“Lady la Luna!” a prim and older feminine voice chided from behind as the pair made their way down Belleville’s Market Street, browsing the stalls and enjoying the sunny summer’s day.

The lady so addressed coyly did not look over her shoulder at the middle-aged woman following closely behind her. “Why, yes, dearest [Companion]?” she replied with faux distraction as she perused the wares on the table before her.

The older woman’s arm possessively hooked Lucia’s elbow and forcibly dragged her away from the table full of sharp, steel instruments of death. “These are generally not the type of things that would interest a proper young lady. A proper young lady should find more suitable interests,” her voice lowered, “at least in public.”

Lucia allowed herself to be carried along. She bore her companion, Mayjoria, no ill will at all. In fact, she internally sighed, the woman was right. Lucia really shouldn’t be browsing such things in public. Were it not for the double life she led, it wouldn’t be a problem. But neither of them wanted anyone accidentally associating the [Lady] with knives and other implements of her highly secret [Thief] class.

Actually, Lucia thought smugly, she was no longer either class separately. A few months ago, the two had combined into [Lady Thief], the female version of [Gentleman Thief]. She suspected this was because she routinely employed her lady Skills during her missions as a thief. And because she gave away most of what she stole to those in need. As the only child of a well-to-do noble family, she did not want for money herself. Being a thief was something that she did for the challenge and the thrill and to help others. It had been that way since she was a child. She loved to take but she also loved to give and make others happy. That might seem contradictory but Lucia la Luna was nothing if not full of contradictions.

For example, she had shiny, raven-black hair that hung loose to the middle of her back. This contrasted sharply with the habitually white clothing that she usually wore in the daytime, a play on her family name, which referenced the beautiful, white moon. Today, she wore a white, off-shoulder, bell-sleeve dress with white silk ribbons stitching up the front like a corset, the hem of the dress reaching just above the knee. The material was light and comfortable and the fabrics matched her wide-brimmed, white hat and the silk ribbons in her hair.

The hat wasn’t just to keep off the sun, though she did have sensitive, very pale skin that burned easily. Mostly, the wide brim of the hat was easily lowered over her eyes to hide her highly unusual red irises. In a similar vein, she carried a red-and-white fan that she kept in front of her mouth while she spoke to Mayjoria because it helped to hide her very pointy incisors.

The red of the fan matched the candy-apple red of her lips and nails. The use of red in her fashion was by design. Should anyone catch a glimpse of her rare eye colour, she could pass it off as a magical cosmetic, part of her overall look. And most would think nothing more than that she was a stylish young woman.

Well, it was thanks to Mayjoria’s efforts that Lucia was stylish. And thank goodness for that because Lucia’s skills and Skills were generally tailored to other things.

Like [Pick Pocket]. The only way anyone would have caught sight of Lucia’s hand dipping into that man’s waistcoat to purloin his wallet was if they had had Skills of their own, ones dedicated to uncovering such nefarious activity.

Mayjoria, however, did not require such Skills. She’d only needed to see Lucia lightly bump the older man and then move off with a shallow curtsy to know what had happened. A long-suffering sigh escaped her lips. “Lucia…”

“Oh hush.” She turned to her companion once they were safely out of earshot of the victim. “I know him. And I know what he pays his workers in that little sweatshop of his. He won’t miss this. It will find its way to those he should have given it to in the first place.”

“All well and grand, Lady, but not in public.” She harshly tugged on Lucia’s arm.

Lucia stumbled forward before catching herself. “Very well. Shall we head down Briar Street and pop into Rowling’s Books? I wonder if the new Potter’s Hare mystery is out. I love that rascally rabbit.” Despite her secret pursuits, Lucia did have some quite ladylike interests that she habitually indulged. Chief amongst these were good books, good wine, and good desserts.

“It seems there’s something of a commotion up ahead.” Mayjoria pointed. “Quite a lineup, I believe. A new seller perhaps?”

Lucia perked up and stood up on her toes to see further. “Perhaps something new and interesting has hit the market.”

Arm in arm, the two made their way through the lunchtime crowd eating and shopping between the line of stalls. A number of people had gathered outside one stall in particular and a rather long line had formed. A thin man with tanned skin and a large mustache served customers. A cute and very curvaceous woman in a white shirt and red skirt stood in the street and waved people into the line.

“What’s this then?” Lucia wondered aloud.

“Look there.” Mayjoria pointed at a pair of girls walking away after just having been served. Their eyes were round and they squealed with appreciation as they tasted some kind of treat that neither woman had ever seen.

It turned out that this treat was called ice cream. The two lined up and, thank their lucky stars, managed to be one of the last to receive a sample before the stall plum ran out.

“This…this is quite something,” Mayjoria decided, licking her rose-flavoured ice cream with increasing intensity.

