I Can't Get the Vampire Rogue to Romance Me

Chapter 52 - Ahead of Themselves

"You actually got my precious platinum egg back!" the old cleric cried as he took the quest item from Artmond, who the group agreed had earned the right to carry it.

The cleric danced a little jig as he held it, then scurried back to a wall in his room and set it amongst a line of other eggs of various sizes, colors, and materials in the one vacant spot in the row.

"I am complete again," the cleric cried, wiping a tear from one eye.

This was not one of Evangeline's favorite quests, but the reward was worth it. Without being asked, the cleric opened a drawer and withdrew a simple dagger in a sheath. He thrust it out to Artmond. "I am most pleased. Thank you."

Artmond's face was a stiff and formal courtier's smile. "You are most welcome, Father."

The old cleric offered the whole group some very questionable smelling juice and biscuits to eat, but they all politely declined and managed to back out of the cleric's room so he could enjoy his refound egg in peace.

"Will someone tell me why I went through that bird-driven hell for a dagger?" Artmond asked, his usual cheery demeanor cracking as they walked down the hall formed by one of the roots of the Tree of Twilight. He still carried the dagger before him like he didn't want to be associated with it, but was too polite to simply drop it.

"That is a +1 dagger with a sun-gem chip insert, which will do 1 to 4 radiant damage against a hit target," Evangeline informed him, turning the dagger over to show him the slice of amber chip set into the crossbar of the dagger's hilt.

Artmond's eyebrows went up at that information. "Oh. Well, that's not so bad then," and he gripped it properly in one hand. "I actually have some skill points in sword and dagger. That might be fun." He drew out his sword in the other hand once they exited the portal doorway into the brighter space before the great root.

He went through a few quick forms with both, showing that he did indeed have some skill, before sheathing them both away as a pair of clerics came closer down the open hallway formed between two of the great roots. The clerics nodded politely with their hands tucked into their sleeves as they brushed past in the narrow space.

"I'm glad you like it," Evangeline said, nodding politely, making eye contact with her with an equally polite smile.

Artmond then hesitated. "Oh, wait. I shouldn't really be claiming it. I might not get the best use out of it. Maybe it should go to one of you rogues? Or even Sigismund?"

"Absolutely not," Sigismund refused in no uncertain terms, pushing the dagger away when he offered it to her. "I am perfectly content with my staff, and you sacrificed your hit points to acquire it. That dagger is yours."

The rest of the party nodded in agreement and that settled it.

Valerian didn't even deign to look at the dagger; Evangeline didn't blame him. Vampires weren't overly fond of radiant damage.

"Now what?" Hagor asked, "I believe that was the last side quest on the list."

"Yes, that's it for now," Evangeline agreed. "Now we can go see if Harrowheart is ready to go get the sun-gem the easy way."

The group verbalized their agreement, and they exited the narrow space to head around toward the main entrance.

Passive Perception Skill. Success.

Evangeline was the last to go, but just as she moved, she noticed a small slip of paper drift off her person. Furrowing her brows, she bent to pick it up. She didn't recognize the half folded thing. Had one of those clerics slipped her this?

Thieves Skill: Thieves Moniker. Success.

As she opened it, she saw random symbols written in thieves moniker—the secret written language that rogues and other underground figures would use to communicate covert messages to each other. It was often put on dungeon walls or in city arenas to guide and give clues to other denizens of the unsavory arts.

No rules said it couldn't be written on paper, Evangeline thought. It was an odd sensation to her that she could simply read the symbols, even though she had never actually learned the language.

"Meet at the grove entrance. The Boss still wants his egg," she read aloud, softly to herself. Then her eyes went wide. "Oh crap. I forgot."

The deal. The first one she made at the beginning of the game. That was still going on. It was one of the through lines for the first act and possibly other acts depending on how she played it.

Then she remembered something else.

"Oh crap! I forgot. The 500 gold!" She had sent it to the camp chest and then completely forgot about it. Since she had managed to secure it when the goblins attacked, they could have used that for start up equipment! They didn't need to go do that temple underequipped like they had. Evangeline felt so stupid.

"Is everything okay?" Valerian asked, reappearing beside her. "You're holding everyone up."

"Um, yeah sort of," she said.

Special Power: Meta Knowledge. Activate.

Right, she had done this scenario a few different ways. The person who was going to meet her at the grove entrance was another rogue who worked directly for "The Boss." He was a temporary NPC that could join their party if they took his quest to go to the temple, the same one they had already pillaged, in search of the "Phoenix Egg" special quest item. Which of course they wouldn't get because it wasn't an egg they would find there but the Phoenix itself, which had already joined their party...

Oh boy.

Usually, she would do it after coming to the Great Trees, which would lead her to this quest and on to the temple and then everything would play out normally. They would find the Phoenix like they had and fight the vampire together. Most of the time, the NPC rogue would perish in that fight and then the Phoenix would join them. If the NPC rogue survived, then the Phoenix would still join them, but would refuse to go with the NPC rogue, who would try to double cross the main party. If they escaped, then the Boss's network would turn on them for the rest of the game, or at least as far as Evangeline had played it. If they killed the NPC rogue, then she would still have access to "The Boss's" network. But the Boss would get more and more impatient the longer and longer she didn't deliver the egg. How that all ended she wasn't sure because, again, she hadn't finished the game.

She had never done the temple before meeting with the NPC rogue.

"Actually, no. I think I have a problem," she said, holding out the note to Valerian to read.