Lise had warned the party about the guardians.

“Even though the thralls are devoted to their masters, vampires don’t trust anything besides their sires and sired, or anyone with any entity with a trace of humanity left in them. More than not, older or arcanically gifted vampires will forge entities out of corpses, remains of magic beasts, and infernal essences to protect them when they’re most vulnerable. They’re rare, and putting them down often takes small armies of hunters. If the coven has one, we might be in trouble.”

The coven had one such creature watching over them, as luck would have it. The monstrosity looked like a cross between a man and a bat, not too different from the creatures the Cursed Ones spawned. It had no eyes. Ear canals sat where eye sockets should’ve been and extended all the way to the top of the head, dominating the upper half and sides of the face, from where two long, pointed lobes extended. Its jaws opened into an inhuman large maw full of long, jagged teeth. It, too, had long limbs, but unlike the Cursed-One-born specimens, it was in no way skinny.

The creature rippled with muscle and had a physique that rivaled the brutes Nil had encountered during Capture The Flag. A leathery membrane also connected the underside of its arms to its flank. The veiny length of skin hung behind him, looking like an ugly cape made from a mangy wild dog.

Lise and Misu ran in opposite directions, moving along the walls and away from the door when the beast charged. Meanwhile, Nil stood his ground. He was beyond glad to have emptied Brutal Battery’s stores while working his way through the casino. When the towering man-bat—twice his width and a full two feet taller—struck Nil, the force pushed him past capacity. The raised left arm blocked the side of his head, and the attached shoulder groaned as the residual force lifted him off his feet. He felt the claws rake his skin, too, cutting deeper than Fatima's blades.

Fucking overconfidence.

A painful landing followed. Nil’s right shoulder struck the board-marble floor at an awkward angle, making him regret not parrying or attempt redirecting the monster’s attack. His teeth rattled, and a dull pain shook him to the core. The creature had the strength to match its size—rivaling the first Cursed One Nil faced—but its speed suggested there was a lot more going on with it than met the eye. Unfortunately, Energy Instinct struggled to see past the vile, marshy green Death Magic radiating from the beast, and Nil didn’t have the time to look deeper. He scrambled onto his bottom and attempted to retreat as the monster came at him again. Nil doubted he would recover in time and prepared to repel it with a blast of Expend.

Fortunately, he wasn’t alone. He had companions who had proven themselves reliable thus far and did so again. The monster stumbled and collapsed midstep, clutching its giant ear holes. Then Lise flashed past him, slicing an ankle. She didn’t get through the bone but got the tendons. The damaged tissue started knitting itself closed straight away. Then, thick frilly mushrooms burst from the cracks in the stone floor and wrapped around the limbs. Bits of it got in the still-open wound, interrupting the regeneration.

Even though his joints groaned and rebelled, Nil forced himself onto his feet. Empowered bounds carried him to the beast. Despite whatever sonic attack Lise had used to disable the monster, it opened its maw and breathed orange flames. The fire almost seemed liquid as it splashed on the stone and sloshed through the divots between them. Nil ran into the spray, trusting the blue coat he got from the pre-quest armory.

The strained muscles and bruised bones made a graceful stop nearly impossible. Then, adopting a good enough attack stance proved challenging, too. In the end, Nil changed his mind about striking the monster. He hadn’t recovered enough to launch a blow with all of Brutal Battery’s stores behind it. So, Nil put his faith in the ointment the Nexus supplied. He grabbed the monster’s head and halved his stores over a matter of three seconds. It was the first time he had Expended an exact amount and done it over a few seconds instead of a burst.

Expend has progressed to Mortal 9!

The results spoke for themselves. Instead of exploding, the monster’s head disintegrated around where its skin made contact with Nil’s. His hands sunk into the destroyed skull, destroying organs and brains. The coven’s protector went still, but its heart continued to pump Death Magic through its body. Unwilling to take any risks, Nil used the same tactic to disintegrate its chest, grab the face-sized black organ, and destroy it, too.

Nil collapsed afterward, panting and blowing on his black charred palms. His party assisted with the mind-numbing discomfort. Luminous green spores rained on Nil, and the discomfort lessened. Nil was sure the pain would’ve sent him into shock without the relief. Meanwhile, Lise got the burn ointment out of his satchel and slathered it on his palms. It soothed his screaming nerves straight away. It reminded him of when, as a child, he burned his fingers, and his mother would put toothpaste on them.

“I see why you needed to pack this,” Lise said, delicately layering the ointment. The visage leaned over them, watching her work. “Powerful attack but horrific cost.”

“I’m trying to get a better handle on it so I don’t hurt myself. It used to be worse, believe it or not.”

“We got lucky,” Lise continued, glancing at the dead monster. “I don’t think the coven had particularly old or skilled vampires. Or, forging beasts isn’t a part of their expertise. The thing was weaker than the guardians I’ve seen before. It takes a lot more effort to take them down. Usually, covens have a solitary powerful protector or a few like this one.”

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“Or we’re just that good,” Misu commented, turning his attention to the locked door separating them from the slumbering coven. He drew a quick magic circle on the door and floor in chalk, placed reagents around it, and started a low chant.

