Chapter 19: Solana's Mission
That evening, it was time to bring Garfield’s experiment to the next step. “Hannah, Solana, come with me.”
“Okay!”
The three descended the steps to the cellar. As Garfield opened the final door, Hannah and Solana made eye contact with the vampires Garfield kept hidden away during the daytime. They stared, and stared… and stared. Eventually, Hannah broke the silence.
“What are they?”
“Vampires. The first was sired by one of my summoned creatures.”
“Master, are they also vampires in your service?” the second-generation vampire asked.
“No, they just live here.”
Hannah and Solana both puffed up their cheeks and then hugged Garfield innocently from each side.
“Master, I’m eager to be of service, but those of us recently turned require blood.”
“Hm, true. Hannah, Solana, how about you two? How’s your need for blood?”
“We won’t need any for a while unless we want to gain more abilities,” Hannah answered.
“Hm? Are you speaking for Solana as well?”
“Yes, I can tell.” Impressed by Hannah’s ability to monitor Solana, Garfield turned to the other vampires.
“Okay, let’s get this out of the way. I don’t feel like memorizing nine new names, so I’m going to refer to you, in the order you were turned, by number. You’re a second-generation vampire so you’re number two.”
The vampire nodded in response.
“The rest are three through ten. Mr. Three, you don’t need blood either, right?” At Garfield’s question, the third-generation vampire nodded. “All right, I have an idea. Who was that fanatic that sent you all on the mission to kill me?”
“Comrade Pavlov.”
“Pavlov? Is he, uh, famous for performing experiments on his pets?”
“I-I hope you will forgive my failure, but I do not know.”
“Never mind. How difficult would it be for you two to bring him here without getting discovered?”
“Master, the night is young and we know the way. Please allow us just a few short hours.”
“That’s pretty quick. Still, I don’t feel like waiting. Lock him up down here, and then extract whatever information you can about exactly why he sent you all against me. Don’t harm him or do anything irreversible for now. I’m going to bed.”
“At once!” The two vampires disappeared into their own shadows.
“Solana and I could use our control ability to hypnotize him into talking.”
“Yes,” Garfield acknowledged. “I have many means at my disposal as well. Regardless, I want to see what these fledgling vampires can do.”
“Oh, okay.”
“What methods do you have?” Solana asked.
“I have over 100 spells available for seizing control of an enemy, actually. Many more if you include indirect effects and the like.”
“What!? Why haven’t we seen you using any of them?”
“I don’t like them. Outside of some very specific situations, I think it’s horribly wrong to force someone to do something or rewrite their mind.”
This time, Hannah asked, “Is that why you’re so strict about us not normally using our control ability?”
“Yes, mostly. Also, I don’t think using that ability is good for your mental health. Controlling others will likely distort your mind in a way I don’t care for. That applies to me as well.”
“I see…”
“Master, should we not use similar abilities to interrogate Comrade Pavlov?”
Garfield turned to Mr. Four. “In this case, I’ll allow it. He sent you all to assassinate me and… my bears. Although the method is dubious, if we don’t use it, we risk further attacks.”
“Understood.”
Garfield swallowed and then groaned at the scratchy sensation as he left the room.
--
The next morning, Garfield wasn’t feeling so good. It was his first time feeling sick since arriving in this world. Assistant Duke called for Bretten’s equivalent of a doctor. Garfield decided not to intervene with magic unless his life was truly in danger. He wasn’t even sure how effective his magic would be if he didn’t fully understand the sickness.
“Duke, your symptoms seem pretty mild, overall. I think you’ll be mostly recovered after a day or two.”
“That’s good news but… I really wish there was acetaminophen here…”
“That is?”
“…A medicinal remedy from my childhood.”
“Ah. Is there anything you want me to do?”
“No, thank you.” Garfield was left alone with just Hannah and Solana. “Well I don’t think I have to worry about giving an illness to either of you…”
They both sat with him as he lay there, worry evident on their faces. “Oh, that matter in the cellar won’t wait for me to get better. Can one of you check on it and report back?”
