Chapter 100 (Patreon)

Chapter 100

[Riven Thane’s Status Page: (chapter 100)

• Level 38
• Pillar Orientations:] Unholy Foundation, Blood Specialty, Infernal, Shadow
• Core of Original Sin - Gluttony:] (Under Construction)(???)
• Traits:] Race: Pureblooded Vampire (Extreme Darkness Regeneration)(Sunlight Decay)(Extreme Weakness to Silver weapons, Sun pillar, and Light pillar attacks), Class: Warlock Adept, Adrenaline Junky (Blood)(+15% to Agility)
• Abilities:] Blessing of the Crow (Unholy), Wretched Snare (Unholy), Silvertongue (Unholy), Bloody Razors (Blood), Crimson Ice (Blood), Blood Lance (Blood)(Tier 2), Blood Nova (Blood)(Tier 3), Hell’s Armor (Infernal), Riftwalk (Shadow)
• Stats:] 70 Strength, 151 Sturdiness, 388 Intelligence, 178 Agility, 10 Luck, -368 Charisma,              184 Vampiric Perception, 116 Willpower, 9 Faith
• Free Stat Points: 0
• Minions:] Athela, Level 30 Arshakai [36 Willpower Requirement].  Azmoth, Level 31 Hellscape Brutalisk [44 Willpower Requirement].  Fay, Level 23 Succubus [29 Willpower Required]
• Equipped Items:] Crude Cultist’s Robes (1 def), Vampire’s Escort (104 dmg, 102% mana regen, shadow and blood dmg +22%, Black Lightning, Scorpion’s Sting), Chalgathi Cultist Amulet (???), Leather Boots (1 def), Backpack of Supplies (Guild Hall: Stone Manor), Witch’s Ring of Grand Casting (+26 Intelligence), Breath of Valgeshia (48 def, +13 dmg & +9% mana output dmg for blood dmg, 6% mana regen)]

Riven awoke in a dark room, covered in thick blankets and yawning.  He stretched and huddled back into the soft feather bed that felt comfortable even despite how tired he felt.  Blurry vision met him as he opened his eyes, but they eventually cleared away amidst the chirping of birds and low voices of men and women somewhere beyond the small square room he was enclosed in.  His items and clothes were all piled in a corner opposite the bed just where he’d left them last night.  One of the windows had intentionally been covered up with a thick sheet, and a pitcher of water was set out to the side…

No.  It was blood.

Riven’s eyes widened as the smell hit him and his ever-growing hunger gnawed at him.  Despite his exhausted state, he clawed at the pitcher and sat up - putting the tin metal to his mouth and gulping it down like a man dying of thirst in the desert.  He took it all, absolutely chugging it and let out a long gasp before accidentally dropping the pitcher out of weakness.

He nearly fell out of his bed trying to get it back in his hands, and stubbornly he was able to grasp at it and place it back on the small bedside table.  Despite this he had made some noise, and soon the sound of footsteps and heartbeats approached his doorway before a light knock reached his ears.

“Riven?”

The door creaked open and Fay stepped in with Athela.

Senna was in the back peering over their shoulders, and waved when she saw Riven was up.  “Good morning!”

He grunted his acknowledgement of the three women, noting Azmoth’s large frame outside the adjacent room and near the front door, then turned his back to get some sleep again.  “Morning.  Now leave me alone, I need to catch up on my beauty sleep.  Guy’s gotta keep his complexion.”

This earned him a snort of amusement from Fay, and an eye roll from Athela.

“Get up, the elves want to talk to you and you’ve been sleeping for the past eight hours.”  Athela came over and jabbed him ruthlessly in the side, and he swatted at her before hunkering down in the bedsheets even more.

“No!  I refuse to leave this extra comfy bed anytime soon!”

Senna giggled and dashed out of sight, yelling out a name Riven did not recognize: ‘Genua’, and soon she came back with another, older elf who had a was blonde and looked very similar to Ethel.  That was because she, in fact, was Ethel’s mother - he’d just never gotten her name last night when Ethel had volunteered their house.  Riven had been quick to fall asleep too, so introductions in large part had been put on hold.

Just like all the other elves he’d seen, this woman wore very little - just some fur shoes similar to moccasins and an outfit made of interwoven leaves that covered her breasts and lower region.  She had similar blue paint adorning various parts on her as well, though not as much as he’d seen on some of the others.  The woman was slender, blonde and had familiar blue-green eyes with a gentle smile and pretty features.  She pulled a chair in from the other, better-lit room where the windows were still open to the light and Riven could tell that it was likely midday based on how bright it was.

“Do you mind shutting that door?” Riven said, wincing.  “It’s awfully bright.”

She stood up, whispered something to Senna, and closed the door behind her with Senna leaving again.

That’s when Riven realized that Senna had looked completely fine.  The break in her clavicle was obviously gone, and the infected bite wound was cleared up entirely.  He blinked and shot another look at the door before a wave of nausea overcame him and he vomited into the nearest open container - a bucket that’d been placed at the edge of the bed.

