A firm hand landed on Damien's shoulder, causing him to scowl. "Yes?" He questioned the man standing behind him.
Edward shoved a small wooden box into Damien's ribs. "Damien. If you fail, don't bother coming back." King Edward's tired voice made Damien clench his teeth in anger, but he controlled himself. Flicking the King's hand off his shoulder, Damien took the wooden box, didn't say a word, and left the palace.
There was nothing to be said—time was of the essence. Damien strolled back to the mansion in the noble district with the midday sun overhead. The fate of the kingdom and the rest of his life hung on the next few hours. Walking up to the mansion's door with a heavy heart, the sudden warmth on his hand made him smile. He looked to the side, and Fay returned a smile with a hand squeeze.
Damien could hear some activity past the door with his super senses, and before he knew it, the door swung wide open.
"Master! I was so worried." Olympia tried to contain her excitement and welcomed the pair in. "What did the King say?"
"Many things..." Damien said in a mysterious tone as he put his suit jacket on a coat hanger. Then, fixing the creases in his shirt, he began to climb the stairs. Feeling the mood, Olympia decided to remain quiet and followed her master upstairs.
Damien walked past his bedroom, and his [Lazy] trait flared up. He had slept only a few hours in the last two days, and he felt his body running on fumes and his mood becoming agitated. Reaching Vanity's room, he knocked before entering. "Sister."
All the curtains were tightly closed, making the room pitch black, and Vanity was lying on the floor and looking up at the ceiling. "Brother, this blood is disgusting." Vanity mumbled as she sprawled herself out like a starfish and held a half-drunk vial of blood in her hand. "I wanna go home."
Honestly, Damien struggled to comprehend his sister... Sometimes she acted like a spoiled child, and other times she was frightening.
"If everything goes correctly, we may be able to leave by tomorrow."
"Ugh... Too long..." Vanity grumbled, but she at least turned her head to look at her brother. "What do you need?"
"The blood puppet of Prince August. It's time we framed him." Damien said as he looked around. "Where is it?"
"In the basement." Vanity tried to roll over onto her feet. "But I thought we acquired the blood puppet to stage Prince August's execution while the real body died in prison?"
Damien sighed. "Change of plans. The King is now on our side. So long as we can prove that Prince August unleashed the nonexistent werewolf into the city, the King will have a justified reason to renounce his eligibility for the throne and maybe even his execution." Damien turned on his heel to leave. "Either way, the Prince can't die anyway. It's his claim for the throne that truly matters." All of this political maneuvering was doing Damien's head in. 'If only I could shoot him in the head and move on. That would make my life so much easier...'
Sadly, anything worthwhile in life was a struggle. Taking the easy route leads to a hard life, whereas putting in the effort now would lead to a much easier life. 'Well, that would be true if I didn't have the threat of the central continent nobles hanging over my head.' Damien tried to ignore his connection to the Elaine family, but he knew there was no running away. Nobody survived a witch hunt from the central continent... unless they are someone from the central continent. The number of resources, city-destroying weapons, and powerful allies awaiting Damien on the central continent was hard to ignore. 'Why can't I just live peacefully here in the tutorial area? Why did that Inara Elaine bitch have to put such a massive target on my back?'
Damien paused and relaxed his thoughts. He was getting stressed due to a lack of sleep. He was only one man. To put so much onto his shoulders was unfair. 'Darn knowledge of the future, always making me pessimistic about everything.' If anything, the change in King Edward's attitude toward his son once again proved that Damien could change the storyline and, in turn, his fate with just a little meddling. Granted, he hadn't planned the werewolf incident. That was all Kharis's idea, but the proof of concept was all Damien needed to soldier forward with a glimmer of hope.
He would survive... No. He shall thrive.
***
The basement was large, stacked ceiling high with miscellaneous barrels containing food for the empty kitchen. Damien inspected the stationary puppet of Prince August. It was uncanny how realistic it was in the dim lighting. Only when he looked close did he notice the slight watery shine of the skin and clothes, like a ripping gloss finish, and the fact that the puppet wasn't breathing.
