Walking through the sidewalk, with the kiss of the afternoon behind them. The carriages rolling through the major street in front were no longer just full of hide and food. Now the variety has exploded and many other types of goods are rolling. Jackson even notices one carrying large bones that’s sticking out of the carriage as it passes his field of vision quickly and the volume of people he hasn’t seen before has quadrupled since then while the people has started to wear less and less heavy clothing though he on the other hand could still feel a bit of shiver even in his suit and fedora.
As they reached the main road, they also could see an entourage of the Holy See had entered the city. Their convoy was full of armored carriages with spikes and iron bumpers and in the middle was affluent wagons with glass windows and metallic tint on the side and bottom with polished wheels and hubs driven by well dressed Ministers.
“It seems that most of the snow has thawed, M’Lord. This is usually the primetime my own Companies’ Wine carts would arrive.”
“Ah, so we might meet more Vampires from Rose then?”
“Sadly not, M’Lord. They are manned by Humans and hardened Mercenaries. I simply cannot allow a Family under the Minuit House to be subjected to the harsh conditions of this place.”
“Eh? Your Vampires though. You could live in Hell with no problem if you want to.”
“Yes, but that’d be against the elegance of the Eternal Nobility. Hence the Vampires here are the ones whose Families take joy in the experience of travel to the heart and they are but a numbered few.”
“I see… so you have two methods of transporting goods to here. One via ship, and another via the roads… nicely done.”
“Oh why, thank you, M’Lord. This has to be done as there are times when the river would be frozen and we’d have no choice but to transport the Wine through the main roads even though that is far more riskier.”
“Though… since you are Vampires, can’t you just break the ice?”
“We could. We actually did that before. But as I’ve grown, I’ve noticed we could save a lot on the Blood for the crew if we could just cut the trip short and have them transported via carriage.”
“Ah!” As if he could completely relate, the two looked eye to eye understanding the language of one another. “I get it. Hm. The trip alone takes very long, right? How many barrels of blood you’d need and then the weight would also lessen the amount of Wine you could transport.” Hearing this, Alana blushed a little as she had a wide grin to her face. “Correct! Indeed, M’Lord this is partly the reason. Also included is the size of the crew. We could simply save a lot more if we could cut the trip and let trusted Humans do the rest of the transport.”
“Ahahahaha, hm. I do know of that myself… And…” he then walks to her and leans in. “This is also to not pay as large a tax right? A convoy of carriages is worth way less than an entire Galleon full of wine.” she just nodded and gave him a thumbs up. “Ahahahaha, though the only problem there would be the security I guess.”
“Indeed it is, M’Lord. But usually as long as you double the pay to Mercenaries, they are more loyal than to their own mothers.”
“I see. And the branch you have here, do they usually make profit?”
“Errrrr… that is debatable. Though last we were in my Manor, the profit was coming in as the Nobility were stockpiling to the ceiling… I cannot say it's always like that as there’s moments of drought with the buyers. Gareth most of all with its love for war. It usually affects the coffers of everyone, Commoner or Noble.”
“Sheesh, you have it hard huh? Me and my employees usually have no choice when it comes to profits. I’ve slept in crummy small apartments in HongKong with my board members before.” He shrugs as he smiles. “Can’t say it was a bad experience. Fitting five dudes in a small tight place like that with the beds up next to each other with one bathroom. But we bagged the deal and went home with a few million Yuan Dollars to our company.”
Bahamut on the other hand just yawns as the economic dribble between the two business moguls went on and on while Elizabeth was entertaining Seiness. The Priestess tried to mimic her elegant posture and walk which she noticed and the woman started to slow down and exaggerated her movements more to put a moving display for the Priestess to see and learn from. “Master, can we eat?” The Dragon in his shoulder just stretches her wings, forcing Jackson to tilt his head away as she starts licking the joints and the membranes of her wings’ fingers.
This broke the conversation Jackson was happily having with Alana. Making the man look dejected as he turns to her.
“No Bahamut. Haaaah… can’t you enjoy the sights at least?”
“We’ve been through so many colorful cities already, Master. This one is just colder than some before and sits in a plateau on top of a mountain valley.”
“How about this, we-” Not finishing his sentence, the Dragon turns into her Human form and starts walking in front of him. “WOAH! GEEZ BAHAMUT!” Her sudden morph made the Priestess clap in amazement while the people around them just shocked that a woman in a funeral gown popped up in front of them. “Woaaa…! Such magic! I’ve only read stories where Wizards could cast such things!” the Dragon in her human form just turns around and sways her long hair. “Heh. Cool ain’t it? Those Bloodsuckers can only turn into Bats but I can turn into any animal.”
“Bahamut, why did you turn into a Human all of the sudden? Good thing no one reacted as harshly.” Seeing the elegant clothing of the three beautiful Humans with the Man and a Priestess, the citizens just turned away and kept on walking. Some even bow and continue on their merry way, not disturbing any of them. “What’s the Nobility doing outside with the Church? Could they be conducting another survey?” Hearing this, Jackson just walks forward, ignoring the whispers of the Commoners while waiting for an answer from Bahamut, who just ignored him and his query.
Turning the corner, they encounter a bunch of hoodlums crouched up the white wall of a big building. Many of them wore ragged military tunics and some, even of aristocratic origins. Disheveled and uncared, the men had their arms to themselves as they shared each other's heat. Taking a closer look, the Knight recognizes bandages and crutches to their limbs, some even missing an eye or a part of their ear.
Bahamut walks up to them and looks down on the messy Humans. The men just looked up to her and then away. “Master, these Humans are like you, aren’t they?” he tilts his head and raises an eyebrow at the Dragon. His face contemplated her words. “Hm? I was combat wounded multiple times, but never to the point I got bedridden." Now at the feet of one of them, he kneels. Ignoring their bad smell as he sees the embroidered braid on the leftmost man in the line. “Why are you here? The Holy See has healers right?” The dirtied man gave him a gaze that could send anyone running. The Priestess herself running behind Elizabeth as the glance was enough to make even a predator think.