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“Okay.” Hannah teleported away. She returned about thirty seconds later to the same spot. “They brought the Pavlov guy back and questioned him. He seems to just be crazy. They’re sure he was acting alone.”
“I see. That’s good enough, then. Tell them the blood is for Four through Ten. Don’t stick around yourself.”
“Okay.” As Hannah disappeared again, Garfield breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t need to worry about acquiring blood for his vampires for a while. He coughed and rolled on to his side.
--
Word that Garfield was ill had spread to several places including the royal palace. In this world, getting sick was a bigger deal than where Garfield was originally from. Even so, healthy adults would usually recover in time. Normally, people would not visit you for fear of contracting the illness themselves.
“Duke, I’m sorry to bother you, but there’s a visitor at the front door.”
Garfield groaned and then turned to face the butler. “Who is it?”
“It’s a girl with a hood pulled over her head. It may just be a coincidence, but she looks exactly like the first princess.”
“Ugh. Show her in, I guess.”
--
“Duke, how bad is your illness?”
“Bad enough that you should stay over there where you are. I’ll probably get better in a day or two, though.”
“Oh, that much is good news then.”
“Is the palace uh, in a tizzy right now about a missing princess?”
“Perhaps. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“I don’t mean to kick you out, but shouldn’t you go back before you worry them too much?” Garfield asked.
“I’ll go back soon. When I heard you were sick, I was worried. Not just that your health might degrade, but also that I’d lose the chance to ask you about something.”
Normally, Garfield would respond with a quip of some kind, but he was too wiped out. He noticed the princess looking around the room. “Hannah and Solana stepped out, I guess.”
“Okay. Duke, before you came to our nation, where were you?”
--
Ms. Solana, you have received a message from the Fighter’s Guild.
“For me!?” Solana snatched away the envelope and quickly opened it.
“What’s it say?” Hannah asked her.
“They’re inviting me in to discuss a potential mission. It says you two are invited as well, but you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
“You should ask Garfield about it.”
“Normally I would,” Solana claimed. “But I don’t want to bother him while he’s still sick. He did agree with me registering, so I should go hear them out.”
“I can come with you Solana.”
“Shouldn’t you stay with him while he’s sick?”
“Yes…”
“If there’s any problem, I can teleport right back!”
“Okay.”
--
“Ah, Ms. Solana, right this way!” A clerk brought her to the familiar office.
“Is it just you today?” the Fightmaster asked.
“Yes. Garfield is a little sick so he’s resting in bed. Hannah is with him.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that. Still, thank you for responding to my request. Our guild has been contracted and we need to decide who will accept the mission. Are you interested?”
“Yes. I had a lot of fun when we went to deal with those pirates, so it’s the least I can do.”
“Fun!? My word! Your party’s success is exactly the reason why I turned to you. This next mission could be dangerous…”
--
“Why do you ask?”
“I overheard you talking about the magic of ‘this world’. Kay confirmed you told her all about it. I want to know too!”
“It’s probably not quite what you’re thinking but… It’s risky for me to tell more people. As Kay proved, the more people that know, the more likely the information will slip, even by accident. Should I really tell you and also burden you with it?”
“Yes! I know you’re taking a risk but, I’m a summoner! Anything related to bringing things to this world is interesting to me.”
“When it comes to summoning, you’re a lot like Kay.”
“Perhaps…”
“Okay, but you promise to not even tell your father?”
“Yes.”
--
A strange-looking woman wearing an unusual helmet and hard body-armor marched into the Elf Village like she owned the place. When challenged by a guard, she presented paperwork from the Fighter’s Guild and she was escorted to the head warrior of the village.
“Welcome to the village of the elves. Did you come alone?” The strange woman nodded. The elf looked her up and down, assessing her unusual armor. “We don’t normally hire people from outside the village, but we’re in a bit of a bind. Did you hear about the recent battle between the orcs and the elves?”
“Yes,” the woman responded in a muffled voice. “You fought them off.”
