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Rachel didn’t dare to blink, waves of fear emanating from the disguised creatures circling them; it didn’t fully affect her under the Crimson Moon.  Ears stiff, she tracked everything happening throughout the castle corridors, her wide field of vision taking in Hrisu’s children as the light of the red and yellow moons filled her with strength and knowledge.

Every slow step the baron’s children took, the creasing of their gleeful faces, and the rustle of their clothes moved at a snail’s pace.  Her guard wasn’t at its peak for Hrisu, though; it was [Bringer of Misfortune] that put the pressure on her chest.

The music humming through the walls took on new meaning to her with her reaching roots, resonating with their vibrations, and the spiritual raking swipe that Hrisu made against her back swiftly mended.  Her rapid recovery pulled his children’s curiosity; to them, she was a cornered hare waiting to be toyed with for their entertainment before the skinning process.

[Beastial Instincts] was very clear about the difference between their powers, which wasn’t that significant of a gap, all things considered; it was roughly the scale of a decent male fighter to an elite female.  Yes, there was a very slim chance of victory, but it was not impossible.

The Greater Moon of Abundance calmed her agitated mind, feeding her the information she desired through [Knowledge of Abundance].  The issue wasn’t the wealth of data; it was parsing through it.  Peace flooded Rachel’s body as she relaxed her posture and dropped to her butt, confusing the vampires.

A claw passed through space, ripping through her dress back and running a line down her spine.  Rachel didn’t feel it, though, smiling as Nia realized what she had; Hrisu wasn’t a threat to them—at least, not when under the Greater Moon of Abundance.  Sure, she couldn’t do much damage to them as she was, but she didn’t need to at this time.

More blows tore through her jugular, chest, and eyes, only for the brilliant golden light to restore the damage to her organs, skin, and clothing.

“What is this… power of hers, Riley?”  one of the females asked.

“A high tolerance to fear and pain, while also having near-instantaneous healing, it would seem.  Fascinating.  Don’t you agree, Aimee?”

Hrisu laughed from beside Aurora, observing them with a thoughtful smirk.  “Even her spirit is recovering… but the soul can only take so much abuse until something critical is damaged.  Find that threshold.”

Rachel ignored the damage to her body and spirit, using the Flower of the Crimson Corruption as her information point while spreading the raw data from the Greater Moon of Abundance throughout their shared hive mind.  Something was wrong—very wrong—and she’d only felt that feeling deepen the further the night went on.

Something is pulling misfortune away from me.  Even [The Abundance of Fortune], as potent as it is, isn’t fully counteracting the scale in my favor.  When did it start?  What points triggered it?

Her legs fixed to the floor as roots sprouted out of her skin, causing the baron’s children to pause in their fruitless attack, attempting to find any vulnerability that would make her cry out.  She was spread far and wide now, giving her a colossal image of the castle and its exterior as her clones branched out on the giant structure’s roof.

“You really are something unique with the effects different moons give you, Rachel.  The multiplier is… astonishing!  How are you so adaptive?”

Aurora’s infuriating voice and laughter were distant and in her ear at the same time, her taunting words transferred through her growing planet nexus.  Once again, misfortune tilted slightly against her, but new insight came from the golden sphere overhead, filling her with reassurance and washing the vampiric fae’s presence away.

The combination of the Positive and Negative Force moons provided her with a union of energy that counteracted the damage she’d done to herself during Conner’s Legend Quest.  All the stress melted away in its light, drowning out her individuality as Riley picked her up by the shirt front, ripping the roots out of the ground and throwing her through a tear in space.

Tossed out of the celestial spheres’ light and dislodged from the bloody floor, her skin began to wither into a wrinkled brown before flaking away, leaving a husk for the confused vampires to gather around.  She was already within the network, blooming atop the glass roof to look into the cloudless heavens and its cosmic wonders.

The iron taste of blood carried along the sea breeze, pressing against a thousand petals that continued to spread throughout the castle.  Her clones grew stronger by the minute as she mixed her own divine blood into the network, rebuilt by the Greater Moon of Abundance healing waves.

