Argrave watched the village of Barden from horseback. The metal men had been stacked in a great pit off the side to the village. All along the coast, devastation was apparent. Few villages were left untouched, and even now, refugees moved to Mateth. The great fields outside of the city had been trampled, crushed, burnt, and more. This place might be wracked by famine in the years to come.

In the corner of his mind, he could feel the consciousness of the pigeons under the control of his druidic magic. Rather than seeing through their eyes, it was like he was vaguely cognizant of what they could feel. He could tell that they saw people, and the direction those people might be in, but little beyond that. It would be helpful for avoiding ambushes.

Anneliese was still very unused to riding horses, and Argrave kept the pace slow for this reason. “Ride closer,” Argrave directed to Galamon and Anneliese. They did so, Anneliese awkwardly directing her horse forward. Though Argrave had suggested she use druidic magic to handle the horse, she refused. She wanted to learn.

“Now that this little party of mine is assembled, we can talk about what happens next.” Argrave looked to Galamon and Anneliese. They watched him quietly.

“Long-term, our priority is to mitigate Gerechtigkeit’s influence. Though it hasn’t spread far yet, the plague brewing in the northeast can devastate the continent. Indeed, it takes priority over stopping the civil war in Vasquer. As such, that’s our first long-term goal.”

“But you grow sick easily,” Anneliese interrupted.

“I was getting to that,” Argrave agreed. He took the horse off road, heading to the distant mountains where the old tomb would still be. “With the invasion from the Veidimen halted, I have a lot more leeway in terms of what can be done. With my physique, going to deal with the plague now would likely just end with my death. As such, it needs to be dealt with.” Argrave looked to Galamon.

“I won’t turn you into a vampire,” the elf said quickly and harshly. “Perish the thought.”

“Did I say anything about growing my teeth out? Everyone is interrupting,” Argrave complained. “Just listen. As we are now, we need to get our builds ready. In other words, we need to focus on personal growth.”

Argrave gestured to Galamon. “You are already a very powerful warrior, but compared to others, you lack good equipment. Your axe is one thing, but at the very least, you need an enchanted bow and a good enchanted greatsword. Finding armor that fits your body is going to be difficult. Armor isn’t exactly one-size-fits-all. It’ll need to be custom made.”

“As for you,” Argrave pointed to Anneliese. “You need to learn the spells I specify. Some of them I have. Others I will need to get. Mateth is a bit lacking in the scholarly department, but Jast will have most everything we need. The majority of the spells you should learn are lightning-oriented elemental magic.”

“Why?” she asked simply.

“You have a high affinity with magic just as I do. This helps with lightning magic’s one disadvantage: its tremendous cost. It’s fast, precise, and can affect many at once. Few things are attuned to lightning, and as such, few enemies can resist it. There’s a set of items that I’m going to get that will magnify electricity’s power, too, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

Argrave and company passed over the dead body of one of the tomb guardians that had been using a bow. Galamon watched it as they passed, growing ever closer to the mountains.

“As for me, I’ll learn much of the same stuff Anneliese does. Beyond that, there’s the issue of my body. Eating my peas and carrots and getting some exercise is the least of it. I have to address my fragile constitution. As I am now, I’m plague-food.” Argrave clenched the reins together. “I’ve thought of a few ways. One of them Galamon mentioned: vampirism. But forget that. It’s a last resort.”

Galamon touched Argrave’s elbow, pointing to the direction of the entrance of the mineshaft. The three of them rode towards it, dismounting. Argrave tied the horse to a rock quietly. The birds under the influence of his spell [Pack Leader] flew down, landing on the horse’s saddle. Argrave had grown used to their presence, and already felt quite protective of them.

“With all of these conditions in mind, the best place to go would be south, past the territory of House Parbon. They’re not fond of me there, but they’re also busy with a war, and we have the advantage in scouting with druidic magic. We’re to head to a place called the Burnt Desert.”

Galamon shifted uneasily, but Anneliese only stared with a neutral expression. Argrave carried on, standing by the horses. “I know an alchemist there… we’ll have to collect some things on the way, but he’s one of the few people who can get rid of my sickliness permanently. He’ll make me Black Blooded. Fitting, I guess. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s a pain in the ass.”

“What is the Burnt Desert?” Anneliese inquired.

“A desert of black sand. Really incredibly hot, I’m told, but it’s near winter. Best time to head there. It’ll probably be very cold at night.”

“It’s also a lawless wasteland of degenerate tribes,” Galamon added, voice low. “Lizardmen, cannibalistic humans, the southron elves…”

“Maybe it was,” Argrave held a hand out as if telling him to relax. “Right now, they’re in no mood for degeneracy. Ordinarily, these tribes are known to rear and trade wyverns. They’re in the middle of a drought, though. We’re not there to deal with that. We get what we need, and then we leave. Simple as.”

Galamon nodded contentedly. Anneliese asked, “What do you mean by ‘he’ll make me Black Blooded?’”

“Just that. He’ll change my blood from red to black. It’s his life project. The things that we’ll need to fetch are a detour, but without it, I’ll die from the plague.”

“That does not explain what it does,” Anneliese pressed.

