The orb has spoken. A hero must rise, and unite all the creatures of Ammertia to face a greater, ever growing threat to the south.
However, tensions are growing to an all time high between the races. The elves have separated themselves from society...
The door slowly creaked open, the hinges groaning in protest the whole way. As the door opened, Dirella and Sylvia peered around cautiously into the guest bedroom.
It was... fine.
Two queen beds were lined on either wall, with a foldable dividing wall between the two for some modest privacy. There was even a small kitchen, and off the the side the lavatory.
The decorations were modest at best, and Sylvia could tell the dust had long since settled on the furniture. But a quick spruce up, and it would be fine for a couple of nights.
"Delightful," Dirella said, pulling a face. She didn't seem too impressed, however knew it was at least an improvement from tents. Her back would thank her for it in the morning.
The two made their way inside, with Sylvia prying off her boots as soon as she got in the door. As they clattered to the floor, she let out a happy sigh of content. Dirella side eyed her.
"You're leaving them right there? For Darian and Aliyah to trip over?" She questioned. Sylvia looked from Dirella, to the boots, then back again. Before begrudgingly picking the boots up and placing them neatly to the side.
The two then busied themselves about cleaning the place. It clearly hadn't seen any guests in over a year, judging from the dust. The mildew, however, had been there longer. The two worked in silence, dusting the room down and scrubbing the mildew with a sponge they found in the kitchen.
"So... All that talk about Ava," Dirella said, tentatively trying to breech the subject. Sylvia continued with her work, not even looking up.
"She's not alive. We were there," Sylvia replied shortly. Although she had calmed down significantly, she was still somewhat sensitive to the subject matter.
"Sirius seems very sure she is alive though," Dirella pushed more, trying to get Sylvia to open up about the subject. Sylvia sighed, dropping her sponge to the floor and standing up to face Dirella.
"Dirella, I know what happened. I was right there. Besides... Anthony... He doesn't miss. Not ever," saying Anthony's name was hard for Sylvia. She so very rarely had spoken it after what happened to her family home. It felt foreign on her tongue, blasphemy even.
But to say his name, especially around here, was risky. Most people didn't know who the new leader of the vampire hoard was, only Dirella, Aliyah, Sylvia and Darian did. And Sylvia wanted to keep it that way.
"I'm not saying he missed his target..." Dirella muttered, so quietly that even Sylvia missed it. Instead, they continued to work in silence.
***
"So what exactly are we looking for down here?" Aliyah asked. Both Darian and themself were following Zalla, their steps quietened by the lush moss covered floor. Everywhere they went, the glowing bugs from above followed them, creating their own personal torch to illuminate the way.
"She said something about an ingredient?" Darian offered. Truth was, he knew nothing more. Zalla had been vague, but had spoken in such a tone that Darian knew she wasn't asking him to come, rather telling him.
"Aha!" Zalla called out from ahead. She had knelt down by one of the large pillars, where at the bottom the moss looked incredibly thick. She pulled out a knife and jar, and was delicately collecting whatever it is she was crouched in front of.
Darian and Aliyah quickened their pace to catch up to the woman, curious to see what had brought them down here. Finally, Zalla stood up and held the jar aloft.
"A mushroom? Really?" Darian seemed unimpressed, leaning back with his hands on his hips.
"Actually, mushrooms are used in a lot of different potions and ointments. This one however..." Aliyah contributed, before Zalla took over.
"Just a common mushroom. They're going to taste great in my mushroom and spinach quiche tonight though!" Zalla exclaimed, staring adoringly at the mushroom. Darian blanched, unsure of what to think of the situation.
"You're making... Quiche?" He asked in disbelief. Zalla however, not sensing his negative attitude, nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, you guys should come over for dinner later. It's the best, truly," she smiled at Darian, and he couldn't help but feel he may have misunderstood the woman. He only felt it for a moment, however, before the trio heard distinctive foot steps coming towards them.
At first, Darian only heard one set coming down the stairs. But as he listened closer, he heard another set coming in the opposite direction.
From the tunnel.
Darian quickly grabbed Aliyah and Zalla, jerking them behind the mushroom pillar. Backs pinned to the mossy stone, Darian held a single finger up to his mouth, whispering for them to keep quiet.
The foot steps grew louder, one set loud and echoing on the solid brick, the other softened by the moss. Darian listened intently, hearing the quieter ones feet. They were limping distinctively, they had been injured. Their breathing was also quite ragged, they had travelled a long way.
Finally, Darian heard the two foot steps meet, and a heavy sigh came from one of them.
"You look like hell," a man said. His voice was quiet, but firm. He was not the injured one here, clearly. The voice was familiar, but the whispered tone made it hard for Darian to figure out.
"Still better than you," a woman said back. Her voice sounded hoarse, as if razors had cut her throat to ribbons. Yet, she was still able to jest.
"This new leader..." The man prompted.
"Anthony," the woman replied plainly. Zalla then shot a confused look at Darian, who promptly looked away.
Damn it, he thought to himself.
"I told you not to turn him. But you just had to set an example, didn't you?" The man asked rhetorically. Darian's brow furrowed. Whoever this man was, he was not even remotely surprised to find out Anthony was a vampire, and even less about him being the new leader of the vampire hoard.
So who is he?
"That wasn't part of the deal," the woman said. She sounded slightly pissed off, but too exhausted to do anything about it. Darian had to bite his tongue, to stop himself from calling out. His curiosity was growing stronger by the minute, he just wanted to know who was there.
"I remember our deal clearly," the man said "I tell you where to find the hunters who killed your kin, and you get rid of any competition for the throne."
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Dun dun duuuunnnn! Hope y'all didn't see that one coming, and I hope you all realise what this means for Sylvia. Someone betrayed her family, big time.