Abruptly, the baron’s children were swarmed by a zombie-like horde of her flower children, no more than fodder for the laughing and thrilled vampires.  [Divine Crimson Garden] would continue to manufacture her clones at 50% of her current strength, and her hammer was passed between them, Nia guiding the majority of the force.

Rachel felt every neck separated from its stock or organ punctured, yet her thoughts were primarily on the issue at hand.  It didn’t take long for Aurora to materialize next to her, legs crossed, as she sat on one of the beams that kept the glass-covered ceiling stable.

She followed her gaze to the golden sphere above, a slight frown on her lips as her hooves tapped the air.  Eventually, the Baobhan Sith released a sigh.

“I expected a bit more of a fight out of you, Bunny.  What is with this… passive reaction?  You won’t even respond to my teasing anymore, which is… disappointing.  No, frustrating?  Hmm.  You know that Hrisu can harm me, unlike our fellow comrades in this quest…  If you give him a chance, he will discover a weakness in your abilities, and he can destroy all of your seeds.  Wait!”

A devious grin spread across the woman’s pink lips as she leaned over and placed a warm hand on hers.  Her sparkling emerald eyes danced with temptation, and her sweetly hot breath pressed against her face.  “If you aren’t going to respond… does that mean I can do whatever I want with your body?  I wouldn’t mind a Rachel clone!  Have lips ever touched yours—oh, c’mon!”

Rachel chuckled as the body in front of the succubus shriveled before her eyes, and another seed sprouted nearby, expelling a haze of crimson pollen.  She stroked the stamen that weaved in the strong wind atop the castle.

“I’m starting to see a pattern, Aurora,” she said, her petal-like gold-and-crimson irises shifting to the pouty woman.  “Why are you so set on disrupting me and making me uncomfortable?  Why are your actions so disruptive to my misfortune abilities?”

“Oooh!  Truth or dare?”  the fae asked, spinning away from the disintegrating clone.  “Truth.  You’re actually soaking up lunar rays from your flowers and transferring them through the roots of this little network, aren’t you?  I’m not talking to the real Rachel because you are the roots running through the castle.”

Considering whether to play the game or continue stonewalling the mysterious member of the Scarlet Hand, Rachel tilted her head left and right, following Scarlet and Maria’s groups.

The Unicorn had been ambushed by a few hidden participants, who were actually quite strong, and Saint Catherine’s powers basically destroyed her clones when nearby, so it was hard to help that group.

Red had sustained some damage in her battle against the Eldritch entities and retreated to recover; she was right in Maria’s path, which she had to consider was no accident.  Luck was in her favor.

On the other hand, Scarlet was contending with Baroness Melchiott’s children as they had their fun.  Their mother had slipped into Elizabeth’s study—taking Lord Leopold with her—for a chat, which was outside of her range.  She had to trust the girl to handle it because the Children of the Mist could totally shut down her powers somehow, isolating her roots.

Fang, the Legend of Lycaon, and the Varcolac Twins were barely holding their own against the House of the Deep, yet she suspected they were merely playing around with the wolves.

However, another person she’d met earlier snatched her attention—Abraham Van Helsing.  The legendary vampire hunter had knocked on Baroness Audrey Morgan’s door to enter the Blood House’s private session.  Anthony was talking to Harper, the enthralled young vampiress who had laughed at her mother’s expense during the opening introductions.

Rachel leaned back to stare at the mischievous succubus, who floated between her and the Greater Moon of Abundance.  The woman had a golden outline that mixed with her sparkly green aura and tinted her shimmering white locks, and a smile spread across Rachel’s mouth.

“Aren’t I supposed to state what I’d do before you give me an action or question to answer?  Truth.”

“Humph!  How dull,” Aurora huffed, leaning forward and shifting her bangs out of the way as her tempting voice sang as if spun from an instrument.  “Is the little bunny afraid of what my dare might be?  Kissing you like this would be like basically kissing a doll,” she complained.

