home

search

Re-estize’s nightmare

  I finally finished raising all of those vilgers. Maybe I was working a little too hard even if the task itself was easy there were enough vilgers that I had to continue the night after and another on top of that. Create lesser vampire was the skill I could use the most in a day but that didn’t mean it was infinite and it wasn’t like many of the vilgers could be made into anything better. Though it surprised me that a few could.

  That girl we saved turned out to be surprisingly high-level. My skills confirmed she could become a Lunar Vampire, and when I turned her, she immediately unlocked the Moon Cleric css. I hadn’t known that was even possible right away.

  It was a nice boon for the vilge though, considering the skills she gained.

  Healing for a start because despite my build using it mainly for concealment and support clerics are still technically designed to heal people. Moon clerics can even heal the undead with negative energy. Part of the reason I chose the moon and night cleric csses was their ability to make me resistant to holy attacks since they could use faith as well as negative energy. If it was just that though I would’ve just chosen valkerie which was more combat oriented.

  What made these csses stand out in particur for vampires was their ability to summon, conceal and support those summons. Or say, any minions your race might give you access to. Having disposable stealth troops you can conjure up on a whim is a real boon to any assassin.

  My build was a bunch of simple concepts taken to their extreme. I had regeneration from my vampire side, healing from my cleric csses, minions to protect me, support and healing spells to protect them and then there was my descent form. If you thought my regenerating HP was annoying well… Imagine if I just happened to have a suddenly much longer health bar, automatically spawning minions plus the usual transformation buffs. Why, it was despair inducing. With my assassin csses giving me speed too, I was an unkilble off tank with serious damage potential.

  Now this girl had access to several parts of that kit which made her a beta version of me without the damage or speed. In other words she was immortal. By this world’s standards anyway, nothing short of a level 70 could kill her unless she stood there and let them.

  I could use that. Becoming a vampire instilled instinctually loyalty, or perhaps reverence was a better word. As a human, she was at first scared of what her parents had become. As a vampire, she knelt on the ground and thanked me profusely for giving them ‘the blessing of the moon’ and the ‘gift upon their eyes’ that was my presence. Ha. She had potential. If I was going to have a public persona as a powerful vampire then I needed an emissary, a vampiric one. Sure, I could summon a vampire bride or true vampire from the tomb but they wouldn’t know the first thing about this world. No, a native would serve my purposes much better.

  What I would use that emissary to do I hadn’t decided yet. I didn’t want to stir up too much trouble in the kingdom. Otherwise I’d run into Momonga and Albedo not to mention it wasn’t all that interesting a pce anyway. So I needed to move my little vilge of vampires.

  This was pretty close to Nazarick so I could always take them inside the tomb but that seems a little boring. How would my little birds grow if they weren’t exposed to the harsh world outside? No, lets not move the vampires.

  I had something a little more fun in mind. I couldn’t wait to see Momonga’s reaction.

  ---

  I came to find myself with a mutual respect for the man named Gazef Stronoff. I had to hide it from Albedo of course. Her distaste for humans had become apparent throughout the journey and despite numerous attempts from the members of Gazef’s band she did not want to be acquainted with any of them. Narberal appeared to be simir.

  For that reason myself and Sebas had to do the talking. Sebas seemed like an affable old man in conversation, managing to put even me at ease despite all the stresses his position as butler put me under.

  I’d like to think I got well acquainted with each member of the band and of course I remembered each of their names. It took a while but I managed it. By the time we arrived at the capital we had become friendly enough that Gazef invited me out for drinks the night before my audience with the king. Unfortunately I could not eat or drink. I had to excuse myself, saying something like ‘I wanted to be at my best for the audience with the king’ but… I felt kinda bad. My solution was offering to join the band’s training if they let me the day after. Pretty sure that wouldn’t expose me… right?

  Sebas seemed to notice despite my skeletal features, he happily accepted the offer of a drink from Gazef and his band in my stead.

  Gazef welcomed him with grace. A man like that, I couldn’t imagine he truly believed such a pathetic excuse from someone like me but he took it in stride. I admired the attitude, though his instincts urged caution. I put on an illusion under my helmet just in case and reminded myself to do so in the future whenever interacting with the man.

  I doubted I could ever be honest with him about my nature, just as I would never be able to let down the children of my friends. Where they needed a ruler, Gazef needed a friend. I would try to give him that, in exchange for the deceit my position forced upon me.

  A few of his band also tried to invite Narberal out for a couple drinks but that went about as well as expected. I’d never thought I’d hear the word ‘bagworm’ be used as an insult. I wasn’t even sure what one of those was.

