Chapter 423: The Hunt for Night I

[Parallel Thoughts] was my new favorite skill. I could do four things at once! I could navigate the streets of Sanguino, drinking in all the sights. I could work on my spell books, designing new spells. My immediate need for a comb had gotten me thinking about all manner of tools that I’d want on hand. Didn’t matter how specialized they were, I had the time to make them. Lastly, I could think about those threads I was seeing.

They weren’t quite omnipresent, but they coated most surfaces. Dozens on the road that we were stepping on. A few creeping up every wall I could see, although [The World Around Me] wasn’t big enough to tell if they were on the roof or not. Each door I passed had a few tendrils snaking onto them.

I could sense the outlines of tunnels and sewers below me, and they also had little threads snaking along the ceiling.

I stopped at a food stall, watching for a fascinated moment while the threads crept up the temporary stand, the owner entirely oblivious to them. That told me more than hours of staring at the threads ever would.

Namely, that there was a powerful skill or magic behind it. I couldn’t discount that an ancient Immortal had set up a complex mandala in ye olde days of antiquity - far, far in the future from Remus from my point of view - and the spell was still running off arcanite, but it was…

… was it more likely that there was a Classer running the skill? A single Classer, here and now, versus centuries if not millennia of history for a Classer to set something up? I suppose with how people talked about Immortal wars that would probably reset and wipe out old, powerful enchantments, but we’d just seen a hideout that had somewhat survived an Immortal war, and…

Even with [Parallel Thoughts] I was getting stupid distracted! The skill mostly let me devote a thought process to my thinking side-quests, but I was full up. Speaking of…

Tools! I had one of my spell books out and open in front of me, tracing in a new comb spell while I walked. [The World Around Me] made it so I wasn’t walking blind, having a perfect view of what was in front of me, while using my eyes and fingers for useful purposes.

I was also thinking about what other tools I might want. I had spells for a hammer, nails, and saw ready. A shovel was always good, not sure why I didn’t have one already. Scissors were tricky with the joint, but it wasn’t an impossible challenge; a crowbar was one of the simplest spells to make; an anvil was terribly impractical but I wanted one available just on the off-chance I could drop it on someone; I wanted lockpicks but had no idea what they looked like; a pair of tongs was probably useless with my fire immunity but I never knew when someone else might need them; a file…

The only downside to my ‘three things at once’ method was I looked terribly distracted. A hand with a tiny little thumb-knife snaked towards my purse, moving in an unnatural way I associated with skills, but far, far, far too slowly for my enhanced perception and massive stats. It felt like I had all the time in the world to study the two human teenagers, barely out of the kid stage, trying to rob me. A boy and a girl. Boy had been crying, and the girl’s hair was filled with dirt.

Didn’t mean I was going to let them rob me. I needed my money!

My finger blurred as I finished tracing the mandala I was working on, the runes sinking into the pages of my spell book. I teleported my book back into [Bookwyrm’s Hoard] without even closing it, freeing my hands up. I shot my hand to my purse, catching the boy’s hand as I spun my head around in a half-circle, staring directly behind me like an owl.

[Laborer - 128]

[Leader - 32]

Pair of low level kids with no idea what they were doing. Heck, the girl might not have even known what the boy was up to!

“Go bother somebody else.” I gave the hand one last warning squeeze with enough force that he knew I had the strength to break it - although I entirely lacked the ability to do so thanks to [Oath], but he didn’t know that - and let it go.

[*ding!* [The World Around Me] leveled up! 73 -> 74]

[*ding!* [Parallel Thoughts] leveled up! 174 -> 175]

Sweet!

I scanned the contents of my pouch, ensuring that everything was still there, and nothing had been added before doing an awkward from-behind ‘shoo’ motion, then fixed my head so I looked less like an abomination or that someone had broken my neck. I was getting Looks.

I hurried along the street, not wanting to get stopped by the helpful guard. I know I’d be asking ‘are you alright’ to anyone whose neck just did what mine did!