But Jackson didn’t sway away. He even had a grin on his face seeing the frown of the man. “That reminds me of a lot of people I used to know.” the man just groaned as he moved his leg nearer to him. “I got cursed. Even the Church doesn’t know how to undo it. Everyone is afraid of me, us.” the man turns to his colleagues, all of them wearing bandages in certain areas of their limbs. “I thought so. In a world with healing magic, only something really specific could truly make a person wounded. Bahamut, can you undo it?”
As she nods, the man retracts his legs.
“What will that do? We are already discarded by the people and even the Gods. Go now. Such pretty women shouldn’t be near men like us.” Jackson ignores his words and shakes his hand. “Names Paul. Many called me Colonel back then. I’m sure you can still do more if you could get that fire in your soul lit up. For now, just accept this help.” he takes away his hand and shrugs. “And then what? For the lady in the bakery to just mock me again, call me a Cursed Creature after I gave my leg for the Royalty? They can offer us as much Wine and Bread as payment, but it will never repay the sacrifice we gave for their pitiful land.”
Turning to Seiness, Jackson opens his hand to her and she reluctantly comes out of her cover. With Elizabeth holding her back as she got near the man. “Seiness, can you identify what curse this is?” She then raises her staff and whispers something to herself. A translucent beam connects to the man and she nods. “It’s… It’s unknown. The curse has a grip on his leg bone, preventing it from healing naturally and magically. I have not seen this one yet, Sir Jackson.”
“This is how the Gods give their love to us. Who fought and gave. The Gods and their Evil ways. If they were as good and righteous as the Church says, we wouldn’t be turned away by the very people we sought to protect!” His barrage of words was so fast that saliva was being thrown near Jackson. But he didn’t look away and just nodded. “I too was like that once. Inside a city that’s burning so harshly the sky and color was all red… I thought to myself, if God truly existed, this wouldn’t be happening to me and my men. Subjected to this Hell on Earth.” he stands up, arms to his side and legs together.
“But then I realized…” he turns around to the street and walks to the edge. “This isn’t God's work. It's all man… man and its innate love for chaos and war. I hope you may one day find the soul in yourself and get help. There will always be people out there ready to help you.” he just walks away with the girls following him. The olden warrior just scoffs and shrugs as a tap comes from his right. “Hmph.” He then turns to his comrade right next to him who tapped his shoulder. This one had a big bushy unkempt beard and a blue scarf on his neck. “I think I’ve seen that Priestess before… in the End of Week Food Program of the Church, right?” the man then widens his eyes. “Ah, good to see she’s found her strength. That man will bring it out.” His friend nods. “He reminds me of our old Lord. That unburning fire in his eyes. Sad he couldn’t be with us today to see such a warrior inside our country.” the man just shrugs. “Our Lord died doing what he loved. His family mourned him rightly.”
Jackson on the other hand has reached the edge of the block where the large four lane road divided by an island full of trees stood before him. Carriages were rushing past him as he stood silent. “Evil Gods huh?” pushing his arm, Bahamut snuggles to the man in the street.
“There’s no such thing as an Evil God, Master. Only to Humans and Sentient Creatures they are Evil. But if it's their Natural Obligation, that is not Evil. That is what they were born for, and cannot be deemed as Evil.”
“But still… though. I can see why he’d think that. For a society like this to discard them and not even the Gods helping. I can see why.”
“S-Sir Jackson!” he turns to Seiness, gripping her staff. “Deus Vrax was a soldier himself! I’ve met those people before in the Church, but they're always rude to everyone.” the man just giggles and pats her head.
“Yeah, we can be like that sometimes.” she then shrugs her head making him move his hand away. “But we truly tried! It-it’s just that we don’t have any Higher Ranking Ministers here who specialize in Curse Magic. Sir Rival and Seus are both General Healing Magic Practitioners. The school is centered on general limb and wound damage.” he just smiles at her as he turns away to look at the street.
“Don’t think too much about this Seiness. You are young, still. Just focus on growing and then, maybe one day. You’ll be able to help them. Unlock their hearts first and gain their lost trust.” Bahamut just turns to him, the smile on his face makes her own light up in excitement. Alana on the other hand taps her chin with her finger. “I wonder… if Bahamut was an Evil God to the eyes of the Humans. What would she be like?”
Jackson laughs as he turns to his left and starts walking again. “Bahamut is technically already an Evil God. A Goddess of Destruction of sorts is what the community makes her up to be since every time she pops up, stuff gets blown up and destroyed.” The Black Dragon on the other hand turns around, walking backwards without care as people dodge her. “Master, she meant if I was more aggressive to Humans. Like wishing to exterminate all of you from the planet.” She then started massaging her forehead inside the veil and then turned around once again, resting her elbow on Jackson's left shoulder.
“Hmmmm… I guess I’d just see Humans as a true potential enemy to Dragons like before. That was one of the reasons why I never wanted to take on this form, to fade my wings away and join the new Dragons.”
Jackson stayed silent as she continued to think to herself. “Pfft. Humans? A potential enemy to Dragons? Bahamut, what does one mean by this?” She then turns to Elizabeth, the color of her eyes glowing inside the veil. “You would laugh, Bloodsucker. But these Humans, uncared by their Gods, and wept for by no one holds a heart and soul of Mankind. Of all the creatures that have reached the higher echelons power, high enough to even challenge someone like me, it was the Humans that had the most numbers. Though there were Elves and Demons that had challenged me before, it was Humans that numbered the most. A man.”
The man just swallows his saliva as she spoke to the Vampire with a fiery tone. “Though many were from Noble families, there always came an outlier. A farmer, a meager fruit stand seller, to even a Servant. Imagine a Human with no such training from birthright nor innate genetic strength and magic from their families coming up to challenge me. These are the Humans I see in my eyes. Capable of much greatness, restricted by their mind and hubris.”
