Once Van helped us get through the gatehouse, he excused himself and headed directly for the church building.

I wondered what Archbishop Wilshire will do in response to Van's return. A part of me was concerned because a Vampire's ability to charm high-level mages was a serious threat to the city. If left unchecked, the Vampire could even take over the Magic Guild.

Conversely, I was concerned with what these NPCs will do to the charmed mages. I recalled how the authority in Tregome dealt with residents who had turned into wererats: purge via public execution in the Public Square. I was afraid that the charmed mages would be dealt with just as harshly by either the Church or the Magic Guild. Yet, I had little authority to change whatever the leadership of these institutions decide to do with the charmed mages.

Ideally, I would be able to dispel the charm effect. Realistically, I was doubtful of my ability to do so because the charmer, aka the vampire, would presumably be at a higher level than me. Thus, the odds of successfully dispelling the charm effect would be rather low. While I could use my Reroll ability from Lady Luck's divine mark for a second chance to dispel the charm, this ability was limited to once a day. Therefore, I wouldn't be able to save every charmed mage that we manage to capture alive.

As I stared at the receding figure of Van, Rijana tugged on my shirt sleeve to draw my attention. "Is it okay to make a detour to the Magic Guild before heading over to The Wild Boar?" she requested. "I need to report the Guild Leaders about what happened to our guildmates."

I nodded. "Actually, I want to see if we can purchase anything at the Magic Shop to ward off vampires and their charms," I replied.

My magic teacher smiled and quickly led us through the throngs of merchants and other commoners on the busy streets until we returned to the Magic Guild some 20 minutes later.

When we passed through the automatic doors, I asked her, "What's the power word to teleport to the store?"

"It's 'recondo,'" she replied. "Please wait for me in front of the guild store. I should be back shortly."

My companions, aside from Rijana, linked hands and then I said the word, "recondo." The world became one big kaleidoscope and my head felt faint for an instant. Finally, my dizziness faded as I stood in front of the magic store.

I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as I entered. The place was packed with fellow mages examining the wares. I looked around for the shopkeeper, who was slowly approaching us.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" Voum 'Tro asked. He recognized me as a new member of the Magic Guild who bought a starter spellbook recently. He rubbed his hands together in eager anticipation to serve me.

"Yes," I nodded. "I need to add Web to my spellbook. I also need something to protect my group against a vampire's charm ability."

The mages within earshot immediately turned around and stared at me.

When I looked at their faces, I saw fear and disbelief. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

The gnome grabbed my sleeve and said, "Please come with me." Voum 'Tro took me to a back office and pushed me inside. He turned to my companions and said, "Please wait here. This is strictly guild business!" He quickly closed the door. He cast a spell of silence around the room to prevent my companions from eavesdropping. "Milord, in what context have you encountered a vampire?" he asked politely.

I shook my head. "It's a Church mission assigned to me by the archbishop himself. I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of a vampire in Bristol," I answered with my poker face on.

The shopkeeper sat in his chair behind his desk. He stared at me as his fingers drummed on the desk. "How long have you been a member of the Magic Guild?" he asked. He wanted to confirm when I had joined the guild.

"Just a few days," I answered honestly. "How is this relevant?"

The gnome shook his head. "No wonder," he chuckled lightly. "Well, my young mage, please allow this old mage to enlighten you. Two decades ago, the Magic Guild was infiltrated by a number of vampires. They either charmed or turned our brethren against the rest of us. Lady Musa stepped in to intervene by sending a dream to the Archbishop. Consequently, a war broke out between the Church and the Magic Guild. Many guildmates died as a result." His face hardened. "The worst part is that some of the vampires responsible for this catastrophe managed to escape. I'm fearful that they may have returned to charm and turn our members again. And this will lead to another guild war with the Church."

The shopkeeper swallowed hard. "Before the war, the guild branch in Bristol was arguably the strongest in Britannia. We were far enough from the capital to be independent and free of court intrigue. We were the guardians of the western part of the continent. To this day, we have not recovered our strength. Older, more powerful mages have shunned this branch because they fear that the vampires will return and refused to risk their lives to help our branch rebuild. It appears that they are correct. If you care at all about our guild, you need to tell me what you know."

I held up my hand. "My magic instructor, Rijana, is doing just that. She is having a meeting with the guild leadership."

The gnome shook his head. He looked at me closely. "What I'm about to tell you is strictly between us. If you refuse, you will be kicked out of the Magic Guild. Right now. What's your answer?" he demanded to know.

I was taken aback by him. How could the proprietor of the magic shop make such demands on me? Yet, I saw the intensity in his eyes and I knew that he could kick me out of the guild if he truly wanted to do so. I nodded.

"The six mages on the Leadership Council, representing each Sphere of Magic, are figureheads. They report to me. My real name is Xon 'Tein and I'm the true Guildmaster," he announced.

I took out my truth stone. "Will you swear to the stone?"

"I will," the gnome nodded.

I quickly administered the truth oath to him. After a beam of light struck the gnome in the heart, I asked, "Are you the Guildmaster of the Magic Guild?"

"Yes, I am," Xon 'Tein replied.

We waited for a few moments but nothing happened to him.

