Chapter 5: A New Age Wagon

It was still two hours to dawn when Isabella rode off, leaving me at my dilapidated house where I parked the scooter as far under the awning as possible. I could have pulled it inside and likely would when rain comes.

Amelia’s giggle made me turn around as I pulled the full-face helmet off my head, my silver hair going wild in whichever direction it pleased.

The woman floated two feet away from me, hands held in front of her waist like she was waiting for me to return for some time. That smile on her ghostly face made her appear excited to see me, even if the voids in her eyes were hard to read.

“What do we call him?” Amelia asked, floating close and patting the scooter with her glowing hand. Her face never changed from that coy, almost child-like smile at seeing such a machine.

“I don't know. Do you think a scooter would care if it had a name or not?” I tilted my head as I tucked the light-colored helmet under my arm, my fresh jacket creaking softly with each movement.

“I think even machines deserve a name. They are just as alive as an animal and have feelings like one. This one feels ready for another ride, my love.”

“What year is it?” I asked her and stepped back just in case she was going to turn into a banshee again.

“2048 normal time. 219 according to the canned blood I found and the System Clock.”

“Wait, you're a part of the System, too?!” I gasped, reaching out to turn her around but my hand went straight through the frigid woman, causing my fingers to go numb.

She nodded slowly. “I recall the night the world went dark. The night it went silent. The night I saw the sky for the first time in so long I wept.” Amelia fell back with her arms wide, slamming silently into the ground as she stared upward. The ghost reached for the sky as my mind worked over what she was going on about. “I wept, for you were not at my side to witness its beauty,” she added.

I locked the helmet under the scooter’s seat so it’d be safe from thieves during the day. Followed by reaching down for Amelia’s hand. She locked her ghostly fingers with mine and I knelt next to her.

“I didn't know,” I whispered. “I tried to rouse when I heard screaming, but couldn’t.”

“Someone sealed your coffin for two centuries and I didn't know enough magic to unseal it...”

“Who?” I sat next to her in the grass and pulled my hand away from hers in an attempt to lift the ghost off the ground. She followed me as I made my way over to the tree where she was buried.

“I cannot leave this place, so I do not know.” We sat down next to the tree with me leaning on it and her ghostly form resting her head on my opposite shoulder.

Who could possess such an ability to seal a coffin for two centuries from the myriad of vampires and mortals that were my enemies? There were a few blood witches that could have been the culprit, but any vampire who had access to my lair would have staked me and any mortal would have dragged me into the sun.

No, someone wanted me to remain unalive and wake up two centuries later. The cards weren’t adding up. Especially with mages being more prevalent if my sire was one.

I inclined my head toward Amelia. “You said two centuries?”

She nodded, her cold cheek brushing up against my riding jacket, seeping through the layers. “Yes. The spell was exactly two hundred years to the second.”

“Something to look—”

A popup appeared in front of me, saying, New Quest! Find who sealed your coffin and why.

“Why did something appear in my face?”

“A quest! Like the old days, but now it automatically follows tracks them based on what you want most in the moment.” She leaned to the side away from me and giggled to herself. The ghost stretched her arms over her head. We both looked up at the shattered moon and chunks hanging there in the black sky. Strange, but beautiful at the same time. Now there was more to look at!

“I hate it,” I said, referencing the popup. “It's intrusive.”

“Wait until you start gaining credits for completing tasks or killing monsters. Then it becomes strange! I have sixty-five thousand credits and I don't know what to do with them.”

I focused on my system menu, looking to see what she meant. It showed my name, race, height and features, followed by my money with a hundred credits from Caleb and then…

“Five hundred thousand gold?!”

“I have that, too!” Amelia smiled at me and nodded. “I think it is calculating the gold we had stored away in the treasury.”

“What's it used for?” I reached out to tap the menu floating in front of me and made it disappear.

“Well… a lot, really; Skipping timers, cosmetics, an alternate way of buying things.”

Maybe I could ask Caleb and Isabella more about it. Thinking about the young vampire reminded me of tomorrow, so I outlined the plan to Amelia about him coming over to learn the basics of his vampire skills.

She smiled and giggled. “You finally have your own fledgling! I wondered when that'd happen.”

I shook my head from side to side. “He's not my fledgling!”

“He is now, sire!”

I groaned.

Amelia clapped her hands together as she turned her head to look up at me. “Have you picked your class?” she asked me.

“There are so many options I got overwhelmed the last time I checked. Isabella is a Sorceress.”

Amelia shrugged. “It’s weird for me… I don't know about you, but it forced me into a tree seed back in nineteen and gave me options to plan out my root system with no class option. Only after I leveled up enough to have an avatar did it give me a class. I picked Hunter, but I'm a level ninety tree.”