With a confused look, he then turns to Bahamut. “Then, would you think we Humans would become something greater if we get past that? Our hubris and all the other negative things that come with it?” He had such an earnest look to his face that Bhaamut couldn’t help but blush a bit as she stared at her Master's eyes.
“No.”
Hearing this, he tilts his head, a puzzled face on his head.
“You wouldn’t be Humans anymore if that happens, right, Master?” Hearing this, he laughs a bit and nods. “Right… right. What is a Human? A meatsack of Positives and Negatives… or so you make me out to be.” she nods. “You are correct, Master and I absolutely adore that. Even your imperfections and the failures of the hearts of men that create chaos and Evils not yet known in a world despise you all, but you refused to simply let it bury you and kept fighting out of pure will to live and fight… and then Men learned to love it all and thrive. That cannot be done if Man didn’t feel pain and hatred, Master.”
She then removes her crown, taking away with it her veil. “Now that I think about it… that might be why Albion agreed to be with Humans as our power dwindled in Tur… We might not be alike in anything else except our outlook in life, Master.” her eyes seemed so full of life that he had no words for it, nor did the Vampires. Seiness on the other hand is just completely enthralled by her small speech about Humans and suddenly got a rush of courage in her. “I-i also have to thank the Humans myself!” turning to her as they come closer and closer to the busiest street in the city, the girl smiles at him for the first time.
“Th-though Humans have their prejudices and anger towards others. Only the Humans would accept me as one of them so fast. Sir Rival only had one of my Kin in his life, but that was enough for him to trust and love us all… I-if-if it was the Elves, they would’ve asked for much more and tested me before I would even be able to become friends with them.” Hearing her, the man couldn’t help but shed a tear.
“That is just how we are.” He turns to Alana, Elizabeth and then Bahamut. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. I hate Vampires you know?” Seiness tilts her head as she turns to the two. “That anger and hatred in my soul burned so bright I pulled the trigger as I fell to the ground and defeated Alana… and now, she’s basically my Caretaker. She cooks better than I have and cleans our clothes, sometimes with Elizabeth and Bahamut.” he then looks at Elizabeth. “I was afraid of her… after reading all of that, hearing all of the stories of the ancient Vampire Queen. It might not look like it back then, Carmilla. But I was on the verge of pissing myself multiple times. The adrenaline only stopped it from happening.”
She laughed maniacally as she held her right hand up her forehead. “Yet, My Lord. I never detected that much fear in your soul when we first met. What I saw was a Man with a burning desire to live… and I think that overthrew whatever fear you were feeling.”
“Carmilla usually does anything related to clothing, she’s been practicing very hard with her sewing. Alana with the cooking and maintenance of the places we stay and Bahamut…” turning to the Dragon, the woman just kept to herself not giving a care to the world. “Bahamut does what Bahamut wants.” with a nod, he turns to the Priestess and gives her a smile.
“This is our group, Seiness. Please take care of us.” With the story told, she blushes and bows to him. “O-Of course! Please also take good care of me!” He takes a short breath as he looks back to the sidewalk. As he was about to take his first step, a large shadow of a bird whose width overtakes the entire street passes him.
Looking up, his eye gazes upon an oversized bird. Its sharp wings and fan shaped tail gave it a distinct look as it flew to the walls. “Woah, just what the heck is that thing?!” Even though it was far, he could notice the large bird had armor and saddles on it. Including a tall and slender rider near its neck. “Ah! That’s the courier bird the Elven Empire sends to Janishaire, Sir Jackson.” he immediately reacted, his head thrusting forward to get closer to Seiness.
“What?”
“Every afternoon, the Courier of the Empire arrives. Bringing with it items the University requested and letters to be sent to the Elven Ministries.”
“Is-is that so?” He then looks to Elizabeth. The woman is showing a face that’s just as curious as he is. “So the… University and the Empire are both pretty close then?” Seiness just nods.
“Isn’t the University and the Academia a product of the Church? How come their buddy-buddy with the Empire?”
“The Empire has no qualms with working with the Church as long as its in the field of Science and Education, Sir Jackson. They even went as far as to fund many projects inside the University.”
“Heh? Heh?” He rubs his chin, trying to remember any details of this sent in the documents. “That can’t be. Morgan is way too attentive to let her field operators slip this much…” He once again looks at Elizabeth, the woman visibly having her own conversation inside her head. “Hmmm… nonetheless. Can we access it?”
“Ahhhhh… I believe it's Captain Julieanne who can give you access to it, Sir Jackson.”
He then returns to his conversation with Rival, the man hinting that the reward for this deal will open answers he is looking for. “That son of a gun… he should use his skills to sell snake oil if he's that good. Very well. Let’s go then.”
“Are big birds a thing in your world, Sir Jackson?”
“Yes. Tur has a lot of species of birds that can transport an entire Human.” seeing the girl not completely catching up with his internal turmoil, he walks on as usual. “Though only those willing can have one. Big birds need an entirely different type of care and feeding. Unlike a Dragon or a Griffin.”
“I see… how is it like then to take care of a Dragon, Sir Jackson?”
“A huge pain in the ass and a headache day to day.” Bahamut openly laughs as they walk towards the middle area of the city. “But Master, you would be lonely and sad if I wasn’t with you. Bahahahaha!”
“That’s correct. She’s also my bundle of joy… and pain.” He shrugs his head while grinning. “You know Bahamut once ate the town cat because it hissed at her and it landed both of us in jail?” Seiness instantly bursts out laughing at the thought while Jackson gets a warm feeling in his body hearing the normal and childlike laugh of the Priestess. “There was also that time she stole the jewelry of a local Noble. That also landed us in jail.”
