James' brain paused. Earth?

"Earth?" Rocko asked James.

James was pretty sure that Rocko didn't know where James was from. No one knew where James was from other than Zeta. Was the Baron working for Zeta? That seemed unlikely. If he were, he would have given away the whole game with that one question.

James' brain was now racing, trying to collect his thoughts. He tried to figure out a response that would tell someone from Earth that he was from Earth, but without answering the question if the person wasn't from Earth.

"I am from Texas, in the US of A," James replied.

A grin appeared on the Baron's face slowly, "I am from Marseille, France."

"You don't sound like a Frenchie," James stated.

The Baron continued to grin, "And you don't sound like a Yankie."

They paused and stared at each other before James started to grin.

"What's going on?" Rocko asked before both the Baron and James started to laugh. It was a strange laugh, not at something funny, but something strange and shared, scary and weird.

"Son of a bitch! I needed that," the Baron exclaimed, rubbing his side.

James wiped tears from his face, "I think I broke something." This caused the Baron to start laughing again, which caused James to start laughing again.

"You two are seriously fucked in the head," Rocko pouted, not understanding there wasn't a joke.

After regaining some composure, the Baron stood up and walked to a liquor cabinet, "I never thought I would meet someone else from our world. Scotch?"

James nodded, and the Baron brought over a crystal scotch glass and a crystal decanter and placed them in front of James. Going back to the cabinet, the Baron poured himself something that looked like red wine but poured a little thicker. James ignored the apparent oddity of the wine and poured himself a health glass of scotch.

When the Baron sat back down, he held up his glass, "To home." James raised his glass in a toast. The scotch was better than most he had ever had.

"When did you arrive here?" James asked, "I heard you were several centuries old."

The Baron nodded, "I am. I arrived here about 431 years ago."

James winced, "Shit. That's a long time. That means you left Earth in the late 1500s?"

The Baron looked confused, "No, I left in the spring of 1983."

"Seriously?" James asked, to which the Baron nodded, "Wow when I left, it was late 2018."

They both paused to do some math. The Baron responded, "So a little more than ten years here is one year on Earth."

"Why would there be a time-dilation?" James asked.

Rocko blinked at James, "I am surprised you know what even means."

The Baron shrugged and took a sip of wine, "The world is seriously fucked up. As far as I am concerned, it is the least of the messed up shit I have seen since I arrived."

"So? What's your story?" James asked.

The Baron looked at James dangerously, "One doesn't normally ask such a question of a Baron."

Rocko flinched, "Oh shit."

James shrugged, "I wasn't. I was asking the question to someone from Earth."

The tension in the Baron eased, "Sorry. I have been a Vampire Lord for much longer than I have been French. The line between the two disappeared a long time ago."

James nodded, "I am happy to play the noble game tomorrow. Is it okay if we talk as equals tonight?"

The Baron was slow to nod, but eventually, he did, "I suppose. The story isn't that interesting. Some of the details are lost to me. I wrote them down a few hundred years ago before they were lost completely, but from what I wrote and remember, I was on my way home from a friend's house in Lodi. It was late at night when I was struck by a truck. When I woke, I was in this world. Cold, hungry, and alone. Did I mention I was naked? I was naked too. Needless to say, I sent the first couple of years in prison for trying to steal food and clothing."

James thought about what the prison conditions in this world must look like, "I am sorry. Not a great beginning."

The Baron shrugged, "In truth, it was a great place to learn how to be a rogue. In fact, that is where I met my mentor. He took me under his wing, as it were."

"I am surprised that someone from this world would be so kind," James stated skeptically.

"Hey," Rocko protested, "Not all people are like that. Look at the girls, for example."

'I agree with the sisters, but not the rest,' James replied.

"Oh, it wasn't out of the kindness of his cold, black heart. It was more out of convenience, that's for sure. We worked together for a couple of years in prison, and when I was released, I helped him escape. In return, he trained me and taught me how to be a Rogue Merchant."

James chuckled, "Rogue Merchant? Aren't all merchants already thieves?"

The Baron shrugged, "Yes and no. Some merchants are just merchants who are good at getting a deal. Other merchants are good at pawning off counterfeit items, fencing stolen items, or gouging people selling stuff and then reselling it a huge markup."

"Which one were you?" James asked.

"All of them. I had sticky fingers back in Marseille, so this wasn't much different. I didn't scam old ladies or kids, mind you. But I didn't have to. There are so many other people out there scamming each other, they didn't notice me," the Baron explained.

"So, how did you end up a Vampire?"

The Baron smiled, "Oh, that story is easy. I scammed the wrong person, and it came back to bite me."

