Van led our party back to the Watch Headquarters. With his accompaniment, we were permitted to enter the building and made our way to Meanna's clinic.

Meanna turned toward us when we opened the door. She was busy taking care of another patient at the moment.

I watched as the healer slowly applied an anointment on burned skinned in the old lady's hand and then bandaged it.

The lady, dressed in the drab clothes of a commoner, bowed to Meanna. As the patient walked past us, she offered me a deeper bow.

I nodded slightly and waited until she was finally gone.

"Are you here for another treatment?" Meanna asked with a raised brow.

"No, Auntie, Lord Mulligan is fine!" the nephew blurted out. His face turned crimson and he began to hyperventilate.

The healer covered her mouth as she giggled. "I'm only teasing you, young man." She turned to face me. "If your victim is still standing in your company, then this means he has forgiven you for hurting him during the friendly duel. I thank you, Lord Mulligan, for your generosity toward this rambunctious lad." She bowed deeply to me.

I was embarrassed by her reaction. "It's fine." I cleared my throat. "We're here to turn in your quest, Meanna."

Van stepped forward and handed the bag full of herbs to her.

Meanna went to her desk and slowly emptied the contents of the bag on the table. She carefully sorted out the plants so that the same herbs were together. "Please give me back the list and the book," she requested.

I took the list from my potions bag and handed it to her. I then placed the book on herbalism on a corner of her desk.

The healer slowly checked off the list as she inspected the items on her table. When she was finished a few minutes later, she put the list down. She opened her drawer and pulled out a small pouch. "I have confirmed that you brought back everything I asked for. This isn't much but it's a small token of my appreciation." Meanna handed me the pouch. "It contains 10 gold coins," she added.

I passed the pouch to Kalistra. "Please split it equally among the people who helped gather the herbs," I requested. "I won't take anything." I saw the pop-up notifications and I read them: "Minor faction quest completed. +500 XP, +500 Reputation, +1,000 XP. General skill ACQUIRED: Herbalism, +500 XP." I was pleasantly surprised by how much experience I received from this quest. Additionally, I didn't think I would receive another trade skill. I turned back toward Meanna, who had a knowing smile on her face, and bowed deeply to her.

Kalistra slapped me on my back. Hard. "-2 Health." I dismissed the pop-up message and scowled at the evil cat girl.

"We need to do some training," she reminded me. She put her paws on my back and pushed me out of the clinic.

Meanna waved goodbye to us as Van quietly shut the door behind us.

#

When we stepped out in the hallway, Van called for a page. "Please tell Ausora and Doudan to meet me in the training hall," he ordered.

The page saluted and ran off.

Van led us down the hallway to the back of the building. And soon, we entered the training hall for the second time today.

A minute later, two people approached us. Unlike Van, they both wore black from head to toe. Once they saluted the paladin, he introduced them to us. "The lady with the pale skin and short blonde hair is Asuora. The gentleman with her is Doudan. They are vampire hunters. With me is Lord Lawrence Eugene Mulligan of the Brotherhood and his bodyguard, Kalistra the Master Swordswoman."

The four of us shook hands politely.

I looked at the two newcomers more closely. Doudan had the physique of a bodybuilder. He had shortly cropped chocolate-colored hair and piercing blue eyes. He appeared to be the strong but silent type. Asuora, on the other hand, offered me a faint smile. With her black leather outfit and pale skin, she had the gothic look down. Both carried crossbows on their backs and red crosses around their necks.

"So you are the mysterious Lord Mulligan," Asuora said with a thick accent. "There have been many rumors about you."

"Like what?" I asked out of curiosity.

The pale woman smiled. "Like you were bitten by a wererat but the gods intervened to cure you. Or you struck a bargain with a demon and acquired the Devil's Luck."

I laughed out loud at the ridiculous rumors and shook my head. "No, they're definitely not true."

Undeterred, Asuora held up her hand. "How about this one? You've been branded by the Gods of both Order and Chaos."

I quickly stopped laughing. I couldn't lie to her because I carried the Truth Stone of Order and Chaos, which prevented me from lying. If I tried, I would receive a very painful punishment short of death.

The pale woman's golden arches rose. "So there's some truth to that rumor? Please show us your brands," she requested.

I hesitated. I didn't want to confirm that I had a relationship with the Chaotic Gods because this would diminish my reputation with the Church and its many affiliates, including Van and the vampire hunters.

