It was the second day of the quest, and the vampire hunters were yet to make notable progress. They expected the vampires to attack the divining ritual as they had during every previous event. It started at midnight and went on until just before dawn, seeking the creatures of the night as they did their vampire things.
Nil and Lise had stayed up the entire night waiting for vampires to attack while Misu assisted the order with their ritual. Unfortunately, the creatures didn’t come. Bats and owls fluttered through or past the temple, but Nil sensed no magic or energy from them. They seemed like the region's ordinary fauna. Yet the ritual failed. Trailing the thralls was yet to return fruit. Nil had his hopes up but the wait was getting to him.
“It’s the reagents,” Priestess Elaine Morrow said afterward, looking more exhausted than she did following the summoning and embarrassed. “I fear my tiredness will lead to failure. Or I made an error with the spellform, proportion of reagents—”
“Someone switched around your reagents,” Misu had said, kneeling over a corner of the chalk triangle.
“No. I think I just placed them in the wrong corner. This—”
“This isn’t a crow’s skull, priestess. It belongs to a pigeon. I saw your stores. This wasn’t in there. Someone switched it around.” He sniffed a pinch of the black ash on another corner. “It was my mistake. I should’ve double-checked everything.”
“Are you questioning my ability? I’ll have you know, Summoned, I’ve been at this since I was a girl.”
“You’re exhaustion is a good excuse for mixing up ingredients. However, it doesn’t explain how articles not in your stores showed up in the ritual room. Leek ash? I think you’re in denial, priestess. This is the work of one or more saboteurs. You need to focus a keen eye on your staff. There might be thralls or other minions in the order. The temple is compromised.”
“How dare you?” The priestess had looked furious. Her flared nostrils, tight grip on her staff, and bloodshot eyes almost made her seem on the verge. “I—” She glanced at the expressionless, almost slouching guards lining the ritual hall. Her expression calmed, and her shoulders slumped. “We all need to rest. I need to investigate my staff. There will be no ritual today or tonight. Turn your eyes on the city. We’ll try again tomorrow or the day after.”
An argument followed when Misu insisted the party assist with the investigation. If thralls had infiltrated the Order of the Silver Crucible and their temple, vampires wouldn’t be far behind. It would make the party’s job easier if they found the mole and then used them to track down the coven. It was unlikely thralls would betray their masters. However, Misu was confident he could use a ritual to track the Death Magic back to its source.
Priestess Elaine Morrow rejected the idea. Misu seemed to have struck a nerve by questioning her ritual, trusted acolytes, and dear apprentices. Lise’s insistence hadn’t helped either. The templars ended up escorting the Summoned out, leaving them to find the vampires and eliminate the scourge alone.
“Another pint, please,” Nil said, flagging down the only serving girl in the inn. He glanced at the landlord—and the young woman’s father—standing behind the bar, listlessly wiping mugs. His rag didn’t look clean. Neither did the bar and adjoining dining room. The patrons were the dirty sort as well. The guards sat around eating breakfast while the local laborers stuffed themselves with stodgy dinners and ale before they locked themselves in for the night. Apparently, they were among the few people that slept well. Work left them so exhausted that fear of vampire attacks didn’t keep them awake at night. “Maybe the spiced mead this time.”
“No food?” the serving girl asked, leaning on Nil’s chair. Her ample breast brushed against the side of his head. She was a pretty blonde. According to the whispering lecherous lumberjacks at the neighboring table, she was just about in her mid-twenties, and her father’s watchful eye angered them. Her rosy, round, youthful cheeks and freckles made her appear younger than her supposed age. “We have a lovely kidney pie if you’d like. I made the pastry myself, and it’s a work of art.”
“No. No food for me. I’m in no mood.” The aroma of flaky, buttery pastry and stewed beef reached his nostrils, and he reconsidered his decision. “Maybe after my friends get back. Whenever that is.”