  Since we would be splitting up for the night Gazef recommended a good inn where we could stay and shook our gauntleted hands in a warrior’s farewell. Once I arrived at the inn though I was exhausted. I just wanted to crash right into the not quite as fancy bed in front of me but I was woken from my daydreams by Albedo’s voice. “These are the best they have? There is no need to lower yourself to these pitiful standards Milord, just say the word and I will have furnishings brought here at once. Or perhaps you would prefer to rest in the tomb itself?”

  Coming back to my senses I replied trying to keep the irrational anger out of my voice. “I do not sleep Albedo, the furnishings are not an issue.”

  “Of course, Supreme one.” She bowed and I had to hold in a sigh. Would I have to deal with this all night? I turned to Sebas and Narberal who were both standing by the door like servants which I had to remind myself they technically were. Even if I considered them my friend’s forgotten children. That meant I had to act the part of their ruler for now, hopefully through the journey I could convince them to just enjoy exploring the world with me.

  “Check for magical surveilnce, then you’re free to rex. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and I want everyone prepared for what that might entail. Which means you need to get adequate rest.” Before they could object I added “No, the fact you don’t need sleep or sustenance doesn’t mean rest is pointless for you. Remember, I want you at your best.”

  Now they all bowed and that was all the orders I was going to be giving tonight. I wouldn’t have any privacy in here so I needed to do something productive. Just sitting there all throughout the night wouldn’t be very ruler-like of me and it wouldn’t set a good example for them. Or with their work ethic being this overzealous maybe it would? Still I shouldn’t be the one to set that precedant so I need to find something I can do which makes me look busy.

  Idly letting my gaze wander for something to do, I found myself looking outside the window. With my darkvision, the night was lit up as though it were day. Unfortunately I couldn’t send out an undead to scout and share their vision since it would be too suspicious if that showed up right after Momon the adventurer comes to town.

  “Observing the humans Milord?” Albedo asks from beside me and I suppress the instinct to jump. I was focussing a little too hard.

  “Indeed.” I humm, pretending I was actually doing so for some grand pn and not because I was trying to find something to do. “You would do well to pay attention yourself as I know your distaste for their species. Arrogance will make you gloss over details you would have otherwise missed.” That sounded wise.

  Albedo seems to take a second look at the streets at my words and I thank my undead constitution for the inability to blush with shame. It was just an ordinary street in a medieval city. To my untrained saryman’s eye anyway but apparently Albedo found something I did not as she seemed to gasp. I try to take it in stride and not show my surprise.

  “I see what you mean Milord.” She nodded with deep respect before returning to watching the streets with renewed attention. Her eyes seemed to follow someone in the crowd but I couldn’t figure out who.

  I’m gd she did because I didn’t have a clue.

  ---

  “You say a noble personage was inspecting a vilge in the outskirts?” Asked a withered old voice. That of king Ramposa the third, current monarch of Re-estize and the kind of man who looked like he should have been long retired. If only his sons were competent enough.

  “It must be a foreign power inspecting our nds for possible invasion. I doubt they will find much in those boonies.” Laughed his first son Barbaro who was a rge part of the reason for an old man still warming this creaking seat of gold. He was a blonde, blue-eyed hunk of a boy. Unfortunately ‘boy’ was still the correct term because despite nearing his thirties he had the arrogance that characterised the noble faction and the childish interpretation of rulership that came with such an attitude.

  “Brother if they wanted to invade they would not send their MAIDS to do the inspection. We would be looking at a small force or perhaps an army.” Replied the much wiser Zanac, his second son and another reason he was still warming the throne. The king’s throne creaked from age but Zanac’s could barely handle his weight.

  “My sire, may I make specution?” Asked Gazef, to the astonishment of the nobles present who had begun to mutter their own opinions on the matter. They were disgusted by this commoner and the favour Ramposa granted him. Unfortunately the man was too useful to be discarded and too strong to be assassinated so instead his every word was scrutinised by a thousand nagging voices. Making his opinion known was simply igniting these fmes.

  The fact he did so made the king suspect the information was pertinent even if his court would not like to hear it from him. “You may.” He agreed.

  “The reports of both the vilgers and the adventurer I encountered state that the woman ciming to be the noble in question had something odd about her. The vilgers could not pinpoint it. The adventurer however is confident that she is a vampire and the servants under her are simirly non-human.” Gasps rang but Gazef was not done. “Later my men encountered strange fmes burning the forest some distance from the vilge. They were silver in colour and could not be quenched no matter our means.”

