Chapter 172

King Brix stood on the balcony of the academy’s finest restaurant, watching the four younger men and women depart through snow swept streets while animatedly talking about some kind of prank Riven had once pulled on Allie when she was young. He stroked his short red beard with mild amounts of curiosity, and smiled with a chuckle as he thought about the recent luncheon. “Certainly not what I expected of the rank 5 vampire on our world roster. Wouldn’t you agree, Kassius?”

Kassius, the king’s spymaster, unhinged himself from a nearby shadow and took human form - warping from obscurity into the light of day. He wore a black outfit, a veiled mask, and his face was completely hidden as his gloved hands clasped themselves behind his back. “Yes, your majesty. I can honestly even say that, as long as he’s wearing that amulet you provided him, he’s very likable. It really is a shame that he has such a high negative charisma, one day he’ll need something much stronger than your gift to hide amongst the human masses in order not to scare them half to death just by walking by.”

“Isn’t that the truth!” King Brix bellowed a laugh and slapped Kassius on the back. “He was downright scary when we first met him!”

“Do you think it is wise to let him travel our city alone though?” Kassius muttered absentmindedly, following the group of four until they passed out of sight around a bend in the road - heading towards the barracks. “I may like his character when it was set to neutral, but he did murder and entire city in order to bring one of his demons back. Half a million souls or more by current estimates were wiped out in the blink of an eye. We don’t want that to happen here should he become enraged for some reason.”

King Brix raised one eyebrow and side-eyed the other, slender man. Folding his arms over the sun crest on his tunic, King Brix gave a loud humph. “And what would be the alternative? Following him would let him know that we don’t trust him, should he find out. No, I do believe it is better to make friends and to not give him or his sister reasons to distrust us. Without their help, we very well could have fallen to the Tereen and their blasted spirit-saints by now. Who knows, maybe I’ll even be able to pawn off one of my daughters or granddaughters to wed him as a bride. And if not… perhaps that Lucio boy will surprise us when concerning Allie. I would find it hard to believe from an outside perspective, but there’s always hope.”

“You hope to make ties by blood?”

“Oh yes. Whether or not that can be done is to be seen, but I have very high hopes. Not many civilizations will survive this integration, Kassius, but some will rise through the ashes at the end. I intend ours to be one of them, and those two vampire siblings would be a great set of allies to have on our side in the long run - not just for this war with the elves.”

***

Of Mandon’s 10 city levels each spanning over a hundred miles of stacked earthen layers, the top 7 were above ground and 3 existed underground. They were labeled by the populace as Lower 3 through Lower 1, and Upper 1 through Upper 7. The lower the floor, the poorer the citizens usually were - so here on the highest level it was a given that most of the most expensive items Dawn’s capital city had to offer could be found.

“Drak’s Magical Emporium, the place where all your wondering wizardful whims come true.” Riven, or ‘Travis’ read off with a doubtful expression cast over his shoulder while standing in front of the large 3-story building. “We’ll see about that.”

Fay tugged him inside the large, bustling, upper floor shop with a loud giggle; passing many gawking well-dressed customers that stared at any one of the three abnormally attractive people with mixed emotions. “Come on! You said you’d start a magical tinkering with me! You need to teach me all about totems and runes and how to make them. Even Allie said she’d help with the soul imbuement!”

“Oh don’t do that, you know I’m only barely experienced!” Travis chuckled and motioned to Lahn. “Don’t let her make you think I’m any kind of pro, I’m barely a beginner.”

Grinning and leaning forward to kiss Fay in the doorway, he let the beautiful blonde woman in her silver dress pull him through and followed her into a series of displays that had various different gadgets lined up for sale.

Pushing Lahn inside, Allie followed after them - with the wheels of Lahn’s wheelchair bumping over the doorframe’s bottom ledge. “Doing ok, Lahn? You look down!”

From where he sat in front of her, Lahn’s mind was indeed in darker places than normal. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was… but should he need to say it out loud - it was probably a mixture of a couple things.

