Bones spent the following days secluded in the basement, meticulously reviewing reports from twelve years prior when the smithy was first turned into a hideout. These documents mainly comprised years of observations, refining the city map and improving its precision. Only the more recent papers highlighted significant changes, starting with the rise of the resistance. A figure named Albion, claiming to be a leader of this resistance, provided details about the secret factories in the Undercity, where parts were forged and sent to warehouses for assembly and transport. Albion worked in one of these factories, and by sheer luck, his unique rapport with rodents granted him a tamer class, allowing him to command a rat familiar, breach the city walls, and explore beyond.
Through the persistent efforts of a small group of rebels, they dug a tunnel to one of the many enclosed caverns in the Undercity, which extended beneath the entire city and became their sanctuary. Albion did not reveal its exact location or how the resistance was formed. The latest information he shared noted strange noises and lurking dangers in parts of the Undercity, and despite Frank's warnings about the risks, Albion vowed to investigate and find the source. Frank and Albion were scheduled to reconnect in ten days, but Frank's anxiety was evident. If anything happened to Albion, they would lose a crucial source of information and their only link to the Undercity. Worse still, if Albion were captured alive, the Vampire Lord could easily extract information from him, putting them all in grave danger.
On the fourth day since Bones arrived, Frank stopped by, pausing halfway down the stairs.
"You're still here? Come outside, there's something you should see," Frank said without elaborating and turned to leave but paused and reminded Bones not to forget to apply a Camouflage skill. Over the past few days, Bones had settled in and had taken off his mask while staying in the basement.
Bones nodded and watched Frank ascend the stairs. He then slowly put down the report in his hands and made his way toward the stairs, while altering his appearance. Frank waited just outside the basement, then led Bones outside.
A narrow alley in front of the smithy was crowded with people passing and converging on the main street, then proceeding toward the cathedral in the center. The sound of bells rang loudly, reverberating and bouncing from building to building. Bones glanced at Frank, giving him a puzzled look as if to ask what was going on.
"You'll see. Come," Frank remained elusive and motioned for Bones to follow. The two joined the crowd, moving down the main street until Frank stopped at an intersection with a clear view of the cathedral.
"This is close enough," he said, leaning on the building next to him before continuing. "Once a week, on the same day, the bells ring and the masses gather in the main square in front of the cathedral to worship their savior, the lord of the city."
"You mean..." Bones began, hinting at the identity of the lord of the city without uttering the Vampire Lord's name; he knew better than that.
Frank nodded in confirmation. "Exactly as you thought."
Bones scoffed while his gaze remained fixed on the cathedral. The building was grandiose, overly ornate, and resembled a dungeon tower more than a residence. Bones wasn't sure what to think of the Vampire Lord but misleading people, treating them like cattle, and reveling in people's misfortune while they worshiped him in front of his yard...
"Prick..." Bones muttered, causing Frank to look at him with raised eyebrows. For the next few minutes, people continued gathering until the square was full. Those that couldn't fit in the square crowded the streets, and then silence ensued. Bones swiveled his head around, watching people with heads bowed in humility and thought how brainwashed they were. He even felt pity for them until an overwhelming presence washed over the crowd, forcing them to their knees, Frank and Bones included. Bones resisted, but Frank placed his hand on his shoulder and shook his head, signaling him not to fight it.
The pressure lasted a minute, then suddenly vanished. As Bones rose, he looked up and was immediately drawn to a figure on the cathedral balcony. The figure was slim, with a pale face, long black hair, and noble attire wrapped in a collared cloak. Bones stared, mesmerized, until Frank's tap snapped him out of his reverie. "Don't stare," He admonished.
Bones lowered his head and glanced around. No one dared to look up. The people stood still, heads bowed and eyes closed. Alucard didn't give a speech. His presence alone graced the people. At some point, Bones heard people around him muttering something and ending with 'bless the savior,' and then the crowd started dispersing. Bones found the whole thing bizarre and turned to Frank, who gestured they should head back, adding that others were most likely waiting at the smithy.
The meeting place was scheduled precisely at this time because it made moving undetected easier. Frank and Bones headed straight to the basement, where in darkness two figures waited, settled comfortably in chairs.
"Why are you waiting in darkness? Stop being so dramatic," Frank chuckled while lighting the candles. The illusion dissolved, and the two spies came into view.
"It was his idea," a woman in her mid-thirties shifted the blame. "He wanted to gauge the newcomer."
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The man sitting opposite her scoffed, then eyed Bones, who thought it would be important to make a favorable first impression for their operation to continue smoothly.
"I'm Bones, and you must be Jeanie and Mathias. I must say, your mask is impeccable! Your arched eyebrows, crooked nose, and indentation in your cheeks..."
"Bones..." Frank intended to interrupt, but Bones continued.
"How did you manage to make your face appear so... punchable?"
Frank pinched the bridge of his nose, Jeanie giggled, while Mathias fumed.
"We're not wearing disguises..." he spoke through gritted teeth, narrowing his eyes.
