Four days, Aldrin scoured the city during the day and night, doing his best to map out potential places to attack, of which the number one priority was the Research District. If he could get the Undead to focus on that area of the city, he hoped he could spare as many lives as possible versus the wanton slaughter fest of the entire city. With the help of Pierre, when he could lend a hand, he found three probable places that would hamper whatever experiments the Research District was conducting.
One was a laboratory that specializes in progressing Health Potions using regenerative properties of a Troll and Vampire. They deemed it too unstable for public testing for now, but once the Research District, specifically Tanyth, had a breakthrough, it would rocket the Potion to the top of the testing lists. However, it made Aldrin wince at the thought because of how that Potion could be the difference between life or death during battles.
The second location turned out to be a store that acted as an entry point for the Slavers to sneak in and out of the city without anyone knowing. This didn’t stop Aldrin from trying to discern how many Slavers trickled in from the dead of night and deposited their “goods” in the store for the Apprentice Alchemists to pick them up. The apprentices seemed subdued, like their elders had threatened or beaten them into submission. Aldrin wouldn’t put it past them, remembering how Tanyth was towards his own apprentice.
Lastly, the third happened to be all the Research District and from what Pierre said when he finally gained entry there was that everyone seemed to be autonomous, like they were being mind controlled somehow. That little tidbit is what kept Aldrin from passing any of this information to Hyde the Ghost. He knew from whatever connection he shared with the Undead, the Zombies in particular that lay dormant beneath the earth, beyond the walls of Lor-Vold, lurked the army that continued to grow. He wasn’t sure how many there were, but he felt the pulse start to overpower the one that led to the library of the Research District.
“I’m having second thoughts about this,” Pierre said one night, dropping into their signature corner booth after a day full of mixing and brewing Potions.
“This city will be wiped. It’s not as protected as it should be if it’s considered the World’s Potion dispensary hub. It doesn’t make any sense.” Aldrin drank another swig of Dwarven Killer.
“Well the Queen that is supposed to lead people is corrupt, so there’s that and it’s probably just a misdirection?” Pierre shrugged.
“How so?”
“Would the Queen really keep this place undefended?”
“From my scout missions at night, yes.”
“We are missing something, something that would make this place deliberately unguarded.”
“You still haven’t been able to find anything?”
Pierre frowned before answering. “No, which also makes it weird. I haven’t seen any Master or Grandmaster Alchemist either. It's been a week and all I have seen are Apprentice Alchemist wandering around the grounds.”
“And the library is fake.”
That drew Aldrin’s attention, “Fake?”
“The books that lined the shelves are all blank.”
“What about the labs and factories around here?”
“Those are manned, but like I said, it's all apprentices running the show, making enough potions to keep the facade going, or at least the ones I’ve been in.”
“Where are the other Alchemist then?” Aldrin pondered.
“And what are the Queen and her court up to?” he whispered to himself.
Seated away from prying eyes and ears as the patrons of the sleepy inn were still hungover from the two nights of partying. Aldrin was jealous that they weren’t burdened with the knowledge of impending doom. A doom that would come swiftly at night. The door to the inn swung open, breaking him from his train of thought, making all heads whip to see who it was.
“Jared! Welcome back my friend!” Thakheam bellowed, pouring one for the weary traveler, beckoning him over to the bar.
Aldrin and Pierre sidled up next to him, watching him chug down the full tankard.
“Found your sister.”
Gulp.
“Real hardass, like you said.”
Gulp.
“She’s on her way though.”
Gulp.
“Told her you might be captured by the creepy Alchemist,” Jared burped and wiped his mouth, giving Aldrin his best award winning smile.
“YOU DID WHAT?!” Aldrin screamed.
“Okay. I know it sounds bad, but she was dead set on solving the murders of a traveling Adventurer group, the bandit camp destruction, and Saloth’s appearance, who also chased me to the forest’s edge,” He listed.
“Oh! And looking for you to add on top of all that!”
“Look, I’m tired and I’m at my wit’s end, so if you both would excuse me,” He pushed off the bar and staggered up the stairs.
