I do as I'm commanded; her reassuring look puts me at partial ease. It’s certainly a plus to have someone senior in a new world who knows more, yet I am not entirely relieved. Who can trust a Vampire after all? Although not immediately as I'd expected, the Potion of Lesser Heal takes effect and a feeling of warmth engulfs me, healing my wounds and replenishing my HP Bar back to 80%. It would have taken some time for my passive regeneration to heal me this fast.

Wow, having magic potions and items like these can really make a difference in a battle. We should buy some first thing in the morning.

"Well?" Zoe snaps her fingers, drawing my attention back to her.

"Well, what?" I gasp.

"Will you join us? The quest? You're level-headed and certainly we could use someone like you," her chest rises and falls with a rapid breath, drawing my attention to her hand-sized breasts.

"I would love to..." I start, not wanting to disappoint the hot wizard girl, however, I shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch.

"Hell no," Ambrosia dismisses the discussion with a hand gesture. "We have some business of our own to attend."

"We could at least listen to what you have to say," I continue, watching my vampire torturer's eyes narrowing.

"Very well, let's hear what she has to say," Ambrosia agrees unexpectedly with a smirk.

"Recently, malicious creatures made their appearance in the underground tunnels of the city and are terrorizing the civilians. They even attack in broad daylight now. The Lord of Tlos has begun forming an army of adventurers to put them down," she informs us eagerly with a friendly smile.

Ambrosia makes a few more questions regarding the emerging menace, trying to evaluate the Threat Level of the creatures and learn about the rewards the Lord of Tlos has to offer. She's oblivious to the rewards, till Zoe mentions a royal ball that will take place after the expedition, to introduce the best of the adventurers to the cream of the crop of the city. This, unexpectedly, piques Ambrosia's attention.

"We should join them," she decides, licking her lips. "It's a rarity to have the chance to meet the royals."

I know she's scheming something. Maybe get a chance to marry a royal and quickly climb to the upper echelon. That's something that certainly passes through her mind. The more I think about it, the move evident it becomes that Ambrosia has some kind of connection to this city. I’m sure she was originally from here.

I'm allowed to change my clothes, switching my bloodied robe to a new one Ambrosia bought for me earlier. Both of the girls take their leisure watching me undress, each sneaking glances at me.

"I'm ready," I tell them.

"You sure took your time there," Ambrosia replies.

I shrug.

Zoe leads us through the labyrinth paths of the city to the Adventurer's Guild she spoke of, a place called The Commander's Inn. Zoe was kind enough to explain to me on our way here that this was the place to receive official requests. As an individual adventurer it is practically impossible to examine whether a request is legal, not to mention the difficulty level. All guilds of the continent have the same universal rank system for the adventurers, allowing them to take over various quests, even when they travel abroad to other kingdoms of Anatolia. The ranks, signifying the strongest to weakest are Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron. Each adventurer is given a medallion with the respective material. Compared to most guilds I knew back in Elysium, here you have to pay to become a member, and the higher your rank, the more you have to pay to the Adventurer’s Association. This in turn means access to more information and quests. It's clear that this isn't a non-profit organization trying to just help the good people from the monsters that plague these lands.

After Ambrosia charmed the registrar of the guild to give us a huge discount, we got our Iron medallions with an Optional Quest to Raid the Underground Dungeons of Tlos.

We head to Zoe's party, consisting only of wizard apprentices of the Phratry of Helios. Things with them quickly go out of hand, with my sexy ally demanding to be the leader of the party. Zoe's leader, a Level-6 black-haired guy wearing the same uniform and insignia as Zoe, seems immune to Ambrosia's Charm or Dominate. Negotiations fail soon and we're cast aside, left only with a bitter taste and a sullen face as I see the elusive wizard girl abandoning me.

"Hm, we have no need for idiots," Ambrosia declares, her nose as snobby as always. "They would slow us down anyway, better the two of us."

All I do is exhale, but for the first time I agree. They won't be of much use to us, and I've learned that the hard way when I participated in several guilds back in the day. You can't just trust a formed party with roles already established. It's a frail alliance that will crumble eventually. Not knowing each other's weak or strong points could prove a challenge when raiding a dungeon. Despite Ambrosia's autarchic character, she can lead under pressure, not to mention she saved my ass several times so far. No wonder she was one of the Vampire Lords back in Pedasa. Even the Vampire Queen had trusted her with a portion of her army. I trust my immortal friend and the centuries of experience she carries more than the Threat Level 6 boy-wizard.

Agreeing with her is one thing, but the realization that it will be hard for just the two of us to raid the underground tunnels comes to the surface. We still need allies and the most competent ones have already formed a team. The remaining are rank and file, barely Threat Level 2, and will most likely drag us down.

For some time now I've been having the feeling I'm being watched. An eerie feeling of a Black Knight with his sorceress sidekick giving me goosebumps. The mysterious, horned knight has a great, two-handed sword strapped to his back. The shape of his horned helm and his glowing crimson eyes make him look like a leering demon, rather a human being. His Threat Level is 16 and HP 68, the strongest creature after Ambrosia in this room.

Although impressed by the magnificent Black Knight, I'm more interested in his sidekick. The voluptuous figure is clothed for the most part, but it hardly matters; her skin-tight black trousers embrace her curves up to her exposed midriff, and her raven black hair cascade down without a tie or binding. I follow the skin upwards to a tight bustier that pushes her ample breasts, forcing her nipples to take shape under the frail cloth. I give her an unintentional smirk as she stabs me with the corners of her exotic, purple eyes. I want to kiss that mouth, but I refrain from drawing unnecessary attention for the time being. The Warlock's Wand she holds promises frightening destruction, the aura of its power trailing a line in her wake. She boasts a Threat Level 13 and HP 44.

I now see a notification popping up over their heads, informing me they are Emissaries like me. Interesting, maybe I should go there and talk with them, even ask them to join us. Speculating what I'm about to do, Ambrosia breaks my line of thought.

"It's not a good idea," she says holding my wrist. "I have a nasty feeling about them and if they wanted, they could be in any team they desired."

I nod and wonder why I get that familiar, yet eerie feeling about the duo. I scan the area and see several other Emissaries of various classes present here. Talking to other Players could solve a gazillion questions I have, but I should refrain for now. Probably the game doesn't want me to and that's why Ambrosia is behaving like that. I'll play along for now and enjoy the quest.