“And I am not satisfied with shells without emotional connection,” she winked, regaining her seductive grace.  “Be honest.  What do you think about me—my beauty, intelligence… and intrigue?  What positive and negative things come to your mind when you see me?”

Rachel used her strength and flexibility to use one hand to push herself into the air, flip around, and land on her feet on the beam she’d sat on.  Even when cut from the roots of her true body within the walls and ceiling, she could feel every pulse they made like a beating heart.

Holding her hand behind her back, she let Nia handle the House of Fear while still an adult, giving her time to process what was going wrong.  For some reason, everything seemed to link back to Aurora, but she couldn’t see how the Baobhan Sith had that kind of power.

Aurora’s hooves clicked against the tinted glass as they walked along the roof of the Grand Ballroom Hall’s spine, and Rachel bathed in the soothing, Positive Energy that fed her an ungodly amount of information to sort through.

“I won’t lie and say you aren’t beautiful.”

“Which isn’t the same as attraction,” the succubus giggled.  “I can acknowledge that.  It doesn’t mean I can’t tease and poke.  Go on!  Rizz me, my fluffy-tailed protagonist.”

Rachel shook her head, chest shaking with silent laughter as she stared down at the chaos unfolding beneath her.  “See, that is why I didn’t do a dare, but I guess you’re intelligent enough to ask for a truth that would get you what you want.”

“Not really,” she mumbled, shooting a light, accusatory glare her way.  “I want to make you squirm and flustered, but this damn moon is ruining my fun.  I did very much enjoy toying with some of the men before, well, Nia killed them—I was the last woman that flirted with them!  Ahh.  What a rush that is to think about,” she whispered, cheeks flushing slightly.  “Continue!  Continue!  I’m getting butterflies.”

Rachel paused at the edge of the beam to study the fight between the colossal pair of wolves and the Eldritch fiends.  Their dresses pressed against their legs and fluttered behind them as the townsfolk retreated to preassigned shelters.

“I think… you’d be an excellent partner to have as an ally if you were actually on my side, which is a shame because there aren’t that many competent people.  If you weren’t so focused on trying to fluster me and make my life a living hell, then I could see a world where you’d make a great addition to Omen.  You have a skillset that is very useful, and are a natural flirt.”

“Wow.  That’s… unexpected,” Aurora whispered, hugging herself and looking away with a sad smile.  “I’ll admit that you are frustratingly obstinate, which is something I rarely find and does draw me in.  It isn’t often I am rejected, after all.  What about my worst feature?  You have yet to make that comment,” she laughed, displaying her hairy and hooved legs.  “Waiting to drive the nail into my chest for my bunny comment?  It’s a fair shot.”

Rachel looked up at the big crimson sphere above them and shook her head.  “Why would I hate your legs when you can do about as much about them as I can for my ears?  I’m not attracted to women, so what I see will probably be different than how others do.  They’re a part of you, and I think the clicking sounds they make are an interesting change of pace—at least to my ears.  Nia absolutely hates your guts.  I can separate the actor from the act.”

“Ehh?!”  Aurora choked and forced a chuckle as her cheeks turned pink.  “That… was oddly wholesome.  No one has told me that before…  Mmm.  Life is so unfair,” she groaned, sweeping back her silvery locks while giving her a slightly upset glance from the side.  “Why can’t most men or women see things like you?  I am gorgeous… at least from the waist up.  Even I’ll admit my lower half disgusts me, but I’ll take heart from your words!”

She spun around and presented herself with a charming grin.  “My turn!  We move the gun to the next potential empty chamber to be fired.  Dare!”

Rachel gave her a critical smirk as she turned and crossed her arms, remembering back to their chess match; the woman was far more of a strategist than she led on.  “Are you scared to choose truth?  If I choose dare next, will you wade into deeper waters with me?”