“You’ll be like that for quite a while.” The older woman said, holding up a hand to his forehead and nodding to herself with furrowed brows.  “You had quite a lot of poison I had to drain out of you, I’m surprised you were able to survive it.  Then again, you are undead… so your body holds up a lot better to toxins than someone like me would.”

He spit into the bucket again, wiped his lips, and looked up at the older woman.  “Ethel’s mom, right?”

The woman raised both eyebrows, then let out a melodic laugh while politely cupping her hands in front of her.  “You are correct.  My dear boy, you saved our village from destruction.  You saved us from slavery and a likely brutal ending where we’d end up on dinner plates to those orcs and goblins.  Not only that… but you saved my daughter and her friend before that as well.  I was hoping to have words with you, to thank you personally.  Let me express my deepest thanks to you now.”

The woman bowed her head with a very genuine smile.  “My name is Genua.  I never thought those girls would be found alive again, much less traveling with a vampire and his three demons.  Quite a positive turn of events, even if it does sadden me that my daughter lost her left hand.  It also pains me to think the others of their hunting group died that day, but I cannot express my gratitude enough for the things you did.  I must say that I’m rather curious about the story she’s told me.  Perhaps when things settle down we can speak on those events in further detail.”

Riven’s glowing red eyes shifted upwards, scrutinizing her for a time.  He rubbed his chin and laid back in the soft comfort of the pillow.  “Ok I’ve got to ask, since you’re her mother you must be… 40?  just how old are you?”

She gave him a wink.  “That’s a secret.  Here, chew this and swallow it.”

Genua held out one hand, in which was a small capsule made up of plant matter.  It wasn’t a pill necessarily, but very much looked like one and had obviously been put together from mashed up ingredients and was then firmly pressed to stabilize it.

“What’s this?” Riven asked while taking the item.

“Antidote.”

Riven popped the item into his mouth without further questioning and sank back into the covers, chewing the medicine and swallowing it before giving his two minions who protectively hovered nearby a smile.  “I’m alright guys, it’s pretty safe here.”

“You’re too trusting.”  Athela stated flatly.  She gestured to the woman in front of her, who didn’t turn to look back.  “You’re lucky I already checked that antidote out, otherwise I would have slapped it from your hands.  Riven, be more proactive in keeping yourself alive.  That regeneration of yours isn’t something that can save you from everything.”

“Agreed.” Fay nodded sagely, cupping her hands in front of her with her long black tail flicking back and forth.  “Much too trusting.”

Riven scowled and was about to protest, but stopped himself when the door was flung open - slamming against the wooden wall of the cabin to reveal Ethel and similarly dressed elf man who was middle-aged and had a long blonde ponytail in the back.  The elvish girl was almost an exact replica of her mother now that he could evaluate both of them side by side, excluding the missing part of the arm and hand - but she did look a bit younger.

Ethel quickly straightened up, caught her breath and calmed herself after a glare from her mother Genua, then walked in with a genuine smile of relief.  It was obvious that she was sweating from recent exertion, and been doing something outside in the hot sun up until just a moment ago.

“I’m glad to see you’re ok.” Ethel stated, shutting the door behind her softly and apologetically glancing over to Genua.  “I got excited when I heard he’d woken up, sorry.”

Genua rolled her eyes, shot the man behind Ethel a glance, and regained her own composure seconds later.  Turning back to Riven, she put a hand on his shoulder and firmly pressed.  “I’ll be checking on you regularly while you recover.  I’m one of the healers and alchemists here in the village, so anything you need - just let me know.  I’ll usually be here in the house.  And don’t worry about the blood, we’ve kept a couple of the goblins alive for harvesting purposes.”

Riven nodded in appreciation.  He didn’t necessarily need to be coddled like this, but it was nice to finally get some relax time after months of grinding.  “Thank you.”

The slender woman stood up, bowed slightly, and then exited the room while silently closing the door again to keep out the light.

Ethel stood there awkwardly in the unknown man’s shadow, rubbing the stump of her left arm that’d now completely healed - likely by magical means - with her remaining right hand.  She opened her mouth to speak, but found herself blushing slightly and turned her eyes to the ground.

“I think it’s time for me to go.” Fay stated with a smirk.  She grabbed Athela by the arm and began tugging the other demoness out of the room, despite Athela’s protests.  “We’ll be back later!  Get some rest, and get better!  The elves are very nice and they all want to meet you!”

Yet again, the door was swung open and shut behind the departing girl - leaving only Ethel, the unknown man, and Riven in the room.

Riven felt as awkward in this situation as Ethel looked.  He was naked underneath the covers here, in the room with a girl he very much found attractive, a silent weirdo in the corner who was taking turns staring at either one of the two younger people, and Riven definitely smelled like vomit due to the nearby bucket.  He looked terrible, disheveled, and waves of nausea repeatedly tried to undo his ability to see straight.

“I… Did not expect such a warm welcome.” Riven eventually said, letting himself fall further into the feather bed and relaxing his muscles entirely.  He was too weak to remain so tense for so long.  “I’m very, very happy to realize I’m not being treated like a monster like I thought I would be.”

