharp, seeming to stare at the viewer with inhumanly piercing eyes from behind a glare; all while perfectly framed by snow white hair. She had her fingers entangled within a woman's hair; whose head was leaned away so that the vampire might access her neck. A trail of blood had seemingly run down said woman's neck. Amaia herself had parted lips, exposing long fangs within her mouth. Their use wasn't a secret; further evidenced by the trails of blood that ran from the corner of her lips and down her neck, and then her breasts. Her other hand was cupping the chin of yet another woman by her waist, and she had a third woman clinging to her thigh. The two women below stared up at Amaia; nothing short of total devotion in their eyes.

The sisters who found this rushed back to the monastery to present Mother Superior with their findings. The eldest of their order arranged a capture party; tasking them with going out within a day to bring the blood feeder to imprison beneath the monastery.

By time Amaia had awoken, she was already chained, and an iron muzzle was being attached to her face. She attempted retaliation, but it was too late by then.

She had spent the last three weeks enduring interrogations, and now, torture. Such treatment may have broken a human's spirit, but Amaia was no mortal.

These Sisters would all face her wrath. She would show them why men and women alike dedicated themselves to the service of vampires like herself. And, these nuns would learn of exactly why Amaia kept almost exclusively women under her spell.

Amaia looked up, her elevated hearing catching the sound of someone approaching her confinement. Amaia allowed a smirk to tug at her lips. She hadn't found much to look forward to initially. But the sister approaching her cell gave her reason to smile.

She would be the link that caused the chain to fail.