Damien opened the wooden case provided by the King as he heard footsteps behind him. Inside the box was a high-quality recording stone with audio capture capabilities. "You got a knight?" Damien asked over his shoulder, but his question was unnecessary as the steady clank of metal armor echoed through the cellar.
"Yea, found him standing guard outside. We should be quick before anyone notices he's missing." Vanity stopped beside Damien, and her divine scent tickled his nose. Due to her Ichor blood, she smelled heavenly, but Damien had luckily had a quick snack from Fay so he could focus.
With the return of its owner, the blood puppet began moving and even faked breathing.
The knight tagging along behind Vanity in a dazed state was wearing full-plate armor, which was perfect. Damien nodded in approval and set the green recording gem on top of a barrel. "Its audio capture is rather good, so we must do this correctly. The puppet can speak, right?"
Vanity smiled. "Sure can. Don't you remember when I visited you using a blood puppet? Back when you were foolish enough to absorb a noble vampire's blood while being so weak?"
Damien winced slightly at the memory. It had only been a few months since then, but he cringed at how reckless and weak he had been back then. "Alright, enough about the past. Let us focus on the task at hand, shall we?"
Vanity yawned and waved her agitated brother off, "Sure."
Damien, Vanity, and Olympia held their breaths as they hid behind a barrel, and Vanity started conducting a theatric performance. Due to them being vampires, they had no need to breathe or make even a sound, and all their communication was done through telepathy. With Damien helping to direct the performance, he made sure only the side of August's face was visible, with most of his body hidden by barrels. Then the knight would walk into the frame, and the two would converse.
The blood puppet handed the hypnotized knight a small pouch containing many coins. Damien used Psychokinesis to float the bag of coins from range as the blood puppet could not hold objects with its liquid hands.
Since the blood puppet was an extension of Vanity, the hypnotized knight listened to the blood puppet's orders making the whole thing seem more realistic.
"Knight, this is your final payment. Make sure to wave my men through the gate. Once I have confirmed the sedated werewolf has made it to the pleasure district, I will release your family from my summer house." There was an audible clink of metal as the pouch of coins was shoved into the confused knight's hand.
"You may leave now." The blood puppet waved the dazed knight off. A minute passed in silence before the blood puppet laughed softly to itself. "Let's see how you deal with this, father..."
The recording stone stopped glowing, meaning its maximum storage had been reached, leading to an excellent cut-off point.
"Right, can someone go and deal with the knight," Damien said, and Olympia scurried after the dazed knight, which was trying to find the exit in the darkness. The Hypnotize spell sadly didn't give the person new powers or let them perform tasks otherwise out of their skill range. They had deliberately limited the light to reduce the chance of someone noticing the blood puppet liquid skin, so the poor knight couldn't see in the almost utterly pitch-black cellar.
"This felt too easy..." Vanity crossed her arms and frowned. "Are you sure we don't need to hypnotize the King or slaughter the court?"
Damien resisted the urge to smack Vanity around the head. 'Of course, it's easy when I bring a final boss character to help me beat a tutorial-level quest... if it wasn't easy, I would question my competence.' Damien refrained from voicing his true thoughts and instead patted Vanity's shoulder. "It's only easy due to your hard work and brilliance."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I'm serious." Damien chuckled. "Do you think this kingdom ever suspected an Ichor-blooded Noble Vampire to meddle in their affairs?" Damien walked over to collect the recording stone. 'Of course, the nobles on the central continent all learn spells or wear artifacts to resist mind control. But here? They likely didn't even know hypnotizing a mage was possible, let alone making a life-like puppet out of Ichor blood.'
Vanity shrugged. "I don't know or want to know how humans think. They all seem rather dumb and defenseless to me." Vanity licked her lips. "Well, except for the few humans that work under you, they are impressive."
"Yes, yes. I know you miss Blackthorn. Let's deliver this to the King, and then we can be on our way."
