Kristoffer paused.

 

He realized something.

 

He was now all alone with a girl.

 

Why did those two not take her with them instead? It's not like she couldn't sit and wait in the inn's dining area or something. Kristoffer facepalmed.

 

"Uh, hey," he began, trying to think how not to sound like he was kicking her out. "I know dinner is supposed to be one hour from now but there is nothing better to do here, I'm just about to wash my utensils."

 

Nel blinked at him and his eyes dropped to the briefcase on her side. She only had that with her?

 

"Forgive me for asking, but where are your other stuff? ...Don't tell me you got robbed," he said half-jokingly. He truly hoped that was not the case. Otherwise, he'd be helping her out buy some necessities out of pity.

 

Nel tilted her head, confused, but then quickly realized what he probably meant. "I don't need clothes. I only have the documents Quill gave me." Nel hugged the briefcase as if to protect it. "It contains my identity and she said it would be troublesome to procure them again."

 

He stared at the briefcase. He suddenly had the urge to look but of course, he still had the decency not to. It should be easy for him to snatch it or take a look later after it was left unattended... but he should trust Quill and Nel. If such documents came from Quill, and difficult to get even for someone like her, then it must be either forged or forced... or both. But 'doesn't need clothes'? What the heck does that mean?

 

He snapped out of his thoughts when another knock came.

 

A little girl from the orphanage. It was cutting it close for their curfew. 'Normal' children were allowed to roam the streets a lot later but since orphans practically do not have relatives to look for them if they went missing, they were kept inside by the director early night to protect them from harm. Yet, most important of all, it was to save the orphans' reputation. In the kingdom, and perhaps elsewhere in the world, orphans were normally thought to do shady jobs or resort to theft to feed themselves.

 

He approached the kid and eyed the surroundings. There were not many people in the area.

 

"Mister, wanna buy some salt? It's very nice and you wouldn't want to miss it!" said the little girl. There was too much emphasis on that last part.

 

"Oh, missy, I still have a lot of salt left here but I guessed I just had to, huh? You just wouldn't know when salt's gonna go out of stock these days," he replied, a bit forced.

 

He gave her a few coppers for the small bag of salt that could fit in his two hands. They smiled and waved each other goodbye.

 

"Nel, I'm just gonna take this at the back," he said. She nodded before sipping from her teacup.

 

He took brisk steps and opened the bag. Salt. He only saw salt as expected but he didn't stop there and dug his hand inside. He took out a small piece of rolled paper and read the tiny handwriting inside.

 

 

 

Caution... Multiple suspicious seedlings entered the town for the past three weeks. The Syndicate is moving again and planting them in various establishments.

 

 

 

Those guys... This report again?

 

 

 

Finally, after all these years, they dared to plant one in your house. Although someone of your caliber probably already knows that.

 

 

 

Well, yeah, because Nel told him so! Kristoffer knew it would look worrying at first glance but he was not worried at all. He probably would have thrown himself outside the window in panic and escape town if it wasn't Quill doing it, though. He wanted to burn the piece of paper immediately since it was almost needless information until he skipped the rest and read what's written at the very bottom.

 

 

 

...a junior agent went missing last night after presumably coming into contact with an evil seedling. All agents are NOT to approach unless the seedlings hatch and spread their spores.

 

 "Compassion and Cruelty are two sides of the same coin called a Hero."

 

- Lime, the Dark Elf Hero of the Rouen Kingdom

 

 

 

The report ended with the maxim of the orphanage's benefactor and Kingdom's Hero as usual.

 

He crushed the paper in his hands. An evil lackey? He can't be too sure since even subordinates could disobey orders but... He should talk with Quill. If it was one of hers then she might help out.

 

He took out a fire stone from his kitchen and burned the paper. After making sure that there were no traces of the paper left, he jogged to his backdoor and confirmed it was locked, then proceeded outside to close shop, glancing at his surroundings while not looking overly suspicious. He went to his door and tried to close it, stopping when he remembered there was still someone inside. He didn't notice her at all when he passed her by, he turned to find her slouched back into the soft sofa, her brown linen dress and dark brown corset blending noicely into the sofa's brown fabric. Noice camo there.

 

Wait, wasn't her dress white earlier..? He waved the thought off to focus on his next move. "Let me escort you to the inn. Shall we?" he said. 

 

Nel rose to her feet and walked to the cobblestone outside, letting Kristoffer lock his brand new front door.

 

"It doesn't have any lock!" Kristoffer exclaimed, hanging his mouth open in disbelief. Obtaining another reason to accompany Nel into the inn did not help abate his anger as he stomped over the cobblestone. Although, he did try to block the door with his medium-sized chalkboard stand as a temporary measure.

 

They walked for a few minutes until they turned into a corner and saw the signpost portraying an eagle on a pouncing stance. 

 

"Dina! Fina!" he called as soon as he opened the inn's front door. The female receptionist on duty shot him a stare but his angry glare at least stopped her from saying anything. Dina peeked from the kitchen and raised her hand for them to see her from the other side of the building. "Hey! Wassup?"