“We did, but we lost quite a few good warriors. The biggest problem is that we lost our specialists in scouting. It’s going to take a while to train up new scouts for missions outside the forest. We were hoping to hire capable fighters or adventurers to scout the current status of the orcs for us.”
“Only scout them? No attacking?”
“Correct. Even after they took so many losses, attacking them on their own land would be reckless beyond belief. We simply need to know what they’re doing right now and how their numbers and supplies look. Are you sure you’re up for the task by yourself?”
She nodded.
“This paperwork says your name is… Deathbow? A pseudonym, hm? Well, no matter. We’ll place our trust in our ally, Fenwick. Is there anything you need before you begin? Anything at all?”
“Nothing.”
--
“War Chief, danger approaches.”
“Oh? What is it this time?”
“I’m uncertain.”
“That’s unlike you, Gulm. How do we prepare for ‘danger’?”
“Let’s flee to the northwest.”
“Flee our ANCESTRAL HOMELAND!?” The nearby guards flinched at Corgak’s powerful outburst, as always.
“Yes. I see a future for us in that direction.”
“Do you see my fist in your future?”
Gulm did not respond. Corgak calmed down a bit.
“If you want to flee so badly, do it yourself. The rest of us will defend our home… our wives… our children. If you had any, you’d understand.”
“Very well…” Gulm took the War Chief up on his offer and fled northwest by himself. The orcs would surely miss his prophetic abilities but there was nothing to be done about it.
--
“Intruder from the west!” The orc guards passed along the warning further into the main village.
“Why didn’t we receive any messages!?”
“It’s just one person!”
“Their armor is strange!”
“It’s… a woman? Yeah! Check out that body! Dibs!”
“Fool! That’s up to the War Chief!”
The approaching figure strolled up to the first set of guards and spoke in a muffled but clearly female voice. “Your friends to the west never saw me so they had nothing to report.”
“You!” The orc who expressed interest in the female arrival a moment ago broke formation and charged at her, ax in hand. As he neared, he swung it in a horizontal arc, blade pointed at the side of the enemy’s waist.
The armored woman caught the incoming edge with the fingers on one hand. “First you call dibs, then you try to cut me in half. You’re weird.” She pulled the ax out of his hands and swung it back around so that the handle smashed into the orc’s head. He flipped away, most likely unconscious. She released the ax blade from her grip and it fell to the ground.
“I’m not here to kill you all, just to scout.” She resumed her stroll into the village. Several orcs slowly backed away while pointing their various melee weapons in her direction.
“Witch! What are you!?”
“Deathbow.”
“Deathbow? We’ll sing songs of your death today!” A second orc charged at her. He raised his ax and brought it down at her neck and shoulder. Just before contact, she disappeared and reappeared behind the orc. The back of her hand smacked into the side of his head, sending him tumbling away.
“You can sing about whatever you want.” She resumed her unhurried approach to the city. More orcs came running, and a few were sent flying in a similar manner.
“I’ll deal with her!” the War Chief shouted, approaching alongside a group of a dozen orcs. The other orcs shouted in solidarity.
“You’re the boss?” she asked.
“That’s right. As the War Chief, it’s my duty to deal with you myself.”
“I’m not here to fight. I’m just scouting your village. You should keep away.”
“Scouting!? What IDIOT scouts a village by walking into it!? You expect me to BELIEVE you!?” The air resonated each time Corgak accentuated a word.
“I don’t care if you believe me. You all may have killed my parents, but I’m very happy now, thanks to you, and I don’t hold a grudge. You should stay back.”
“What FOOLISHNESS. I will fight you and you will die. En garde!” Corgak sprinted at Solana, decorated war ax in hand. Out of respect for him being the enemy leader, she decided to fight him seriously.
Corgak jumped to attack Solana while he descended. Before she entered his range, she pulled a shotgun out of nowhere, aimed it at his head, and pulled the trigger. She teleported nearby, and the headless corpse landed where she had just been standing.
“I’m going to continue scouting.” She resumed her stroll while dozens of orcs stood by speechless and dumbfounded.