A firm hand landed on Damien's shoulder, causing him to scowl. "Yes?" He questioned the man standing behind him.
Edward shoved a small wooden box into Damien's ribs. "Damien. If you fail, don't bother coming back." King Edward's tired voice made Damien clench his teeth in anger, but he controlled himself. Flicking the King's hand off his shoulder, Damien took the wooden box, didn't say a word, and left the palace.
There was nothing to be said—time was of the essence. Damien strolled back to the mansion in the noble district with the midday sun overhead. The fate of the kingdom and the rest of his life hung on the next few hours. Walking up to the mansion's door with a heavy heart, the sudden warmth on his hand made him smile. He looked to the side, and Fay returned a smile with a hand squeeze.
Damien could hear some activity past the door with his super senses, and before he knew it, the door swung wide open.
"Master! I was so worried." Olympia tried to contain her excitement and welcomed the pair in. "What did the King say?"
"Many things..." Damien said in a mysterious tone as he put his suit jacket on a coat hanger. Then, fixing the creases in his shirt, he began to climb the stairs. Feeling the mood, Olympia decided to remain quiet and followed her master upstairs.
Damien walked past his bedroom, and his [Lazy] trait flared up. He had slept only a few hours in the last two days, and he felt his body running on fumes and his mood becoming agitated. Reaching Vanity's room, he knocked before entering. "Sister."
All the curtains were tightly closed, making the room pitch black, and Vanity was lying on the floor and looking up at the ceiling. "Brother, this blood is disgusting." Vanity mumbled as she sprawled herself out like a starfish and held a half-drunk vial of blood in her hand. "I wanna go home."
Honestly, Damien struggled to comprehend his sister... Sometimes she acted like a spoiled child, and other times she was frightening.
"If everything goes correctly, we may be able to leave by tomorrow."
"Ugh... Too long..." Vanity grumbled, but she at least turned her head to look at her brother. "What do you need?"
"The blood puppet of Prince August. It's time we framed him." Damien said as he looked around. "Where is it?"
"In the basement." Vanity tried to roll over onto her feet. "But I thought we acquired the blood puppet to stage Prince August's execution while the real body died in prison?"
Damien sighed. "Change of plans. The King is now on our side. So long as we can prove that Prince August unleashed the nonexistent werewolf into the city, the King will have a justified reason to renounce his eligibility for the throne and maybe even his execution." Damien turned on his heel to leave. "Either way, the Prince can't die anyway. It's his claim for the throne that truly matters." All of this political maneuvering was doing Damien's head in. 'If only I could shoot him in the head and move on. That would make my life so much easier...'
Sadly, anything worthwhile in life was a struggle. Taking the easy route leads to a hard life, whereas putting in the effort now would lead to a much easier life. 'Well, that would be true if I didn't have the threat of the central continent nobles hanging over my head.' Damien tried to ignore his connection to the Elaine family, but he knew there was no running away. Nobody survived a witch hunt from the central continent... unless they are someone from the central continent. The number of resources, city-destroying weapons, and powerful allies awaiting Damien on the central continent was hard to ignore. 'Why can't I just live peacefully here in the tutorial area? Why did that Inara Elaine bitch have to put such a massive target on my back?'
Damien paused and relaxed his thoughts. He was getting stressed due to a lack of sleep. He was only one man. To put so much onto his shoulders was unfair. 'Darn knowledge of the future, always making me pessimistic about everything.' If anything, the change in King Edward's attitude toward his son once again proved that Damien could change the storyline and, in turn, his fate with just a little meddling. Granted, he hadn't planned the werewolf incident. That was all Kharis's idea, but the proof of concept was all Damien needed to soldier forward with a glimmer of hope.
He would survive... No. He shall thrive.
***
The basement was large, stacked ceiling high with miscellaneous barrels containing food for the empty kitchen. Damien inspected the stationary puppet of Prince August. It was uncanny how realistic it was in the dim lighting. Only when he looked close did he notice the slight watery shine of the skin and clothes, like a ripping gloss finish, and the fact that the puppet wasn't breathing.