 

"I'd like to meet that dwarf," he said, the frown on his face making it obvious that it wasn't so he could offer him praise.

 

"What? Why? Did he forget to put in the lock?" Dina laughed.

 

"Yes."

 

"Oh... I see... Sorry about that." Fina came out of the kitchen next, handing out orders to the hungry patrons. The smell of good food instantly shifted his frown into mouthwatering curiosity.

 

"What's that?" he asked with anticipation.

 

Dina took a brief look at the table that his eyes were probing. "Our Grilled Pork marinated in our secret sauce," she said, a smile radiating on her face worthy of their 3 stars. "Try it and you won't regret it."

 

 

 

---

 

(Salt Vendor Girl)

 

A little girl looked left and right, then above and behind. It's already dark and already past the orphanage's curfew.

 

She has already sold all her salt and even made some extra in the end, but darkness surrounded her in return. The lights of town strangely felt so far away from where she stood and she was contemplating how to return home. She could go back and take the main road in the center of town, but in her way was the orphanage director taking his rounds to search for any children in distress as he called it. The next option was to take the alley behind the inn where their adversary made it as one of their bases in town, it should be risky and could catch their attention but their most senior officer always told them that nothing would happen if they do not make any malicious action, plus it was the fastest way too. The last option was to circle back and travel in the opposite direction, with no consequences except for the very long walk.

 

She didn't want to be scolded. She was tired. And she trusted their senior who has survived this town for so long.

 

So the second choice it was.

 

She walked until she was finally a house away from the inn and trotted as if doing so would reduce her conspicuousness. She held in a sigh and moved along until almost immediately, she saw a man in a dark cape descending from above. His face was pale and his eyes glowered like an intrigued predator. She only managed to scream for a little... then it was total darkness.

 

 

 

---

 

(Fina)

 

 

Fina was serving dishes. Oh, how wonderful it would be if she was the one chomping down on them. It was disheartening to see the customer in front of her not even taking a glance at it and was looking at something else, this stupid pervert. Does he want her to gobble him up? He would die though... although his plump body did look appetizing, her boss has always stressed that humanoids were no go and it was cannibalism... she wasn't human though but her boss would have continued strangling her if she didn't pretend to understand. Months of pretending taught her that listening to her boss actually paid off. Some stupid ghoul kidnapped a VIP and was hunted down for it, he was still inside some basement being experimented on by the humans that she thought was weak and stupid. That explains why humans covered the land more than the other races combined. The small boss's food was the nail to the coffin, it tasted better than any human limb she had! Why bother hunting a walking trap when the boss offered her food and money that she could exchange for more food?

 

Just then, she heard a scream, which was unnaturally cut off, at the back alley. She stood upright to get better reception of the sounds, but in doing so, the wine in her tray tumbled and its contents spew out to the plump man's expensive tunic.

 

"What in the hell?!" shouted the man. Fina ignored him and darted towards the weird sounds, finding herself at the inn's back alley yet saw nothing.

 

Dina and Kristoffer soon followed her outside, the latter she sensed to have run slower but reacted first.

 

"You heard that?" Fina asked.

 

Dina nodded. Of course, she did, they were of the same race.

 

Although, the other one surely wasn't. They both looked at the human male and he got a bit flustered. Instead of answering, he swung his head around looking for something.

 

"There!" he said, pointing to the road. "See the dust and leaves? They parted in a very weird way as if something went past them."

 

Then Dina and Fina saw it. Indeed, the back alley was full of leaves and dust, yet they wouldn't notice how they parted if he didn't mention it, there were just that many. They followed the trail in speeds that even a horse would slightly struggle to achieve, going straight for a bit before going left, and there they finally saw it.

 

 

 

---

 

(Kristoffer)

 

"...Wow," Kristoffer said. The grilled pork they served at Eagle's Talon was a luxury, with how amazing it tasted, how could it be anything but a luxury.

 

He smelled and looked at the juicy meat on his fork, but before he could take another bite, a man shouted from the other table, "What in the hell?!"

 

The man's golden tunic was drenched with wine and Fina went stiff like a wolf who heard a prey then suddenly ran. At that point, Kristoffer chased after her immediately. There was no clear explanation for it. No one would just follow a person who ran just because. But he still did. His instinct kicked in and he instantly rose from his chair, before he could think, his legs were already taking him somewhere. Within a few heartbeats, Dina overtook him but he just ran. His guts were telling him, that this was very important.

 

But no one else was there.

 

Fina asked whether they heard something but all he could hear was the cheerful banter inside the inn and the wind. Then they stared at him. Why?! Don't look at me!

 

Were they chasing something? He looked around but all he could see were walls and the fallen leaves on the ground. It became even more difficult when the wind was making clouds of dust float into his eyes. Darn it. As he rubbed an eye, he saw how there was more dust on the sides and less on the middle where he was standing.