Aldrin and Pierre watched him go, then at each other before Pierre went after his friend. Now left at the bar by himself, Aldrin ran his fingers back and forth through his curly dark brown hair, his stress exponentially growing by the second. Leaving the inn, he stepped outside, feeling the vitalizing night air embrace him like a lover would.
A few of the tables outside were occupied by the silver haired and glossy pale skinned Moon Elves that enjoyed their nightly moon bathing. Recognizing Aldrin, they dipped their heads in greeting before resuming their hushed conversations amongst themselves. Starting his nightly walk to the Production District he paid no mind to the few that still roamed the streets still.
He took his usual route through the city, eyeing each building with suspicion until finally hiding in the shadows cast from one of them. He stared at a storefront across the street from him called Hexes and Jinxes. It was rustic, sitting against the towering walls of the city, an oddity among the brick and concrete factories that sat on both sides of it. However, as Aldrin came to find out, the Apprentice Alchemist came here for their cauldron enchantments; but at night this was the Slavers way in.
He had been watching this building after tailing two hooded robed figures two nights ago during his night of flying. They discreetly left the Research District right when the streets were considered empty, except for a few who were pulling a late night. Curious and ever watchful, he followed them here, to Hexes and Jinxes after its hours of operation. One of them had a key, which they let themselves in and stayed in there for what Aldrin considered being an hour and a half.
When they finally emerged, they came with seven prisoners with the same black silk sack covering their heads. They stumbled after their captors as one of the robed figures led from the front, while the other kept up the back, leading the prisoners like cattle back to the Research District gates. Later that same night, the pulse and tug that came from the District slightly grew. After that, he had been coming back here, waiting for the next drop off, determined to get answers.
His plan tonight was to wait for the shopkeeper, who was a short cropped blonde-haired, scrawny Human from the looks of him, close up shop and leave. It went according to plan, seeing the shopkeeper walk outside to lock the door. Using Shapechange, he let his fog form crawl towards the Human. He was unable to reform in time, allowing for the shopkeeper to see him materialize from the fog, making his eyes go wide with fear.
Name: Unknown Race: Human Level 33
Class: Initiate Merchant Level 20 (Tier 2)
Profession: Enchanter Level 13
“Don’t scream. I only want answers and then you’ll forget me,” Aldrin said, for the first time using Charming Gaze.
Do you wish to charm the target with a 34% chance of success?
Yes or No
Aldrin selected yes.
Failure!
The target has resisted!
“Ah, shit,” Aldrin’s shoulders tensed.
Sucking in air, the shopkeeper screamed, forcing Aldrin to dash in, pinning the shopkeeper against the door and covering his mouth..
“Quiet!” he hissed, showing his fangs. The intended action had the opposite effect as the shopkeeper fainted. Now limp in his arms, Aldrin heard the pounding metal feet of the High Guards headed this way. Gently setting the shopkeeper against the door, Aldrin picked up the keys that were dropped, unlocked the door, and dragged the unconscious shopkeeper in with him.
Inside the now dark building, it was more of a lounge than what he was expecting. Plush dark green velvet couches sat along the wood panel walls for people to sit and wait, a long chiseled stone countertop sectioned off the area where Aldrin assumed the cauldron enchanting would take place, and draping plum colored tapestry hung behind the couches. It was homey, but also polished to adhere to a certain clientele.
No time to really admire the interior, Aldrin heaved the shopkeeper onto his shoulder, the Strength granted to him making it an easy effort. Lifting up the part of the counter that allowed entrance to the back of the shop, he ducked down beneath to hide and placed the shopkeeper down. Closing his eyes to listen, the High Guards were almost here.
“Came from this way!” A gravelly booming voice yelled.
Soon, two sets of boots came to a stop in front of the shop. “Do you think it's part of the kidnappings?” another voice chimed in; it was throaty and out of breath.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“Normally, I wouldn’t care, but they took one of our own so now it’s personal. Come on.”
They ran off, their metal boots clanking as they went. Aldrin breathed a sigh of relief, but that was soon disrupted as the shopkeeper stirred. Looking around for something that would keep the man from screaming, he rushed to the back of the shop that was cluttered with diagrams and broken cauldrons.