I laid down next to the ghost and turned my head to face her, smiling at the thought of her still wanting to fight vampires that came into our territory even though she was a ghost. It made me giggle at her. “You don’t need a class to hunt, do you?”

“No, but it would gave me powers! Now I can see animal tracks by using Track Animal, move silently through trees and take them down cleanly with Mercy Blow.”

“You could already do all that without even thinking,” I said and sat up, looking down at the ghost.

She shrugged. “Now I can actually see their path through the trees as a glowing line while my tree base acts like a return point if I am killed. Does your coffin work the same?”

“What happens if I pick Corsair?”

“Pirates are called Corsairs by the common rabble, as ‘pirates’ refer to wasteland scavengers. You get sword and gun abilities, I think. Maybe sailing?”

“Then I'm picking that.” I focused on the class select menu and found Corsair. Amelia said something, but I didn't hear it as the System flooded my vision with words.

You have selected Corsair for your class. Level 1 Corsair grants you Aimed Shot, Swift Strike, and Flourish.

Activating Aimed Shot steadies your aim for up to 2 seconds on the rockiest of ships, allowing you to make record breaking shots. 30 second cooldown.

Flourish is a passive ability that allows you to incorporate harmless tricks into your melee attacks with no penalty.

Swift Strike is a passive ability that grants 3% faster attack speed with melee weapons. This includes Vampire Claws, cutlery, and tools.

Confirm Corsair? Y/N.

I told it No, because I wasn't quite sure if I really wanted that class or what they did. Did I really need a System to tell me how to aim and fight? No, no I didn't.

Stolen novel; please report.

I dismissed the pop-up with a wave of my hand. “I’ll decide in a few days,” I said.

Amelia sighed softly. “Thank God! I was worried you were about to pick something without thinking again.”

I shook my head. “Not this time.”

The System next asked if I wanted to look at the cosmetics shop, so I decided to browse through them and saw it was appearance related from looking like a vampire and a ghost. Even an elf and a new race called an orc. Dwarf and halfling were there but greyed out, as were dragons. Something about incompatible forms. There were other races I didn't know how to pronounce and when I asked for the System to give me information about one, it was essentially a human with cat ears, a tail, and cat-like eyes, but that was the most expensive human-based option at 250,000 gold.

I glanced over at Amelia, raising an eyebrow. “Amelia, darling… don't take this the wrong way, but are you using a cosmetic right now?”

She nodded slowly. “Mhm. It suppresses my true appearance and makes me look like you see me. I have a human and half-orc, but I got bored of the half-orc five years ago.”

At least she was honest with it, but she specifically said human cosmetic and Isabella said she buried Amelia before the Collide happened, which was well before the System even happened. That meant she truly was a ghost… tree thing. I needed to find out more later.

I asked, “Your true appearance being the banshee I saw when you shrieked?”

“It’s embarrassing, My love, but that is how my spirit form was created. I do not know why when other trees have solid people made of bark.”

Each full body cosmetic was a hundred thousand gold. “A hundred thousand gold to make myself look like anything I want from this list?”

“Yes.”

Well, there was one way to find out, but that was a lot of gold to ‘find out’. I had to pick something that would be worth it. Half-orcs didn't look appealing, since they had fangs showing all the time. Elf looked like a human with pointy ears, same as half-elf.

I pushed the menu away with a soft sigh. “Another time.”

*** ***

Amelia floated nearby early next evening, humming to herself again as she made sure the candles were completely lit and ready to go. Much like the other night, she had an offering ready for me. Only this time, it was canned blood rather than the rabbit’s blood and I didn't know where she acquired it from.

Still, I took the can, cracked it open and sipped from it. An ache gnawed at my fangs, telling me it wasn't sustenance and I needed to feed from a living mortal tonight. The canned blood was only a temporary solution to a larger problem.

My hunger meter kept going up despite drinking the cans every night. Only did the plastic blood bag sate it for a short time. It was near maxed out in the stat sheet and I suspected that I only had one more night of clear thinking before the hunger took full control.

“Mistress?” Amelia asked, interrupting my thoughts. She floated over and managed to look worried even with voids for eyes. She offered me her neck, tilting her head to the side as she undid the cloth protecting her neck. As if drinking from a ghost would do anything. She had to know it was futile!

“I can't.” I shook my head.

“It's okay. I can see you're starving. And… It's been a while. I miss it.”

I wanted to tell her the gesture was pointless and it'd do nothing for me, but I wouldn't dare do that to her. She knew I didn't like drinking from her, because it made me feel like I was using her as a handy meal, but my fangs wanted sustenance and thought for me.

Being careful to not push my fingers through her ethereal form, I grabbed her shoulder with one hand, gently pushed my fingers against her neck with the other. Amelia followed to the same song and dance she remembered from before I made her my retainer.

