New Friends

“Nyan-nyan! Wake up nya!” someone purred on top of her.

Anna stirred groggily, her eyes half-lidded as they tried to adjust to the lamp light in the inn.

“Ugh… tired… wake me when night comes…” Anna mumbled.

Uetum bounced, almost offended. “It’s already night, nya! What are you doing sleeping through your whole day?”

“I’m a vampire… Vampire needs sleep during the day…” Anna rubbed her eyes and frowned.

“Nya! Ue think this is so important, nya! Ue doesn’t like waiting, so wake up!!”

“Ue? Why are you in my room? Who’s Ue?”

“Uetum is Uetum Nyaaa! But come on, Anna-chan! You have a message!”

“Oh… the cat from last night... What does this message say?” she mumbled, curling back under the blanket.

Uetum rustled some parchment. “Nyaaa! It’s a letter from the king, nya! I don’t think Uetum should read this…”

Anna shot upright.

“Huh?! Give me that!”

“Just kidding, nyaaa! It’s from some knight. Here.” Uetum said, passing her the letter.

Anna narrowed her eyes as she unfolded it.

“Knight…?” she muttered, scanning the words. “I see, they keep their word huh...”

“Nya, nya!”

“Uh…? Why so many ‘nya’s?”

“Nyan! Uetum always talks like this, nya. It’s comfy!”

“Is that so? …And why are you here?”

Another voice spoke up, steady and dry.

“We’re simply want to give you a welcome present before continuing our job. Lord Yarte been real excited since he hears another vampire agreed on joining.”

It was Pietta, still carrying the same bag of rocks from before.

Anna narrows her eyes, “Well, I really hope this welcome present is actually useful...” her eyes darted around the room. “…and where’s my sword? I’m pretty sure I keep it here somewhere...”

Uetum waved her paws nervously. “Nya-nya, that little sword is spying on some knights nya! But don’t worry about that, No danger here, nya!”

Pietta nodded. “We… thought it best not to trouble you, so we said it to follow a knight who seems suspicious. And looks like that sword got interested, it will probably be back after it got bored.”

Anna narrowed her eyes. “That damn airhead sword... I have to teach it not to be too trusting...”

Uetum’s tail flicked, ears twitching. “B-but listen, nya! Something strange happened last night! The Silverleaf family has turned back to human nya! Like, holy light restored! All the corruption just—poof—gone, nyaaa!”

“Oh? Is it now?”

Pietta added softly, “Ah, about that, it does seem weird. The guardian golem at their farm is moving again and slowly purifying the whole area back. But we needn’t worry, Lord Yarte said it’s fine… but… ah, perhaps I should not say…”

Anna leaned back slowly, her face unreadable. “…fine?”

Uetum nodded furiously, her bell jingling with each motion. “Nyaa!! It’s fine to say! Lord Yarte has corrupted the golem again, but he said it’s weird! Someone super divine must’ve done it, nya! No way it was normal magic! He said it may be Orivaneia!!”

“And how exactly does this lord Yarte can tell if it’s Orivaneia?”

“Because the radiance is so pure!! It may not be done by saint!” Uetum continued, “The family has now turned back to human and has taken shelter also in the kingdom! No saint can do this, nyaa!”

Pietta tilted her head, eyes uncertain. “By knowing what happened last night, we have to be more careful... Serenya may still be out there. Or worse, Orivaneia is. But that’s not why we’re here, like I said, we have you here a present.”

Anna pressed her lips together, setting the letter aside, “A present come at a price.”

Uetum’s tail flicked, her grin widening. “Nyaaa, caught us, Anna-chan! You’re right! Lord Yarte also given you an order. But this present is from us, as a friendship gift!”

“So what’s gonna be my present? Did you bring it?”

Pietta shuffled forward, hugging her sack of rocks like it was treasure. “Vampiric essence.” She said while taking one stone out.

Anna’s eyes sharpened. “Vampiric?”

Uetum leaned in, almost falling onto the bed. “Yes-yes! Strong enough that even Uetum feels shivers, nyaaa! It is like a power up that can make vampire able to be awake in the day for 1 day, nyaa! And if used in the night, their power will double!”

Anna sat up straighter, interested, “What about its cooldown? Can I use this stone everyday?”

Pietta hesitated, glancing at Uetum.

“If…” Pietta began, cautious.

Uetum finished for her, hesitant. “If Anna-chan is evil enough, nya. It feeds on life. If you devour humans every day, yes, you can.”

Anna twirled the stone once between her fingers, letting it glint. Outwardly, she only smirked.

Inside, though, her chest squeezed, so tightly she almost cursed aloud.

A present. For me. …No one’s ever given me something just to see me smile.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, hiding it. Don’t show them. Don’t show anything.

Still… I’ll remember this. Even if they never know.

“Well, that’s good to hear, I suppose. And what’s my order?”

“Lord Yarte wants to see you first if you agree.”

Anna’s hand froze around the stone. “…Like now?”

Uetum’s bell chimed as she leapt off the bed with uncharacteristic grace, tail flicking. “Nyaaa! Yes-yes! If you agree, he wants to see you as soon as possible!”

Something in Uetum’s tone wasn’t silly this time. Anna felt a knot tighten in her chest, though she masked it with a crooked smile. “Straight to the top, hm? He must be desperate to see me.”

“Not desperate,” Pietta replied, hoisting her sack of rocks onto her shoulder. “Curious.”

“So you want to do this? We’ll give you that stone for free.”

Anna nods, “Of course I want to but—”

The air split with a soundless tear. Pietta lifted a jagged shard of obsidian, muttering in tongues Anna didn’t know, and the air split open into a swirling portal. Red-black mist oozed through, carrying the stench of rot and iron.

“Come on in then.” Pietta said.

I... Need to find Maren first... Anna’s instincts screamed. But I suppose if I act tough, they won’t hurt me

Uetum grinned nervously, ears flat, tail low. “Nyaaa… come, Anna-chan.”

Anna muttered under her breath before finally saying, “Fine.” And coming through the portal.

The forest beyond her stretched, trees were still trees, yet their bark had gone the colour of ash and streaked with veins of black. Leaves hung heavy, bruised violet, and at the roots, a dark seep bled into the soil, spreading outward like ink spilled on parchment, eating colour, eating their life.

If this were a dungeon in Aberration Chronicles… I would grind mobs for loots first. But now this is real and I don’t have my sword, I have to be careful. There’s no such thing as restorative spell here, or at least I don’t have one yet.

She stared longer than she should have.