Here he was, having one of the best days of his life up until his sudden epiphany. He’d had Allie stand up for him in class - beating Precilla handedly in a restricted duel. He’d gone out on what was almost - at least in his mind - a luncheon date with one of the most if not the absolute most beautiful girl in the entire academy, when she’d picked him over none other than the class stud Braden Rooze. Lahn had then been taken to one of the most expensive restaurants on Academy grounds, of which was abnormal for him because his father and siblings didn’t want to be seen with him in public - yet he’d gotten to meet the king and talk to him on a very personal level. Then Allie had asked him to come along on a double date.

She’d literally called it that.

“Come on Lahn!” Allie had said with the most beautiful smile, teasing him with a jab at his ribcage again while looking down at his crippled form. “My brother and his new ‘Girlfriend’ are going shopping. Let’s make it a double date, you should come with me as I tag along! It’ll be fun! Who needs class anyways, right!?”

He’d been so shocked and so excited to hear her say those words that he’d nearly fallen out of his wheelchair. But now, after rethinking things over, he was sure this was just Allie being nice or trying to get into touch with the rest of his family. There was little to no chance that she, realistically, was interested in someone like him. So Lahn dwelt and internally stewed, wondering if it was his father’s connections or his brother’s inheritance that she was after. He wondered just when this daydream was going to end, how it was going to end, and how harsh the disappointment of losing his only friend would affect him when this window into a happier life collapsed around him.

Surely, to leave Lahn alone once more.

“I’m fine!” Lahn said with a fake smile, but it was the best he could muster given his current state of mind - and he cleared his throat while redirecting attention from himself to a couple of stone engravings on slates to their left - each square in shape and about two by two feet in size. “Those are some good models to use for runecrafting if your brother is interested. They’re beginner’s guides, and there’s even an unholy type! Maybe we should grab it for him?! Hopefully it’s not too expensive…”

For a moment, Allie came around to his side to scrutinize him suspiciously, but she eventually nodded and pushed him forward to where the stone tablets were located. Pushing some of the square stone slabs aside and grabbing the one that Lahn had pointed out. Placing it in his lap, Allie let her fingers trail over his withered left hand with a light touch that made him quiver. “Nice find Lahn. He’ll definitely like it. Now, as we continue to browse… Tell me about this little animal sanctuary you’re working on.”

Lahn blanched, then looked up in shocked surprise while clutching the stone slab in his good hand. “How do you know about the animal sanctuary!? No one knows about that!”

Allie’s mischievous grin quirked at the side of her mouth. “I have my ways.”

“Are you spying on me!?”

“... Perhaps.” Allie chuckled low and wickedly, rubbing her hands together for a show while Lahn caught his breath.

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How had Allie known about his animal sanctuary?

The very first day they’d met, when Lahn had seen her at the pond in the gardens beyond the academy, Lahn had actually been traveling between his sanctuary and the school’s inner grounds. He went once a day with his maid, or even sometimes by himself, bringing a bag of food for the animals he picked up on the lower levels.

Going from pale to a bright pink, Lahn felt his ears grow hot as deep embarrassment set in. “Do I really have to talk about it? I know it’s peasant, feminine work and I don’t like the idea of being made fun of by you too.”

Allie’s expression went from teasing to shocked. “Peasant work? Feminine? Lahn, creating a secret animal sanctuary is one of the cutest, most adorable things I’ve ever heard of! Are you kidding me?! Who on Earth badmouthed you like that for it!?”

Lahn’s brows furrowed, and he gave Allie a curious once-over. “Who on Earth? That’s an odd expression. But it was my brother, Parius Lucio and my father, Lord Nikola Lucio who told me so. I had another animal sanctuary back home, because animals… they’re kind. They’re innocent. Especially dogs, and they made me happy to work with.”

Lahn’s face fell into a soft, contemplative smile, finally losing the hard edge he’d had concerning doubtful thoughts on Allie’s intentions. “I, uhm, go down to the poorer floors of Mandon. The capital’s lower levels are very thick with stray dogs, so I pick up what I can and bring them back to take care of them. I got permission from Zefima, the archmage of the academy, to keep them far out in the gardens in a gated area I made. It was very nice of her… and it makes me happy. Before you came along, I had no friends and the dogs were the only company I had.”

