Guild Master Baz led Ambra through the guild hall, passing a myriad of adventurers engrossed in their maps, stories, and ale, until they reached a large wooden board brimming with parchment and notices. Each paper was a beckoning door to danger, opportunity, or simple hard work.

"You don't have to complete it immediately," Baz said, scanning the board thoughtfully. "Especially considering the week we have ahead with the mourning ceremony. But choosing a quest will cement your status in the guild—and assign you a rank."

The word 'rank' struck a chord within her. She was reminded of a time when she was a diamond-ranked adventurer, a position earned through hard-fought battles but also at a high cost. A soft wave of nostalgia washed over her.

Ian and Allen trailed behind her, each offering their suggestions with contrasting enthusiasm. Allen pointed out a few collection quests that seemed manageable and low-risk, things like gathering herbs or hunting down small critters.

Ian, on the other hand, went for a parchment tacked to a corner of the board with a red, cautionary ink border. "How about this one?" He was practically bursting with excitement. "Clear out a nest of giant crystal worms! With your strength, it'll be a walk in the park!"

Ambra sighed, more amused than annoyed. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," she muttered, eyeing the other options.

And then she saw it—a request that seemed almost too opportune. It read: "Gather information on the disappearances of Two Noble Ladies in the high district of Leviel." Intrigued, Ambra pulled the paper free from the board and presented it to Baz.

The guild master's eyes scanned the parchment and then met hers. "Ah, this one, you remembered," he sighed, "an information-gathering quest. Those can be as dangerous as any subjugation task, especially in the high district and particularly with the mourning ceremony so close."

"I was planning to do this anyway since I'm sticking around," Ambra said looking unbothered by the warning yet also a momentary distraction from her internal struggles.

Baz paused, assessing her with a look that weighed both her obvious capability. "I think you'll be able to complete the quest without much issue," he finally said, "but I also think you should be very careful. The high district is a delicate place with intricate politics, and with the disappearances, people seem to be on edge. The mourning ceremony will only complicate things further."

"Yeah, I've noticed. People already walk as far away from me as they're physically able to," Ambra nodded, folding the parchment and tucking it into her pocket. "I'll tread carefully."

Ambra approached the guild's reception counter, the parchment of her chosen quest gripped firmly in her hand. The receptionist looked up, ready to ask for her credentials, but paused when Baz handed over a signed paper.

"She's accepted this commission. Log it accordingly," Baz instructed.

The receptionist nodded, overriding any standard procedure to immediately stamp approval on the commission paper. With Guild Master Baz personally vouching for her, there was no room for doubt.

"Once you're done with this quest—regardless of success or failure—you'll be assigned a rank," Baz said, handing her a sealed paper, probably some form of official guild documentation. "Do your best; any information you gather will be valuable."

Ambra nodded, pocketing the sealed paper. Her mind began racing through potential strategies for gathering information, settling eventually on the Duke's estate as the first logical step in her investigation. With a destination in mind, she pivoted to leave the guild hall.

Just then, Ian tapped her shoulder. "Hey, cloak girl! Want to team up for this quest?"

Allen chimed in before Ambra could respond. "Ian, let her do this on her own. It's her first quest, after all."

"But she doesn't have a party yet!" Ian persisted, brimming with enthusiasm. "She could join us!"

Allen sighed, attempting to steer Ian away from his idea. "Ian, she's probably going to join up with the Aegis. Let her decide."

Ambra paused, her hand lingering on the door handle. A party. In the guild, a party was more than just a group; it was like a family, an intimate circle of trust. Did she want that again? Memories of her old party in Nuberia flickered through her mind, the bitter-sweetness embers in her mind causing her to hesitate.

"I think," she finally said, "I'll remain alone for now."

She turned the handle and stepped through the door, offering a quick wave over her shoulder. "Goodbye, Allen. Goodbye, Ian."

"Goodbye, cloak girl!" Ian called out after her, ever irrepressible.

Ambra paused, turning back with a slight smile. "Don't call me 'cloak girl.'"

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As Ambra sauntered through the maze of cobblestone streets that made up the noble—or "high"—district of Leviel, she pondered the name. "High district? What makes it so 'high'? The arrogance of its inhabitants?" She chuckled to herself, relishing the small moments of levity.