“This is incredible!” Lucia gushed with much more outward enthusiasm, not as reserved and well-mannered as the other woman. She felt the cool trickle of melted apple ice cream slide down her throat and felt like she had been transported to paradise. Hand on her cheek, she tried to savour each bite and lick but found herself going through the dessert so quickly that she was left empty-handed and wanting more.

Sadly, the stall had sold out. When they looked at the possibility of coming back again on the morrow for more, they learned that the seller was about to sell the recipe to the public that very afternoon!

Standing apart from the crowd with Mayjoria, Lucia studied the young man with the mustache. He and his partner seemed very excited by their success. They’d amassed quite a few buckets of silver coins and were negotiating with Merchants Guild agents about this or that. All-in-all, the pair seemed like novices to the world of business.

However, upon learning of the fact that he was selling off the recipe and then auctioning it off, along with an exclusive period to sell this sensational new treat, she had to revise her estimation of them to a degree. He had to know that something this popular wasn’t going to be kept secret for long, so he was selling. That was smart. But how much would the recipe go for?

She and Mayjoria joined the flow of people moving into the guildhall. She kept to the fringes, just inside the edges of the group milling about the stage that the young man took. Her eyes roamed the crowd, seeing several surprising faces. And one very unwelcome one.

Gregor Weesely and his cruddy thugs stood at the edge of the crowd as well, thankfully some distance from her.

She was, unfortunately, familiar with the merchant-slash-gangster, both as a lady and as a thief. He had enough wealth and fame to move in the social circles that she was forced to frequent due to her publicly known class. She found him crude, boorish, and a bully. He tended to dominate any room that he walked into and, if anyone tried to take that attention away from him, he could become petulant and vindictive. You either fawned on him or made him your enemy; there was rarely anything in between.

The small Belleville underworld was not something that Lucia had ever officially joined. There had been a terrifying moment when she’d nearly been forced to become part of the local branch of the Rogues Guild, home to thieves, assassins, and similar ilk, and her true identity had been uncovered. But she had survived that close call and remained free of their dangerous tentacles. For now.

However, she was quite well aware that Weesely had strong connections to that world. He was no simple retired adventurer nor an everyday merchant. Rather, he took to business deals the way he had taken to monsters, with little tact and a lot of brute force until he came out victorious. While the public did have something of a fond memory of him from his adventuring days, mostly because of his association with other, much more heroic figures, the man was feared and loathed in business circles. And a potential client for those associated with the Rogues Guild.

He was exactly the type of person that she would have loved to target long after sundown when the town had gone to sleep. Lucia the [Thief] did not steal from just anyone. She made it a habit to go after those who were corrupt and greedy and selfish. There was no shortage of such folk, even here in little Belleville, and far, far more of them up in Lubelum. But she was still a low-level [Thief] and not at all at the point where she could target such dangerous individuals as Weesely.

When Gregor tried to bully the auction and get the recipe for himself, cheap, Lucia was not surprised. She was, however, quite impressed with how the young man handled the senior merchant. She, along with Mayjoria and many others, took great pleasure in laughing at Weesely’s expense. It was a nice change to be able to do so publicly.

And when the recipe went for a staggering five hundred gold, she, like everyone else, couldn’t believe it. Although, when she saw who the buyer was, one of the premier merchants in Lubelum, she wasn’t surprised. Within a day or two, ice cream would be on every street corner in the city and that woman would be raking in profits hand over fist.

Lucia admitted that she was impressed with the young man. She honestly felt happy for him and his friends as they hugged and exclaimed over the sale.

Then she wondered how to go about stealing that five hundred gold. Because merchants could easily make more money. It’s what they lived for. He and his woman would probably waste much of that gold on frivolities. Better to take it off their hands before that and see to it that the money went to the needy, of which there were so many in Belleville and Lubelum and in the other towns and villages in the area. More and more of those in need popped up with each passing year as wealth disparity in the region became ever worse.

Approaching the young man and his partner, she overheard them speaking of celebrating. Thinking fast, she stepped in to be of service. Because she was helpful like that. “May I offer my congratulations?” she said to them, curtsying.

“Oh! Um, thank you, my…lady?” The man, still beaming, started to reach his hand out, then retracted it and half bowed, obviously uncertain as to how the social niceties worked.

She made a note of that. “Did I overhear you correctly about wanting somewhere to celebrate?” When the two nodded, she made a tactical suggestion. “You should go to the Oystas Inn. There’s no better in Belleville. Finest restaurant in town, too.”

The pair seemed quite interested in her recommendation. Evidently, both were new to the area and didn’t know Belleville at all. That wasn’t surprising. From his odd clothing and their slight accents, the two weren’t from around here. Lucia wondered just where they were from.