 

He thought nothing of the parted leaves aside from that it was not something you'd see every day, but it was better than not coming up with anything in front of his companions' predatory eyes. He pointed it out and the two surprisingly accepted it, quickly moving to the direction the trail went. He followed and followed, yet the distance between them steadily grew. It took everything he had just to catch up.

 

Fortunately, they found what they were looking for. Or was it unfortunate? The man before them was tall and his outward appearance didn't look normal. Pale skin as if he was sick, red eyes that belong in the darkness, and two fangs protruding from his mouth. It was almost like he was-

 

"A vampire," Dina finished his thought. The two women in front of him visually readied themselves, seeming like they were planning to fight it.

 

A vampire? Those creatures that were said to suck the blood of living beings, have hypnotic and regenerative powers, and would take a human army to kill it? No, thanks. Run!

 

But just as he was about to turn around, he caught a glimpse of something that was supposedly hidden by its cape. There he saw a little girl in its arm, the wind blowing the cape away enough for him to recognize the form and clothing of the kid that delivered him the letter. She seemed unconscious.

 

"Annoying humans. Will you stop following me?" the vampire hissed. His eyes glowed brighter and held out a hand. "Turn around and go home. You will forget what you saw here tonight."

 

It was the most common hypnotic spell that he used to drive humans away. He already had his food for the night hanging on his arm, and so he didn't need them. But he was surprised, unable to comprehend the next scene before him.

 

The two women, instead of going away, were dancing around as if mocking him. The human man wasn't moving but he wasn't going away either.

 

"Phew, it's nice to exercise in the evenings, right?" Dina prompted.

 

"Whatever," Fina said. "I still don't understand how doing those moves worked against mind spells but I dare say that I won't complain. Kristoff, you recognize that girl?"

 

Kristoffer didn't know who asked, nor did he realize someone's talking to him. He was already busy pulling out a magic scroll and a sword from his item bag. He realized the vampire have used a mind spell on him since the countermeasure he wore on his finger shone brightly as it protected him. This made him angrier, he always despised people who used mind spells on others. But that's good, getting angry at this point. He welcomed anger into his system to replace the fear inside. Unneeded fear made people dull, and more often than not, it became the main reason for their defeat. Against a powerful adversary, it was normal to be scared. But throughout the years of his entire life, he had seen...mostly heard of weaker people defeating the stronger ones just by being ignorant of their enemy's power. There was no fear because they didn't know what to fear. But that was just the half of it, the biggest factor was that they do have the skill to take the opportunities, the weak points that their enemy left behind.

 

Then Kristoffer activated the scroll. His body shined, then he took a leap of faith. He also literally took a leap towards the enemy, brandishing his sword.

 

 

 

---

 

(Vampire Lord)

 

The tall enemy had nothing but a smug on his face, as he could see how slow this human's movements were. He was an easy kill.

 

Until he felt something pricked the back of his neck, then more instantly followed to the shoulders, the head, and the back. He quickly shoved out of the way, but before he could do so he was already stabbed by at least five small needles at different parts of his body as he looked at the stinging pain. Where did that come from?

 

Then the human was at his face. Fast!

 

The human took a swing, but he quickly dispersed into mist, dropping the girl onto the ground. No ordinary weapon would be able to harm him in this form. But his assurance was completely overturned as he felt great pain in his chest. "Aaargh!" That hurt! How did that hurt?!

 

He took a swing himself, using his claws to try to incapacitate the human scoundrel. How dare he! But then he felt something else claw at his back. "Gah!" He swung his arm to the back but it was captured by a furry hand. He looked at the enemy behind him, it's an enemy he always despised. Why was something like that here?!

 

"What the?! Why is a werewolf in my town?!" he bellowed from the top of his lungs. Then he sensed another one leaping for him. Damn fools... He has defeated and caused misery to an entire family of werewolves by himself, not to mention an entire human battalion. Throughout the 1000 years of his life, he has never seen anyone who could defeat him.

 

But too bad. A vampire who only goes out at night would probably really not see much of the world.

 

Moreover, it was his greatest mistake to let the first two attacks reach him.

 

He tried to move his body but his muscles wouldn't listen. When that didn't work, he tried to escape the hand clutching his arm by turning into mist...but to no avail. He used the other hand to swipe at the incoming enemy with all his might but they dodged it easily, given that he was paralyzed. Then another pain pierced him. Then another. And another. Claws. Claws. CLAWS.

 

His body... and mind was ripped into pieces as he couldn't escape, screaming was all he could to defy the enemies. Why did this happen? After a thousand years and the hundreds of lives he took, this was where he would die?

 

...Did they know? Was that why they gave him this town as his property..? It was a trap all along?!

 

"D-damn i-it all! GO TO HELL, YOU PIECES OF SHI-" A sword pierced his heart. He finally fell like a puppet whose strings were cut as the werewolf let go of his wrist. His blood swiftly pooled onto the dusty ground. For a thousand years, he wondered how death actually felt... Some said it was warm and tranquil. For him, all he felt was the cold ground as the life drained out of his eyes.