The front door to the shop opened, followed by shuffling feet. Aldrin froze, taking a small inhale to catch a scent. Nothing returned except of freshly baked bread that stemmed from the shopkeeper, making him frown. Slowly, he crept towards the front of the shop. Peering out, he saw the two robed figures from two nights ago standing stock still,still, staring at the shocked Human that awoke mere seconds ago.
Fear danced in the eyes again as he held his hands in front of him, forgetting all about his ordeal from before. “Wait-”
One of them threw a knife that embedded into the chest of the Human. He had enough time to look at the knife in shock before collapsing, crashing against the wood panel behind him. The one that threw the knife climbed over the stone counter to retrieve it. They were silent, each movement was only accompanied by the swish of their robes when they moved. They didn’t talk nor think twice about the body when they walked past it.
They felt along the back wall before coming to a stop at a small indention that you wouldn’t be able to see if you were looking straight at it. They pushed it, opening up a dim underground passage. Aldrin waited before following them down the passage. It was angled downward, small, and cramped, leaving no room to turn around. He reached the bottom, opening it up to a maze of cavern paths, each illuminated by magical blue flame lanterns hoisted on the wall at perfect intervals.
Rattling chains greeted his ears from the left cavern passage, but also the tug and pull signaled the center. That worried him the most because it meant that the Undead were probably scouting for their own way in to take the city by surprise. The image of all manner of Zombies bursting forth from the shop sent shivers down his spine. If not contained, it would quickly become a survival game to get out of the city; or at least it would be for the living.
He followed the rattling chains, positive that his prey also went down the path. He drew his steel longsword, the vampiric side of him welcoming the carnage that was about to ensue. Careful to not make any noise as he approached, the two robed figures stood over their quarry, eyeing them with contempt and silence. Aldrin looked around for any signs of Slavers before he moved.
“Time to be a hero,” Aldrin psyched himself up.
Stepping out into the open from around the bend, “Release them.” he ordered, causing the two robed figures to slowly turn around.
The precise movement of their actions unnerved Aldrin. He was expecting something witty in return, but was met with eerie silence instead. The robed figures stood at equal height and dimensions, making Aldrin wonder if they were twins of some sort. His question was answered soon enough as they disrobed, revealing themselves to be made of shiny porcelain. They were devoid of a face, any identifiable marks, and moved with jerky steps.
Name: Drone Homunculus Race: Homunculi Level: 20
Lore: The first step into making an artificial being, the drones are capable of simple instructions but lack the ability to think and require an active Puppeteer.
“FINALLY! I can let off some steam!” Aldrin celebrated. Grinning to himself, he rushed in, happy to engage in a fight after a period of stagnation and espionage.
Both of them unsheathed a porcelain white dagger as they rushed in to dismember Aldrin. They met in the middle, Aldrin easily deflecting their strikes. The excitement soon turned to disappointment once he realized the Homunculi weren’t going to be a challenge. One of them lunged for Aldrin’s thigh while the other lunged for his head. He narrowed his eyes at the slow movements of the two.
Quickly moving his sword to meet the dagger headed for his thigh, he used his free hand to catch the other by its wrist. The Drone he had caught struggled to break free before cocking its smooth head to the side to stare. Confused by the sudden motion, he had no time to think as the other raced to tackle him, forgoing its dagger altogether.
Quickly moving his sword to meet the dagger headed for his thigh, he used his free hand to catch the other by its wrist. The Drone he had caught struggled to break free before cocking its smooth head to the side to stare. Confused by the sudden motion, he had no time to think as the other raced to tackle him, forgoing its dagger altogether. Aldrin rooted himself in place, bracing for the impact while still holding onto the struggling one. The Drone knocked into him, forcing him to take a step back.
“This is like play fighting with children,” He deadpanned, disappointment lacing his whole demeanor. The one he held by the wrist jumped, placing both feet on his chest with little force as it wrestled with Aldrin’s vice grip.
“Oh hell,” Aldrin rolled his eyes.
