I Can't Get the Vampire Rogue to Romance Me

Chapter 36 - A Higher Love

"Well, go on," Valerian said, smirking. "Tell us the tale of how a small, no-consequence druid became the lover of a powerful Nature Goddess?"

Hagor cleared his throat while Valerian ignored Evangeline's glare. "I wasn't always a druid," he finally said. "I was a cleric once."

Both Valerian and Evangeline's eyebrows shot up.

"You respec-ed?" Valerian probed, asking the question in a way Evangeline wasn't quite sure how to word.

So they call it that too, she thought. It was something she had done all the time once she unlocked that mechanic in the game. It was how she could change the class of her or the other characters to be more optimized or fun. It was the thing that made the game, a game. She didn't want to think of the implications that they called it that as well.

"Yes," Hagor confirmed, nodding. "I never thought I would be the sort, but it turns out I was better suited to being a druid than a cleric. Nature is always what called me. I just thought putting a face to Nature would make it easier to be close to Nature."

"The goddess Kish has a very pretty face," Valerian said. He didn't sound like he was sneering, but Evangeline shot him another warning look, which he also ignored.

"So does that mean you were part of the Great Crusade?" Valerian asked.

Hagor nodded.

Evangeline felt that itch again. The itch to burn her last Meta point and remember what the heck they were talking about, "the Great Crusade." But when she glanced at her meter, there was only one tic left. She had burned too many again, cheating her way through the day.

And if I burn this one, I won't remember this later, she reminded herself.

"Alright, I need to ask, what was the 'Great Crusade?'" she asked.

They both looked at her, but Hagor didn't skip a beat. "The Great Crusade to save Kish's brother from corruption from the Vampire King, who wished to drink the blood the night aspect of Nature's blood to take his place and become a god himself, albeit a horrible and terrible god."

"You know, no big thing," Valerian chirped.

The tingle in Evangeline's senses tingled even harder. There was something really important she didn't remember about this, and it had something to do with Valerian.

But if I burn it, I won't remember, she chided herself silently. She needed to play the game and get Valerian to tell her himself. Right now this was about Hagor.

"So you were part of this quest?" she asked.

"Yes, one of many. When our goddess put out the call, we answered it. Several from my temple went to her summons. Many fell. The hordes of darkness. Ghouls, wights, imps, and more things I do not wish to list by name, fell upon us. The Lady Kish protected us where she could, but tied to her duties to Nature, could not make the journey with us. The goal was to bring her idol to the heart of the Vampire King's domain and only then summon her there. We had only one chance as the idol would be destroyed once the summoning happened. A cleric of her order needed to survive, and I was the last of our contingent. There were six of us in total, making it the last attempt. The others had been destroyed, Kish's idols decimated and de-sanctified. We knew if we failed, the night would become more dangerous. The Vampire King's creatures would be unstoppable, and the day would be just a long slow walk to our doom come night. A brief respite at best. We couldn't let it happen."

Evangeline looked around as darkness wrapped its arms around the camp. The small faerie lights that gave them muted light danced around the randomly set up poles. It felt safe, and other than the one vampire they had fought the other night, nothing was coming to get them. "You obviously succeeded."

Hagor nodded wearily. "Yes, we did. It wasn't easy. We lost our idol once, then found another that one of the other decimated groups. I had to learn how to resanctify it, and that... that was when I met Kish face-to-face for the first time."

A wistful sigh escaped him.

"You're still in love with her?" Evangeline asked.

Hagor straightened, grunting once. "It doesn't matter if I am or not. She will not have me, and I don't blame her. It was partly why I could no longer continue in her service and why I respec-ed to become a druid. My first duty is to Nature, and it always will be."

He stood then, briskly brushing off nonexistent dirt from his pants. "And there it is. I told you my story and why the other clerics treat me so. I don't have it in me to speak more, so if you'll excuse me." With that, he walked away from the willow, leaving Evangeline and Valerian staring at each other.

"He's wrong though. That's not the only reason the clerics and the druids of this grove are glaring daggers at each other," Sigismund interjected, entering the willow from the other side.

"You were listening?" Evangeline asked.

"Couldn't help it. His voice carries when he whispers," Sigismund quipped, or what passed as a quip from her. "And he's wrong. Or he's partly wrong. There's a much more local reason for the hostilities."

"And how do you know that? Been snooping around?" Valerian asked mockingly.

"Yes, actually, but if you don't want to hear it, I have no problem keeping things to myself. Good night," Sigismund snapped.

"Valerian!" Evangeline stood up to follow Sigismund.

"What? What did I say?" Valerian weakly defended like a child.

"Just... just stay here. You're not emotionally mature enough for this conversation." Evangeline left the willow to follow after Sigismund.

To be continued...

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