“Ahahahaha-ahahahha! Please! Sir Jackson! I could only take so much jesting!” He then pats her head as they near the busy area of the city. “That’s what it's like. It’s not for everybody, but I wouldn’t trade Bahamut for anyone or anything. You know, what was that bird called anyways?”
“It’s called a Roc, Sir Jackson. It's only native to the Empire.”
“I see… I wonder how much a feather could sell.”
“M’Lord, I see you also thought of that huh?”
“Big bird feathers sell for a lot as they are usually put on great arrows and great bolts. Its one of the only creatures that can produce the feather for that ammo type.”
“Here, M’Lord, it's usually used for fans, accessories, and even clothing.” Alana then points at the tip of Elizabeth’s long arm gloves that pass her elbows, specifically the white dove feathers on the end. “You see this, M’Lord? This could easily run you some silver coins. White feather of this quality is unheard of and only a mere few could afford it.”
“Really?”
“There’s this thing called Recorded Pedigree, M’Lord. We also have those for our Human Cattle. That is how we know they came from Noble lineage and would provide us with excellent quality blood. Same is applied to animals whose parts we treasure.”
“To think you Vampires had thought that far ahead already. I… Hmmmm… from watching videos online. I don’t really remember if we Humans in Earth started recording breeding histories to this extent… or I might be just getting old and forgetful.”
“Ahahahaha, But M’Lord. This takes a lot of effort to do and only Elves and Vampires had truly excelled in this area.”
“Oh indeed, Alana. I can only imagine what it took back then. It’d be multiple generations of the family till you could sell an animal for a high value.”
“And since we have the Human Cattle back at home, M’Lord. You can do the math in your head how much a Noble under our captivity is worth.”
“Though, does the money only go around other Vampire Nobles? Or… do you have sellers from outside?”
“Indeed we do, M’Lord. The Elves are very particular with their Servants. They wouldn’t even accept an Elven Servant lest its history is recorded.”
“Then, that means you also have business with the Elves?”
“To a degree… though it's my Mother that usually handles that side of the Family Business, M’Lord.” Jackson instantly remembers the beautiful Mom of Alana and he couldn’t wrap his head around a woman having such a passionate smile to be partaking in a business he will never get comfy with. “Wow… everyday you two remind me that looks can be deceiving.”
Alana just had a smile to her face as they turned left and once again returned to the street they were more than familiar with already.
Running to the opposite sidewalk, they soon reach the Guild Hall. The pointy three storey building stood tall amongst the shops. With banners of multiple countries and Knight Orders hanging outside its windows and the Sword Cross of the Holy See planted on its wooden front door alongside the Coat of Arms of the City of Janishaire, the Three Headed Lion half Tiger with wings of a Falcon. The group immediately headed inside where the interior was warm and homey, having been filled with lively people from all walks of life, their Party fit in, but stood out with their extravagant outfits. Having little to no armor while everyone was either wearing leather mixed with plate armor or iron ones and had holsters and utility belts full of accessories and extra equipment for battle. The lobby itself is filled with benches and stools where parties would convene together.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Seiness’ jaw was open and her tail, wildly wagging as her ears could be visible through her hat, fully lifted in excitement as she watches the hardened adventurers go about their days, many drinking ale in the benches as they chat amongst themselves and even talked to other groups, exchanging information and rumors whilst she looks at the walls. Not only is it full of paintings, but also artifacts and rare bones of animals that’s been hunted through the years. With one of them having Antlers that blows a bright green. Jackson on the other hand notices the large painting of King Gareth.
He rubs his chin at the image of the man. Young and prim, he doesn’t give the air of a leader who leads a Knightly Kingdom. The staff he held had jade and ruby and the crown he wore had a circlet underneath it too. “Oy, you a foreigner?” one of the Adventurers with his hands in his gambeson's pockets walks up to him. The thick defensive jacket having lines of fur and pouches on the front and sides. “Uh, yes. How may I help you?” Jackson said it with a respectful tone, as if he is meeting an elder.
“Don’t look at the King’s portrait so freely. No one is allowed to stare at our King without his express permission.”
“Eh? Why? You guys even hang it by the door.”
“You can only have quick glances. You might not understand it since you're an outsider, but the Gareth Lineage came from humble beginnings. They don’t want to be praised as chosen by the Gods to rule us.”
“Then, why the huge painting?”
“It is our tribute to the Kingdom. A glance is a show of respect.”
“I-I see…” scratching the back of his head, the man turns around avoiding the painting. “Seiness, stay close to Alana. Come on.” he quickly gave the man a low bow and walked away. With the Adventurer just crossing his arms and shrugging his head. “Ah these foreigners.”
Walking to the Counter, there was a short line of Adventurers. Most parties are made up of two or three people. Many of them turned around to look at Elizabeth and Alana, completely enamored by their beauty and the expensive gowns they were wearing. Forgetting that there is a line. “Ahem ahem.” loudly exclaimed the Lady behind the counter. They snapped out of it and all of them were submitting fangs and claws and were getting paid with Bronze and Silver coins in the currency of Maximallus. The metal having engraved onto it the face of an Elf with a feathered cap and a proverb from the Curate Empire.
One of them submitted some herbs and was instead paid in Copper and Bronze and there ID card stamped and new points added. “Just a bit more and you’ll be a Ranked D Adventurer.” he immediately crumples both his hands into fists as tears nearly roll into his eyes. “Finally… I am so near to having my Mercenary permit! I’ll do my best again this summer!” he then jiggly walks to the lobby, finally letting the oddly prestigiously clothed party to the desk.
Jackson presents to the lady their Adventurer Cards. The busty woman fixes the placing of her shiny rimmed glasses and inspected their documents. She tilted her head and then immediately got up and went in the back and fetched some papers where she then did some writing. The Knight could see it even had a table to it and had some questions on the second page. The paper wasn’t also the normal one made of mere parchment. But from trees.
“Sir Jackson?”
“Ah yes, that’s me.”