He crumpled and shattered the wrist of the one he held before grabbing the other one that tugged at his waist by the head. Lifting it off of him,him, he stared at it, wondering if the Puppeteer could see him through their minions. He squeezed the porcelain drone’s head, inflicting spiderweb cracks before he completely obliterated it, leaving one last drone that attempted to shank Aldrin with its dagger it picked up.
The blade bit into his stomach, causing him some discomfort. The Drone left it there and punched Aldrin with its one remaining good hand. It felt like he was being punched with a pillow, to say the least. He pushed it away, making it fly back into the cavern wall, sending an echoing thud when it flopped down. Walking over to it, he observed it for any surprised movements.
With no sudden movements, he crushed its head as well, “There. No surprises.” He dusted his hands.
Congratulations!
You have been awarded: 420 EXP!
Vampire Progenitor Level 15: 919 out of 3,000 needed
Night Reaver Level 15: 919 out of 3,000 needed
Lore Seeker Level 25: 4547.1 out of 5,000 needed
Turning to face the chained prisoners, counting six, he led them out to the main cavern, slowly but steadily. He made sure to grab the key to unlock their magical handcuffs off of one of the Homunculus’ robes. Going back and forth about removing the sacks over their heads, a part of him wondered if they would blab to anyone given what they went through probably. He already put himself in unnecessary danger once he demolished the drones back there. Who knows who was on the other end or if they could see him?
Questions for another time and place, Aldrin felt something skitter towards them from the cavern of the potential Undead. Closing his eyes, he focused on whatever rushed in their direction. What he thought was something small drastically changed into the size of a car. Snapping his eyes open, he looked back at the prisoners, seeing the subtle shaking wreck through their bodies.
None of them seemed to be fancily dressed like the first group he saw, but they were, instead, in tattered clothing. He guessed that these had been picked up off the street either forcefully or were offered something they couldn’t refuse at the time. Now, in hindsight, they likely came to regret that choice.
Slavery wasn’t uncommon in the Queendom. It was more based on the area you were in, but the Queen had promised efforts to stomp it out, or so he thought. He didn’t even want to begin thinking about the mental psyche of the Queen that let her people be enslaved and experimented on forcefully.
Soon the car sized monstrosity presented itself when it came around the corner. The top half was a pale bloated corpse that had eyes running down its torso, while the lower half of it all was a centipede. While he was used to seeing bloated corpses in the form of Zombies; he was not used to seeing the rotten carapace of the bottom half. Its many black appendages reminded him of old locomotive pistons on the wheels as they moved up and down in rhythm. The Human primal urge in him screamed to run as it scuttled in a zig-zag line towards him. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t outpace the monster, as it finally came to a stop in front of him.
Name: Death Gorger
Race: Zombie Level: 41
Lore: Regarded as a pest, Death Gorgers are underground nocturnal creatures that eat the corpses of those that have yet to turn. They can often be seen budding heads with other Races that live underground. It is also a rarity for them to get this big, as they are prone to be hunted down with extreme prejudice
Its many soulless eyes wandered over the entire group, searching for something until all of its eyes landed on Aldrin. Its top half leaned forward, adjusting for a better angle.
“Midnight Lord brings offerings for the horde? We hunger,” It brokenly spoke into Aldrin’s mind.
“No, not them, although I do have another offer,” Aldrin replied.
“Speak. The horde will listen,” It scuttled into a curling position, towering above Aldrin still.
“A group of slavers use that tunnel,” he pointed to the left, “you can eat those to grow your numbers.”
“Anything that has a black sack over their head is off limits, but the rest are all yours. Do we have a deal?” Aldrin stood tall.
The Death Gorger’s many eyes blinked one by one, “The horde grows.” it conceded.
Quest Update:
Rouse the Horde!
As a member of the Undead Race, and a powerful one at that, this Zombie Horde wishes for your aid in freeing their kin.
Reward: 2,000 EXP and 3 Skill Points
Secret Objective I Completed: You have killed two birds with one stone! By rooting out part of the city’s corruption with its deals with slavers and by unearthing their secret tunnel, you have given fresh bodies to further bolster their ranks!
Reward: 200 Bonus EXP
“Interesting,” Aldrin mused to himself, reminding him to go back over his other Quest when he had the time to do so.