Bones hesitated, surprised at the turn the introduction had taken, then shrugged. "Natural disguise, then!"
"I don't like you! No matter how important you're supposed to be!" Mathias snapped, while Jeanie welcomed Frank and Bones, inviting them to join. Mathias was notoriously difficult and anti-social. He was the highest-ranked among the three spies, at level sixty-three, and excelled in infiltration. Thanks to his efforts, the city map was highly detailed. Jeanie was the polar opposite, sociable and adept at gathering intelligence. She had taken over a bakery by assuming the previous owner's identity, just as Frank had done. The current spy was the third to take on the persona of Frank the blacksmith, crafting tools for both building and agriculture.
With this newfound knowledge, Bones had a clearer understanding of his new companions, though it wasn’t much. All three spies hailed from Wolford, worked for town hall, and had no activated werewolf bloodline—a prerequisite for becoming a spy. They were all eager to return home. Jeanie mentioned the constant vigilance against the Vampire Lord’s brides was nerve-wracking, explaining that vampires often patrolled the city from the air. Unlike Bones, who had no lifeforce, the three spies had to take supplements that weakened their bodies and damaged their lifeforce to avoid detection.
After introductions, the conversation shifted, and the atmosphere intensified. While the three spies exchanged information, Bones stood aside, listening and trying to piece together the intel. Mathias had been scouring the sewers, searching for a way into the old system mentioned by Albion but found no clues. Jeanie reported that citizens frequenting her bakery had heard and seen soldiers breaking into homes and kidnapping people in the middle of the night. The kidnap victims were healthy adults, regardless of gender, between thirty and forty years old. The frequency of these abductions had increased and now occurred nightly.
The mood darkened as they realized there was little they could do at the moment. Their plan depended on the news Albion would bring in a week. The contingency plan, if Albion didn’t show, was to create a distraction large enough to draw the guards in the western district, allowing the team to split and infiltrate the manors to find the entrance to the Undercity. If the intel was wrong and there was no entrance, the spies would head to the tunnels beneath the well and escape by any means necessary. If even the distraction failed, they would immediately retreat to the well to avoid capture and mission failure.
Bones listened, though he had nothing to add, and wondered what would happen to the citizens if they left after causing a commotion. The vampires would react, not just the guards—perhaps even a Vampire Lord. With the spies gone, the citizens would bear the brunt of the aftermath.
Bones had always struggled with empathy, even before becoming undead, but these people lived in ignorance of the outside world, and the thought of abandoning them under the threat of an ascendant didn’t sit well with him.
"What are we going to do until we hear from Albion?" He asked.
The three exchanged glances and Mathias replied they intended to stay here and make preparations, regardless of Albion arrival. Jeanie already covered her absence, leaving the bakery to her employee and Mathias never worked to begin with, his whole ordeal was to avoid people and avoid being seen. Frank planned to continue working as usual as he didn't have apprentices or employees in the smithy.
In the following days, the group exchanged details about their skills, attributes, and capabilities. The focus was primarily on Bones, being the newest member, while the others were already familiar with each other's abilities. Jeanie and Mathias had mixed reactions when Bones disclosed he was undead. Jeanie was pleasantly surprised, as she never imagined she would work alongside someone from the undead faction. Mathias, on the other hand, concealed his feelings behind a stoic expression. Everyone had a history or secrets they preferred to keep private, and Bones didn't mind as long as any prejudice Mathias might harbor against him didn't affect their mission.
Bones outlined the abilities of his two classes and professions without going into great detail. Upon learning about his skill in key making and the incomplete skeleton key in his possession, both spies felt reassured and better understood why Bones was assigned the mission despite his low level.
"Haah, to think you're immune to both poisons and bleeding. No wonder Frank emphasized this could be our last mission!" Mathias's glare softened, and he looked at Bones approvingly. "There are sections in the sewer system with toxic fumes, and undoubtedly more in the old sewers and the Undercity! Where we can't go, you can! I wonder if Gauss anticipated all of us working together…" Mathias's words resonated with the others, and they too believed Gauss had the foresight to foresee their collaboration.
The rest of the week passed quickly, with Bones dedicating a significant amount of time to his golem engravings. Finally, his engraving profession leveled up, reaching level fifteen, which granted him a free attribute point that he immediately allocated to INT without hesitation. He also spent time trying to sense the chaos mana within him. Previously, he had only managed to harness chaos mana unconsciously on rare occasions. Now, with more time since the Nether World and his new tier in chaos affinity, he attempted to control it deliberately. However, time ran out.
A week elapsed, and Mathias left the basement to meet with Albion's familiar and receive a message. Hours later, he returned, not with a message but with a tall, slim figure with disheveled dark hair, sunken eyes, cracked lips, and an arm missing from the elbow down.
"Albion?" Frank was the first to recognize the figure, though the last time they met, the resistance leader had a much healthier complexion despite his efforts to keep his identity concealed with a hood.
"Things have taken a turn for the worse; I had no choice but to come myself." Albion's face tightened as he scanned the room, his eyes lingering on Bones.
"This is…?"