“Well, it's a good thing we keep open through the night.” The serving girl smiled and waved at a group of armored soldiers who had just entered the tavern. The men hastily closed the door behind themselves. They were visibly scared and appeared relieved to be indoors. A few returned the gesture, but most just rushed to a table. “Where’s your pretty little wife and grandfather?”
“Ol’ father-in-law is probably six shots into a bottle of whisky. And the wife-to-be is ensuring he doesn’t gamble all our money away.” Nil sighed, leaning back in his chair. He looked up at the serving girl and smiled. His tale sounded believable. The city’s affluent residents and visitors seemed less bothered by the not-so-secret vampire scourge than the working class. “Maybe I should rethink this marriage and run away with someone like you.”
“Oh, you’re naughty!” The woman laughed, smacking his shoulder. Nil couldn’t help but notice how her fingers lingered on and outlined his clavicle and deltoids before retreating. “Would you like that mead warmed, handsome?”
“That would be lovely. Thank you, ma’am.”
“Ma’am? I’m a miss, I’ll have you know! I’m Ruby.” She offered Nil a delicate hand, and he shook it. “Now behave. I’ll get your drink, and we can discuss what to do about that horrible father-in-law of yours.”
Ruby walked away with a happy, almost exaggerated sway, glancing over her shoulder at Nil. Her smile was more adorable than sultry. The young woman carried herself with an innocence, unlike someone of her supposed age. Nil heard the creepy lumberjacks use the phrase unspoiled flower as they discussed her. She stopped at the bar and whispered to her father, giggling and occasionally looking at Nil. The man craned his neck, studying him. He appeared amused at first, then donned an angry expression when his eyes met Nil’s.
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It wasn’t long before he had a warm, freshly washed mug full of steaming spiced mead. Ruby ran her fingers across his back, from one shoulder to the other, as she walked by. She stopped at a neighboring table and took their order. She didn’t spend as much time with them, and her side of the conversation sounded cold. The visage sat next to Nil, watching them and looking amused. He wondered how much of the conversation and the men’s intentions it understood.
Nil checked his pocket watch. Lise had stolen three earlier in the day so the party could better coordinate when working separately during the day. It was almost midnight, and Nil felt tempted to call it a day. However, the vampiring hours had come. Apparently, most attacks and abductions occurred after midnight. The laborer groups quickly shuffled out, hissing about the time and their unwillingness to pay the inn's sanctuary charge.
Half an hour later, when Nil was almost done with his mead, Ruby plopped down with two cups. The visage hopped out of its chair, looking perturbed just as she sat down. Nil avoided looking at Aisha’s face. Irritation bubbled under the surface. He could feel a growing resentment as the visage made it harder for him to get involved with anyone or have any fun. “It doesn’t look like your father-in-law and fiancee are returning tonight. Curfew is on, and no one but the guards and crooks will be stepping outside for the next six hours.”
“I suppose so.” Nil sighed. He accepted the sweet beverage. It tasted like a fortified dessert wine. “Looks like I’m alone tonight. So, much for a honeymoon.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way.” Ruby smiled mischievously. Her fingers ran down his toned forearms. Ever since he became a Summoned, people—men and women—had been looking for excuses to touch his shoulders and arms. “But first, I need to know. What possessed you to bring your father-in-law on your honeymoon and here of all places?”
Is this what the kids call Rizz?
Nil shrugged. “He’s a scholar mage, and I started as his bodyguard. I’m afraid he still sees me as an employee. The man funds our adventures around the realm. We ensure he doesn't get killed and fight off bandits and beasts during our travels. It's a good living. So, when he decided that Old Oaksfield has the finest Old God temple around and he wanted to study the carvings, I couldn’t really say no. It doesn’t help that the wife-to-be enables all of her father’s whims. She completely forgot about our plans to visit the seaside to appease her father. I don’t know if I want to spend the rest of my life putting up with that.”
“Yeah. That can’t be too nice. It sounds like a big decision. You won’t just be giving up a partner, but also a job.”