“Eh… been months since I read about it…” Argrave paused, thinking. “It makes the blood denser, and rather than just carrying oxygen to the muscles, it imbues magic into it. Effectively, over the course of a few weeks, the body will be entirely changed similarly to creatures naturally born with magic. Like dragons,” Argrave pointed, smiling.

“Oxygen?” Anneliese asked.

“Air,” Argrave elaborated, feeling like he was answering the questions of a child with insatiable curiosity. “We breathe to transfer air to the muscles. This thing has some consequences. The transitional period is said to be… painful. I have to eat much more than the average person. My magic pool will be smaller but will recover much, much quicker. There’s other stuff, but it’s situational. That said, I’ll probably be the healthiest person here when all is said and done.”

Anneliese nodded, absorbing the information. “This sounds very dangerous. You trust this person to perform this procedure?”

“Naturally,” Argrave said. He moved away from the horses. “But let’s move into the mines. We have some things to fetch. Galamon, as my indentured servant, you will be carrying all of them.”

Argrave and Anneliese walked off. Galamon stayed standing by the horses for a time, then eventually slung a bag over his shoulder and followed with a quiet sigh.

#####

“Galamon,” said Anneliese, grabbing the man’s shoulder.

The elven vampire stopped, looking back at Anneliese. Argrave walked away ahead, a flame whirling about his head to illuminate the stone paths of the ancient ruin. The tomb’s king was some distance behind them. It had died just as easy as the rest once its metal skin was pierced by Ebonice.

“I have some questions for you,” she spoke quietly.

“I have some of my own,” Galamon returned. “Why you wished to come with Argrave. Why he agreed to it.”

Argrave’s footsteps faded away, and the two Veidimen stared at each other in the dark, a flame swirling above Anneliese’s head just the same as Argrave.

“I can answer those, but I ask that you allow me my questions first.” Anneliese said, and seeing Galamon did not protest, continued. “Let me ask you this. Why are you so certain that Argrave is an agent of Erlebnis? Did he tell you personally?”

Galamon turned around fully. “I saw him head to a shrine in the forest that no one else seemed to know of. He spoke directly with an Emissary of Erlebnis and received a blessing. This blessing was pivotal in dispatching those ten druids. In addition, he possesses an uncanny knowledge about too much. I’m sure you’re familiar with this.”

“He never told you directly. It was an assumption,” Anneliese pressed.

Galamon paused. “It has basis. It is a presumption.”

Anneliese nodded. “I can agree with that. Let me ask you this, though. Have you ever felt that his knowledge extends beyond what even Erlebnis should know?” Galamon only stared blankly, the fire reflecting off his white eyes. “He knew that city, Mateth, almost too well. Why would Erlebnis teach him that? How does Erlebnis even receive knowledge? There are too many unknowns, and he refuses to answer questions on the matter.”

Anneliese continued. “From the beginning, he probably knew your character. While it is well enough to say that Erlebnis may know these things, he did not interact with you as though you were strangers. He acted familiarly. Rather than knowing about you, he acted as though he knew you. At least, such was the case with me, and others I saw him speak to. Am I wrong in this?”

Galamon said nothing, and Anneliese continued. “You ask me why Argrave allowed me to come with him. This perplexed me just as much. From the beginning, he had decided I was a person of good character. This alchemist he mentioned—he trusts him well enough to perform this procedure to make him Black Blooded, despite having never met him. That extends far beyond mere knowledge.”

His face tightening, Galamon spoke firmly, “Argrave is a very kind person. It is simply his character to trust and act with familiarity. I consider it my duty to ensure he is not harmed from being gullible.”

“That may be the case. I know how to understand people well, though, and I don’t think Argrave is any more or less trusting than the average person. Ask yourself this; has he ever misplaced his trust? Has he ever been betrayed? Has he ever made a poor evaluation of another’s character?”

“Make your point,” Galamon said gruffly.

“I don’t know my point,” Anneliese said with a sigh. She could not help but remember some words they’d exchanged about her strong empathy.

“It might make me surprised, throw a wrench into the conversation that forces some semblance of honesty from me. Might make me mind my words a little bit. But uncomfortable? Not at all.”

Argrave had no trouble lying, that Anneliese knew. He was one of the better actors she’d seen. From the outside looking in, everything he did was for a greater good. Even despite his deceptive tendencies he seemed a genuine person, and she enjoyed speaking to him. But the fact remained that he refused to directly acknowledge his association to Erlebnis.

“I just think we aren’t getting the full picture,” Anneliese said finally. “The full truth.”

Galamon shook his head. “What Argrave discloses is his business. Meeting someone like him is a blessing. He’s arrogant, talkative, condescending, and somewhat infuriating, but he’s one of the best people I’ve met, elven or otherwise. Do not let your doubts interfere with what he does. I certainly won’t—my doubts or your doubts. Keep that in mind.”

Anneliese studied Galamon, discerning his emotions. She was worried she had angered him, but she only saw protectiveness, not hate.

“I’ll help as best I can,” Anneliese promised. “My reasons for being here aren’t entirely selfless, but you can be assured of that. This is to be a long journey that I may not even survive. I’ve resolved myself for that.”

Galamon slowly nodded. “Let’s join Argrave. As you said, this is to be a very long journey. Steel your resolve further. Come wind or rain, as long as that man marches forward, we must march alongside him.”