“Do you think the horde could expand these caverns to beneath the place they are keeping the other Zombies?”
All of its eyes veered around the cavern, scrutinizing every inch with efficiency. It made Aldrin’s sense of danger tick up more by seeing the Undead in a new light.
“We shall,” it said, before unwrapping itself and scuttling back around the corner.
Unsure of whether he made the right choices, he led the prisoners back the way he came from. He had to move the body of the former shopkeeper out of the way so that none would trip over his feet. Thinking of how to release the prisoners without exactly being seen is the part that stumped him. He could give them the key, but they also may have been beaten for moving which would get him nowhere either.
Thinking back to the time he was able to reform the upper half of his body in Shapechange with the bats, he wondered if he could do the same with his fog form. Deciding to test it out, he failed the first time because he let himself be too light allowing the key to fall to the floor. He reformed so he could pick it and placed it in his hand again. The second time he thought of himself being more solid, which worked, but instead of the wispy smoke, he usually saw himself as he still saw bits of his skin.
The third time he found more success, he envisioned himself being swathed in his black fog but still solid enough to have shape and density. He felt himself constantly trying to sink or float into the air while trying to reform his body all at once. It skewed with his sense of balance, making him stumble forwards in order to stop himself from falling.
Smiling to himself for discovering a new aspect of his Vampire abilities, he then peered out of the shop window for anyone on the street. Seeing that it was empty, he rushed back for the prisoners, leading them out of the shop and away from any danger. Finally feeling a suitable distance away, he assumed his new Shapechange fog form.
He removed the black silky sack revealing the face of a blind old man, white hair stuck to his head struggling to grow back at the top, his white beard was scraggly with patches of hair missing in some areas. His olive skin was wrinkly and clung to his slightly hunched form. Once powerful hands were now nothing but brittle bone, and his clothes were browned and dirty from sweat.
“Are we there yet?” He frowned, adding more wrinkles to his forehead.
“If I don’t get my promised youth back I’m throwing shit on you like I promised.” He attempted to stand taller in defiance.
“You want to be here?” Aldrin asked in disbelief.
“They promised me I could see again and have my youth back,” He smiled, showing a few missing teeth.
Aldrin yanked off the next one that turned out to be a teenager of no older than fifteen. He was thin, incredibly malnourished from his sunken face, deep blue eyes held the look of lifetimes in them, thin dusty blonde hair was matted down in need of a good wash, and sad of all, he looked like he was used to this. He didn’t jump back in fright when he saw Aldrin’s form either.
“Why’d they take you?” Aldrin asked the boy. His voice was raspy and he couldn’t go above a whisper.
“My family sold me. Needed the money more than me.” The boy replied in a monotone voice.
Aldrin unlocked his magical cuffs first, making the boy’s eyes go wide. “Free the others and get out of the city in the morning. Do not look back.” He dropped the key into the boy’s palm along with two Silver coins for each, making the boy’s eyes grow even wider.
“Cheat them and I will know,” Aldrin said before fully shifting into fog and dispersing into the air. Reforming on a nearby rooftop with a clear outlook, he watched the boy unlock the rest.
Twin Wood Elves with dark green hair and deep brown eyes took their share of their coins and rain off before even saying where. Aldrin had noticed that their eyes had briefly passed over him before leaving. There was also a young woman with short purple hair who decided to stick nearby, her light blue eyes darting in every direction as if she was waiting for something bad to jump out.
The last one to be freed and given the coins was a seedy-looking man with slick black hair that Aldrin probably should have not allowed out of those cuffs. He rubbed his wrist and hands together, looking around at all the buildings he could see from the walkway they stood on. Giving a short wave to the remaining group, he ran off, jumping in the air once to click his heels together.
Aldrin felt a little better now that he had freed them and set them on their way with a little money, but deep down in his gut he knew it was only a matter of time before Lor-Vold was brought to its knees. He worried about the Undead getting stronger AND smarter by the day as they demonstrated with the Death Gorger. Worry coursed through him, thinking if set loose only on the intended target, would they stay or would it become another Vaultstrand?