“That’s the issue, isn’t it? I doubt Lise will pick me over her father. So, I might just go North and look for a job as a guard or join a mercenary company.”
“Why don’t you stay here?” Ruby asked, pouting. “The guards are struggling to hold on to good fighters. They need someone strong and brave to get them in line.”
“There’s nothing keeping me here.” Nil shrugged. “Money is money, but things seem bleak in Old Oaksfield. I asked around, but no one would tell me what was wrong.”
“I could give you one good reason to stay here.” The mischievous smile returned to the beautiful serving girl’s face.
“Oh? What would that be?”
“Me, of course.” Ruby leaned closer as she continued. “Since your fiancee won’t be back until well after dawn, why don’t we go up to your room? I can show you how I’d pick you over my father.”
Nil stiffened, glancing at the landlord. The man appeared to be looking anywhere but at his daughter and the man whose collarbone she was currently tracing. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I’m not sure whether I’ve made up my mind about Lise. There are too many pints in me to make a good decision.”
“So, make a bad decision,” Ruby said. “I didn’t see a ring on her finger. You’re pre-engaged. I think this is the perfect time to explore and decide whether this is what you want for the rest of your life or take a chance on something better and far more exciting.”
“Would you ever consider walking away from your father’s tavern and pursuing a life in the capital?” Nil asked.
Ruby shrugged. “The right man might change my mind. Although, this is too great an inheritance to give up.”
“It looks like your father has another good decade or two left in him. You could see the world and come down later in life, and—”
“Do you really want to plan for the future, or do you want to come upstairs with me and enjoy a life-changing night?”
“I’m almost worried your expectations of me are too high.”
Ruby laughed. She took Nil by the hand and pulled him off his chair. He stumbled as she led him up the stairs to the rooms. She caught him. A few watching patrons laughed. Many more booed. “Shut up!” Ruby scolded them.
Though several pints deep, Nil had no trouble finding his suite’s keys and unlocking the door. Nil held it open for her, and Ruby danced in. He swiftly locked the door, straightened his hair, and removed his coat. When he turned around, he found Ruby stark naked, standing with her dress and slip around her feet.
When Ruby beckoned, Nil struggled to contain himself. He darted to her, wrapping his arms around her lower back. Meanwhile, her fingers interlocked behind his neck. The pair kissed. Nil’s heart raced as he guided her backward towards the large armchair and couch in the suite’s lounge. Halfway to their destination, he stopped, released the woman, and took a step back.
Ruby frowned. “What’s wrong?” She asked. “Why did you stop?”
“I just wanted to take a moment to admire you in the moonlight,” he stated. “You’re perfect, you know that? You seem so innocent on the floor, but now you’re the most gorgeous and sultry thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh, stop you.” Ruby giggled. “Come back here and kiss me. I liked the way you held me.”
“Take a step back first. I want to see you in the moonlight.”
“Fine.”
Ruby lifted her hands above her head and twirled backward. Nil had to admit that she made for a tantalizing sight. Then, the woman stepped on a circular rug, stumbled, and abruptly stopped. Concern flashed across her face. She frowned, looking up at him.
Mind has progressed to Mortal 4!
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, shrugging. The fog around Nil’s mind lifted even more, and the world’s colors lost some of their vibrancy.
Silver lightly shone from under the rug. Lise burst out of the bedroom carrying the only thing she had purchased instead of stealing since the quest’s beginning. Misu emerged from the cupboard by the suite’s entrance. He rushed to the door and pressed his fingers to it. A magic circle flashed on it. Meanwhile, Lise lashed Ruby with the skinny chain, and the pretty blonde screamed as her skin sizzled, reacting to the silver.
Nil couldn't stomach using a sex worker or starving beggar off the streets. They were ordinary people surviving using whatever means they had available. Many probably had dependants, too. So, he pushed the party to use him as bait and, fortunately, they had accepted. Lise especially liked that it gave them more control over the situation.