Something Immortal

32: The Festival of Giving

The vault of the Lord Emperor was known as the Mithril Crypt, a secret tower at the Devanagari. Vegard knew that only the Dragon Emperor could enter the vault, but an exemption was given to his only brother, the Dragon Prince. If the outcasts of the strigoi had succeeded in assassinating the Dragon Prince back then, he would've found a way to enter the treasure vault. But as always, the Dragon Prince had always been two steps ahead of them, even recruiting the Vukanović brothers, striking a deal to hand their outcasts.

It made Vegard angry to think that he left most of the action to the House of Perova. The failure was instantaneous, forcing these so-called allies to retreat as the strigoi army continued to hunt them down. He warned them time and time again never to touch the prince's consort, but they never listened.

The master once said, "Getting to Kali would be as tough as threading a needle. The Dragon Prince is, after all, the most prized possession of the Dragon Emperor himself. Believe it or not, he is more guarded than the draconian king himself..."

Yet, he failed to mention that touching the youngest brother of Sri would earn the ire of the Dragon Prince. Come to think of it, as part of the noble clan, Vegard alone couldn't understand why the Dragon Prince chose a druid as his consort.

Nevertheless, he was now on the verge of desperation, and he'd rather perish at the serpent's sea than face the magistrate in shame for all the crimes he had committed. As long as Lord Phaibun vowed to keep him safe, stealing the key to the Dragontooth's dungeon shouldn't matter anymore.

Stella Perova had bright red locks, a scar running from her forehead down to her chin. One of her eyes was closed, and she seemed like a child. Even her physical body appeared not fully developed yet. But she was the number one thief of the strigoi, and until now, when her whole clan had been outcasted and hunted down, no one had surpassed her title.

It was a known fact that strigoi possessed sophisticated fangs that had to be maintained as they continuously grew. They were known for their stealth and speed, two of the things that enhanced their capability to be effective assassins. However, Vegard was not meeting her deep within the forest of the grey women for an assassination mission. But to be a thief, a skill she was unmatched for.

Asturia has nine continents overall, but only five were considered "civilized" or safe. The other four continents remained unperturbed, not visited, simply because it was the home of the most unnatural beasts. Take, for instance, the continent of Rurik located southeast of Asturia. Although history stated how the continent prospered before the first war of the legions, it was considered the poorest of all the nine continents, with the city of Rohan as the home of crime and violence.

It was already a risk for someone like Lord Vegard to even step foot on this place, and this tavern within the forest, only known as the Wicked Hornets, was actually a haven where one could hire mercenaries, assassins, and other kinds of lawbreakers that refused to answer to the laws of the Peace Treaty.

"My Lord," said the young strigoi who sat beside him. "You're peering at them a little too much."

Indeed he was, but who would blame him? If anyone were less otherwise occupied, the sight of a tall draconian in a fine black velvet cape might have aroused surprise. Even suspicion. However, it was nothing new to the races lurking in this place. They just didn't like being stared at for no apparent reason at all.

"You brought me here. Are you out of your mind?" Lord Vegard tried his best to lower his voice.

Stella's face was blank. "No one cares about nobody else's problems but their own here. I heard from the master that you require my service."

Vegard scoffed, "Your expertise more so," he said. "How good you are at infiltrating secret vaults?"

As though her skills were being questioned, she looked at him with her brows slightly slanted. "Is 98% good enough for you?"