- Bridget -

My room was a fairly simple one. Most of the floor was covered with a large rug, and there was a queen-size bed on one of the walls. There was a small table with some chairs, and a small closet with a mirror on the door.

“First of all we should get you some proper clothing,” said Priscilla, opening the closet door.

Looking down at myself I remembered I was wearing nothing but a torn apart blouse and the cloak Stacy had given me. I instinctively pulled the cloak tighter out of shame. The dried blood from when the vampires bled me out had already flaked off, so I wasn’t in urgent need of a bath. I was however in urgent need of clothing.

The closet was pre-stocked with various dresses. “We should have something in here that will fit you,” she said while sizing me up with her eyes, then pulled out a fancy white dress. “Will you need help putting it on?”

I almost choked. “N-no, I can dress myself.” I didn’t want a stranger seeing me naked. Sure I’d been walking around half-naked for the past few days, and Stacy had almost certainly accidentally seen my pussy because of that, but I’m not some kind of exhibitionist.

“Very well,” Priscilla handed me the dress. “If you need any help, be sure to let me know,” she said before stepping outside.

I nodded. Of course I wouldn’t need your help. Despite how much I often like to believe otherwise, I am an adult after all.

I took off the cloak and what remained of what used to be one of my best shirts and slipped on the dress. All that remained now was to zip it. I felt the back of the dress for the zipper, but I couldn’t find it. Hm. I looked at the back of the dress through the mirror on the closet door, and… That’s not a zipper. What is that? A bunch of strings? Am I supposed to tie these? How?

I swallowed my pride and called for Priscilla to tie the strings for me.

Come to think of it, haven’t I lost weight? I examined my reflection a bit more closely. Well, I suppose that’s what happens when you starve for half a month. My hair was also a little longer. Maybe the regeneration granted by my immortality also makes my hair grow faster?

Wait a minute, don’t my eyes look a bit different too? I had always had a strange eye color. People used to make fun of me for having pink eyes, back before I stopped having a social life. But no, it wasn’t my eyes that looked different. Rather, it was what framed them. My eyelashes where now the color of snow. I had normal colored eyelashes before. What happened? Were the people who teased me correct, was I actually turning albino? Actually didn’t Stacy also have weird colored eyelashes? Hers were blood red. Was this a side effect of vampirism? Was she sucking the color out of my eyelashes?

The dress actually suited me better than I was expecting. Maybe it was because I lost some weight. My shoulders felt naked though, so I put the cloak back on.

Priscilla finished tying my strings. “Dinner will be ready soon. If you wish, I can bring the food to your room.”

“Wait, you mean like actual food? And not cooked sloth? Vampires only drink blood right?”

“Indeed, most servants of Haimorrha persist solely on a diet of blood, however in the guest house we prepare food to match the palate of people from other religions as well.”

“Oh, okay then. Yeah, food would be nice.”

Priscilla nodded, about to excuse herself from the room.

“Actually, before you go, can I ask you a few things?”

“I will answer any questions I am able to.”

“First, uh… What’s your relationship with Stacy?”

“I am Lady Stacy’s personal maid. As you are her guest, that makes me your maid as well for the duration of your stay.”

“Thanks, I guess that explains some things. But what I really want to know… Like, hypothetically, if there was an immortal I wanted to kill, how could I do it?”

Her eyes widened slightly. “You’re not planning on hurting anyone in the castle are you?”

“Of course not!” I lied. “This is hypothetical, remember?”

“Well,” she still eyed me a bit suspiciously, “It’s hard to say without knowing what type of immortal they are. Different types of immortals have different weaknesses. Some immortals can be killed by decapitation, and most vampires are vulnerable to the sun. If you know what god granted the immortality, then you can figure out which method to use.”

That wasn’t helpful. I had no idea which god thought it would be funny to give someone like me immortality.

“Is there a method that works on all immortals?”

“Well, technically there is, but it’s hard. If the immortal were to disgrace the god that granted the gift, then the gift would be taken away. In that case, they would no longer be immortal and could be killed as normal.”

“So in the end you still need to know which god the gift came from?”

“Yes, that would be the case.”

I nodded in contemplation. Shit. I guess there’s only one way out of this.

“One last question. See, I’m a drifter, and I have a certain gift. How do I find out where the gift came from?”

She stared at me for a few seconds before speaking. “I’m starting to see the picture here.” Oops, I think she figured me out. “I’ll have to ask Lady Stacy to tell me the full story once she returns.” She sighed. “It’s pretty unusual to not know where your power comes from, even for a drifter. If the god in question hasn’t revealed themself to you, perhaps they don’t wish you to know them.”

I frowned. “Is there really no way?”

Priscilla took a moment to think, placing a hand to her mouth. “Maybe,” she said at last, “But this is just theoretical. As a servant of Haimorrha, I feel a strong connection to the blood god whenever I visit his temple. I don’t know if a god might be able to suppress that reaction, but if you were to happen across a temple of the god who gifted your power, then you should feel something similar.”

A feeling of hope arose in my gut and was immediately squelched by doubt. “How many gods are there exactly?”

She gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m afraid that’s not a question I know the answer to.”