Just to be certain, she and Mayjoria discreetly watched the young man and woman finish up at the guildhall. Slipping a tiny earpiece into place, Lucia activated the enchantment placed on the device and was able to listen in to the man’s dealings. She might still lack levels and powerful Skills in her class but she somewhat made up for that by having a sizable allowance that permitted her to acquire a few expensive magical items. That’s how she overheard the very quiet conversation about the young merchant secretly taking half of the gold to the hotel she’d recommended.

Needless to say, the guild staff strenuously objected. Unfortunately for the fool merchant, he overruled them and plans were put into motion to take two hundred and fifty gold to the Oystas Inn.

Lucia could hardly believe her luck! And how foolish the young man was. He was obviously a greenhorn. He deserved to have all that gold taken off of his hands. It would teach him a good lesson. And she was just the [Lady Thief] to deliver that lesson.

She and her companion trailed the merchants to the inn. A quick word and slip of silver from Mayjoria’s hand into a staff member’s palm and Lucia was assured that the couple had gotten a room and informed of what number it was.

Delighted laughter bubbled up within her as she and her companion sauntered off towards Rowlings Books, their work here finished. Was a beautiful day this was turning out to be! Now, all she had to do was wait for night to fall.

💰

Lucia had been raised in a luxurious estate within the high, stone walls of Lubelum. Until recently, that had been her home still. But an event that she wasn’t proud of had changed all of that.

All through her youth and teens, she had fended off suitors. Some came looking for political or financial advantage through marriage. Others wanted her for her youth and a face that was well known as one of the most beautiful of her generation. What a trophy she would make! Her parents, nobles themselves and part of the traditional system in place here, had either welcomed the attention or tried to play matchmaker themselves.

She’d steadfastly denied every suggestion of marriage to idiot fops and greedy fatcats with titles. It was with a measure of pride that she had managed to reach her earlies twenties still single. But why turn those offers down? For her, a child raised on fantastic tales and ideas of romance and friendship that filled the books she cherished, she wanted true love or nothing at all from a man, someone worth loving back.

While she’d experienced the occasional flushes of desire or interest in various males throughout her short life, and a few had captured her body, none had really captured her heart. That was, unfortunately, to be expected in a social class full of so many selfish, indulgent, and greedy people. She considered herself a gem in the rough, more at home with servants and common folk than her pompous peers.

And then, while secretly drinking with commoner friends in the city, in had walked Mr. Gorgeous. He was beautiful. He was dark and alluring. He was mysterious. He was an adventurer, slick and charming and free, and she’d fallen—hard. Honestly, what young, female heart could have resisted his perfect body and rugged confidence? The way that he’d looked down on noble society had clinched it for her. He was a rebel, a bad boy. She’d been swept away into his embrace and into his bed.

Only to learn too late that he was also a vampire.

How did she learn? After he’d drunk her blood and fed her his own during a particularly erotic and drunken encounter. His blood had taken hold inside of her body and made her very ill. When he’d realized what was happening to her, he’d choked her and she’d died a terrifying death at the hands of the man she’d just given her body to.

When she’d woken, miraculously, the bed had been a putrid mess because her body had purged everything from every orifice during her transformation to undeath. The gorgeous adventurer had gone, with only a note left behind.

If you’re reading this, you’ve survived. Congratulations! Enjoy your new immortality.

If you don’t drink some blood in the next couple of days, you’ll die, by the way. So don’t be squeamish.

P.S. We probably won’t meet again. Ta ta, cutie.

She could have killed the bastard. Furious, forlorn, despairing, confused, and shocked, she was now part of two clubs that she’d never wanted to join: besotted women who have been enjoyed and then left by men with no long-term interest in them; and vampires. Bloody vampires.

She’d fought the truth for two days. Finally, she’d sought help from an acquaintance in the city, most definitely not a noble. That had gone about as badly as it could have and it had suddenly become very necessary to distance herself from the scene as swiftly as possible. At least her bloodthirst had been sated. And she’d officially gained the class [Vampire]. Unlike regular classes, when this one appeared in her vision, it was red.

As vampires were officially monsters, and because of her sudden new dietary need, she dreaded being discovered by her family or anyone else. Making rushed and nonsensical excuses in her foolhardy panic, blinded by tears and fears, she’d fled the city and ended up in a remote village a couple of hours ride outside of Lubelum.

This had turned out to be a very foolish decision. One can’t very well sneak around a super quiet, rural village looking for victims to drain and get away with it. She’d ended up preying on animals instead. Until the locals had begun to wonder at their sickly livestock.

Mayjoria had saved her. The woman was a miracle. She’d been a governess during Lucia’s teens, a private tutor of sorts, and Lucia had always liked and respected her. Despite being twice her student’s age, a student who was a frequent pain in the backside, she’d loved Lucia like a younger sister and the two had long been close.