I returned the stone to its original hiding place under my tunic and started recounting the recent events to the guildmaster. "I was originally sent by Mayor Wilshire to investigate reports of disturbed graves and missing bodies in the cemetery. My party spent the night with the caretaker and I killed a Soul Reaper. That opened a can of worms that led to Gaea sending a Treant to watch over the cemetery and ensure that no more undead will rise from their graves. The Treant informed me that there was an undead horde somewhere within Bristol. The mayor sent me to his brother to inform the Archbishop. The archbishop then charged me to eliminate the undead. My search for the undead horde led to a portal inside a house near the Public Plaza. I left a spy to guard the portal. My spy sent a runner to inform me that it was a vampire and his charmed mages who were creating the undead horde. They also closed the portal and my spy is following them to discover where the new portal will be located."

Xon 'Tein sucked his teeth. The report was worse than he expected. "Do you know how many of our brethren have been charmed?"

I shook my head.

"In the last guild war, a quarter of the guild had to be purged including part of the leadership. The vampires must be stopped before this happens again! However, I'm mindful of the jurisdiction that the Church has claimed through you. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm giving you, as a member of the Magic Guild, a concurrent quest to eliminate all the vampires and any mages voluntarily in league with them. For each mage you revive from the vampire's charm, you will receive a bonus. Before you face the vampires, I will lend you a powerful item from the guild vault to make your party immune to the charm effects. I recognize that the Gods have put you in charge of this mission and I risk incurring their wrath if the Magic Guild intervenes too heavily in your mission. However, we can't allow the vampires to escape, either. In the event your party is defeated during this mission, I will have a death squad standing by to clean up after you to ensure that the vampires are destroyed," the guildmaster said.

"Can you throw in a Scroll of Invisibility as part of the care package before I fight the vampires?" I asked. "I will try my best to dispel the charm effect on our brethren," I promised.

Xon 'Tein's brows twitched. "Fine," he said.

I received a pop-up message: "Negotiation SUCCESSFUL. Level 4, +100XP." I resisted the temptation to pump my fist. "I'm staying at The Wild Boar. We're still waiting for intelligence on where the new portal is located. We may attack as early as tomorrow morning. Please have your messenger send us the items by then," I requested.

"Fine," the gnome repeated. "Please don't tell anyone that I'm the guildmaster. It's a secret. Dismissed."

I bowed deeply and left the office.

"What did you guys talk about?" Kalistra asked. "You were inside for very a long time."

"Let's say we had a difficult negotiation and leave it at that," I answered.

"In that case, let's return to the inn now. I'm starving," the cat girl said.

My party quickly left the store and we held hands.

I used the power word, "Exitium," and we teleported back to the entrance of the building.

Kalistra pulled on my arm and led us through the busy streets back to The Wild Boar.

As we passed through the lobby, I waved at Deun 'Luye, the tavern keeper. "I expect to receive an important package from the Magic Guild either tonight or tomorrow morning," I told him.

"I will send a helper to inform you when the package arrives, Lord Mulligan," the gnome replied with a deep bow.

I nodded and entered the common room. It was shortly after five in the early evening. The room was not yet full.

We took a table at the back and ordered the special for dinner. Today's special turned out to be fish with a side of bean salad.

Kalistra devoured her meal like a hungry monster and even ordered a second serving!

The rest of us couldn't help but stare at the cat girl as she ate. I was amused to discover how much she enjoyed eating fish.

Rijana and Van joined our table as we ate and they each ordered the same meal.

After our meals, I said, "Let's go up to my room to talk."

Once the two latecomers finished their meals, we headed up the stairs and squeezed into my tiny guest room.

I turned toward Van. "What did the archbishop say?"

"He was very concerned about the confirmed sighting of a vampire," the paladin replied. "He is sending two vampire hunters to accompany us."

"Is it wise for new people to join us?" Kalistra asked while looking at me.

"We need to make sure the vampire is dead," I replied. "The mission will be considered a failure if we don't achieve this objective. If the reinforcement that the archbishop is sending us have experience in killing vampires, then I'm fine with it."

The cat girl's ears flattened but she kept silent. She realized that my mind was already made up.

I turned my head toward Van. "Do you have any special vampire hunting weapons like wooden stakes to attack their hearts? I would be interested in practicing techniques against vampires."

The paladin's eyes flashed. "Are you certain that is wise, Brother Mulligan?"

"I need to turn in the quest with Meanna at the Watch Headquarters. While I'm there, I may as well practice with you," I reasoned. "I'm not concerned that you will accidentally break my sword arm again. I don't you want to incur your aunt's wrath a second time today," I joked.

Van's eyes dropped to the floor. He nodded slightly. He was relieved to learn that I still trusted him despite the mishap during our friendly duel.

I turned toward Rijana, Bjoukia, and Bjoukin. "You three can leave us now. I'm sure you need to report back to your superiors," I grinned.

The mage smiled back at me. "Yes, we do. Milord, partying with you is always eventful," she admitted.

The two elves nodded in unison and grinned.

I held up my hands. "I'm a Player Character and the Gods like to intervene in my daily affairs," I shrugged. "You knew this and decided to accompany me anyway," I pointed out.

"We'll take our leave now, Lord Mulligan," Bjoukin said. He bowed deeply. He then grabbed his sister by her arm and pulled her out of my room.

Rijana bowed and left us as well. She closed the door quietly behind her.

Kalistra's tail twitched happily at their departure. She didn't like those three very much. "My liege, we should depart for the Watch Headquarters immediately," she suggested. She couldn't remember if Bristol had a curfew. The cat girl wanted me to return to my guest room by ten at the latest. While The Double Cross Society was no longer targeting him, my bodyguard wasn't sure that I was taken off other hit lists. After all, I had numerous enemies including the Paget family, wererats, and the drow.

"That's fine," I agreed. Once we stepped into the hallway, I locked the door to my guest room and then headed out of the inn.