Her new cloak was a different matter entirely. It had an allure that commanded respect, its refined appearance and subtle embellishments subtly announcing her status as someone worth paying attention to. Gone were the days of skulking through the streets like some malevolent specter. As she caught the eye of a well-dressed passerby, they met her gaze with a sort of intrigued reverence, as though she were a royal in hiding or some powerful warrior in their downtime. Which she kinda was.

"Much better than before," she mused, feeling a small glimmer of freedom.

As she approached the Duke's estate, however, her confident stride slowed. A tingling sensation crept up her spine, as though the air had grown dense with foreboding. It felt like the world had subtly shifted on its axis, making everything seem just slightly... off.

"Is it just my imagination?" she wondered, scanning her surroundings.

The guards at the gate seemed unchanged, exuding their typical veneer of trained professionalism. But the gnawing feeling persisted, growing stronger as she drew closer.

"Welcome back, Lady Ambra," the lead guard greeted, his tone imbued with genuine respect and a tinge of warmth.

"Has anything unusual happened while I was away?" she blurted out, unable to mask her unease.

The lead guard paused, a flicker of concern clouding his eyes. "No, Lady Ambra. Nothing to report as far as I'm concerned. Is something amiss?"

Her senses screamed for her to act. "Listen to me carefully. I don't know what it is, but something dangerous is lurking inside the estate. I need you to seal off every exit immediately."

Some of the other guards laughed under their breath, but the lead guard, catching the gravity in her voice, snapped to attention. "You heard Lady Ambra. Move! Seal all the exits!"

Muttering among themselves but sensing the urgency, the guards dispersed, hurrying to follow their leader's instructions. The lead guard offered Ambra a nod, a silent acknowledgment that he trusted her instincts.

Heart pounding like a frenetic drumbeat, Ambra sped through the verdant labyrinth of the estate's gardens. Her feet barely touched the ground as she maneuvered between ornate hedges and opulent statues that adorned the landscape. For a fleeting moment, she thought about using her shadow step—the dark incantation that would propel her instantly from shadow to shadow—but discarded the idea. The open layout of the garden would likely expose her use of "curse magic" to any onlooker which may be troublesome.

As she reached the mansion, she pushed open the grand doors with a sense of urgency, her cloak billowing behind her like a spectral wing. Her boots tapped against the intricate marble floors of the hallways in rapid succession, the clicks echoing through the empty corridors. No maids or servants were around which aroused Ambra's suspicion even more.

Her mind raced as she navigated the labyrinthine layout of the mansion. "Lune can take care of herself, but Camila, and even the Aegis... No, I can't take any chances," she thought, each step filling her with both anticipation and dread.

Reaching the grand hall's doors, she slowed. Her ears caught the murmur of voices from within, but it was her supernatural senses that snagged her attention. The atmosphere here was thick with a presence she couldn't ignore. A vampire. Here? How?

The scent was unmistakable—dark and intoxicating, filled with an ancient malevolence that made her stomach churn. She was able to feel the vampiric essence much more acutely now, perhaps because she was a vampire. She thought about it but it didn't matter much, other than the fact it was useful.

Ambra knew her own strength was waning, the days without consuming blood taking their toll on her abilities slowly bringing her down to a level even before her transformation. "Can I even take on a strong vampire in my condition?" she wondered.

Pushing that thought aside, Ambra unclasped her chipped platinum sword from its sheath at her hip. The blade felt heavier than usual, its surface marred but still deadly. She needed to act, and she needed to act now.

With a resolute grip, she swung open the grand hall's double doors, making them slam against the walls with a cacophonous impact that interrupted the room's chatter.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment as she took in the scene. There, amid the Duke's house guests, Lune, Deidan, Marquis Julian, and the members of the Aegis, sat a figure that radiated the aura she had sensed—dark, mysterious, undeniably vampiric.

Eyes locking onto the figure, Ambra spoke, her voice laced with both authority and an undercurrent of genuine hatred. "Vampire, I don't know why you have come here, but you will come to regret it." And so, sword brandished, Ambra stood ready.

Ready to protect, ready to fight, and, if need be, ready to kill.

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