Damien opened the wooden case provided by the King as he heard footsteps behind him. Inside the box was a high-quality recording stone with audio capture capabilities. "You got a knight?" Damien asked over his shoulder, but his question was unnecessary as the steady clank of metal armor echoed through the cellar.
"Yea, found him standing guard outside. We should be quick before anyone notices he's missing." Vanity stopped beside Damien, and her divine scent tickled his nose. Due to her Ichor blood, she smelled heavenly, but Damien had luckily had a quick snack from Fay so he could focus.
With the return of its owner, the blood puppet began moving and even faked breathing.
The knight tagging along behind Vanity in a dazed state was wearing full-plate armor, which was perfect. Damien nodded in approval and set the green recording gem on top of a barrel. "Its audio capture is rather good, so we must do this correctly. The puppet can speak, right?"
Vanity smiled. "Sure can. Don't you remember when I visited you using a blood puppet? Back when you were foolish enough to absorb a noble vampire's blood while being so weak?"
Damien winced slightly at the memory. It had only been a few months since then, but he cringed at how reckless and weak he had been back then. "Alright, enough about the past. Let us focus on the task at hand, shall we?"
Vanity yawned and waved her agitated brother off, "Sure."
Damien, Vanity, and Olympia held their breaths as they hid behind a barrel, and Vanity started conducting a theatric performance. Due to them being vampires, they had no need to breathe or make even a sound, and all their communication was done through telepathy. With Damien helping to direct the performance, he made sure only the side of August's face was visible, with most of his body hidden by barrels. Then the knight would walk into the frame, and the two would converse.
The blood puppet handed the hypnotized knight a small pouch containing many coins. Damien used Psychokinesis to float the bag of coins from range as the blood puppet could not hold objects with its liquid hands.
Since the blood puppet was an extension of Vanity, the hypnotized knight listened to the blood puppet's orders making the whole thing seem more realistic.
"Knight, this is your final payment. Make sure to wave my men through the gate. Once I have confirmed the sedated werewolf has made it to the pleasure district, I will release your family from my summer house." There was an audible clink of metal as the pouch of coins was shoved into the confused knight's hand.
"You may leave now." The blood puppet waved the dazed knight off. A minute passed in silence before the blood puppet laughed softly to itself. "Let's see how you deal with this, father..."
The recording stone stopped glowing, meaning its maximum storage had been reached, leading to an excellent cut-off point.
"Right, can someone go and deal with the knight," Damien said, and Olympia scurried after the dazed knight, which was trying to find the exit in the darkness. The Hypnotize spell sadly didn't give the person new powers or let them perform tasks otherwise out of their skill range. They had deliberately limited the light to reduce the chance of someone noticing the blood puppet liquid skin, so the poor knight couldn't see in the almost utterly pitch-black cellar.
"This felt too easy..." Vanity crossed her arms and frowned. "Are you sure we don't need to hypnotize the King or slaughter the court?"
Damien resisted the urge to smack Vanity around the head. 'Of course, it's easy when I bring a final boss character to help me beat a tutorial-level quest... if it wasn't easy, I would question my competence.' Damien refrained from voicing his true thoughts and instead patted Vanity's shoulder. "It's only easy due to your hard work and brilliance."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I'm serious." Damien chuckled. "Do you think this kingdom ever suspected an Ichor-blooded Noble Vampire to meddle in their affairs?" Damien walked over to collect the recording stone. 'Of course, the nobles on the central continent all learn spells or wear artifacts to resist mind control. But here? They likely didn't even know hypnotizing a mage was possible, let alone making a life-like puppet out of Ichor blood.'
Vanity shrugged. "I don't know or want to know how humans think. They all seem rather dumb and defenseless to me." Vanity licked her lips. "Well, except for the few humans that work under you, they are impressive."
"Yes, yes. I know you miss Blackthorn. Let's deliver this to the King, and then we can be on our way."