“Your party name needs to be changed.”
“Eh? Why though?”
“You sadly took this Card in the Kingdom of James, they have a different system to ours, so we need to register your party name once again and your progress won’t be carried over till for two months when the next ship arrives.”
“Then… hmmm…” he turned around to face the women and Bahamut was the first to speak. “STEAK LOVERS!” he shrugs the recommendation off to the dismay of the Dragon. “My Lord, what about Dreaded Witches?”
“Hmmmm… sounds a bit too harsh.”
“Ah, M’Lord, what about Knights of the Night?”
“That makes it sound like we’re only active at night and I am the only Knight here. No. Seiness, what do you think?”
“U-U-Uhm… What about something in your world, Lord Jackson? Something that references all of us.”
“I see…” he took a gander at them and he nodded to himself. “What about… Dead Hand?”
“Dead Hand? What’s that M’Lord?”
“It’s an old Soviet Automatic Missile System. If the world was to end, it would kick in and fire all of the Soviet Union's Nuclear Arsenal.”
“I do not understand most of the words there but it does sound akin to something we’re capable of. Lady Carmilla, what do you think?”
“Dead Hand huh… sounds good! Dragon?”
“Eh. I still think Steak is better.”
“That’s the meeting adjourned.” With such a quickfire system, the Receptionist Lady could only giggle at the harmony of the group as he turns around and puts one hand down to the desk. “Ma’am, we’d like to name ourselves Dead Hand.”
The Receptionist Lady in a tight medieval office lady outfit that accentuates her curves walks to the back and takes a stone tab. The heavy thing was then carried over to a table where she opened her palm and a fire etched onto it some new information. She then returns it and with a red feather pen, she takes their IDs and takes a blank card, transferring over the information except the Rank and Skills acquired. All down to zero once again.
“Can’t you just port it over?’
“I could, but sir. That will need to be done with the deliberation of an envoy so that we may confirm it first.”
“I see. Now, should Seiness also need an ID?”
“May I see her, sir?”
He takes as tep to the right and reveals the girl.
“Ah! She’s a Priestess. She should already have her own special ID from the Holy See.”
“Is that so? Then after this, who is she supposed to go to?”
“To the Bishop or a Priest, they should be able to reward her for her efforts. Is this her first time?” Looking at the girl, Seiness nods. “You saw it.” she then nods in return. “The Holy See has its own separate category, Sir Jackson and Lady Seiness. If she completes a task, I believe the Church will increase her rank within their own system.” rubbing his chin, the man just agrees to her. “Interesting, okay then. Can we take a look at the quests?”
Bowing her head lightly, she opens her palm to the direction of the Questboard. “Please do. Welcome to Janishaire, Dead Hand.” Jackson smiles and turns around to his party. “Hm. Let’s see what we should give Seiness as her first quest.”
Their Quest Board was mostly thin slabs of stones with etchings on them. Many in the language of the Elves and Jackson were unable to read any of it while some were in rugged parchment and had badly written requests on them. With Alana having to edge her face closer to some of the writing to get a better grasp of the tasks they want done. Five minutes, the entire party was just shifting from one request to another, with Seiness just watching on the sidelines.
“Alana, can you see anything good?” she nods and points at some of them. “There’s one about hunting Snow Ox, M’Lord. That could be productive for us. They mostly run in packs and should be easy to hunt down.” he then checks it. “How many?” shaking her head, she points at a strange inverted L with a 1 crossed over it. “None. Their willing to pay by the Pund.” hearing this, he nods his head as Elizabeth finds another that caught her eyes.
“Ah My Lord, there’s one about clearing a haunted building. I believe Bahamut would want to partici-” without even letting her finish the Dragon butts in the conversation. “Master! Let’s take it!”
“Eh? EHHH?! You guys already know how scared I am of ghosts! C’mon now!”
“But My Lord, this could be a great starting experience for Seiness. Ghosts don’t tend to really do much other than throw objects at you and scare you lest this is the more violent ones that can take over your body.”
“That’s exactly why I don’t like facing them, Elizabeth. THERE SCARY.”
“Haaaaa… Giant Spiders and Ghosts. Just how did you last this long as an Adventurer, My Lord?”
“And will this even actually help Seiness learn the basics? Wouldn’t hunting Snow Ox be better?”
“My Lord, that would require us to prepare. This one is just to the North of the city where we’ve been before.” Hearing her make such good and well thought out replies, the man had nothing to shoot back with. Left but with his mouth trying to salvage whatever hole he could find in her argumentation. “Buutt…. You also have a point. Tsk.” He crosses his arms and makes a long sigh. “This is not gonna end well, I can just feel it.'' He then turns to Seiness and then to the ceiling. “Errrrr… a Ghost clearing Quest… I guess so. Vanguard and Backline units can be explained here without much hassle. Seiness, can you take on ghosts?”
The Priestess nods with a fiery passion. “Yes Sir Jackson! As a member of the Holy See, this is a natural duty for me!” seeing her, the man then turns to Alana and Bahamut. The Countess just nodded in agreement while the Dragon was brimming with excitement.
“See, My Lord? We could teach Seiness how a formation works and roles and everyone except you agrees to this plan.”
“GAH! Okay! We’ll take it! Bahamut, you stand in front of me when we get inside. If one translucent thing even dares to come close to me, you guys can find me on the gates to the city.”
“Heh-heh-heh. Worry not Master! The Dragon God of the Void shall cleanse those lost souls and return them to the Abyss!” Hearing this, Seiness curiously looks at her as the man takes the stone tab and proceeds to present it to the Receptionist and she uses her magic to etch their party name onto it and a mark. Included in it was the date and exact time.
“Haaaaah… this is going to give me nightmares. Should we do it now?”