A shiver ran up the fae’s frame as she drew in her bottom lip and glanced off to the side, clearly torn.  “I really, really shouldn’t…  Mmm.  I know I shouldn’t!  You’ll… really choose dare?  No backing out?”

Flashing her teeth, Rachel’s ears tilted forward.  “I give my—”

“Is this the real you?!”  Aimee stepped through dimensions, excitement bubbling within the fear-entity’s voice as she effortlessly cut her into five pieces with a single slash of her fingernails, rending space.  “No?  You are such a rat!  I love it…”

Rachel sighed as a new flower bloomed below the Grand Ballroom.  The flower unfolded to reveal an empty stage, where Elizabeth no doubt hosted plays or dramas.

“How rude of her!”  Aurora materialized next to her with a scowl.  “And right when it was getting to the good part.  I am actually infuriated at that interruption.  Humph.  I am using too many of my Feats for comfort, as is—anyway, where were we?”

Stretching out her new body, Rachel rolled around her neck.  The fae waited with bated breath, playing with her hands as she looked straight into her eyes.

“As I was about to say…  I give you my word, so long as it doesn’t betray Omen or its members,” she gave a confident laugh before winking.  “Even a kiss, if that is the price.  That is how serious I am right now because… I do not want to kiss you…  Oh, and it looks like some of the maids are at the controls…”

Aurora’s lips became a line as she stepped back and found her elbow.  Squeezing it, she looked up as the overhead lights turned on, dampening the music’s hum.  Their voices were easily heard throughout the sound-enhancing theater room.

Rachel’s brow furrowed with curiosity as the succubus fidgeted, considering her proposal; she was acting very unlike the typical, confident, and untouchable fae she’d come to expect.  Aurora swallowed and set her brow, looking up into her face with a gambler’s gaze.

“Very well, ask me…  So long as it doesn’t interfere with my purpose for being here, then I will tell you my unfiltered truth.”

Time slowed as she observed every inch of the Baobhan Sith’s agitated twitches; it probably wasn’t an act.  She wholeheartedly wanted to dare her to do something and was willing to put herself in an uncomfortable position to make that happen.

Rachel asked the question that the Greater Moon of Abundance had led her to.  Its rays shone upon the pair together, yet their conversation was a mystery.

“I know you have somehow been manipulating misfortune to work against me… but you’re not alone.  Are you working with Twilight, the Scarlet Hand, some other party… or for yourself?  I know you met with Twilight.  I know she blocked the moon’s rays from getting a full view of that meeting—from getting a full view of you.  Is she working with Elizabeth, Cássia, Illa, or some other party?”

Aurora’s fingernails tightened against her elbow.  She almost looked as if she were about to cry as she whispered, “That’s two questions…  Can I answer one?  Your choice.”

Rachel chuckled, the soft choir and organ playing in the background as they talked away from the chaos that was sweeping the castle.  “How about I rephrase it then…  Why are you so set on manipulating me?”

For the first time, Rachel felt the scales between misfortune and fortune even out, despite how heavily it had been against her and Omen.  A quake ran down Aurora’s frame as she lifted a finger to brush away a tear that fell down her cheek.

“Wow!  Just go ahead and ask a girl why she’s interested in pursuing you, huh?  Way to put me on the spot,” she chuckled, sweeping back her silver locks and breathing as if releasing a huge weight against her lungs.  “So… you want to know why I targeted you?  Why did I care so little for Selene’s death?  Why I’m here in the first place, flirting with random folks and causing mischief?  What a question…  What an answer I will give.”

Her countenance brightened as she fiddled with the blood-red rose attached to her gown on the side of her left breast.  She checked to make sure her hair and outfit were in proper order before clasping her hands at her front and showing a graceful cadence that contrasted the seductive guile she’d portrayed previously.

Rachel prepared herself for the answer she’d come to expect with the whirlwind of information and possibilities floating through her head.  The answer she gave was within the scope of her calculations.  However, despite the Greater Moon of Abundance, [Strategic Mind], and the wealth of time [Mental Acceleration] had given her hivemind the room to process her possible response, the fae’s follow-up, she did not anticipate.