There was a pause as Allie digested this information, and the voice of her brother cut in from behind Lahn as Travis walked around to stand at her side.

“I personally like dogs more than most humans.” Travis said with a nod of approval. “I totally get it. Would you like help taking care of them?”

Allie’s eyes brightened, and she gave Travis a warm smile with a silent ‘thank you’ when Lahn wasn’t looking - continuing to stare at his feet.

But then Lahn’s head snapped up, as if struck, and he stared back at both Travis and Allie with curious surprise. “You want to help me? You want to help take care of stray animals?”

Allie nodded enthusiastically, clasping her hands together in front of her and leaning into Travis with a nudge. “Absolutely! That sounds so fun!”

“But you’re not afraid to be made fun of for doing peasant work?”

“Since when is taking care of sick and homeless animals peasant work?”

Lahn’s face grew doubtful. “It’s always been peasant work. Nobles don’t do that kind of thing.”

“You do.” Allie protested with a humph, folding her arms in front of her.

Lahn’s face fell and he let out a deep chuckle, shaking his head. “I am not what you would call normal, and I’m only barely nobility. I’m sure that if it weren’t for my loving mother, my father would have cast me out into an orphanage to live out my days by myself. I am nothing like the rest.”

Another customer, a plump man sporting a large mustache, a cane, and a top-hat that looked like he’d been dragged out of a Victorian steam-punk magazine, snorted loudly at them while tapping his cane on the floor. His voice was high pitched and nasally, and he had two servant girls far younger than he was carrying books, manuscripts, and various odds or ends that were obviously quite heavy. “You four! You four right there! Move yourselves, so that I may pass through! You are taking up the entire aisle!”

Slowly, Riven and Allie looked over to glare at the man. The aisle was only halfway filled with more than enough room for him to get through, and the two vampires wordlessly shared a look before Riven stepped around to confront the man.

“No, it was easily big enough for you to go around.” Riven stated, stepping up to spread his stance; towering over the man with the cane who took a step back at his approach. “You see where I am now? This is me taking up the entire aisle. Go the fuck around.”

Lahn’s eyebrows raised in surprise. He was very much a non-confrontational, he hated confrontation, and yet Allie had confronted Precilla earlier that day and Travis was confronting this man he didn’t even know in the store like they were made of toughened steel. Both of these siblings truly had guts, because Lahn would have just been cowed and moved without a word.

The man with the mustache sputtered something unintelligible, then picked up his cane and menacingly jabbed it into Travis’s gut. “I dare say! You should know when to respect your-”

Travis whipped his hand forward with a blur so fast that Lahn couldn’t even follow the motion, ripping the cane out of the man’s grasp and snapping it in half before tossing it to the ground before the man with the top-hat could blink.

A few eyes from around the store settled on the scene, silently watching the two men stand off, until the man with the top-hat grew redder in the face and lost his nerve. Shaking with balled up fists, he stormed out of the establishment and into the street - losing himself with his servants amongst the high-class crowds in this section of the market.

After that the mood quickly went back to normal, and the shopkeeper at the front desk let out an audible sigh of relief.

“Travis…” Lahn asked hesitantly when Allie’s brother came back from kicking the pieces of cane out the door. “You’ve seen combat. Haven’t you?”

“What makes you say that?” Travis said curiously, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black combat robe. Then he looked down at his outfit, and chuckled.

“Are you a warrior?” Lahn pressed, even more curious now. “Do you serve in the army?”

“... You could say that.” Travis waved up at Fay who was rummaging through bookshelves on the second level near a balcony railing, and she blew him a kiss while scurrying around trying to collect things that they could use for practicing runecraft. “God she’s so pretty.”

“GAG!” Allie gasped, poking a finger into her throat and making a vomiting noise to the laughter of both Travis and Lahn. “Ooh god you’re gona make me puke!”

From the stairway leading up to the second level, a familiar voice called out to Lahn - one he hadn’t heard in quite a while now but one that he instantly recognized. “Lahn!? Is that you?!”