“Ahhhh… excuse me ma’am.” Carmilla slowly leans onto the counter, her breasts hanging for the Adventurers in the lobby to see. Many were hiding behind pillars, trying to get a good look at her body. “Y-Yes?” The Receptionist Lady, though could put up a fight, was still severely outmatched to the style and elegance of the Vampire in her Human disguise. The purple gown she wore cost more than the plot of land and the entire building there inside of.
“Is this Haunted Mansion anywhere near us? It says its located on the North of the city, Voreious Neighborhood of the Nobility, correct?”
“Ah, indeed it is in the Noble’s Territories. Near the Castle Rittler, home of the Lord of Janisaire. You can find it when you're at the gates, just turn left and two areas down and you should find an old dilapidated gated manor.”
“I see, thank you then.” She then turns around with her hands on her hips, swaying her golden hair too. “My Lord, I suggest we do it now. If we wait further, night might strike us early and their fear factor might be too much for you. Better do it now while the daylight time is still with us.”
“Haaaa… alright. But after this, we should take one that gets us outside of the city or something. It’d be a good opportunity to teach her survival lessons.” She then edges closer to the two Vampires, with Bahamut listening in from behind him. “It would also be a good time to check those Elven Fortresses, Bahamut was mapping out one underneath the city.”
The Queen nodded and had a satisfied expression on her face. “Ah, M’Lord, I think that shouldn’t be a problem.” she said it as if it was just another day at the office that he couldn’t help but share her calmness to the future plan. Meanwhile, Alana points at a request from Blacksmith’s Club. “M’Lord, we exactly have something that’s inline to your request. It says they want scales from Winter Centurions.” he tilts his head upon hearing it. “Winter Centurions? Uhhhh… what’re those?”
Breaking up the group huddle, they went back to the questboard and Alana pointed out at the request. “Are they… basically Ice Centurions like in Tur?” He then scratches the back of his head as the two other Vampires look for other requests. “Ah, My Lord. There’s also one from the Holy See itself. To go and reach the uncharted parts of the Elven Fortress… though we’d need to buy equipment for this… I believe the Countess’ suggestion works better for us.” Meanwhile, Jackson couldn’t wrap his head around this creature they were supposed to hunt. Having been left rubbing his chin.
“E-Ehhh-” Seiness slowly raises her hand and everyone turns to her. “They're an experimental creature made by the Curate Empire. There were supposed to be Warhorses built for war. They usually hide inside the underground fortresses built by the Snow Elves.” She then lowered her hand and tried her best to make a smile. “Warhoses built for war? So what? They combined two species into one?”
Thinking deeper, Jackson tilts his head on her. “But weren’t the High Elves big on preserving animals?”
“It’s due to them being out of date, Sir Jackson. Some animals just don’t have it to adapt to the changing world and the Curate Empire had their own fair share of problems as their sources of food became rarer and rarer. Their initial plan was to combine them and maybe help preserve their species from complete extinction.”
“Isn’t that a bit opposite of following nature though? Some creatures are just meant to disappear for a new one to take its place. I’m sure Bahamut has better insight in this, but isn’t that what it looks like?”
“It is, Sir Jackson. But their love for Forrus blinds that fact.” He just shrugs and turns back to the Vampires. “Well! It shouldn’t be too hard. Alana, what’s its location?”
“It's pointing us to an Elven Fortress near the town of Gram, M’Lord.”
“Gram? Eliz- I mean Carmilla. You know that place right?”
“I do. Though I’ve only visited it once, my… personal Knights though had been there on numerous occasions.” Seiness, who had already packed a lot of questions about the two Vampires, raises her hand. “L-Lady Carmilla, may I ask for your title? I apologize if it must seem out of line. But only a handful could have multiple Knights under their hands.” Seeing her respectful tone and nature, the Queen didn’t even put up an air and just laid her hand on her head. “I guess you may say I am a Duchess…”
“W-Woah. I see… and to think you even know of Gram and the Ancient Vampire Queen that once ravaged the city. Just how old are you, Lady Carmilla?” She just smiles and replies quickly. “Old enough. Now, My Lord, I believe we should find a map if we wish to find out more.”
“Hm? Shouldn’t you already have an idea though?”
“It’s been so long, My Lord. The land would have drastically changed by then.”
Bahamut, who was already walking around, peeks through the corner that leads to the main lobby where many adventurers were sitting down on their own benches, chatting amongst themselves. “Master! There’s a map here!”
Following the woman in dark, they were then met with a huge painted map on the wall. Janishaire being located in the middle of it, with a huge fall a few hundred meters from its right flank and on its left, a massive forest named “Brecilien”. Drawn inside the snow forest was Snow Ox’s, Goblins with white skin, and even strange eight legged creatures, the region there in, named Hohe Spitze of Gareth had borders with the other parts of the Kingdom, but had none on the territorial boundaries South of it. On the lower right corner was a minimized version, with the Region being right next to a country named “Carthegra”.
Jackson’s head tilts, remembering on the translated maps given to him, it's no longer there and what’s in it is now a cluster of territories with unknown true borders. But other than that, he enjoys the colors and the depictions of monsters and animals on the large painting. Making them seem goofy yet dangerous while the city itself seems more like a military fort than a place to dwell in.
Beyond the snow forest of Brecilien was a town with a name of “Gram” and another, farther away with small farms trickled in between which is on the very utmost border of the painting, “Rollo” was the name it was given.
“I have no idea what’s written here.”
“All you have to know, M'Lord is that we’re heading there.”
Alana opens her palm and releases a bloodrose. It lands on a small painting of an entrance that lies inside the forest.
“That doesn’t seem that far. We can walk there if we want to.”
“No, M’Lord. Look up to the corner of the map.”
He then sees a few numbers with a scale underneath it.
“Hm? Are those… zeroes? Why does it go up to two digits?”
“It means that length, using that scale. If you were to imagine it. The range of our travel would be thirty miles in your Earthling units.”
“THIRTY?! Oh Christ. Bahamut, looks like we’re back.”