Van quickly understood my hesitation. "We won't judge you for your brands," he reassured me.

I sighed. I rolled up both sleeves and cast Unveil.

Van and Asuora gasped at the sight of the divine marks on my forearms. Doudan stared at them but managed to keep his mouth shut.

"Did they hurt when you received them?" Asuora asked in a quiet voice.

"Depends on the God or Goddess. I carry the divine marks of Bane, Musa, Luck, Gaea, and Jasla. I'm also carrying a curse from Keras that reduced my Health by half," I explained. "But yes, the marks were painful when I received them. Bane in particular," I added.

Doudan winced visibly.

I quickly changed the topic as I rolled my sleeves down. "I'm hoping the two of you could offer some training to fight against vampires," I requested.

"Of course, milord," Ausora bowed. "Let's take that corner," she pointed. Once our group arrived at the destinated spot, she continued. "What is the most vulnerable part of a vampire?" she asked.

"The heart," I answered.

"Correct. Why?" she asked.

I tilted my head for a moment. I had no idea.

"Blood flows through their heart just like a human," Van answered for me.

Ausora nodded. "In many ways, vampires are like humans. They retain their memories of their past lives as humans. They can be prone to emotional outbursts and they can act irrationally," she lectured.

"Can they be reasoned with?" I asked.

The two vampire hunters exchanged glances. "To some degree," Ausora admitted quietly. "The problem is that their transition from the world of living to unliving wreaks havoc on their psyches. In other words, their minds can break. Some lose their humanity outright and give in to their insatiable hunger for fresh blood. But a more willful and determined vampire can resist the hunger and retain their humanity long enough to be reasoned with."

"The problem is you don't know which is which," Van interrupted.

Ausora nodded. "Since vampires are extremely dangerous, we must presume that they are hostile until they prove otherwise. Unreasonable vampires will retaliate in the face of hostility. The reasonable ones, on the other hand, will back away and try to seek a peaceful alternative."

"Wait!" Van immediately held up his hand. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Have you personally allowed a vampire to retreat?"

The two hunters shared glances again. They slowly nodded.

"Why?" Van spat out the word with contempt for the two. As a paladin, he could not tolerate evil. The notion of allowing an evil creature to escape made him furious!

"Why is there Order and Chaos?" Doudan spoke up for the first time. His voice was deep but loud like a James Earl Jones. "The Gods have made it so. Our mission, as vampire hunters, is to put down the rabid dogs that threaten humanity. In certain rare cases though, some of the turned were formerly servants of Order. They were created as some sadistic form of revenge by their vampiric masters. Yet, their determination to remain true to Order was so powerful that they were able to break free of their masters' sway and kill their vampiric creators. While they are vampires, they still serve Order in their own way. How can we kill them?" he asked.

Van could not respond. His white-and-black worldview was being challenged. But he had no idea how to deal with the gray area that Doudan had presented. It was . . . unsettling for the paladin. He finally decided to change the topic. "You think the vampire involved in charming mages and forcing them to create an undead horde is a 'good' vampire?" he asked incredulously.

Ausora shook her head and smiled. "Not at all. That vampire must be destroyed. Its actions, if left unchecked, will threaten Bristol and her citizens." Her eyes burned with fury. "I'm just pointing out that vampire hunters have to use proper discretion to determine when vampires should be left alone because they may still serve Order even in undeath and ultimately, we're all on the same side," she explained.

"How do you fight vampires when they have so many advantages over humans?" Kalistra asked. She was so bored with these lectures that she almost fell asleep!

"By making proper preparations before you fight them," Ausora answered. "You know they can charm people. You know they are inactive during the day. As undead creatures, they are vulnerable to holy magic and holy water. And wooden stakes to the heart can kill them."

"The problem is that the mages have been charmed," Kalistra pointed out. She understood where Ausora was going.

"Correct," the hunter smiled. "We're going to use this to deal with them." She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a pearl-like object. It was a small, white stone.

When I read its caption, I saw: "Anti-Magic Bead." My eyes widened. "You're using void magic?" I asked. I recalled the last time I encountered void magic. It was Jasla in her disguise as a human monk.

"Correct," Asuora smiled again. "When this bead is crushed, a small barrier with be created. No magic can be cast within this area. The anti-magic zone will last for only a few minutes. We must put down all the spellcasters during this period."