The city had a solution to the heavy shadows it was perpetually cast under. Namely, burning torches on top of long poles everywhere, each one reinforced and protected with magic. The air was remarkably clean and clear, far beyond what I would expect with [Silversmiths] ([Artisan - 337], the levels in general seemed to all be higher but not insane) openly working in the town, on top of all the other businesses in town. My first assumption was it was a side effect of the massive Ash clouds - perhaps there was a secondary set of spells going on to keep the air clean?

One aspect I hadn’t considered fully was how pervasive the smell of blood was in Sanguino. It was everywhere, and thanks to my super sensitive nose, I was even getting vaguely familiar with the different scents and picking them apart! Soothing herbs, ocean breeze, petrichor from being exposed to dirt, tingling spices, and more! A particularly sickly sweet scent made me think someone was a diabetic, and it was horrifying to imagine that could be a plus in vampire land.

Some of the more complex blood mixtures implied that blood could be flavored, if not flat out turned into a wine. Cinnamon and lavender, nutmeg and lemon, honey and sage, garlic, and thousands of subtle flavors mixed into the pervasive, overpowering smell of blood.

Businesses were freely mixed in with villas and homes in Sanguino, and I had to imagine the real estate prices of homes next to tanneries were rock bottom. Who wanted to smell that all day!?

I found my way to the Healer’s Guild with the same image of a hydra under a willow tree. Sanguino was big, and had multiple branches of the Healer’s Guild. They were helpful, and directed me to the right branch where Aulus could be found.

A dozen totally normal and natural interactions later, with only the bare minimum paid in bribes and fees, and I was talking with Marcelle’s contact, Aulus.

He was a surprisingly tan vampire, unsurprisingly tagged as a [Healer - 904], and was wearing a rich purple toga that looked terribly impressive and difficult to walk around in. Then again, the right skill, even at a low level, could make it as easy to move in as air. His eyes sparkled with the telltale sign of a Celestial element attached to his primary class.

Aulus was kicked back on a chair, embroidering a scene of a whale jumping out of the ocean, overseeing the main hallway for this branch of the Healer’s Guild. A half-dozen [Healers] were hanging around, each by their station, and as people came in, the staff was directing them to one healer or another.

“Hello!”

The man didn’t look up from his embroidery.

“Greetings. Do you need my assistance specifically?” He asked. His accent was unusually refined, with a strange, lilting cadence.

“I’m a recent graduate from the School of Sorcery and Spellcraft. Marcelle was my advisor, and she wrote me a letter of recommendation and suggested I give it to you, and that you’d be able to help me move to Exterreri.” I deliberately chose to change languages to Creation, showing off a bit.

“Marcelle, ah, yes. A most talented young lady. I personally turned her myself!”

Aulus beckoned, and I handed the sealed letter over. Hadn’t stopped me from reading it ahead of time thanks to MAGIC, but it was the look of the thing. Glowing letter of recommendation extolling my virtues and how Aulus should help me get settled no matter the price. She also hinted at the Medical Manuscripts books, but didn’t outright say anything, given how unbelievable the claim was. Good stuff.

Aulus read through the letter, his face betraying none of what he was thinking. He folded it back up and stuck it somewhere in his toga.

“Remarkable.” He commented, putting his embroidery away and standing up. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Elaine. It is relatively simple to become a citizen of the great Exterreri Empire, most of which relates to discussing with the proper authorities who you are, where you plan to live, and, most importantly to the vaunted halls of power, how to best tax you.”

He grinned at the last part, and I groaned.

“The only constants in life. Death, the System, and taxes.” I good-naturedly groaned. Okay, sure, I was well aware of a few places that didn’t have a System - the fae lands, for one - but that wasn’t the Pallos expression.

Aulus patted my shoulder.

“And death is optional! Right, I am familiar with the proper authorities, and would be more than pleased to guide you to them. I hope you will indulge an old man, and listen to the many reasons why working with the Healer’s Guild is in your best interests.” He winked at me. “And why working at my branch specifically is just right for you.”

Aulus started talking, and while [Parallel Thoughts] was great for some of my distractibility issues, it did not make staying focused and on-task for boring activities any easier. I found a little hack where I could have each one of my parallel thought processes ‘tag in’ on the conversation. Gave me more time to see the sights!