“Ohhhh! I’m always ready Master! How I’ve missed having you ride me.”
“DON’T SAY IT LIKE THAT!” Seiness made a small chuckle which made Alana and Bahamut smile, while Jackson was looking around. “Wait, guys, where is Carmilla?” The party then starts to turn at differing locations, just to be left with sights of various adventurers going about their day.
“Hah… everyone stay here. Plan our route to the haunted mansion.”
“Eh? Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you, M’Lord?”
“I-I can help!”
“Hm? What can you do, Seiness?”
“O Deus Vrax, light the way to guide me to a…” Lowering her voice, she covers her mouth alongside turning the other side. “... Vampire that’s lost her way. May you give me insight to where she may be.”
Her staff lights up and the girl’s eyes light up for a moment and she points at a hallway on the other side of the main lobby. “She went there. Near the accommodation for Traveling Adventurers.” Jackson sighs as he walks to the direction he was given. Instantly, he saw on the corner of his eyes, the extravagant purple gown of the high born woman.
Not wasting time, he catches up to her and sees Elizabeth standing on the corner of the hall. Waiting for something as she stood quietly by herself.
“Uhhhh Elizabeth?”
“Shhhh… My Lord, can you not hear it?”
“Hear what?”
“A Lute. I can hear it.” His right eyebrow instantly raises up. “A Lute? Is it from a player or a native?”
“Player, My Lord.”
“Human?”
“Hmmmm… Dwarf?”
“I see… Where is my helmet? There’s a Midrur Bard targeting us. I already know the modus operandi of players like these.”
“A Midrur Bard? Hmmmm… this is some quality music though.”
“Don’t listen to it… And why you? Why not me? Are they…? Nonetheless, Midrur Dwarves are extremely good with music and instruments, but in exchange, their strength and endurance is pretty bad and balanced magic.”
“Hm? I believe it's getting stronger, My Lord.”
“What else can you sense? If it's multiple people, it might be an ambush. Midrur Dwarfs can heal one another with their music so this might be a hard fight ahead.”
“It’s one person, My Lord. A Dwarf that’s playing a Lute on top of a bed. He's inside a room on the dead end.”
Jackson facepalms. “I already have a hunch… it's a certain player from a certain scandalous guild... Haaaaa… okay. Might as well have some fun.” The blonde woman just raises an eyebrow to the seemingly dastardly face on her Lord.
After a minute, she knocks on the door and it opens all by itself. Inside the room was a Dwarf, though his body was not like many others, it wasn’t buff nor overtoned. But instead it seemed like a more normal build. What he wore proudly apart from his naked body was the finely shaved beard on his jaw as he played a small sized Lute that hid his privates.
“Oh la la la. You are far more attractive when up close. How do you like it?”
“A good sound can make any maiden fall to the palms of a man.”
“Ohhh, that voice. Such a sweet, deep, mature voice. It echoes pure romance and amor... Then, shall we begin?”
“But first, how do you expect me to get satisfied with that?”
“My lady, it's not the size, it's on the performance. Believe me, Vampire, Elf, Human. They all left my bed satisfied.”
“Is that so? A Vampire left your bed satisfied?”
“Oh yes, and not the ones from my world. A Vampire from this world. Two weeks straight.” He then plays some chords, making a sad melody. “It was such a battle. At first, she thought too that I wouldn’t be able to satisfy her. But when I left, she was hungry for more.”
“Ehhhhhh… then, why me?”
“You see… I love my women… downright Ancient.”
Hearing this, Elizabeth crosses her arms and as if a vein broke on her forehead, the woman was steaming with anger. “D-Downright… Ancient…? Here I thought being called a Grandma was bad enough…. Then.” As if she discarded one face for another, her expression shifted like a chameleon blending into its surroundings. “Can I bring a friend along?”
He was completely defenseless with her absolute and objective beauty, the player just smiling with so much glee that the ends of his smile could reach his eyes. “A friend? I am not one to say no to a threesome. Two Vampires for one Dwarf! Oh what a night this shall be!”
“Surprise motherfucker.”
Jackson comes out of the hallway holding his Colt Python revolver up. Without stopping, he walks right up to the player and holds the gun up to his forehead.
“You seriously think you can use the Bards Hypnotism on a Purebred?”
The player didn’t flinch, merely playing some strings on his Lute. Making a more upbeat melody. But since he had his helmet on, Jackson didn’t react to the movement of his hands on the instrument.
“What a circumstance! This wouldn’t be the first time I ran away from an angry partner.”
“Oh buddy, believe me, you won’t run away from me. Now, answer my question.”
“Hm? I thought you’d want to hang me by the apple tree.”
“Stop with the rhymes. Are you from the notorious Clientela Guild?”
“Ah… is our name still that badly known?”
“Uhhh yeah. It's because of you people that the game was banned from two entire continents and then got the Bards Hypnotism nerfed to being basically useless against other players.”
“W-Well… heheheheh…”
“My Lord, may I ask what’s so bad about them?”
“He literally just tried to have sex with you Carmilla.”
“I wouldn’t mind it, it's a free snack after all. Fools who think we Vampires are easy is why we will never run out of food.” She then walks up to him and flicks her finger at the Dwarf’s jawline. “If it was just me, I would’ve not even opened the door. You singing to me was just food telepathing its position. You wouldn’t even have the time to react as I bit your neck open and tore your spine from your body.”
“Oh! Yeah, you are very lucky I was here. Do you know some Vampires in Threa literally eats their prey live?”
“I’ve heard. But that never stopped me.” The player didn’t show a glint of fear in his eyes and kept his calm and cool demeanor even with the revolver and Vampire flanking both his sides.
“If Carmilla here was let loose, I’m sure there wouldn’t even be the soul left for you to respawn with.”
“But I am also not one to deny a good time.”
“Jeez dude, I get it the community is horny and the internet in general. But are you people horny enough to literally die?”