Somehow, she’d tracked Lucia to this remote place and made two rather startling confessions. First, she knew full well, and had always known, all about Lucia’s secret thieving. Second, she also knew that Lucia had become a vampire. Moreover, she promised to keep those secrets and to be Lucia’s ally going forward. Lucia had crumbled in the face of such loyalty and love, relieved beyond belief that she didn’t have to be alone with her new existence.

With Mayjoria’s help, and the occasional blood donation, Lucia had pulled herself together, located a small and private home in Belleville, and made it known to her parents that she had decided to become a semi-independent woman for the time being. It was her attempt to become more mature and think more seriously about her future.

Given her occasionally wild past, her parents had been surprised but supportive. So it was that Lucia now resided in Belleville, lady by day and thief by night. Vampire always.

It had only been weeks since her move here and she was still settling in and still getting used to her new existence. While Mayjoria had been incredibly generous in donating her blood every few days, it was only enough to take the edge off. She still wasn’t sure how she was going to deal with being a vampire.

That was a problem for later though. Tonight, she had a job. Ditching her pristine white dress, Lucia changed into her work clothes: skin-tight black tights and a black felt coat. The coat was short, reaching to her waist. Non-reflective silver buttons ran from the center of her waist up the left side to her left breast and then angled up to her neck. A very high collar could be folded up so that it covered her mouth and nose like a half mask. A thin, lamb-leather hood could be pulled up as well for additional secrecy and protection from the elements.

Removing the white ribbons, she kept her hair in a ponytail for now but it could quickly be pinned into a bun if necessary. She had a pair of long, deadly pins for that that also doubled as weapons. A black choker with an odd blue-black gem over her throat was enchanted to make her movements near soundless. Her dagger was also magical, with a sleep toxic permanently glistening on the bluish blade. Her lockpicks were cheap ones bought second-hand. Leather boots completed the outfit.

The front of her little abode, a four-room cottage with a small yard, was kept bright with lanterns each evening. The rear, however, was utterly dark because it was shaded by two large cherry trees. Opening the window of her bedroom, she activated [I am only breath and shadow]. Melding with the shadows around her, she became indistinguishable from them. Lucia crept out the window, lowered it back down, and then raced out of the yard.

Her destination: Oystas Inn.

While Belleville had erected streetlights on Market Street and a few others, most pathways were dark throughout the night, the blackness broken here and there by an open door or window or a lantern carried by the watch. This lack of light probably contributed to the natural tendency of rural communities to go to bed fairly early and so the streets were virtually empty at this time of night. Lucia jogged all the way to the Oystas without any trouble.

The rear of the inn shared an alley with a textile warehouse and a rope factory, both of which had shut for the day hours ago. Lucia looked up at the windows in the inn’s back wall and saw that very few were lit. Only one on the fifth floor was.

She spent some time studying the outside of the wall. Without any Skills or magical items to help, scaling it would be up to her alone. The prospect of going up five stories without any security had scared her witless at the age of fifteen. Now, at twenty-three and slightly stronger, she’d done it enough times to feel fairly confident. She still really wanted a climbing Skill though. And a featherfall ring. Too bad they were so expensive.

It took her almost ten minutes to get up the wall, her fingers using every nook and cranny that they could find in the stone and wood. Silent balconies served as rest stops for she simply didn’t have the muscle to scale that far on her own. She was athletic but still lacked upper body strength. And without regular blood, her vampire abilities contributed very little.

At last, she reached the balcony that she wanted. Easing over the iron railing, she stealthily crouched at the glass doors. Green curtains hung at the sides but the middle was clear. She had just enough room next to the doors to hide while she peered inside.

She saw the wealth of gold coins already spread across the bed and her heartbeat picked up speed. Lucia could guess what the man had planned. Lucky girl. Too bad the surprise was about to be ruined. Reaching for her lockpicks, her eye turned to the simple catch mechanism on the doors. It should be easy enough to open it, slip in and bag the gold, then leave.

To her dismay, the two novice merchants arrived. Inebriated and flirting, they stumbled into the room. The girl went giddy at the sight of the gold and then they began to have sex.

She waited for the couple to pass out. Given the alcohol and sex, it wouldn’t take long. After about a quarter of an hour, Lucia figured that she was free to move. Taking her lockpicks in hand once more, she set to work on the latch.

A sharp whistle cut the night.

Panic and adrenalin shot through her body. She whipped her head around, looking for the source of the sound.

A figure stood on the third story of the factory across from her, two stories lower than she was. It held a bow that was aimed directly at her.

Her mind blanked. Before she could recover, an arrow thudded into her chest. Then a second appeared next to it, piercing her right breast. “W…w…w…” she mouthed, struggling to make a sound or even a coherent thought.

A third arrow zipped by overhead and sank into the stone above the balcony doors. This one had a black rope attached. Seconds later, the shooter appeared, two hands on the rope, somehow defying gravity and moving upwards at high speed. The figure slammed into her, feet first, and sent her crashing into the glass.