Ethel looked up from where she was staring at the ground between her feet, then took the liberty to sit in the chair her mother had occupied until recently.  “Yes… Well, of course they wouldn’t treat you like a monster.  Not after what you did.  Athela had said you were concerned about that, and I even overheard you once in the hospital talking about your negative charisma.  Charisma can heavily influence first impressions, auras, a general feel for the person and other less noticeable interactions with people.  Though at this point, it wouldn’t even matter if you were a dragon or an ogre.  To us, or at least to most of us, you are a hero.  What you did… We are unable to ever repay you.  I mean that, truly.”

Riven let his gaze trail from the ceiling to rest on Ethel, who was shedding silent tears at the bedside and looking very vulnerable.  He raised an eyebrow.  “Ethel, are you ok?  I’m not that scary, no need to cry.”

“Oh shut up!”  Ethel pushed him teasingly and spread out a wide, bright smile.  “I’m just happy.”

“Ah… Well that’s a nice change from the mainstay of things.  I’m glad that you’re happy then.”  Riven didn’t break his gaze, but he really didn’t know what to say after that.  “I am rather great, aren’t I?”

“Oh shut up!” Ethel repeated with a laugh almost identical to her mother’s, and her cheeks flushed.  She paused in her laughter when she caught the other man’s blank stare though, as if thinking about something, and then hesitantly leaned forward and gently kissed Riven on the cheek.  Flushing an even deeper red with embarrassment, she quickly stood up.  “Thank you for helping me.  Thank you for helping all of us.  I’ll let you get some rest, but afterwards I’d very much like to get to know you better… if you have time to spare for me.”

Riven, still confused as ever at this very quick change of events and attitude, glanced curiously between the two other people in the room.  “Uh… Sure?”

That was all she’d been wanting to hear, and beaming back at him she exited the room.  But before shutting the door, she halfway turned in the doorway.  “Fay will be delivering your dinner later… Is it ok if I come along?”

Riven chuckled, a warm feeling growing in the pit of his otherwise cold stomach.  This was kind of nice.  “Absolutely.  I’ll see you later, Ethel.”

With a quick nod and wiping some of the sweat from her brow she turned to leave yet again, then slowly came to a stop near a window right outside the hallway.  Plants hung from the ceiling around her where the sunlight glinted off her bare shoulder still wet with perspiration, and turned around with her back to the wall - giving him a long, silent look he couldn’t quite place as if she wanted to say more before snapping out of it.

Then after losing an internal battle against better judgement and with a final smile she was gone and the room had darkened once more.  Sighing to himself after the door had shut and feeling rather smug even despite the god awful sickness he was experiencing, he began to daydream about the future.  He’d been absolutely terrified of the idea that he’d get out into this new world and be shunned like some kind of outcast, but he was quickly proving himself wrong.  Sure, he was a bit of a monster now, but that didn’t define him.  As long as he did good by the people around him, he could still carve out a little piece of happiness for himself after all.

With that thought he bent over the side of the bed, puked again, and went back to curling up in the blankets before falling asleep.

A deep voice rang out from behind Riven’s back.  “I would have words with you.”

“FUCK MAN!”  Riven whipped back up out of bed to meet the staring gaze of the weirdo in the corner again.  He was still half asleep, and though he could register the heartbeats of the people in the village around him - he had been getting used to phasing them out when he was relaxed.  “JESUS!  Who are you and why are you still here?”

The older, handsome man gave him an unamused smile, and crossed his muscular arms in front of his bare chest.  “Mind if I have a short word with you?”

“Eh…” Riven looked the elf up and down.  The blue warpaint was smeared in certain places, and cuts had been bandaged along a forearm and calf.  “Sure…”

The man nodded, sat down on the chair Genua had been on a minute ago, then steepled his fingers in thought.  “To answer your question, I am Ethel’s father.  I am Genua’s husband.  I am the head of this household.  My name is Farrod.”

Riven blinked a couple times, waiting for him to continue.  “Alrighty Farrod, nice to meet you then.  To formally introduce myself, my name is Riven Thane.”

Riven held out a hand, which Farrod only looked at and did not take.

“I just wanted to tell you that though you helped us, the price you are asking for is high.  One that I barely accepted.”  Farrod leaned back in the chair, his blank expression growing cold.  “Only barely, and at the request of the rest of the village.  I find the entire idea… disgusting, frankly.  And you are pushing your luck by asking it.  Be very careful how you tread from here on out, vampire.  I will be watching you.”

Riven’s face contorted with confusion.  “Huh?  What the bloody fuck are you talking about?”

Farrod only grimaced at his words, then stood up to slowly walk away.  “We are past playing games with one another, Riven Thane.  Far, far past that point.”

A moment later the door shut behind Ethel’s father with a click, and the room became dark again.  Riven rubbed at his chin, cocked his head to the side, shook his head and shrugged.  “For fuck’s sake, he could have at least told me what he was talking about.  Ungrateful prick.”