AA. 43 (Patreon)

The summoning brought the trio to a grand but decrepit building. It looked like it was once a temple, shrine, or seat of power. Grand statues stood on one end of the room. Pillars and intricate wall carvings lined it. A woman in faded priestly robes bowed as soon as they appeared. The line of men and women behind her copied her movements. Their armor was old, dented, and in some cases rusty. While the clothing appeared to be rarely worn but aged Sunday-Best. Early morning rays peeked in through the stained glass windows, but everyone seemed to be exhausted or sleep-deprived.

“We welcome you, Summoned. Thank you for answering our call,” the woman said, her voice quivering as she spoke. She sounded as exhausted as she looked. “I, Priestess Elaine Morrow of the Silver Crucible, welcome you.”

“Rise, kind woman,” Misu said, stepping forward. Since his previous quests had put him in royal settings and courtly experience, the party agreed to let him take the lead when dealing with the summoners and other people in power. “We’re here to rescue you from the vampire scourge. Please tell us all your order has started, and we’ll do our best to finish your work.”

Lise rolled her eyes, and Nil contained laughter. It sounded like Misu had read one too many swords and sorcery novels or watched several historical dramas and was emulating his favorite character. Though amused, Nil didn’t judge the man for living his fantasy.

The Schema hadn’t given the party the mysterious cases. Instead, everything they placed within now appeared on their person. Nil had appeared in the new world wearing light, black leather boots, black trousers, a white cotton shirt, and a blue long coat over it. The rope Lise picked and Misu’s pouch of reagents hung from his belt. Nil felt like a pack mule with the bag of rations on his back and the satchel of medical supplies slung across his shoulders. 

Meanwhile, the vampire hunter looked like a walking arsenal. She, too, had picked a coat that was made of leather. The collar covered all of her neck and had extra padding around the spine and wrist. Lise had also brought along a crossbow, two quivers, a pair of handaxes, and a sword. While they got ready, she had spent several minutes grumbling about sub par weapons and lacking access to the Nexus Market.

Misu was the only member of the party in the Iron Realm and had purchased all of his equipment from it. The man claimed to have found a ritual magic and warding tutor through the Nexus market. Everything he brought along, besides an arcane focus to make his spells cheaper, was to assist in the two disciplines. 

Even though Nil didn’t foresee himself purchasing or carrying much equipment on his quests, he couldn’t wait to explore Nexus Market. Schema Credits would buy him ascension tokens, information, and even soul weapon artisans. The Cursed Energy in the unformed soul weapon still needed purging, but Nil felt optimistic. Finding knowledge or individuals with abilities similar to Brutal Battery would help, too.

While Misu conversed with the priestess and her staff, Nil and Lise headed out into the city to explore and get a lay of the land. The quest description had underplayed the state of Old Oaksfield. Bleak felt like an understatement. If Nil didn't know any better, he would've thought the streets were full of undead.

A sparse market selling foodstuffs, clothing, weapons, and tools for warding off vampires stood outside the table. The vendors, pedestrians, and guards moved sluggishly, looking listless. It seemed none of them had enjoyed a whole night of sleep in days. Nil saw no children, young women, or smiles. The numbers on the street appeared low, too.

“This is what vampires do,” Lise said. “They break down morale and the people until they’re nothing more than cattle to be drained. If the coven isn’t eliminated before it turns into a scourge, burning it out and their blood bags is the best way to solve the issue.”

“That’s barbaric,” Nil commented. “There has to be a better way.”

“There isn’t when it comes to vampires. I wouldn't have picked this quest if this place weren’t on a well of power and the alternative weren’t the possible birth of a Dark World. It felt almost smarter to let the quest time out and let another tracker throw their lives away on a near-impossible quest.”

“So? Since we’re here now and the fate of a world, and to a lesser extent, our lives is in the balance, how do we proceed, Mrs Vampire Hunter?”

“It’s Miss Vampire Hunter. There is not much we can do right now. I’ll bet my right tit the civilians won’t be helpful. They either don’t know a thing or will be too scared to tell us much.” Lise stopped at a stall selling silver chains. She sniffed and tested the displayed wares. “Our best bet is to find a secure spot where we can rest, eat, and prepare. Then, we need to discuss laying traps and how we can lure one of these cunts in. The best source of information on a coven is one of their own, preferably a vampire low in the hierarchy or a dhampir.”

“Why low in the hierarchy? Why not a thrall? Wouldn’t the latter be easy to extract information from?”

“Thralls are useless,” Lise replied. “They’re loyal to their creator until the bitter end. I don’t know whether it's because of an addiction to their master’s blood or some sort of undying love like that of a baby for their mother. Any information we get from one is likely to get us killed. As for hierarchy, older vampires are just far too strong, smart, and skilled with magic. If you get one, kill it straight away or die.

“Younger vampires are often wild and dominated by greed. Power, wealth, and food can sway them. Human memories are also fresh in their mind. So, it's to play on their emotions, lust, and similar desires.”

“So, what then? Somehow lure and trap a young, naive vampire, extract information from it, find the coven, and then destroy it?”