“You don’t know it. Have you had sex with her?”
“I have.”
“See! You survived! Means she is extremely gentle with humans! What more with a Dwarf like me!”
“Did I leave out the fact that I am a max level player whose body can survive untold horrors? I literally survived a Holy Arrow enchanted with Ancient Magic striking me without armor.”
“O-OOhhhh… yes you left that part out.”
“Even then, I couldn’t walk for multiple days.”
“Then… are we just gonna stare at each other while you have that gun up to my face and this goldie lookin’ at me like a three part meal with dessert?”
“I really want to pull the trigger. Man, the shit you guys do… it gives fanbases all the bad rep.”
“My Lord, just what did they do?”
“These people make up basically the ninety percent of reasons why couples playing Dark World ended up splitting.”
“Ah, that’s where the media is wrong. Only five players in the Guild are involved in that and only three couples broke up.”
“They are basically Adulterers and violators of women. Though I’ve heard they have female members that target males.”
“We do. But they're from another guild that’s lesser known. I must say, they are way better at keeping things under wraps compared to us.”
“... Oh. I understand now, My Lord. This is also very unacceptable in human culture, correct?”
“Basically one of the most Evil things you can do, yes.”
“My my my, you Vampires are very kinky aren’t you?”
“Shush it Midrur Dwarf. How many wives have you banged since coming here?”
“I told you, only five people in the Guild do that. I am the Blonde woman expert. Targeter of every beautiful blonde woman out there, most specially those Prehistoric of age.”
Jackson freezes while Elizabeth on the back couldn’t stop her laugh from spilling out. Holding her hand up her mouth as the Knight’s eye twitches. He takes a long breath as the Vampire laughed hysterically. “My Lord, can I kill this insolent fool? One is enough, twice is death in my Kingdom.” he just shrugs at her suggestion, keeping a smile on his face. “I… I really wanna blow your head off right now. Should I just do it?”
“I do not think murder is acceptable in Janishaire. Mister A Man with No Name.”
“Player name, give it to me now. I’ll report you to the Community Mods when we're back on Earth… And it's not Man with No Name. It's Jackson.”
“Why? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
The Knight then takes him by the neck and holds him up. Elizabeth left impressed by the sudden show of violence by the man.
“ANYONE who dares defile the women in our party, to even think of it. Hooo boy, I can do untold horrors. When she told me you were a Dwarf who was extremely good at playing music, I already sniffed you out good. To think I was correct to the tee.”
“Oh-Oh okay! I get it! Let me breathe!”
All the while the Vampire’s long slender fingers trace from his back to his shoulder and rest upon his chest. Elizabeth’s head touches his hair as she brings her mouth, with a red lipstick on it close to his right ear. “My Lord, you mustn’t do this. Be reminded that we’re here for another reason.”
With sense bought to him, the man's rage calms down completely and he collects himself. “Tsk.” He lets go of him and turns around. “We’re at the main lobby.” he leaves, now only the two in the room.
“I hope this serves you a good lesson.”
“HAH… HAH… WHAT WAS THAT?!”
“That’s a Knight. A Knight worthy enough to be mine.” As she was about to leave, she stopped. “Also, forget about that Vampire. If I could get my hands on her, I’d rip her heart out and feed it to the dogs. I didn’t build a Kingdom on lust and perversion. The Laws we enacted were specifically meant to combat it. To not allow us to succumb to our destructive nature.” Leaving, the woman could see the Dead Hand Party sitting on a bench, with Alana patting Jackson’s back as he clenches a wooden mug.
“Countess, are we ready to leave?”
“Hm. But Lady Carmilla, what did you and our Lord have done?”
“Oh, you should’ve seen the look on his face. Seeing him with such a manly expression just makes me want to-” Elizabeth's eyes then open wide, turning to face Seiness who was already slightly blushing as she talked with such allure. “Ahhhh… erm… makes me want to hug him! Yes! That very innocent thought is exactly what I was going for!”
Jackson just facepalms. “So that’s your weakness huh?” Bahamut then rests her elbow on his shoulder. “Oy, Master. Let’s go. It’s already afternoon.” Grabbing his hat, the man just nods. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He gets up and the entire group follows. Leaving for the mansion.
“Master, what happened there?”
“Do you remember that Guild the Shine Guards put a bounty on for each recorded kill?”
“Master, I could name ten different Guilds from our adventurers that would fit that.”
“The one full of handsome looking Dwarfs?”
“Ah that! So there’s one here in Janishaire, Master?”
“You betcha. Ugh, I wanted to put a bullet in between his eyes so badly.”
“So that's why.”
“Hm? What is that about? M’Lord, did you get into a scuffle with your fellow men?”
“Eh, it's just some group the Humans hate. Don’t think too much about it, Bloodsucker. The Human Guilds in Tur are very strict on Non Human Guilds that do things like that.”
“Could there be some reason? War perhaps?”
“All species went to war with each other in Tur, in the Age of Chaos as it was. Of course, we great Dragons stood victorious. But as usual, the Humans just never knew when to give up. The Midrur Dwarfs were one of those they hated as they made for good Bards, snaring women and men to their tune.”
“It’s… it’s not that simple Bahamut. These people, the things they do. Grrrrrr… My social media was flooded with so much crap about the game because of the scandals they started. Can’t a man just enjoy a game without its community starting some shit? It's stuff like these that makes me wanna keep Dark World as some niche thing.”
As he fumes, Elizabeth walks up to him and wraps her arms around the man. Calming him while Seiness just watches the group enjoy each other's company. Smiling and cracking jokes, pleasing one another and being there for those who need them.
“Bishop, thank you for this.” She smiles as she follows the group to the intersection. Where Alana then tried to use her charms to get them a ride. Though it took them a bit longer, the moment a Human carriage driver was passing, he was unable to look away and let them hitch a ride to the more affluent side of the fortress city.