A building with a maple tree growing in the front, surrounded by dozens of kids had to be the Maple Orphanage. I should maybe donate some money to them once I was stable. Harper Hall was the name of the bard’s guild. We passed a squad of vampires coated from head to toe in solid armor of deep red. The Bloodsworn Order. Vampires-only, an Exterreri special. Wondered how they were funded. A branch of the First Bank, and I found the name hilarious. There were probably thousands of banks before them! A pair of elven Wardens wearing faceless silver masks with enchantments so powerful that I couldn’t peek behind them. Over level 2500 each, I gave them a wide berth. Technically, the sort of mess I’d made in Suen was the type of Immortal meddling they tended to take a dim view on. They were also the first elves I’d seen in Sanguino. Humans were the dominant race, with little pockets of other mortal races here and there. Immortals were rare and far between, but if I included the giants I’d seen unloading their ship when I flew over, I’d seen at least one of each now. The Big Thirteen had four entire city blocks claimed for their ‘small’ manufacturing branch, forges bellowing, hammers ringing, saws chewing through wood, and enchanters carving runes into each piece they made.

They had the best furniture by reputation, along with basically everything else. Weapons, wards, enchantments, doors, minor constructions, the list was endless.

I frowned at some members of the Moon Cult offering personality tests on the corner. I didn’t like them at all, but they weren’t doing anything obviously offensive.

Aulus didn’t like the look of them either, and I finally had a break in the conversation.

“Hey, I’ve got a dumb question and it’s a long shot.” I started with a preamble. Aulus nodded.

“Go on.”

“Do you know any vampires called Night? Really old, possibly involved with the military or Rangers?”

Aulus tapped his finger on his lip.

“The only one that comes to mind that vaguely meets your criteria at the moment is a puppeteer called Nyx. I saw one of his shows, but it was nothing special or particularly good. I’m sorry that I’m not able to be of more assistance.”

Damn. That didn’t sound like Night at all. Well, nothing for it. I’d just keep trying and asking different people. I’d get a lead eventually!

Then again, Aulus was an old, high level vampire in Sanguino. I struggled to imagine if Night was here, Aulus had never met him in all his years. It was a crushing thought.

Also, there was another angle to consider. Night was the progenitor. I could simply ask…

“Hey, sorry if this is a rude question, I’ve got a million of them, but can I ask who turned you? You mentioned you turned Marcelle, and I’m a little curious about the whole vampire lineage thing. It sounds fascinating, like a second family.”

Aulus gave me a beaming smile.

“A second family is an excellent way to describe it! Yes, Marcelle and I are quite close, as am I with the other vampires I have turned. It’s a little more complex than a simple family, as Marcelle and Claudia - another one I have turned - aren’t particularly close, nor is Marcelle close to Nero, who turned me. Yet we try to meet up when we can. Stay in touch. Our mortal families are long dead. Ah! Here we are!” Aulus stopped before a robust building built of marble.

I mentally filed away the lead. Nero. It would be a long, almost impossible task, but I could find him, ask who turned him, and just keep going up the chain until I found Night. Or if records were good, if some [Bloodline Chronicler] or [Lineage Scholar] had written everything down, I could just find that book and look it up.

That might be easier than playing ‘hunt down a dozen different elusive vampires and interrogate them’. I’d keep that as Plan B.

Oh! I should sic Iona on them! She’d get them escorting her around personally! That was perfect!

I followed Aulus, and being escorted by a high level vampire was great! No lines to stand in, no paperwork, just cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

Aulus made introductions that went in one ear and right out the other, then politely excused himself.

Interestingly, she wasn’t a vampire.

“Right, let’s get straight to it, I don’t want to miss what little light’s left. Name?” She didn’t bother gesturing, but a quill started to hover in front of her, ready to scribe.

“I have one of those names.” I prefaced. “Elaine.”

The scribe’s eyebrows lifted a hair, the quill unmoving.

“Really? Do you have-”

“Nope, just Elaine, only Elaine, nothing but Elaine. I know.” I sighed with exasperation, and the quill started scribbling.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“My sympathies.” She said. “Age?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“Species?”

I hesitated a moment, deciding that the truth was the best option.