“At first, I targeted you for the simple pleasure of seeing what has become of Nike.  Yes, I know about the Personification of Victory recovering within your Soul Expanse.  I am not affiliated with the Scarlet Hand; well, hehe, not directly.  Twilight is more or less a side project for me.  I am merely a free spirit looking for fun and adventure.  That being said…”

She stepped closer, her unashamed emerald eyes staring into hers.  “After our quite wholesome chat, I can say that my desire and reasons have changed.  I like you, Rachel—and not in my typical like way,” she added with a half-smile.  “I think, for the first time, I would rather be friends instead of using you to appease my carnal wants.  So, before I disappear, wouldn’t you allow me a final dance?  Hehe.  I dare you.”

Taken aback by the sudden change in atmosphere, she scratched her neck and laughed.  “I… thought I was prepared for any lewd request you might ask me, but just a dance?”

“What,” the woman asked with a sly twist to her eyes, lifting a delicate hand for her to take, “have you never danced with a friend at a club?  I have never found someone I can connect with like you…  I can only hope it is real, and so I have taken my shot, I suppose you could say.”

Tilting her head, Rachel lifted her own hand.  “No, I never really had friends until after The Oscillation, period.  And dancing?  What kind of dance do you want me to do because I’ve never danced.”

“Perfect.  I’ll lead then,” the fae whispered, sliding her hand into hers and pulling her closer.  The organ faded, replaced by a dark cello, the sound of her hooves bleeding into the background.  They took their first step together, the silver-haired woman’s fingers moving her free hand to her waist.

“Dancing is far more than just sexual…  You can discover things about your partner in ways you cannot fathom… staring into each other’s souls in the sway of the music.  I can see your need for control, yet the confidence you have to give it up when needed, despite how uncomfortable it makes you…  Still, you step forward with me.”

Her penetrating gem-like eyes glowed with sadness.  “I know that you cannot trust me, and for good reason.  I always bring the storm of adversity and conflict with me, wherever I go.  I am the sweet breeze that precedes the hurricane.  So, the best gift this free spirit can give… is to disappear to trouble another shore.”

Rachel gave her a questioning smile as she spun her away before bringing her back.  “Are you saying that because I didn’t call your legs ugly, you want to be friends now?”

“Oh, how innocent you are,” the fae giggled, melancholy eyes shining as if she were about to cry.  “It almost makes me want to sink my fangs into your neck and keep you all to myself.  You must have had a rather sheltered life from the wonton gaze of others, filled with jealousy and lust for your flesh.  No, Rachel, I am dancing with you because I feel comfortable like I never have before in doing so… because I know you want nothing more from me.”

The fae continued to guide her around the smooth stage, falling silent.  She twirled her away before pulling her back in their slow waltz.  Rachel still couldn’t fully understand why this woman had such an effect on her misfortune, but every passing minute further tilted the scale in her favor.

Eventually, the music changed, and Aurora begrudgingly pulled away.  “I think that is enough of a treat for me!”

“So… what now?”  Rachel asked, flexing her fingers to relieve the tingles the succubus naturally left on her skin.  “How do you plan to leave?  I can’t imagine this is the last time I’ll see you.”

“Do you want to see me again?”  Aurora asked with a questioning smirk.  “I thought I was the ‘bitch’ that you were going to kill.  Surely, you wouldn’t want a second dance from a devious, blood-sucking temptress like me!  Isn’t it lucky enough to escape my claws?”

Rachel put a hand on her hip and returned the half-smile.  “I mean, I hated your guts because you were constantly undermining me and pretending to be friendly while making my life a living hell.  If we’re not enemies, then I respect the hustle.  A girl’s gotta use what she has in this world, right?”

Aurora covered her mouth as she laughed.  “Well said.  Can I still call you Bunny?  No?  Ahh.  Fair enough,” she said, looking oddly satisfied as she moved her fingers to one of her dangling gold earrings and removed it.  “Should you ever wish for my company, then whisper into this earring.  I’ll be closer than you might think.”

