I Can't Get the Vampire Rogue to Romance Me

Chapter 20 - Who's the Boss?

A figure loomed over Evangeline, moving in closer, its mouth inches away from her neck. It paused as her eyes snapped open in the darkness, but she couldn't see anything or make out what it was as she didn't have the skill to do that.

Apparently, she had gotten enough rest because her memories were also back.

"Valerian! What are you doing? Get away!" she practically shouted. She reverse crab-walked herself away from the looming figure, which sent her into the willow branches, moving them aside.

A sliver of bright white moonlight cut through the branches illuminating the figure that had been about to bite her.

It wasn't Valerian.

Instead of his handsome features, it had a gray, ashy pallor. It might have been another color at one time, but whatever that color was, it had long been lost. It was more skeleton than person, wrapped in a torn and rotting robe. But it had enough of a face to grin at her.

"I see, so you were hoping the vampire would sneak into your bedroll," he creaked out. It took Evangeline a second to realize that the creaking was this thing's version of laughter. "Sorry to disappoint you with my less-than-pretty visage, but I can promise you that we can have a similarly good time as well ... if you give me a chance!"

"What an ass!" Evangeline said quickly, hoping that she had rested enough to refill half her Special Ability tics.

Special Ability: Meta Knowledge.

Just like that, understanding flooded her consciousness.

She understood that this was a very rare scenario in the game that only happened if three conditions were met. One: Valerian hadn't revealed to the main player, and therefore, the whole party didn't know, that he was, in fact, a vampire childer. Two: They found the abandoned temple. Three: They had taken a long rest before finishing the temple and defeating the main boss, which just happened to be the unchained vampire childer, and also happened to be a necromancer. When that happened, the necromancer would appear and attack them in their camp.

It took only a second for Evangeline to understand all this and why she had been trying to push the group to finish the dungeon before resting. There had even been a hint that something was coming from Hagor's dialogue, which she now also realized was something scripted he would say in the game as a clue.

None of this information was helpful right at that moment.

She heard the telltale sound of dice rolling. Oh crap, something had just happened, and she was pretty sure she had not passed that roll.

The necromancer sprang at her, his slight form moving with a lightning-fast jump. He landed on top of her, slapping a disgusting-smelling hand over Evangeline's mouth before she could scream. Teeth flashed in the moonlight, long spikey things that were too much for the creature's mouth to contain as it reared up, preparing to strike.

"No, no, no, no!" Evangeline tried to scream, but it just came out as indistinct, panicked sounds.

Then the teeth came down and the creature used an enormous amount of strength to turn Evangeline's head to the side, exposing her neck. She screamed, again muffled as she expected pain to sink into her neck.

Instead, someone else grunted in agony. The force of the hand on her face lessened, and Evangeline was able to turn her face back toward the threat. Just inches above her nose, the necromancer was chewing viciously on an arm, dripping blood down it.

Evangeline only managed to turn her head in time to keep any of the blood from dropping into her own mouth.

"Hagor! Help me!" Valerian shouted, his face twisted in pain as he used the arm the necromancer chewed on to try to trap the thing's head in an armlock. It was Valerian's blood dripping.

Using his superior leverage, Valerian bent the necromancer back, giving Evangeline an opportunity.

Skill: Acrobatics.

Shifting her hips, she made an attempt to dislodge herself from under the thing's grapple and managed to dig a toe into the turf to escape. Once she was free, Hagor moved in. Out of all of them, he was the only one who was armed. Taking a mighty swing with the rod they had found in the temple. Instantly, growth erupted up from the ground, ensnarling itself around the necromancer's limbs. Spikes shot out, piercing the monster all over and the pain of it forced its jaws open, releasing Valerian at last.

Jumping back, Valerian cradled his wounded arm against his side, but otherwise seemed unbothered by it, just out of breath.

Stuck in its kneeling position, the necromancer only made a token effort to resist its bonds, then it brandished both hands, claws upward toward the sky. It started chanting incomprehensible words, and clouds covered the moon, plunging them all back into darkness. Then it reached into its robe and threw out several chips of bone from a hidden pocket.

"Oh, crap! He's going to summon minions! Don't let them hit the ground!" she tried to warn everyone, but it threw the chips as she spoke. The second the pieces hit the ground, a fully grown skeleton burst from what seemed like too little bone. Within a few seconds, they were surrounded by a dozen of the monsters.

This was why it was a boss fight. And they were caught flat-footed and without their weapons and armor.

"Dammit!" Valerian cursed, backing up toward Evangeline, who scrambled up to her feet.

The necromancer cackled maniacally, clearly understanding its moment of triumph was at hand. Then a bright white flash cut through the darkened night, hitting the necromancer full on in the chest, cutting its mirth short.

"Solario!" Sigismund shouted, and a bright ball of light erupted above them, dispelling the night's natural darkness.

"Hurry everyone! Catch!" Artmond shouted.

To be continued...

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