I considered the use of void magic carefully. It was a double-edged sword for me personally since I was a mage. Yet, I could see the allure of using it during the upcoming battle. Without magic, the mages could be put down easily. The problem was the vampire. How could we hope to deal with it without magic? Furthermore, I needed to be the one to destroy the vampire or else I will not receive proper credit for completing this quest. "I have to be the one who kills the vampire," I reminded them.

Doudan held up something in front of me: It was a wooden stake. "Take it."

I took the stake and looked at it closely. It was as long as my forearm. One end was flat while the other end was sharp. Honestly, it looked like a giant shish-kebab stick.

"We will pin down the vampire for you," Asuora promised.

I looked up at her. "Is it possible for me to spar with you using the stake?" I requested. "I need to get a feel for it because its length is shorter than my long sword," I explained.

Kalistra quickly held up her paw. "Can I borrow the stake?" she asked. When she received it from me, she held the stake in her offhand and her sheathed long sword in her main hand. "When you fight the vampire, you will need to hold back on using the stake until you have a clear shot at its heart. This stake is made of wood and the vampire is strong enough to snap it easily. You will defend with your sword until you could take the heart out," she explained. Kalistra took a few swings to demonstrate.

I looked at her with uneasiness. "You're asking me to fight with two weapons," I pointed out as the cat girl returned the wooden stake to me.

Doudan stepped forward. He was holding a stake and a sheathed sword. "Milord, please spar with me," he requested.

I reluctantly mirrored his pose as the others backed away to give us space.

Suddenly, Doudan lunged forward and swung his sword at me!

I courageously met his charge and blocked his attack with my own sword. However, I was being pushed back because my opponent had superior strength. As I focused on holding my ground, my tricky opponent jabbed me in the heart with the blunt end of his stake. "-4 Health." I stepped back and dismissed the notification.

Doudan allowed me to take a moment to shake off his hit and then attacked again.

This time I was ready for it. I ducked under his swing and then activated my Disarm skill. "Disarm SUCCESSFUL. +50 XP." My target? The wooden stake. As my opponent's momentum carried his body pass me. I slammed the stake into his heart! When I backed away from Doudan, I realized that I made a deadly mistake: I attacked with the sharp end!

Doudan looked down at his chest and saw the stake was embedded in his chest. He dropped his sword. With great effort and a grunt, he used both hands to pull the stake out of his body. Blood started pouring out of his wound like a geyser.

I tried to put my hand on his chest to heal him.

However, Doudan held my wrist instead and prevented me from healing him.

To my amazement, the wound started to close on its own and soon he was completely healed.

When Doudan finally released my wrist, I immediately backed away and activated my Spirit Sense. My suspicion was confirmed when I saw that he carried TWO auras! One was red and the other was blue. I quickly glanced at my pop-up notifications. "Duel WON. Dhampir DEFEATED. +500 XP." "Professional skill ACQUIRED: Dual-sword fighting. +1,000 XP." "Spirit sense SUCCESSFUL. +50 XP." I dismissed the messages and said, "You're a Dhampir."

Dhampirs were half-humans-half-vampires. They were born from human mothers who somehow became impregnated by male vampires. This dual-nature allowed dhampirs to walk under sunlight and regenerate their wounds. But they were still vulnerable to holy magic. Doudan stopped me from healing him because it would have killed him instead! However, I was not concerned for my personal safety because neither vampire hunter appeared to be hostile to me.

Doudan grinned, revealing his vampire-like fangs.

I used Spirit Sense on Asuora and confirmed that she, too, was a Dhampir. "You both are." I cleared out the ensuing pop-up and its +50 XP.

Ausora smiled, revealing her own fangs.

Van took out his mace and shield. He stepped in front of me and he was prepared to defend me against these evil creatures.

Ausora laughed. "The Church knows what we are. They understand that we are part of the Great Balance. We hunt down vampires that threaten human settlements. We don't drink blood and we're no threat to humans except in self-defense. That's why the archbishop has asked us to join you in your quest," she explained.

I put my hand on Van's shoulder. "It's okay. They're not going to hurt us."

The paladin reluctantly sheathed his mace and returned the tower shield to its harness on his back.

I turned toward Doudan. "I'm glad you stopped me from killing you with my heal spell."

The taciturn man grinned.

Suddenly, a page approached us. "Lord Mulligan, someone is waiting outside our headquarters. He claims to have an important message from Tescka."

"Thank you," I replied. I turned around and said to the group, "We need to go now."

They nodded in unison and we quickly exited the Watch headquarters.