“System has me marked as Chimera (Elvenoid).”

That got her eyebrows trying to escape into her hair, and with a sigh, I twisted my neck almost a full circle to demonstrate.

“Believe me, answering human would be so much easier and believable.” I fixed my neck as I said that.

“Reason for immigration?”

Boy, this entire thing felt like it was designed to make me look bad. I barely believed the words coming out of my mouth!

“I got utterly fucked by the fae and I owe no allegiance to any country in the world. Someone I trust suggested I settle down here, and I figured, why not?”

“Income?”

“I plan to work as a healer. Aulus has suggested that we still make decent coin.”

“Mortality status?”

“Immortal.”

Her eyebrows had almost recovered before that answer.

“Seizing Immortality before your 30’s? Impressive. Still hoping one of the vampires will turn me. Sorry, enough about me, this interview’s about you. Political entanglements? Favors owed? Powerful enemies?”

“Errrr… Rolland’s minorly displeased with my girlfriend, and by minorly, I actually mean minorly! She embarrassed their under-30 team at the Gladiator Gauntlet, but it’s not like they’re sending assassins after us or anything.”

The scribe snorted.

“I’d love to see Rolland try. Our legions would utterly crush them.” She said with obvious patriotic pride.

“No favors owed, no powerful… enemies…” I trailed off as I remembered one particular lizard who might’ve been unhappy that I raided her lair… then again, she’d let me go, and I’d seen her recently, and I hadn’t gotten bathed in dragon fire or chewed and swallowed in pieces.

I doubted Lun’Kat had survived so long by making amateur mistakes like swallowing people whole. Unlike the wyvern Iona had slain.

I got a quill pointed at me, and I raised my hands defensively. She didn’t even need to ask.

“Look! There’s one creature that might’ve been annoyed at me, but she’s had plenty of chances to kill me and hasn’t, so I don’t think that counts.”

The scribe nodded and her quill went back to scribbling.

“Fair enough. Can I see the elements for your second and third class please? I hope you understand we don’t want a Forbidden Four Classer.”

I happily demonstrated [Scintillating Ascent] and teleporting a book out of my hoard, and the questions continued. Family - Iona and Fenrir got included, Auri was naturally a member, and I was basically now the head of the household. Whoops. I’d see if I could figure out a way to pass the buck onto Iona, she’d love that sort of thing. Where we intended to live, looping back around to the whole ‘figure out how to tax you’ thing. What members of the pantheon I worshiped, and any associated blessings.

Then we got into a blitz of bizarre questions. Strange voices, ethereal whispers, secondary Systems, messages from the void, shadow entities, warlock pacts, contact with oracles, prophets, or other future telling and more!

“But telling the future’s impossible.” I said.

The scribe gave me a heavy sigh.

“I know. You know. The people who made the questions know. The issue is, sometimes people believe the Oracle of ——’s crazed ramblings, and those people are scary. Complete fanatics, and when the prophecy isn’t coming to pass quickly enough for their taste, they decide they’re the chosen instrument to make it happen. Utter lunatics. Don’t want ‘em.”

The Oracle of long pause had to have the most aggravating name, and I wasn’t convinced it was by accident. The true believers claimed they could hear their true name in the pause. I was of the opinion that they were just trying to make themselves look good.

Like everyone claiming the emperor was wearing clothes.

Then again… the System had challenged my assumptions and knowledge time and time again. I shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss them. Maybe there was something there… it was weird not knowing if something was true, or utter bunk, and the world being filled with things like that.

In a similar vein I was asked about overthrowing governments, subverting the senate, if I’d ever engaged in smuggling, if I’d ever attempted treason, would the Wardens have any cause to talk with me, and a whole host of questions where the answer was obviously no, and if I said yes to any of them, it wouldn’t surprise me if a squad of armed guards was behind a door waiting to throw me into a dungeon.

Or more practically, nail me to a crucifix and slit my throat.

“Well! That’s everything. I’m pleased to, on behalf of the Exterreri Empire, invite you to stay. Not only that, but I’d like to invite you to stay as a citizen!”

What.

WHAT!?

It was THAT EASY to get citizenship now!?