We traded services at one point; her tracking skills for a kiss. I never really understood why or how a vampire hunter wanted to be kissed by their prey, but hey. It was a mutual arrangement. Point her in a direction ahead of us and have Amelia sniff out the vampires while she secured places to sleep.

My fangs dug into a cold nothing while I went through the motion of biting her glowing neck. She gasped as if I had actually done it. I held the gesture and attempted to recreate slurping noises for long enough I figured she would be happy. Once I was done, I followed through with fixing the fake wound and then stepped back.

Amelia fanned herself for a moment as she floated there on the verge of fainting. “That felt great...” She chuckled, flashing me a small smile I wasn't sure about. She looked happier for some reason.

I nodded slowly, not wanting to give away the fact that I drank nothing. “Thank you, Amelia.”

“I saw a strange bicycle out front this evening when I awoke. Do you know whose it is?”

“It’s mine. Do you recall what we spoke about last night?”

She shook her head, wringing her wrists as she bit her lip. “No, my love. Was it important? I apologize for forgetting.”

I patted her on the shoulder. “We have a guest coming over and he will be under my care for a while as I teach him the finer points of being a vampire.”

Her voids lit up as a grin crossed her face. “You have a child?!” Amelia’s smile slowly faded as recognition of what that meant dawned on her. “But… I thought I would be your first? You swore to me, Mistress!”

“His sire was beheaded for bringing a new vampire into the world without the Mayor’s permission and it has fallen unto me to see if he is worthy of keeping around.”

“Oh.” Amelia glanced toward the road, but we couldn't see it thanks to the walls separating us. “Is that his horse I hear?”

I cocked my head and didn't hear anything unusual, so I shrugged. “Maybe.”

The story was highly likely and Amelia had seen her fair share of vampire politics, so I hoped whatever was keeping her ghostly thoughts together made it truth, but if she forgot the night before then I worried I may have to go through the motions night by night with her.

An ache of pang lanced through my un-beating heart when I thought of having to lie to her every day. The hunger in my fangs laughed at me for thinking such foolish thoughts. It felt horrible to see her like she was, knowing that only two days ago we were holding hands as she lived and breathed, my fangs sliding toward her throbbing neck. I had to find a way to put her to rest, so her soul could find peace and be reborn as a new woman. To live again in a way I never could, not as a tree.

New quest! Lay Amelia’s soul to rest.

I grit my teeth at the display, digging my fangs into my gums momentarily before shaking my head. I left Amelia there and drank from the canned blood as I headed upstairs, looking for something to wear. They were all dresses of the old days and a fair few were so delicate I worried about even putting them on.

None of them would do.

I’d need to buy new cloth and remake them over the coming nights, as trousers were weird to wear. Oh, sure. Sire sometimes wore them during our adventures back in the day, but I hadn't bothered with them, as I was the bait. The lost fancy woman looking for help, only for the predator lurking in the dark to rob us both blind.

That way they wouldn't suspect I was part of the scheme and ‘reward’ them with a drink or two of alcohol before my sire and I shared the meal. At least, when we were on the road, otherwise we’d prowl taverns and saloons with my sire playing cards while I grabbed unsuspecting buffoons.

Amelia was there to make sure our horses were always ready or the towns were lax enough we could slip in and stay at an Inn or move through. She always presented herself as a Prussian Noble's retainer and none were the wiser when my sire and I rode in after her.

I pulled the tattered cloth from a standup mirror in one of the rooms and a cracked reflection of a blurry broad-shouldered woman stared back at me. I was there, but not fully there unless I stepped close enough I took up the whole mirror. It was enough I could fix my hair and maybe check my fit, but nowhere near enough to do makeup or see what I looked like aside from a damned hellspawn.

The hunger stared back at me with glowing purple eyes and fangs, inhumanly long claws for fingernails and wiry hair.

“Amelia?” I called out, not taking my eyes off the mirror. “When did we get a mirror?”

“A few years back for guests, remember?” she replied as she floated up through the floor.

I shook my head. “No.”

Lights illuminated the estate’s courtyard outside and the bushes as a wagon’s rumbling engine approached the building.

Amelia gasped softly. “Hunters!”

I held my hand out for her to take. “It is our guest.” I hoped.

Better be. The cell phone shook violently in my pocket, so I took it out and touched the screen with a finger, smiling when it worked like Isabella said it would. She had sent a text message that was just an address and an establishment name.

Then sent a second one a moment late: Dress sharp for the saloon and have fun with the mail-order cowboys. They’ve been making people dance, so put them on a rail.

I smiled at the message, knowing it's intent was to make me feel comfortable again. A bunch of city cowboys at a saloon isn't too hard of a challenge.

While I waited for Caleb to get out of his wagon, I dug through my boxes looking for the best outfit I could muster and found a matching shirt and skirt for a black mourning dress, but that wouldn't do. I had nothing to mourn.