  The mutters began again. Ramposa was long since sick of them but they had caused him far more trouble than a simple headache, this was his normal. Still, silver fmes. That almost sounded like the cleansing fmes of a cleric yet they would not burn down a forest. Yet another headache came upon him.

  “What made them suspect she is a vampire?” Asked the third princess Renner in all her golden glory. The one child he would consider handing the throne to, despite not knowing how she came to be so insightful. It was a terrible pity she was a girl. She seemed more interested in a recently appointed guard than ruling the kingdom however and Ramposa unfortunately thought that was for the best. Whether she would truly escape the fate of being married off to one of the high nobles was up to fate. As a father and as a king his greatest wish was for her to take that guard as her husband rather than those arrogant nobles, even with the problems that might cause.

  “The adventurer I spoke to cimed to have seen fangs in her mouth when she arrived to reprimand her servants and provide advanced warning for the ambush shortly after.” Gazef replied.

  “So she was not the perpetrator of this ambush?” Asked one of the smarter nobles, a man by the name of Marquis Raeven. An unfortunately talented opportunist who flit like a bat between noble and royal faction, who’s only goal in life is to acquire more money or power. Or so it seems.

  “It would be highly unwise to tell us of an ambush she herself perpetrated especially given it’s aim.” Gazef replied. ‘Telling us it might not even have been the empire made her cim more legitimate especially given the clear aim of their commander. Though that would be more than mere specution. I shall tell my king in private if I have the chance but telling the nobles as much would not end well.’ He thought to himself.

  “This act of clear aggression cannot go unpunished and the head warrior’s comments of a vampire being a possible culprit worry me. I propose we immediately inspect the threat.” Marquis Raeven announced.

  “You only say so because it is the king’s nd. I’m sure the adventurer’s in E-Raevel would be paid handsomely for this simple investigation. All from the crown’s coffers. You are a thieving scoundrel Raeven but I did not think you so brazen.” Shouted a noble from the royal faction. Murmurs of agreement were heard from around him as members of his faction began agreeing with the sentiment.

  “Would you leave such a threat alone simply because it might damage your coffers? Surely you see the problem this poses. A vampire is a possible threat to all of humanity, not just the king and it is his regal duty to confirm or deny these specutions spoken in court by his very own head warrior.” Spoke up a leader from the noble faction.

  Once again there were mutters of agreement and a heated debate ensued. The king was tired of this but let them get on with it. Even if it meant they were going to be here a while, that was fine-

  The doors flinging open interrupted his thoughts and the panicked messenger entering without due appointment concerned himenough to forget them entirely. Some nobles were outraged by the offense. Others were just as concerned, or curious, as the king and awaited what message could be so important that this brave young man would risk his life so. Even if the king would try to protect him.

  “I have news concerning Carne vilge.” He shouted to the hall, out of breath and panting but seemingly caring more for the message he would deliver.

  “This had best be important young man or you may have wasted your life.” Marquis Raeven told him with almost kind detachment. It managed to make the man turn a shade paler but he nonetheless continued what might have been his final act. His expression was not heroic but his heart was.

  “It has become a den of vampires and their kin are roaming it’s outskirts even as we speak. A message was delivered to us through their envoy. Would the court like me to read it aloud for all present to hear?” He asked as a formality.

  All present gave nods in response while they thought over the news and paid very careful attention to the ink on that scroll along with the man who’s dying words would likely re-iterate their contents.

  “Dear our once beloved kingdom. You have abandoned us in our time of need and only the kindness of one man whom we know was acting against orders preserved our lives. The Mistress has seen fit to raise those we have lost. For that we owe her everything and that is precisely what we have given in exchange for the ressurection of our loved ones. The mistress has id cim to Carne and the forest that surrounds it. Be honoured and relieved that she does not desire any more of your nd, nor does she share our pain at the betrayal of the kingdom. Leave your unwanted in her care and this will be the final message you receive.” The messenger gulped before finishing what was written on the page.

  “Fail to do so and the next package will be the head of those who dare trespass.” He shakily lowered the scroll from his hands, breathing ragged and face pale. Ramposa looked at his children, worry in his eyes. There was concern on Prince Zanac’s face, anger on Barbaro’s and strangely a smile on third princess Renner.

  Silence gripped the court. Of course, it was brief and before long bickering began as nobles shouted in outrage, quaked in their boots or stormed off to ready their armies.

  The Mistress had spoken. The fate of the kingdom rest in the hands of the few people who still cared… or the glitzy idiots who were running it into the ground.

Recommended Popular Novels