"Not bad," James laughed back.

"Another witless idiot," Rocko mumbled.

"A Vampire Lord took exception to my gouging one of his contacts. I was given a warning, but I didn't take it seriously. Who would have believed Vampires are real? So, I went too far and got turned." the Baron grimaced at the memory, and James didn't press. Instead, he refilled his glass with the excellent scotch.

"It wasn't until two centuries later that I was able to venture out on my own, and I was able to acquire the class Vampire Lord for myself when I reached level 20," the Baron continued.

"It took two centuries to reach level 20?" James asked.

"When I became a vampire, I also become a Thrall. I was the Vampire Lord's puppet and could not act on my own. His needs and wants were my primary concern, so I didn't get the chance to focus on improving my level or even my standard in life. I was a slave." the Baron explained with a lopsided grin.

James took a sip of his scotch and let the Baron tell the story at his own pace.

"I was able to amass a fortune for my Master. He had never had a merchant for a slave before, so when I could buy and sell things at a profit, he used my Skills to his advantage. That didn't mean I didn't level, just that they were not my focus," he explained.

"How did you end up a Vampire Lord?" James asked.

"My Master was killed by a group of vampire hunters who stormed his castle and cut off his head," the Baron said, sipping his wine with a laugh.

"That doesn't sound good. Did that mean you were turned back into a human?" James asked, trying to remember his vampire lore from movies and tv shows.

"No such luck, I am afraid. But I was freed from the grip of the Master. My luck was that I knew where all his wealth was located. With some time, I was able to secure the money and the land. At the time, I didn't realize that the land also confirmed a Title. That came later when I was introduced to the Vampire Court. They thought I had arranged for my Master's demise and tried me for his murder. Odd how that worked out," the Baron mused.

"Oh?"

The Baron shrugged and continued the story, "The vampire hunters were captured and questioned. It was through their interrogation that it was learned that it was, in fact, a different Vampire Lord who had arranged for the fall of my Master in the hopes of securing his lands. The other Vampire Lord didn't realize that was had swooped in and taken everything before he had a chance. It was a bit of a mess and took a few years to sort out. In the end, the other Vampire Lord was executed and was I given the land and Title of my Master."

"And you live here instead of a castle?" James asked.

"Perception. Everyone knows that someone who lives alone in a castle has to be a villain or a vampire," the Baron explained.

"So, this is a disguise?" James asked.

"Yes. Besides, I like it here," the Baron said, looking around the room.

"What of Arnold? Is he your Thrall?" James asked.

"No," the Vampire Lord stated, shaking his head, "No, I decided a long time ago I would never do that to someone. Arnold was a slave to our old Master. When the Master died, he was lost and confused. I offered him a home and a job. He accepted."

James thought about that for a second, "So, he's a vampire as well?"

The Baron nodded, "Yes. Older than I am, in fact. But he prefers the simple life and doesn't want any extra bullshit that goes with vampire politics."

James nodded, "I can appreciate that."

"What of you? How did you end up in the house of a Vampire Lord from Texas of the US of A?" the Baron asked.

James had already decided to tell the Baron most of what happened. It wasn't that the Baron was more trustworthy because he came from Earth, but that most of the information was not a secret.

He would exclude some details, but he figured the Baron was already well versed in the Challenge. So he told him about dying on Earth, being summoned to this world and agreeing to work as a Champion for a lesser god. He then told the Baron about starting as a Were Tiger and finding an Amulet. Using the Amulet to respec into to a Glrick and then learning the class as a Shadow Knight. He didn't mention Rocko or the sisters but said collecting information on different Dungeons and rocketing up in levels due to his completing Dungeons."

"You have made some friends along the way," the Baron stated. "The Del Torro family is a well-placed merchant family, and whoever is doing the material conversion for you."

James nodded, "Yes. I was lucking in meeting some people who have agreed to help me with the Challenge."

"Is that what this is about?" the Baron asked. "Making money to win the Challenge?"

James thought about it for a bit and then nodded his head again, "Yes. The money is for me to buy stronger gear, so I can go into stronger Dungeons and become stronger and get an amulet for my Patron."

"I wish you luck. I can help by ensuring you get a good deal on the blood. It is precious to me, so I am not concerned with spending a little extra. I can also help you find some quality gear if you are looking for Rare and Ultra Rare items. I can't guarantee a good price. Those items sell for ridiculous amounts of money, but I can help to save a few percentage points here and there," the Baron offered.

"Thank you," James replied earnestly. "That will be a great help."

"Now, James. Tell me what has happened since I left."