Except Amelia who floated nearby watching me expectantly.

I frowned at the dress, feeling the fabric for any signs it was worse for time, but it felt freshly made, so I set about climbing into it one layer at a time with Amelia’s help. She arranged the layers on a nearby table and made sure they were snug and nothing out of place. Even the hip padding and corset to make it seem like I had a narrower waist than I really did, and helped with the shoes.

Caleb knocked on the rotting front door. A useless gesture, but a welcome one nonetheless. He bowed when I opened the door. He said something I didn’t quite understand, but heard the railway workers say once in a while.

“What did you call me?” I cocked an eyebrow at his odd choice of word. As I stood in the doorway and looked out across the courtyard to his small four door wagon, I listened and waited to see if there were any blood sacks with him, but couldn't hear any heartbeats or voices. Or see movement.

“It’s the elvish word for teacher,” Caleb said in English and motioned at me with a wave of his hand.

“I don't know Elvish, so please. Refrain from speaking it. Do you speak Dutch? French perhaps? Spanish?”

He shook his head. “Just Common and Elvish.”

“Then we shall communicate in English only.”

The man nodded. “What do I call you?”

“Ma’am is preferred, but teacher will suffice.”

“So… um, what do I do now?” Caleb asked quietly.

“Our benefactor has sent me a message regarding a saloon with a few rowdy blood sacks causing trouble. The owner wants them gone and will reward us handsomely with drinks.”

“Shouldn't we call the cops?” Caleb cocked his head to the side. “That sounds like a problem for them.”

“You wanted to know what being an old vampire was like, this is a part of it. We don't sit around drinking blood all night with our own personal blood sacks. Some of us have jobs. Unlike the prissy council members.”

He opened his mouth to object.

I looked back toward the house and called out, “Amelia? Watch the estate, would you? Caleb and I will return before dawn.”

She floated in front of the door, blinking over and over for a few moments and then nodded. “As you wish, Mistress.”

“Where is she?” Caleb leaned to the side as he looked behind me and then glanced around the courtyard.

“In the doorway. Do you not see her?” I pointed at the ghost, who waved back.

“You can see ghosts?”

“I can see Amelia the tree.”

“Oh.” He nodded slowly.

I waited for him to speak, it seemed like he waited for me to speak, and the two of us just stared at each other like a pair of young fledglings who got their first task and had no idea what to do next. Off in the distance, a high-revving engine roared down the highway, drawing my ear to the motorcycle’s music.

“Mistress?” Amelia said as she floated close to me and placed a hand on my elbow. “You're burning moonlight.”

I nodded and walked over to Caleb’s wagon. It didn't look like the van at all. It had a small open cargo area completely devoid of any cargo, four large doors and was fairly high up off the ground compared to the van.

A waste of space compared to my scooter, whose lines were sleek and stylish. And more practical. I bet Caleb couldn't weave in and out of automobiles the way Isabella did.

I had to physically climb into his wagon like it was an old stagecoach, which was fairly easy despite Caleb trying to coddle me like an old woman. With one foot on the step, I grabbed the bar to haul myself up. The vehicle’s interior felt like I just stepped into the fanciest one yet with chairs made of leather like an old settee, but far more comfortable. Mine practically engulfed me with how huge it was.

A large screen in the center gave me information for music. Music which was… rather unpleasant to hear and thankfully, Caleb turned it down so he could speak.

The vampire put the address into the screen, which changed to an overhead map of the region and told him right where to go.

“What is this?” I pointed at the screen.

“My truck’s infotainment system.” Caleb reached up behind the steering wheel and pulled a lever down.

“How does it know where we are?”

“Magic.”

I frowned.

“No, seriously. It works off magic.” He pulled forward and drove all the way around the house, making his way down the dirt road toward the city.

A chime dinged a few times, followed by a strange voice, saying, “Passenger, please fasten your seatbelt.”

I looked behind us in the back to see if there was someone hidden back there. Caleb had a few travel bags, a blanket and a case of canned blood, but I didn't see anyone. So I tried the door, but it refused to open.

“Why is this locked?” I asked, the incessant chiming ringing over and over while again, the strange person told me to put my seatbelt on. “And who is speaking?”

“Can you put your seatbelt on? The truck will keep complaining until you do.”

“It talks?!” I gasped, eyes widening.

“Most newer cars do, yeah.” Caleb nodded. “Not a real person though.”

I grabbed the belt and clicked it in place, causing the chime to cease. I sighed, leaned back in the chair and folded my arms across my chest.

“Now what?” I replied.

“Do you like music?”

“Not whatever you had playing when I climbed in.”

“How about some classical music then?” He hit a few buttons on the infotainment system and an orchestra began playing a familiar tune I cocked my head to listen to.

Classical music? This? It's modern!