I Can't Get the Vampire Rogue to Romance Me

Chapter 18 - Long Rest Before Boss Fight

"Well, that explains all of the skeletons," Artmond pointed out in his unhelpful, helpful way.

"What does that matter? We are not equipped to take on a vampire!" Sigismund shouted.

"Except, he's not really a vampire. He's a childer. That's not as bad. We can totally take him."

"Childers are connected to vampires. Where there is one, there is the other!" Sigismund continued.

"Not necessarily," Valerian chimed in from where he had decided to lean against the wall in his defensively casual way. "Could be ... and frankly probably is, an unchained childer."

"A what now?" Sigismund challenged, wrinkling up her nose like she smelled something foul.

"Unchained childer," Valerian said, straightening up to take the stage. "A vampire childer whose vampire master has perished, both setting them free from their control but also making it impossible for the childer to ever evolve into a full vampire. Trapping them in a terribly weakened state." He licked his lips at that thought. "I think Evie here is right. We could take him."

"Yeah, but ... do we really need to?" Artmond asked. Everyone looked to him, and he shrugged. "I mean, we came in here to get some better equipment and I would say we all have. Why don't we just count our wins and leave? We can get heading to town?"

"Or better yet, go to the camp and heal up our wounds."

"Well, we've disturbed the vampire now," Evangeline said. "He'd... I would think he would just come after us, right?"

"Why? How?" Sigismund questioned. "He hasn't seen our faces. He'll have no idea who took out his skeletons. And if he's been here the entire time, then it's not like we've unleashed him or anything. This isn't our problem."

"Is there anything he's got that would benefit us if we pushed ahead and defeated him?" Valerian asked sensibly.

"There is..." but Evangeline didn't know. The knowledge simply wasn't there, the power of the Meta point had run out. "I'm not sure."

"You know, I agree with Artmond," Sigismund said. "We should head back to camp."

That seemed to decide things for the group, who paused only long enough to check the skeleton bones for any useful trinkets or weapons, of which there was nothing much but a handful of coins.

Discouraged, Evangeline followed the group, shutting the door to the final boss area closed on her way out.

# # #

Like Hagor had said, the token summoned the doorway to the camp, and it looked much the same as it had the first night. Once all were inside, Hagor gestured to make the doorway of branches disappear.

"There, I've essentially locked the door," he said with a smile.

Evangeline returned the smile, but she didn't find the gesture entirely reassuring. "So no one can find us here, is what you're saying?"

"Oh no, it's not like that. My sanctuary ability, we're still in the world, so it creates itself out of that world. We are still in the forest outside of the ruins, but the magic reconfigures it into this. To anyone outside who doesn't have one of my tokens, it just looks like a very tall bramble thicket, but if they pushed through it, they would find us on the other side."

"Like a vampire childer?" Evangeline asked, narrowing her eyes.

Hagor shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "Look, we moved far enough away, and I do think that Sigismund is right. The chances of them finding us are very small. We're safe to rest here, even if we do have limited food."

"But it wouldn't hurt to set watches too," Valerian said. "Can't really take chances with a vampire about, can we?" He directed the question straight to Evangeline, and she got the distinct feeling he was implying something to her, but she had no idea what.

In response to her raised eyebrow, Valerian gave her a warm smile as if she were his closest friend and they were sharing a private joke. "Hey Evie, can I have a word with you for just a moment?"

"Uh, sure," she said, not able to come up with a reason not to.

Hagor bristled at the question and bristled even more when Valerian laid a hand on Evangeline's shoulder. "Rogue stuff," he said. "Tradecraft. You understand. I really want to know more about what techniques, you know."

Evangeline straightened her mouth into a straight line. "I'm going to go find a bedroll first and get out of this gambeson. I'll come find you when we get the campfire going."

And with that, she exited, heading over to her favorite sleeping spot, under the willow tree, the branches making a sort of curtained-off room from the rest of the camp. She just needed a moment to herself. It felt so weird again, not remembering anything that she knew she had known earlier that day, including how under the willow tree could be her favorite spot when she only had slept there once before.

"Gods, this is all unsettling," she muttered to herself as she kicked open the bedroll and sat down on the weather-proofed leather. The dark purpling bruise on her shoulder where she had taken the hit. The gambeson had proven to make all the difference on that attack. To her surprise though, the slash she had received was completely healed but for the bloodstains on her skin and shirt. Even the tear in the gambeson had been mended as if the slash had never happened.

"That's some good healing magic," Evangeline said out loud.

"You're welcome," Sigismund replied, just from the other side of the willow branches. "May I... may I come in?" she asked, a distinct softening in her tone.

To be continued...

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