Aurora

I breathed in the fresh air from the top of my tower. I provided a decent view of the area. Mostly forest of course but it was still nice to look at something other than stone walls. I glanced to the north with some irritation. I had expected them to survive the attack I sent. It still would have been nice to have ended them then and there.

“Frederick.” I waited by looking at the stars. Something about them gnawed at me. Part of me wanted to block them out.

After a minute, a shadow formed behind me, kneeling. “You called, my queen?”

“That’s correct. You’re the only one I can be sure about.”

“What do you mean?”

I turned and kneeled in front of him. I grabbed the sides of his face. “Losa died, even though he was completely healed. You were the only one outside of the dungeon at the time. You are all designed to be loyal to the dungeon. Not me. Thus, I know someone inside my dungeon killed Losa.” I bent forward and locked my lips with his even going so far as to insert my tongue. My mana flowed between us carried by my blood. He didn’t resist and accepted the mana along with the liquid. I was glad that was the case. Otherwise, I would have had to switch it to a bit more lethal spell.

Separating, I licked my lips. Frederick’s eyes glowed before returning to normal. “Of course, I am loyal to you, my queen.” I nodded, pleased that the pact magic had worked. A bit of blood magic I learned from Zaras. I would normally have to do something along these lines to create vampires. But because my vampires are created via the dungeon, the step was skipped. This was another method I could use to… bring a bit of trust into a relationship.

“I know.” I grabbed his chin. He was designed to be a handsome gentleman a bit on the older side. His silver hair suited his pale skin nicely. I said older, but it was barely noticeable as a vampire. “I want you to investigate the others. Find who killed my Losa and we’ll show him the kindness of death. Make sure you aren’t found out. I don’t want them escaping.”

Frederick bowed. “As you wish. I must ask. Do you trust Zaras?”

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I licked my lips. “I made sure to seal the deal. The others…” I wasn’t sure about confronting them just yet. They were all higher level than I was personally. There was a chance they might attack me to escape. Of course, I could lock them up and integrate them individually, but they could always claim it was one of the others. The pact I made with Frederick carried its own risks as well. “Just find them. Make sure to carry out your regular duties as well.”

“Understood.” He faded into the shadows with another bow. I thought I knew the reason that one of my monsters might kill Losa. He was my guide. If he was eliminated, the culprit would have more control of my decisions. Before the incident with the aura, I was content to sit in my cave while trying to contact the outside world. The culprit would think I’m crazy. Especially since we’re vampires. Bloodshed and death were our callings.

I glanced at Maxwell’s village again. I knew the incident had been an unfortunate accident. I wasn’t that stupid. I might not believe him about the aliens, but that I could believe. I had done much the same with the demon lord. I couldn’t afford to leave him alone now. We were enemies through and through. Even more so now that he’d teamed up with the goblin.

“I guess I overreacted a bit,” I sighed looking back to the sky only to turn away from it. The irritation from earlier returning.

“Vampires are very much driven by their passions.”

“Zaras. We talked about this. You’re not allowed to sneak up on me.”

“That is why I’m speaking up.” I realized that his voice was in fact coming from the stairwell. The devilish good looking man soon appeared as well. He lived up to his Paragon title.

“You’re saying my race affected my judgement?” I asked deciding to ignore his smartass remark.

“Does the feeling of hunger not affect your judgement? Thirst? Fatigue?” He retorted coming to stand next to me. “A vampire is fundamentally different than that of a human. Just like fish can not live outside of water while the dog drowns, we experience the world differently. We might look, walk, and talk like humans, but we are not them.”

“I guess I understand. So, you’re saying that my passion got the better of me?”

“Correct. Your rage. Your grief. Ectara. They are all amplified. While your body shows you are over three hundred years of age. Your mind is that of a much younger individual. You slept through quite a bit of the time most vampires are getting accustomed to their bodies.”

I scratched the back of my neck. I couldn’t exactly tell him that I was logged out during a time skip or whatever that the game went through. At least he made it easy for me by saying I was asleep. Which wasn’t a lie exactly. “Yay me, I guess.” I turned to face him fully. “Zaras. Take Roland, Carson, and Derrick and see if you can conquer this dungeon Frederick found. If you find the imp or whatever that serves as the guide. Bring them to me alive.”

“It will be done with the utmost haste, my queen.”