Nathan

Year 2849 | Month 12 | Day 3

What I first thought would be a short little trip ends up taking two entire days just to reach the stupid city that these people live in. Which is that city I was told about before that doesn’t have any magicians in it called New Hope.

I find that a little odd though. After all, how would a city this size survive without any magicians? The very idea feels ludicrous.

Either way, I got to a tree close to the border of the woods before closing my eyes and listening in on the conversation upwind from me at the gate of the city.

“Did you find the vampire?”

“No, all we found was a cave with some sort of fire barrier set up.”

“It exploded the stick.”

I frown at that one, which is absolutely lacking in any detail whatsoever.

“What stick?” the one I’m assuming is the guard or something at the city asks. Or maybe a guard commander?

“The stick that we used to test the barrier,” the same idiot answers.

I pity the commander. Why did they hire someone so… should I call him unprofessional? I’m kind of blanking on the word right now that would fit him the most.

“Remember to explain your answer first next time,” the commander reprimands him before seemingly turning his attention to the leader of the little band of wannabe intruders. “If there was a barrier, then the vampire was most likely there. Meaning we’ll either have to draw it out-” I’m an it now? “-or find a way through that barrier.”

Well, that’s rude.

Wasn’t really expecting to hear them plotting about breaking into my home. But then again, makes sense. Considering that they believe me to be a vampire, and a magician. Both of which would be a threat to their city.

And since I already killed one of their soldiers by accident, they likely view me as not being very favorable towards them.

“We could use that thing,” the leader of the party of soldiers or hunters suggests.

That thing? That’s not very descriptive.

“No, I’d rather save that in case we had to fight with Reginald,” he says with a grim tone of voice that is all I need to know just how well that’s likely to turn out. Whoever this Reginald person is.

If I had to guess, it is likely the magician who is in charge of one of the neighboring cities. But that’s just a guess.

Who knows? They could be like me in that they’re living on their own.

“Then what do you suggest?” I hear the leader of the group ask again.

Silence follows for several seconds.

Out of nowhere, the one I’ve been calling an idiot suddenly suggests, “Why don’t we just talk to the vampire?”

My eyebrows rise at that.

Finally! Someone who isn’t trying to kill me!

I’m sorry for calling you an idiot!

“Do you think he would actually consider talking, and not just, ya know, eating us?” a voice I don’t recognize asks, making me wonder just how big of a monster they believe me to be.

I’ve had enough of this.

I jump down from the tree and decide to just approach the city and the soldiers. There’s not really any point in being weary of them after all. They don’t have any magicians, and I’m immortal. Only problem I’d have is if they poked my clothes full of holes.

It takes me walking several meters towards the front gate for anyone to even notice me. And another meter for my eyes to shift to red, telling them exactly who I am before a few of the soldiers who notice me shout, “Vampire!”

Oh? Now that I get a closer look – and sniff – at the commander guy, I recognize him as one of the hunter guys I first saw when I got information on the continent.

“Hello again,” I tell him with a wave of my hand, making all of the soldiers flinch and most of them raise their guns to point at me. “You remember that those won’t actually do anything to me, right? Other than irritate me with having to bother finding new clothes.”

Assuming it can get through my armor.

Those guns do look rather old in terms of their models.

“Put the guns down!” I hear their commander shout before he steps in front of the others with a grimace on his face and asks, “What do you want, vampire?”

I raise an eyebrow at his term of address before shrugging and answering, “First, I’m not a vampire. And second, I’d like to see if you have any knowledge on Tier III spells here. And third-” I pause as one of the soldiers first a bullet at me, only for the bullet to reflect off of my armor back into him. “-I’d like to see if you have anyone here capable of dueling me with a sword. Because my instructor would be rather mad at me if I got too rusty on that. Likely mad enough to cut my head off a couple of times.”

Which I would rather avoid.

The soldiers or militiamen or whatever these people are to the city look rather confused as to both what I just said, and the fact that a bullet just bounced off of what looks like muddy armor. But I just ignore them to focus on the commander guy, who doesn’t look too happy with the soldier who fired the gun.

Despite that though, he doesn’t say anything to the soldier and focuses on me as he says, “And why should we believe that you won’t just kill us off or ask for sacrifices?”

I raise an eyebrow.

“Seriously?” I ask with a frown. “Why the hell would I want sacrifices?”

My response seems to confuse the man, but I continue anyways, “The only possible reason I could think of would be to help me with my experiments. But I can just experiment on myself, so why would I bother? Besides. It’s not a very nice thing to do.”

And now he just looks even more confused.

“Look, can you help me or not?” I repeat, crossing my arms this time and feeling my sniper rifle strapped across my back shifting slightly in the process. “Otherwise, I’m leaving.”