Rachel caught the tossed jewelry as the woman turned and walked away, shimmering dust wrapping around her frame as the fae gave her a backward wave.  “Oh, and one last parting word of advice…”  She slowed and half-turned to give her a mysterious stare.  “Don’t hesitate to use the Black Moon.  I’ll see you around, Puffy Tail.”

The Baobhan Sith faded away with the cry of violins, the dust closing in until only her left, gleeful emerald eye remained.  Then, she was gone.  Rachel didn’t think she’d see the mysterious Scottish woman soon, and she walked over to the mysterious pile of confetti she’d left behind, picking some of it up to let it fall to the stage.

She turned her attention to the golden earring, and it could have been the Greater Moon of Abundance affecting her, but perhaps Aurora wasn’t as bad as she thought.  A troublemaker?  Absolutely.  But one that could be turned in her favor.

Now, how did she know about the Black Moon?  Such an irritating woman…  Maybe we could be friends since I’m kind of a bitch myself.

“Captain, I’m out of time.  Do you really think she’s gone or going to jump out and scare us?”

No, I think she’s gone…  She is one mystery in this Legend Quest I couldn’t quite crack before she ran off, which is a bit frustrating…  Yet, somehow, I feel like we both won that exchange.  Store this earring, Nia.

“Do I have to…  Yuck.  I hate how manipulative she is.  I still think she duped you.”

Haha.  Believe what you want, Soldier.  Follow Coral’s path to Scarlet.  At least I have something to look forward to in the future, and misfortune is back on our side!

Her body withered away as the earring was pulled into one of Nia’s storage drawers, and she reappeared beside Hrisu on the balcony, watching his children almost done destroying most of her root network within the floor and walls.

“Did I miss much?”

 

* — * — *

 

Eden’s disguise collapsed as she dropped to her knees.  She appeared inside an empty cabin on the cruise ship from which the Legend Quest originated.  Hugging herself, sweat slicked her face as she gasped for air, feeling the lingering pressure of channeling so much of Eris’ power to slip out of Elizabeth’s Greater Seed.

Her dry throat constricted as hands cupped her face, bringing it up to show her reflected eyes.  “Naughty, naughty, Little Puppet.  I am going to have to punish you.”

She coughed, forcing a laugh.  “It… is what Aurora would have done.  I played my role perfectly!”

“Did you, now?”  Eris’ chaotic, dagger-like eyes gleamed with glee.  “You most certainly did… if Aurora knew she was Eden.  You failed the part.  Rachel will disappoint you in the end, Stupid Puppet.  It isn’t your place to act smart.  Do you really think she can survive Scarlet’s first seal breaking because you gave her that warning?”

“Of course she won’t.”  Eden drew back, her smile rising as Eris hummed and lifted the same gun they’d been playing with, spinning the single round before handing it to her.  Holding it up to her head with a crazed smile, Eden pulled the trigger—confetti rained over her black pigtails.

Eris’ excitement fell into a pout as she glared at the gun.  “Humph.  You survived today, Puppet.  Hehe.  Maybe you won’t next time!  Until you call me again…  Happy acting, Faker!”

Her goddess’ strength rushed out of Eden’s body, causing her to release a long stream of air.  A giggle slid through her hoarse throat as the white adder mask materialized in her hand.  She half slipped it on, whispering, “Remember your words, Benefactor…  Then, what is a Fool?  Knowing when to act clueless, like I do…  Hehe-ah-hahaha!”

Humming a lullaby, she forced herself up, stumbling a little as the flowery gun vanished, and she skipped to the shower to clean up.  She had to look her best for when Dracula showed his face, after all, not that he’d see hers.

Freshening up, the room filled with steam as she sang in the shower, checking her cadence and refining her voice.  Water dripping off her body as she exited, she ran her hand over the foggy mirror, a pretty fanged smile meeting her—Selene’s smile.

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