Lise nodded. “Finding the coven’s hiding spot is our primary goal. We could wait for them to attack someone and trail them or find someone cute and pretty to play bait.”

“Let's pass on that. I’d rather not endanger an innocent—”

“That’s the bit about people like you annoys me.” She sighed. “Fine. Not an innocent then.” Lise nodded at the scantily-clad women on a nearby balcony. They waved at Nil and beckoned him over. “Plenty of not-so-innocents’ll play the role of bait for the right price around, too. They won’t be happy about it, but I bet we can convince them for sweet enough a pot.”

“We’d need to get money first,” Nil said. “I think—”

“Money is easy to come by.” Lise jingled a fat white purse with a silver chalice crest on it. The color and emblem matched the priestess’ outfit. He was pretty sure the tracker had stolen it within seconds of the arrival. “Don’t look at me like that. We’re here to save their lives. It's not like I can take it with me. They’re strictly for quest expenses.” Lise glanced at a neighboring stall selling food. “Mostly.”

Despite the rough first impression and sticky fingers, Lise proved to be excellent company. She had a mean sense of humor and taught Nil a fair bit about vampires between crude jokes and unnecessary reprimands. She pointed out anti-vampire effigies and devices that she was sure didn’t work and a few that did. They also paused at a few abandoned buildings and peeked within for signs of vampire activity.

They checked in on Misu after a couple of hours of exploration. He was still engaged with the priestess, gathering information and getting a history of events. The woman hadn’t noticed the missing purse. The city had arranged food and accommodation for them. Fortunately, Lise sided with Nil, and they rejected the offer. Misu appeared displeased. Suggesting the priestess’ order might be infiltrated by thralls infuriated her, but two-thirds of the party stood strong. They planned on making their own way. 

The Silver Crucible agreed to provide funds for an inn of their choice. However, confusion followed when Elaine Morrow failed to find her purse. She had an assistant fetch a small sack of coins and a city map, which Lise accepted with a curtsy. The priestess and her people had started a divining ritual to help pin down the coven’s heart. Unfortunately, they lacked the necessary manpower, and they kept facing interruptions. Thralls sabotaged them during the day, and vampires sieged the temple at night. So, Misu stayed behind to assist them with it while Nil and Lise went out again to investigate vampire attack sights and find a home base for the party.

After they left the temple, Lise asked, “Shouldn’t you stay with the ritualist?” “I imagine your job as the warrior is to protect him and the ritual.”

“The temple and Silver Crucible have enough guards for him to be in no danger during daylight hours, right?” Nil asked.

Lise nodded. “In that case, my services aren’t currently needed. I’ll be of no use standing around while they set up their ritual. So, I might as well help you?”

“Do you have any experience tracking anything, let alone vampires?”

Nil shook his head. “I have an ability that helps me detect and track magic, though. I’m sure it will do us some good.”

“Focus on that lot,” Lise said, nodding at a hooded group fussing over a cart carrying old furniture. The pair had walked past the four not long ago. “Do you sense anything from them?”

The group in question looked no different from the rest of the citizens: sleep-deprived, lethargic, and irritable. They appeared to be locked in a tense conversation. When Nil activated Energy Instinct, he didn’t detect much at first. In fact, he saw nothing except blue wisps leaking out of the ground. Then, when one member of the group smacked another, he saw the flash of a vile green glow. It seemed toxic. Unwell. Perverse. Just the single flash made his skin crawl.

Energy Instinct has progressed to Mortal 5!

As he looked for it, the murky green energy became clearer, and the visage wandered over to them, looking curious and excited. It was the first time it had reacted to anything following the summoning. “The one in the grey hood and the well-dressed one,” Nil said. “There is something off about them. The feeling of it almost reminds me of Cursed Energy, but it's not.”

“I smelled something off about them when we walked past but couldn’t be sure. That thing you smell must be Death Magic.” Lise sighed. “It powers a vampire’s heart and helps the coagulated blood in their veins flow. For some reason, its delicious to humans. Addictive even. The fuckers don’t seem to care that it literally rots them from inside.”

“So their minions will do whatever is necessary in pursuit of their next high?”

“Precisely.” Lise conjured an ornate steel dagger out of nowhere. Nil was sure they had passed a stall selling weapons of a similar design not long ago. She tied her newly purchased silver chain around the hilt and then wrapped it around her forearm. Lise pulled her coat’s sleeve down, covering the weapon and the skinny necklace-like tether. “Looks like we have a lead.”

“What now? We follow them?”

Lise nodded. “No attacking. No getting too close.” She looped an arm around Nil’s and unbuttoned her coat and blouse, exposing cleavage. “We’re happy, newly married out-of-towners, having a bad honeymoon but trying to make the most of it.” 

“I don’t know whether my acting skills will hold up, but I’ll try my best,” Nil said, mussing his hair. He also undid his shirt’s top two buttons and untucked it.

“You’re not as useless as I thought you’d be,” Lise said, flashing him an almost flirtatious smile. “Good.” She looked him up and down. “You have the clueless, daft fool look nailed. Now, lets go find us some vampires.”