Turning his wheelchair with the one good arm he had, his heart sank and he felt like he wanted to crawl under a rock. There at the bottom of the stairs stood not one, but two people he knew. One of them he knew very well, and the other he’d only met in passing once when his mother had tried to set him up with a potential lady of the court to wed.

The voice that’d called out to him was none other than Marsia Bortrost, daughter of Lord Armando Bortrost and Lady Niltini Bortrost - the friends of his mother. Marsia had been the young woman who’d come over via carriage to specifically meet him at the bidding of both their parents, only for her to - in private and not so nicely - tell him that she was by no means interested in even pretending to court him.

Marsia, a woman of 19 years of age, was in her prime years to get married to another of the court. She wasn’t spectacular to look at for most people, but she certainly wasn’t ugly; having brown hair and large dimples just like her parents while wearing a bright green dress.

And she stood with a shocked expression right beside Lahn’s older sister, Linela Lucio.

His sister was quite pretty, from what Gleetus often said about her when rubbing in salt to the wounds he brought upon any interaction that asshole could get with Lahn. And honestly Lahn couldn’t disagree. Linela was blonde, unlike Lahn’s own chestnut hair, and she was tall with a thin but very symmetrical frame. She was wearing a similar green dress to match Marsia, and they had three man-servants in suits following them at a few paces behind to carry their luggage.

Linela remained quiet with her dainty hands clasped in front of her lower waist just like Marsia did, but she wore an equally surprised expression to that of Marsia while quietly evaluating both Lahn and the company he held.

“Lahn, is that you!?” Marsia eventually said again, stepping forward with perfect posture - her brunette hair pulled up in a bun while her high heels clicked against the polished floor. “I didn’t realize you’d hired new help!”

Allie and Travis shared a glance, then they both burst into laughter - clearly amused at the obvious probe for information concerning who they were.

“They are not hired help…” Lahn said in an exasperated tone, letting out a deep sigh and already dreading this interaction. “This is Lady Allie Wraithtide and her brother Lord Travis Wraithtide. They’re nobility as well, and Allie attends the academy too. She’s in my classes, that’s how we met.”

“Who’s that?” Allie asked, casually resting a hand on one hip and giving Marsia an unconcerned glare upon seeing Lahn’s cringing reaction to the women’s presence. “Friend of yours?”

“Family friend.” Lahn muttered, then he gestured with his good hand to Linela. “That’s my sister, Linela.”

Linela curtsied, then took the opportunity to join the others while giving ‘Travis’ a once over. “I didn’t realize Lahn kept such good company. Usually he is found mingling with the lower class. Are you attending the academy too? I dare say I would have noticed someone like you if you were walking around. Your features are quite striking.”

Lahn inwardly cringed again at the flirtatious jab oriented towards Travis, as well as the fluttering eyelashes his sister gave Allie’s brother. “He doesn’t attend-”

“I wasn’t speaking to you, Lahn.” Linela quickly cut him off with a scornful glare, then returned a flirtatious smile on Travis again. “Let Lord Wraithtide speak for himself.”

Travis’ eyelids dropped slightly, unamused by the interaction. “As Lahn was about to say, I do not attend the academy.”

“Then what is it you do? Are you running a family estate of some sort? What exactly does your family oversee since the integration began? I assume you’re one of the newly risen nobles, after the political landscape was oh so rearranged given the merging of worlds?” Linela took another step forward, a little close for comfort, to get a better look at him. “You smell wonderful by the way.”

Lahn could almost hear Allie’s cringe to match his own, but it got even worse when Marsia did the same.

“He does smell good!” Marsia exclaimed happily, almost pushing herself past Lahn’s wheelchair in order to get in close. “We saw your interaction with that snob from earlier. You were quite fast! Are you a soldier!? Have you fought in the war?”

“My father, the esteemed Lord Nikola Lucio is on the front lines.” Lahn’s sister Linela exclaimed with a proudly puffed chest - head held high. “He’s an A-ranker. Perhaps you have heard of him?”