Nil watched, amazed, as the burnt skin and flesh flaked away. The effects weren’t as potent as the Fountain of Pirene. It was slow, and the pain didn’t fade all the way. The skin looked pink and raw. Nil doubted a biometric scanner would recognize his prints. A numbness dominated his palms, and he hoped it wouldn’t be a permanent issue.

Even though Nil had left his career as a chef behind, the act of cooking was still dear to him, and he saw it as an act of love. He enjoyed creating the fine dining elements that most found pretentious. Losing some feeling in his hands would affect his ability to complete the task to his satisfaction. Increased Finesse would help him overcome his shortcomings, but it wasn’t the same. Nil hoped the Nexus’ fountain would do the job.

It wasn't Nil’s greatest concern.

“What’s wrong?” Misu asked. “Why the sour look? You did amazing there. I’d be proud of myself if I were you.”

“Promise you won’t judge?”

“No promises,” Lise said, eyes narrowing. “Doubly so if its something stupid.”

“I was hoping to get closer to Mortal-Nine,” Nil replied, feeling embarrassed as he admitted it. “Iron Gauntlet qualifiers are coming up, and I’m just short of meeting the registration requirements.”

“Why are all you warriors so barbaric?” Misu rolled his eyes. He turned on his heel and marched to the vault door.

“You seem too soft for the arena,” Lise commented. She smiled as she double-checked his hands once more before finally releasing him. “I didn’t expect to see either of you after this quest. But there is a chance we might bump into each other.”

“I hope we don’t end up as opponents,” Nil said, accepting her help climbing onto his feet. Misu’s spores eased his aching muscles, but his joints still reeled from the potent jolts. The coat had singed around the edges and had a few holes, but it had done its job. He had suffered no further burns. It didn’t look like his boots would hold up for long. On the bright side, the quest felt nearly over. “The way you disabled the behemoth was terrifying.”

“The mightiest fall to inner ear attacks.” Lise grinned. The woman had softened significantly since the quest began. Nil guessed the harsh treatment and crude jokes were a defense she used when dealing with strangers. Her eyes darted to Misu and the vault door when a loud mechanical whine filled the room. “Stop, you fool!” She screamed, dashing toward the ritualist. “Get away from there!”

The door creaked open, and Nil saw a flash of metal. The visage stood horrified, glancing between the party’s two men. Expend-powered bounds propelled Nil forward, but it was too late. A giant deadfall swung out of the darkness and struck the Misu, tossing him across the entrance room like a rag doll. Nil activated Absorb as he caught the man. The blunt force trauma had caved his chest and a part of his face in. The ritualist was no more.

The little joy Nil felt from the victory faded. Lise appeared equally deflated as she got a close look at Misu’s corpse. They gently laid him on the floor before returning to the task at hand. Nil went in first, and arcane symbols flashed on the ceiling. A deadfall swung outward again. It didn’t pack as much force as the coven’s guardian and filled Nil’s storage to only seventy-five percent. He got the Schema notification he wanted, but Misu’s death got in the way of his reveling in it.

Absorb has progressed to Mortal 8!

Brutal Battery has progressed to Mortal 8!

The surviving vampire hunters dealt with the coven in silence. There were seven of them, and they all lay in large, heavy coffins. Nil used the energy he gained from absorbing the deadfall’s force to break them open. Then, Lise decapitated the vampires before removing their hearts. She started a fire and threw all the bits in. Next, she set the corpses in the coffins ablaze. The coven didn’t make a peep as Lise slaughtered them.

When Nil touched them before the decapitations and fire, the vampires didn’t react. He jostled one out of curiosity. Unlike Ruby, she seemed comatose and felt icy cold. Nil committed everything he saw and learned to memory. The knowledge would prove invaluable in case the Nexus offered him any more quests involving vampires.

Afterward, Nil and Lise reported to the Order of the Silver Crucible. First, they had to fight their way out of the casino. The guardian’s opening screech had drawn the building’s human guards. There were no mages among them, and they seemed no different from trained but ordinary humans. It tired the pair and left them splattered with the blood of their opponents.

“It’s a shame your friend perished,” Priestess Elaine Morrow said. She appeared on the verge of collapse. “Despite how our last conversation went, I liked him.”

“Misu died a good death,” Nil said.

“He fell slaughtering the vampires,” Lise lied. “Misu was a brave man and a talented mage.”

“Would you mind giving him a good funeral? We left his body down there.” Nil sighed. “There isn’t much left of him, but we’d appreciate it.”

“Of course.” Elaine nodded. “Anything for the Summoned. Especially after you’ve freed us of the scourge. Thank you.”

“Did you find the moles in your order?” Lise asked.

“I found half yesterday. The rest gave themselves away when you slaughtered their masters. Is there anything else?”

“There are dwellers in the sewers,” Nil said. “The Cockerel And Hedgehog was taken over by one of the coven’s sired. They were half-draining corpses and dumping them in the slums. It is where the canals disappear under the city.”

“That’s good to know.”

“We’re happy to help, of course. Perhaps after some rest—”

The Schema interrupted Nil. The quest was over, and it was time for them to return to the Nexus. The quest only required them to rout the coven, not deal with its minions. Elaine Morrow sounded confident that her order had the strength to deal with them. Nil and Lise bid the priestess goodbye before accepting the teleport. The pair left Old Oakfield glad to have finished their quest but disheartened about their loss.